The Puppeteers Performing At Iridium

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The Puppeteers Performing At Iridium Friday, July 19th Sets 8:00 And 10:00 Pm. Arturo O'Farrill, piano, Bill Ware, vibes, Alex Blake, bass, Jaime Affoumado, drums. Experiments in collaboration bridge the rift between internal vision and outward expression. With the close of Puppet's Jazz Bar, the all-star quartet went into the studio to collaborate on new material with no prohibitions other than stodgy limits or pedestrian statements. Fireworks abounded and the result is a raw, edgy and expansive exploration of each individual voice, while maintaining the utmost respect and humility for the strings pulled by their fellow masters. The Puppeteers have arrived.

ARTURO O'FARRILL, pianist, composer, educator, and winner of the Latin Jazz USA Outstanding Achievement Award for 2003, was born in Mexico and grew up in New York City. In 2002, Mr. O'Farrill created the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra (ALJO) for Jazz at Lincoln Center due in part to a large and very demanding body of substantial music in the genre of Latin and Afro Cuban Jazz that deserves to be much more widely appreciated and experienced by the general jazz audience. His debut album with the Orchestra, Una Noche Inolvidable, earned a GRAMMY Award nomination in 2006 and the Orchestra's second album, Song for Chico, earned a GRAMMY Award for Best Latin Jazz Album in 2009. In February 2011, Mr. O'Farrill and the ALJO released their third and newest album, 40 Acres and a Burro, which has been nominated for a GRAMMY award in the Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album category for 2011, and his debut solo album, The Noguchi Sessions, was released in July, 2012 to critical acclaim. Mr. O'Farrill's website is http://www.arturoofarrill.com/.

BILL WARE is a quiet giant of the vibraphone who defines the word groove as he cooks rhythms on a low burn, feeling where his fellow musicians are going, only to "strike out and impress with his four-mallet attacks of chords, cadences and arpeggios, surprising in every measure." (allaboutjazz.com) Mr. Ware has performed, recorded and toured internationally with hundreds of artists, most prominently as a charter member of the internationally renowned jazz group The Jazz Passengers, which has featured guest appearances by Blondie star Deborah Harry, guitarist Marc Ribot and vocalist Elvis Costello. In the 1990s, Mr. Ware was at the heart of the New York City "acid jazz" scene with the popular band, Groove Collective. He toured with Steely Dan in the 1993- 1995 Alive in America concert tours as a member of the all-star band dubbed the "Steely Dan Orchestra". Recent projects include Triple Goddess Twilight Revue - a tribute to Laura Nyro, the Rez Abbasi Acoustic Quartet, and a musical collaboration with the great Nuyorican poet, Tato Laviera. Mr. Ware's website is http://www.billwarevibes.com/.

ALEX BLAKE is a master upright and electric bassist who began playing professionally in his teens with Dizzy Gillespie, then with Sun Ra, Freddie Hubbard, Astrid Gilberto, Stan Getz, McCoy Tyner, Billy Cobham, Manhattan Transfer - among many other artists. A musical innovator, composer, and educator, Mr. Blake's style ranges in musical genre from Latin/flamenco to post bop and jazz to rock and pop. He has recorded on multiple Grammy-winning album, received honorary awards and critical recognition, and tours internationally with Randy Weston and his African Rhythms band. He is currently working on a new CD with his post-fusion band, the Alex Blake Quintet, with original compositions reflecting all of his global influences - salsa, Middle Eastern, rock, RnB – and his dynamic and distinct playing style. A native of Panama, he resides in New York City and has appeared with Bill Ware and Jaime Affoumado at the Puppets Jazz Bar venue in Brooklyn, New York on numerous occasions. More information on Mr. Blake including his music, discography, and tour info may be found on his website at http://www.alexblakebass.com.

JAIME AFFOUMADO was born in Bronx, New York on July 29, 1965. Jaime began the drums at the early age of three under the tutelage of his father, Ralph Affoumado. Jaime's talents did not stop at music as he was also a child protege actor. He performed in the Broadway musical "Pippin" at the Imperial Theater in NYC. He also distinguished himself in over 100 television commercials and 3 movies. Jaime began playing in and around Manhattan clubs earning a reputation as a solid player and with guidance from others including jazz drummers; Kenny Washington and Tommy Campbell, Jaime soon founded his own group "New Hype Jazz". They recorded several CD's becoming one of the most popular downtown bands. From 2008 to 2011 Jaime owned his own jazz bar in Park Slope, Brooklyn called "Puppets". Jaime wore many hats as the clubs proprietor, manager, and performer. Artists who performed regularly with Jaime are; William Ash, Bill Ware, Brad Jones, Randy Johnston, Alex Blake, Arturo O' Farrill, Dean Bowman, Rubin Rodriguez and an international cast of many others. Jaime has also played with such notables as; Jaco Pastorius, Dr. Bill Taylor, Elvis Costello, Deborah Harry, The Jazz Passengers, Arthur Blythe, Cecil McBee, and many others.

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