|
contents | jazz | |||||||||||||
| Oct. 1 and Oct. 6 -- Manhattan School of Music and Justin DiCioccio pay tribute to George Russell and Gerald Wilson Manhattan School Of Music Jazz Arts presents MSM Concert Jazz Band and Justin DiCioccio, conductor - The Music of George Russell paired with a Tribute to Gerald Wilson. The music of two innovative giants, who brought new and different harmonic colors and textures to their orchestrations and modern jazz. EZZ-THETIC THOUGHTS: The Music of GEORGE RUSSELL showcases iconic works that forged the way for a post-bop aesthetic; and Gerald Wilson, who just passed away, was a treasure among all musicians, who gave an ongoing freshness to everything he wrote! Wednesday, October 1 at 7:30; at Manhattan School of Music, Borden Auditorium Monday, October 6 at 7:30 and 9:30; at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola at Jazz at Lincoln Center George Russell (1923-2009) The MSM Concert Jazz Band, under the direction of Justin DiCioccio, performs the music of George Russell paired with a tribute to the late Gerald Wilson on Wednesday, October 1 at 7:30 p.m. in the School's Borden Auditorium. Two additional performances will take place on Monday, October 6 at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola at Jazz at Lincoln Center. Ezz-thetics, an album by a sextet led by the jazz composer and music theorist George Russell with Don Ellis, trumpet; Dave Baker, trombone; Eric Dolphy, alto sax/bass clarinet; Steve Swallow, bass; and Joe Hunt, drums, will be recreated by the MSM Concert Jazz Band and Justin DiCioccio. This 1961 recording featured Russell's title composition as well as a radical reworking of Thelonious Monk's standard Round Midnight, featuring Eric Dolphy in an extended solo. The title song, Ezzthetic, was dedicated to, in Mr. Russell's own words, "the late, great heavyweight boxing champion of the world, Ezzard Charles." Ezz-thetics was recorded on May 8, 1961 on the Riverside Records label. George Russell (1923 - 2009), an influential and innovative figure in the evolution of modern jazz, was a major theorist whose ideas transformed and inspired some of the greatest musicians of our time. In 1941, he sold his first work, New World, to Benny Carter later joining Benny Carter's Band as a drummer. He was replaced by Max Roach and following hearing Roach play decided to give up drumming. Russell moved to New York where he was part of a group of musicians including Miles Davis, Gerry Mulligan, Max Roach, Johnny Carisi and on occasion, Charlie Parker, who gathered in the basement apartment of Gil Evans. His work, Cubano Be/Cubano Bop, a commission by the Dizzy Gillespie Orchestra was the first fusion of Afro-Cuban rhythms with jazz and received its premiere at Carnegie Hall in 1947 showcasing Chano Pazo. Russell was the creator of "Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization, " first published in 1953. The Lydian Concept, a theory that explores the vertical relationship between chords and scales, is credited with opening the way into modal music, as demonstrated by Miles Davis in the recording, Kind of Blue. In the mid-fifties, Russell began to compose for various jazz festivals and travelled throughout the Midwest and Europe with his own sextet. In 1964, he settled in Scandinavia residing there for five years, returning to the U.S. at the request of his friend Gunther Schuller, to teach at the newly created jazz department at the New England Conservatory. He continued to play with his own 14 member orchestra as well as to compose extended works which defined jazz composition. The African Game, from 1985, received two Grammy nominations. In 1986, he was invited by the Contemporary Music Network of the British Council to tour with an orchestra of American and British musicians, which resulted in The International Living Time Orchestra. George Russell was the recipient of the MacArthur Foundation Fellowship, the National Endowment for the Arts American Jazz Master, was elected a Foreign Member of the Royal Swedish Academy, and was awarded two Guggenheim Fellowships, the Oscar du Disque de Jazz, the Guardian Award, six NEA Music Fellowships, the American Music Award, and numerous others. Gerald Wilson (1918-2014), the renowned jazz composer, arranger, trumpeter, big band leader and educator passed away on September 8th at the age of 96 at his home in Los Angeles. Named a Jazz Master by the NEA in 1990, his career spanned more than 75 years beginning in the late 1930s playing trumpet for the Jimmy Lunceford band replacing Sy Oliver. For Lunceford's band he arranged "Hi Spook" influenced by Ellington's "Caravan" and "Yard Dog Mazurka" influenced by Stan Kenton's "Intermission Riff." Wilson later played and worked as a composer/arranger for Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Benny Carter, and Dizzy Gillespie; and an arranger for Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Charles, Sarah Vaughn, Camen McRae, Bobby Darin, Lionel Hampton, Billie Holiday, and many others. Gerald Stanley Wilson was born in Shelby, Mississippi on September 4th, 1918 and later moved to Detroit with his family. During World War II he performed briefly with the U.S. Navy performing with Clark Terry, Willie Smith and Jimmy Nottingham, among others. He formed his own band in the late 1940s working in the 1950s and 1960s as a band leader. He would take frequent breaks as he became one of the jazz world's most in-demand arrangers and orchestrators. His marriage of more than fifty years to Mexican-American, Josefina Villasenor Wilson, led him to incorporate Latin music into his jazz compositions. His tune, "Viva Tirado, " became a hit for the rock band El Chicano. He also wrote for pop musicians, film, and in 1972 with his Debut: 5/2/21/72 for symphony orchestra, on a commission from Zubin Mehta and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Gerald Wilson (1918 – 2014) For the Monterey Jazz Festival he was commissioned to compose works for the festival's 40th and 50th anniversaries. In June 2007, Wilson with producer Al Pryor and an all-star big band recorded a special album of compositions originally commissioned and premiered at the Monterey Jazz Festival for the festival's 50th anniversary. In recent years, Wilson formed orchestras on the West and East coasts each with local outstanding musicians. He also made special appearances as guest conductor, including with the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band, the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, the Chicago Jazz Ensemble and European Radio Jazz Orchestras including the BBC Big Band. His last recording from 2011, Legacy, featured his compositions based on themes by Stravinsky, Debussy, Puccini, as well as a work by his son Anthony. In the 1970's Gerald Wilson was host of his own jazz show at KBCA-FM in Los Angeles. In addition, he taught at California State University in Northridge, California State University at Los Angeles, and the University of California at Los Angeles. He is survived by his wife, three daughters and a son, Anthony who is a jazz guitarist. The October 1 concert at Manhattan School of Music is FREE, no tickets are required. Manhattan School of Music is located at the northwest corner of 122nd Street and Broadway, and is accessible by public transportation. For information, call 917 493 4428 or visit www.msmnyc.edu. For the October 6th performances, tickets are required by calling 212 258 9595. Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola is located at Jazz at Lincoln Center at Columbus Circle. Justin DiCioccio, Associate Dean and Chair of MSM’s Jazz Arts Program, is internationally recognized as one of the foremost jazz educators of our time. He recently became Acting Dean of the True School of Music (TSM), an innovative new music school in Mumbai, India, that opens in September 2013. His inventive approach as an educator has earned him the title “the musician’s teacher,” and his many performances, conducting appearances, jazz and percussion clinics, and workshops are widely recognized in the professional and educational fields. Mr. DiCioccio was inducted into the Jazz Education Hall of Fame, has served as program director and clinician for Carnegie Hall Jazz Education, acts as a consultant to Jazz at Lincoln Center and Wynton Marsalis and is conductor of the Grammy Jazz Ensemble. He developed and directed the LaGuardia High School of the Arts jazz program, the first fully accredited secondary jazz program in the United States. Mr. DiCioccio is the recipient of a citation from the mayor of New York for “Distinguished and Exceptional Service to Young Instrumentalists” and is active with the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts, the Music for Youth Foundation, the National Young Arts Organization and the National Foundation for Jazz Education. He is a three-time recipient of the Presidential Scholars Teacher Recognition Award in the jazz field by the U.S. Department of Education. In May 1998, the Commission Project, in partnership with the New York City Board of Education, created the JD Award for Outstanding Service to Music in New York City Schools. On March 1, 2010, he was confirmed as the State Department Appointed Cultural Envoy Jazz Ambassador to Tbilisi, Georgia. Mr. DiCioccio’s performing and conducting credentials include concerts, commercials, Broadway shows, and recordings with jazz, orchestral, rock, and new music groups. Over the years he has worked with acclaimed artists, including Arturo Sandoval, Randy Brecker, Chuck Mangione, Phil Woods, Stan Getz, and Clark Terry, among others. Mr. DiCioccio is a former member of the Rochester Philharmonic and for five years was a member of the Marine Band “The President’s Own,” in which he served as the official White House drummer during the Kennedy and Johnson administrations. Justin DiCioccio was named Chair of MSM’s Jazz Arts Program in 1999 and Associate Dean in 2011. He has been a member of its faculty since 1984. Manhattan School of Music is one of the first conservatories in the United States to acknowledge the importance of jazz as an art form by establishing undergraduate and gradu write your comments about the article :: © 2014 Jazz News :: home page |