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| Jay Hoggard at Crowell Concert Hall Wesleyan University, Vibraphonist, Composer Jay Hoggard, one of the world's leading vibraphonists, will premiere his compositional suite Sonic Hieroglyphs from Wood, Metal and Skin at the 11th Annual Wesleyan Jazz Orchestra Weekend in Crowell Concert Hall at Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT, on April 28, 2012 at 8:00 pm. In this performance, Jay Hoggard's stellar quartet, with pianist James Weidman, bassist Santi Debriano and drummer Yoron Israel will be joined by wood-windists Anthony Braxton and Marty Ehrlich, percussionist Kwaku Kwaakye Martin Obeng, and harpist Brandee Younger. The first half of the program will feature Mr. Hoggard's compositions from his JHVM Recordings, Soular Power, Solo From Two Sides, Swing 'Em Gates and The Right Place (please visit www.jayhoggard.com.). The second half will feature the world premiere of the new suite, Sonic Hieroglyphs From Wood, Metal, and Skin. This multi part suite is dedicated to the inspiration of the late Nobel Peace prize recipient from Kenya, Wangari Mathai . Jay Hoggard's music has touched the hearts and souls of listeners around the world for 35 years. Jay draws on traditional and contemporary musical vocabulary to develop new directions for the vibraphone, seamlessly blending jazz and gospel roots with African marimba rhythms. His performance repertoire represents the three B's of the jazz tradition (Blues, Bop, Ballads) with original innovations. Jay has recorded 21 CDs as a leader, including the recent Solo from Two Sides, Soular Power, Swing Em Gates, The Right Place, and Songs of Spiritual Love. The son of a Bishop in the African Methodist Episcopal Zion (AME Zion) Church, he was born in Washington, DC and reared in Mt. Vernon, NY. At age 15, Jay began playing the vibraphone. "One night I had a dream that I was playing the vibes. I asked my father to rent me a set and from the first moment, I knew that this was what I was supposed to do." Jay majored in the World Music program at Wesleyan University and toured Europe and played at Carnegie Hall during his freshman year. In his junior year, he traveled to Tanzania to study East African xylophone music. He graduated in 1976 and returned to New York in 1977 to be proclaimed a young lion on the vibraphone. Since then, Jay Hoggard has performed in major venues, jazz festivals, colleges, universities, churches, galleries, libraries, and clubs around the globe. Jay has been featured on radio and television nationally and internationally. He led a quintet on an extensive tour sponsored by the United States government to North Africa, the Middle East and India. Jay performed in special concert collaborations with vibraphone masters Lionel Hampton, Milt Jackson, Tito Puente and Bobby Hutcherson. He has recorded and toured with creative artists such as Kenny Burrell, Dr. Billy Taylor, Max Roach, James Newton, Hilton Ruiz, Oliver Lake, Bennie Maupin, Bill Cosby, Sam Rivers, Anthony Braxton, Jorge Dalto, Terumasa Hino, Dwight Andrews, Geri Allen, Anthony Davis, Henry Threadgill, Vishnu Wood, Chico Freeman, Muhal Richard Abrams, Sherry Winston, Ahmed Abdullah, and was a guest artist with the Dizzy Gillespie Big Band. Jay has accompanied singers, instrumentalists, and poets and has performed with gospel, theater, dance, percussion, and orchestral ensembles. In 2009, Jay Hoggard was commissioned by the Sankofa Kuumba Dance Consortium and the Hartford Symphony Orchestra to compose THE OTHER SIDE OF THE OCEAN and LET ME MAKE IT CLEAR. Previously, Jay collaborated with Denver based choreographer Cleo Parker Robinson by composing THE WISDOM OF THE BAOBAB TREE commissioned by Lincoln Center Out of Doors. He was commissioned by the Hartford Festival of Jazz to compose LA TIERRA HERMOSA, dedicated to Tito Puente. In 2000, Hoggard was commissioned by Wesleyan University to compose JOYFUL SWAMP and CROSSING POINT for Max Roach and percussion ensemble, and VIBARIMBALA for symphonic and jazz orchestras. Jay Hoggard is currently a professor of music at Wesleyan University, where for the past 22 years he has directed the Wesleyan Jazz Orchestra and has taught and mentored hundreds of young musicians. write your comments about the article :: © 2012 Jazz News :: home page |