The Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge and The River City Jazz Coalition Present "The Listening Room" 2011-2012 Series
Baton Rouge - The Listening Room is a series of jazz concerts presented in the Hartley/Vey Studio Theatre at the Shaw Center for the Arts by the Arts Council and the River City Jazz Coalition. These not-to-be-missed jazz shows will feature nationally and internationally known acts in two performances each at 7:00 PM and 9:00 PM.
Seating is limited, so RSVP early. Reservations are recommended and reserved tickets are $10 each. Remaining seats at showtime will be released on a "pay-what-you-can" basis.
These world-class concerts are able to be presented to the public at a nominal fee thanks to support from the National Endowment for the Arts, which helps artists and arts organizations bring the arts to all Americans.
Concerts in this series include:
- November 19 - Charlie Hunter - Guitarist, composer and bandleader
- December 15 - Hilary Kole - Jazz vocalist
- January 19 - Fred Hersch - contemporary American Jazz Pianist
- February 23 - Robert Glasper - Jazz/Hip-Hop pianist
- March 23 - Tineke Postma - Jazz saxophonist
- April 13 - Walter Blanding, Jr. - Tenor saxophonist
- April 25 - Vanessa Rubin - American jazz vocalist in a Tribute to Ella Fitzgerald on Ella's birthday
- May 4 - The Bad Plus - Jazz trio
Charlie Hunter plays custom-made seven and eight-string guitars, on which he simultaneously plays basslines, rhythm guitar, and solos. His guitar technique has been described by critic Sean Westergaard as "mind-boggling ... he's an agile improviser with an ear for great tone, and always has excellent players alongside him in order to make great music, not to show off." Charlie Hunter will perform on Saturday, November 19, 2011 at 7:00 and 9:00 PM.
Vocalist Hilary Kole has performed with tremendous artists in the history of jazz, including Dave Brubeck, the late Hank Jones, Oscar Peterson, Michel Legrand, John Pizzarelli, Freddy Cole, Cedar Walton, and many others.
Her April 2009 release, "Haunted Heart" (Justin Time) was released to critical acclaim and received four stars in Downbeat Magazine. Hilary began performing as a vocalist at the legendary Rainbow Room as the youngest singer ever to grace that stage. From there, she performed at the Oak Room at the Algonquin Hotel, and made her concert hall debut at Lincoln Center as part of the "American Songbook Series" with Jonathan Schwartz. Additional major concert appearances include headlining in New York City at Town Hall, Birdland, The Blue Note, Iridium, Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Jazz Standard, and Carnegie Hall with the New York Pops and with Michael Feinstein.
This is a show not to be missed at the Hartley/Vey Studio Theatre on Thursday, December 15, 2011 at 7:00 and 9:00 PM.
Houston-born Blue Note recording artist, Robert Glasper is a jazz/hip-hop pianist, one artist working with two distinct but interwoven concepts. New York Magazine calls him an artist who "unfailingly gets the feeling right." Glasper has made waves throughout the music world as leader of an acoustic trio and an electric, hip-hop-oriented group, and puts his versatility front and center, emphasizing both of these genres. He says, "It's not like I play jazz but I also play hip-hop now and then. I'm in it, for real, both sides of the spectrum. That's my life. A lot of people go in stages-they might focus on trio for a long time, then they change or whatever. My thing is both, all the time." Hailed by listeners, critics, and jazz musicians, Glasper continues his ascent to the top ranks of modern jazz artistry. See his performance at Hartley/Vey Studio Theatre at 7:00 and 9:00 PM on Thursday, February 23, 2012.
Tineke Postma is an internationally acknowleged jazz saxophonist and jazz educator from Holland. She has been making a mark on the U.S. scene with a bright, clear alto sax sound and a penchant for thoughtful, enthralling melodies. Ms. Postma started listening to classical music while growing up in the Netherlands, starting on flute before switching to saxophone. Her spirit and creativity have been unleashed in jazz, as evidenced by a rather new, but noteworthy recording career. Ms. Postma plays her own style of energetic modern jazz and is inspired by Wayne Shorter, Cannonball Adderly, John Coltrane, Miles Davis and other great legends. Catch her show at the Hartley/Vey on Friday, March 23, 2012 at 7:00 and 9:00 PM.
Walter Blanding, Jr. plays tenor and soprano saxophones, as well as clarinet. He was born into a musical family and began playing the saxophone at age six. At the age of 16 he was performing with his parents regularly at New York City's Village Gate. Mr. Blanding lived in Israel for 4 years, where he had a major impact on that music scene, inviting great artists such as Louis Hayes, Eric Reed and others to perform. During this period, Newsweek described him as "Jazz's Ambassador to Israel." His first recording, Tough Young Tenors, was acclaimed as one of the best jazz albums of 1991. Since then, he has performed or recorded with many artists, including Cab Calloway, the Wynton Marsalis Septet, Marcus Roberts, Illinois Jacquet, Eric Reed, Roy Hargrove and others. He is currently a member of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. Walter Blanding, Jr. will perform on Friday, April 13, 2012, at 7:00 and 9:00 PM.
Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio to parents from Trinidad and Louisiana, vocalist, lyricist, and composer Vanessa Rubin is steeped in great musical traditions. In the early days of her jazz career she honed her skills with the likes of Kenny Barron, Pharoah Sanders, Lionel Hampton, and the Mercer Ellington Orchestra. These and subsequent affiliations provide clear evidence that Rubin is not only a singer, but a true musician. Monty Alexander, Cecil Bridgewater, Kenny Burrell, Frank Foster, Billy Higgins, Etta Jones, Lewis Nash, Houston Person, Toots Thielemans, Steve Turre, Cedar Walton, Grover Washington, Jr., and James Williams are just a few of the masters who've lent their skills to support Ms. Rubin's artistry. More recently she has completed global tours with Herbie Hancock, the Woody Herman Orchestra, and the Jazz Crusaders. See and hear how Vanessa Rubin has mastered her craft at the Hartley Vey Theatre in the Shaw Center for the Arts, as she performs a Tribute to Ella Fitzgerald. 7:00 PM and 9:00 PM at the Hartley/Vey on Ella's birthday, Wednesday, April 25th, 2012.
From gentle and melodic to fierce and abstract, from swing to 80's techno, The Bad Plus is tied together by a group sound that embraces diversity as strength. Ten years out, The Bad Plus is here to stay, having created an uncompromising body of work by shattering musical convention.
The New York Times said the band is "better than anyone at mixing the sensibilities of post-'60s jazz and indie rock." Few jazz groups in recent memory have amassed such acclaim, and few have generated as much controversy while audaciously bucking musical trends. While the bulk of their output has been originals, they have famously deconstructed covers in the pop, rock, electronic and classical idioms. Their belief in a band ethos and "avant-garde populism" has placed them at the forefront of a new instrumental music movement, resulting in ever-growing audiences throughout the world. The band's most recent album, NEVER STOP, consists entirely of original compositions. New York Magazine stated, "Their latest celebrates a decade on the road and makes it easy to see them for what they've always been: musicians blessed with an alchemist's blend of earnestness and wit, especially during their live shows." Engage with The Bad Plus' alchemy at the Hartley/Vey on Friday, May 4, 2012, at 7:00 and 9:00 PM.
Reservations and more information about these concerts are available by calling 225/344-8558 or by visiting the Arts Council's website at www.artsbr.org.
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For more information about this topic,
contact Derek Gordon at dgordon@acgbr.com
or Malcolm Robinson at mrobinson@acgbr.com
225.344.8558