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| Paul Winter - Winter Solstice Celebration The reunited Sextet will be featured in the upcoming Winter Solstice Celebration at New York's Cathedral of St. John the Divine, December 13, 14, and 15. Original Sextet members Warren Bernhardt (piano), Cecil McBee (bass), and Paul Winter (alto and soprano saxes) will be joined by Marvin Stamm (trumpet), Howard Johnson (baritone sax), and Jamey Haddad (drums). Winter Solstice is a contemporary take on ancient solstice rituals, when people came together during the longest night of the year to celebrate the turning point in the Earth's journey around the sun, and the birth of a new year. Now in its 33rd year, this cross-cultural performance within the awe-inspiring space of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine has become one of New York's favorite holiday events. This year's Solstice promises to be a landmark in Paul Winter's tradition of interweaving diverse performers of the world. Joining the Paul Winter Consort will be renowned African griot singer Abdoulaye Diabaté; dynamic vocalist Theresa Thomason; the 25 dancers and drummers of the Forces of Nature Dance Theatre; and the reunited Paul Winter Sextet, celebrating their new anthology Count Me In, and the 50th anniversary of their historic jazz concert at the Kennedy White House. When: Thursday, Dec. 13 – 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 14 – 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 15 – 2 p.m. & 7:30 p.m. Where: Cathedral of St. John the Divine 1047 Amsterdam Ave., Manhattan At 112th St., near Columbia University Abdoulaye Diabate sings in the griot tradition of West Africa. Griot means herald, or praise singer, and their songs of celebration, counsel and history play a vital role in these cultures that have an oral, versus written, tradition. Abdoulaye was born in Mali, to a family of praise singers that traces its lineage back to the founding of the Empire of Mali in the 13th Centruy. With his compositions and improvisations, Abdoulaye returns to the roots of his culture in Mali, known as "baden ya": the passing of tradition from parent to child that keeps culture itself alive across generations and continents. Abdoulaye will be featured in the Winter Solstice Celebration as soloist and also in collaboration with both the Paul Winter Consort and his fellow special guests, the Paul Winter Sextet. Paul Winter met Abdoulaye during a long search for a singer who could sing in the tradition of the West African song "Minuit, " which the Consort has played for years as part of the finale of the Solstice event. This beloved "village song, " which Paul heard in the Ballet Africaines many years ago, was originally sung by a high lilting male voice very much like that of Abdoulaye's. Paul was thrilled to find that Abdoulaye knew "Minuit" very well, and that also he was a virtuoso improvising singer on the level of famed West African singer Salif Keita. The Paul Winter Sextet emerged in Chicago during Paul's years at Northwestern University. After winning the 1961 Intercollegiate Jazz Festival, the band was signed to Columbia Records by legendary producer John Hammond. In 1962, on recommendation from Festival judges Dizzy Gillespie and Hammond, the Sextet was sent by the State Department on a six-month tour of 23 countries of Latin America. The success of the tour led to an invitation from First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy to play at the White House. The Sextet's performance in the East Room on November 19, 1962, happened to be the first-ever jazz concert at the White House. With some personnel changes, the Sextet continued to tour and record throughout 1963, and was making its final album that November at the time of President Kennedy's assassination. Numbed by that tragedy and discouraged by what felt like the end of an optimistic era, the Sextet soon disbanded and members went their separate ways. The reunited Sextet will be featured in the upcoming Winter Solstice Celebration at New York's Cathedral of St. John the Divine, December 13, 14, and 15. Original Sextet members Warren Bernhardt (piano), Cecil McBee (bass), and Paul Winter (alto and soprano saxes) will be joined by Marvin Stamm (trumpet), Howard Johnson (baritone sax), and Jamey Haddad (drums). The Sextet will play music from the new Count Me In anthology, and will also collaborate with African griot singer Abdoulaye Diabate and gospel singer Theresa Thomason. And a climactic convergence in the event with bring the Sextet together with the Paul Winter Consort in a new piece created for this Solstice Celebration. write your comments about the article :: © 2012 Jazz News :: home page |