Thursday, 28 March 2024

Live: April/ May 2024


Ellington 125


20 April, 2024 

Mr Tipple's, 39 Fell Street, San Francisco USA 94102

17:15 (PDT); 19:00 (PDT)


Nick Rossi presents The Jazzopaters Tribute to Duke Ellington




The Jazzopaters

Colin Hancock – Cornet

Victor Imbo – Trombone

Patrick Wolff – Alto Sax, Clarinet

Nathan Tokunaga  – Clarinet, Tenor Sax, Soprano Sax

Kamrin Ortiz – Baritone Sax, Clarinet, Alto Sax

Rob Reich – Piano

Nick Rossi – Banjo

Clint Baker– Bass

Riley Baker – Drums


NIck Rossi formed the Jazzopaters in 2023, dedicated to the “small group” Swing Era repertoire of American Music Master Duke Ellington. However, this very special performance will shift the group’s focus towards early Ellingtonia and the Jazz Age: 1924-1932. Celebrate Duke’s 125th anniversary with a program of rarely heard material and perennial favorites originally composed and arranged by the maestro. As their special guest, the group will feature Early Classic Jazz specialist Colin Hancock, who already has two Grammy nominations during his young career.

 

A lifelong West Coaster, Nick has spent the past 30 years making music in his adopted home of San Francisco. An integral part of the international Classic and Swing Jazz scene, he has performed throughout the world presenting the music in a stylish and enthusiastic manner. He is also a respected historian and educator who writes for publications such as Acoustic Guitar and the Fretboard Journal. Additionally, he has worked on archival projects for Resonance, Fresh Sounds, Ace, and RPM Records.

 

In April 2023, Nick was a featured speaker at the Annual Ellington Conference held in Paris, France. Returning from this experience with the desire to combine his love of Duke’s music, small combo swing, history, and band-leading; Nick began to develop the Jazzopaters. So named in tribute to some of the earliest Ellington Unit small band recordings released under Barney Bigard’s name, they are the only ensemble in Northern California fully dedicated to this aspect of Duke Ellington’s vast jazz repertoire.

 

Featured Player – COLIN HANCOCK

 

Colin Hancock, age 27 from Austin, Texas, is a two time-Grammy Nominated Jazz musician and historian. As a child, he was drawn to the sounds of early jazz, blues, ragtime, and old time music. Since then, he’s built his musical career around playing and recording in that style of music and the technology around it, as well as preserving historical recordings for future generations to enjoy. He currently leads the Joymakers, an 8 piece hot jazz band focused on the sounds of 1920s territory bands of the South and Southwestern US.


17:15 tickets here.


19:00 Tickets here.



24 April 2024, 20: 00 (PDT)


The Cultch, York Theatre ,639 Commercial Dr. Vancouver, BC



Beyond Category: The Music of Duke Ellington


Celebrate the 125th anniversary of the birth of Duke Ellington, one of the greatest composers of the 20th Century, with a concert featuring a selection of Ellington masterpieces performed by the 15-piece Vancouver Jazz Orchestra led by clarinetist/saxophonist James Danderfer with special guests. Don’t miss this opportunity to experience Duke’s music performed in the intimate and acoustically brilliant Historic Theatre at the Cultch.


Beyond Category: The Music of Duke Ellington is presented by Bohart


Details here



2,3,4 May 2024, 19:00 (EDT)


Duke Ellington at 125 The Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra


The Rose Theatre, Jazz at Lincoln Center 

Broadway &, W 60th St, New York, NY 10019, USA


ABOUT THE CONCERT

Duke Ellington used his international fame for the greater good throughout his career. To celebrate the musical giant’s 125th birthday, the JLCO salutes their greatest inspiration by performing some of his more socially conscious repertoire—music directed by Ted Nash.

 

Note:  Wynton Marsalis will not perform at these concerts.

 

WHAT TO EXPECT

A celebration of 125 years of the maestro Duke Ellington.

The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra salutes Ellington as a musician - and as a human.

A pre-concert lecture precedes each performance at 7pm.

Keep the party going after the show by taking your ticket stub to Dizzy's Club for a complimentary cover to that evening's Late Night Session at 11:00pm.


2 May tickets here

3 May tickets here

4 May tickets here


Wednesday 9 May- Sunday 12 May, 2024 (Times vary. Check details here)


Jazz At Lincoln Center


Dizzy's Club

10 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10019


Juilliard Jazz Orchestra: Duke's Long Pieces The Liberian Suite, The Degas Suite and Night Creature




The 19-piece Juilliard Jazz Orchestra, led by Juilliard faculty member and renown scholar Loren Schoenberg, performs Duke’s music from the 1930's through the 1970's. They will perform swing charts such as Shout 'em, Aunt Tillie, long form works such as A Tone Parallel to Harlem, selections from The Liberian Suite and The Uwis Suite, and vocal features such as Flamingo and, from the Perfume SuiteStrange Feeling. All will delight and inspire you. 


Saxophones

Langston Hughes II, Lead Alto

Sophia Kickhofel

Nick Caldwell, Lead Tenor

Aiden McKeon

Kelvin Walters, Baritone

 

Trumpets

Summer Camargo, Lead

Jack Towse

Geoff Gallante

 

Voice

Gillian Margot

 

Trombones

Andre Perlman, Lead

Nate Jones

Nick Mesler

 

Rhythm

William Schwarzmann, Piano

Bruce Acosta, Guitar

Pedro Sequeira, Vibraphone

Guillermo Lopez, Bass

Matt Lee, Drums


Tickets here.


Essentially Ellington


Jazz At Lincoln Center


9-11 May, 2024




Top 15 high school jazz bands in the U.S. commemorate Duke Ellington’s 125th birthday at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Annual Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition & Festival on 9-11 May, 2024.


In celebration of Duke Ellington’s 125th birthday, Jazz at Lincoln Center offersnever-before-available scores of Ellington’s music to high school bands across the globe.



No figure looms larger in the story of jazz than Duke Ellington whose artistic development and sustained achievement are among the most spectacular and influential in the history of music. 

 

On 9-11 May, commemorating the 125th birthday of Duke Ellington —America’s most prolific composer of the 20th century in both number of pieces and variety of forms— the top 15 high school-aged jazz bands from across the country will converge at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s home, Frederick P. Rose Hall, in New York, NY. 

 

Students will spend three days immersed in workshops, jam sessions, rehearsals, and performances, and compete for top honors in Jazz at Lincoln Center’s 29th annual Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition & Festival, the nation’s premier jazz education event.

 

The 2024 Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Finalists:

 

Agoura High School (Agoura Hills, CA) 

Directed by Chad Bloom

 

Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts (West Palm Beach, FL)

Directed by Christopher M. De León

 

Beloit Memorial High School (Beloit, WI)

Directed by Chris Behrens

 

Bothell High School (Bothell, WA)

Directed by Philip Dean

 

Byron Center High School (Byron Center, MI)

Directed by Marc Townley

 

Garfield High School (Seattle, WA)

Directed by Jared Sessink

 

King Philip Regional High School (Wrentham, MA)

Directed by Michael Keough

 

Newark Academy (Livingston, NJ)

Directed by Julius Tolentino 

 

Orange County School of the Arts (Santa Ana, CA)

Directed by John Reynolds 

 

Osceola County School for the Arts (Kissimmee, FL)

Directed by Jason Anderson

 

Plano West Senior High School (Plano, TX)

Directed by Preston Pierce

 

Roosevelt High School (Seattle, WA)

Directed by Hannah Mowry

 

Susan E. Wagner High School (Staten Island, NY)

Directed by Paul Corn

 

Triangle Youth Jazz Ensemble (Raleigh, NC)

Directed by Gregg Gelb

 

Youth Jazz Ensemble of DuPage (DuPage, IL)

Directed by Robert Blazek

 

 

These finalists were selected from more than 100 high school jazz bands that submitted recordings of three tunes from the Essentially Ellington library. 

 

Details here


In addition to the Competition & Festival in New York City each May, Essentially Ellington co-produces non-competitive, education-focused festivals designed to offer high school jazz bands of all levels the opportunity to perform the music of Duke Ellington and other seminal big band composers and arrangers at various locations across the country. Participating bands receive professional feedback from JALC clinicians and other jazz professionals in their own backyard.

2024 Regional Festivals will take place at the following locations:


EAST LANSING, MI
Saturday, April 13, 2024
Michigan State University
For more information, please contact Cookey Whitaker at cookeywhitaker@gmail.com.

LIVINGSTON, NJ
Saturday, April 13, 2024
Newark Academy
For more information, please contact Julius Tolentino at jtolentino@newarka.edu.

LAS CRUCES, NM
Friday, April 19, 2024
New Mexico State University
Click here for more information.

WINCHESTER, VA
Thursday, May 2, 2024
Shenandoah Conservatory
For more information, please contact Matt Niess at mattniess@mac.com or (703) 732-2639.

12 May, 2024
Ellington Effect with David Berger: Slippery Horn
15:00 (EDT)





24 May, 2024
Stanford Jazz Workshop, Campbell Recital Hall
541 Lasuen Mall, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
19:30 (PDT)

Duke's Small Groups Nick Rossi's Jazzopaters Play Ellington

ABOUT THE MUSIC AND MUSICIANS

Join us for an exhilarating evening where jazz history comes alive! Acclaimed guitarist and Ellington aficionado, Nick Rossi, leads his dynamic Jazzopaters on a captivating journey into the heart of Duke Ellington’s electrifying small group repertoire.

Beyond the grandeur of his big band, Duke crafted intimate masterpieces for nimble 7-10 piece ensembles, drawing out the brilliance of his star soloists. Immerse yourself in the captivating sounds of these rarely performed gems, composed between the mid-1930s and mid-1940s, a pivotal era in jazz history.

This is more than just a concert — Nick Rossi will invite you to discuss the fascinating context behind these musical treasures. Explore how Ellington’s artistic vision intertwined with the economic and social forces of the time. Discover how these small groups compared to the work of Swing Era contemporaries and their lasting impact on jazz.

Nick and his Jazzopators — which includes rising young stars such as Nathan Tokunaga, Riley Baker, and James Dunning as well as Bay Area jazz masters like SJW faculty artist Patrick Wolff — will delve into the lives and contributions of the original composers and Ellington’s iconic soloists, placing them within the rich tapestry of Ellingtonia and jazz history. Prepare to be introduced to legendary names like Billy Strayhorn, Johnny Hodges, and Ben Webster, as we uncover the magic they conjured within these smaller ensembles.

This night is for music lovers, history buffs, and anyone curious to discover a hidden facet of Ellington’s genius. Get ready to tap your feet, engage your mind, and be transported to a bygone era where swing reigned supreme.

PERSONNEL

Nick Rossi, guitar and leader
Patrick Wolff, alto saxophone and director
Nathan Tokunaga, clarinet
Kamrin Ortiz, baritone saxophone
James Dunning, trumpet
Victor Imbo, trombone
Rob Reich, piano
Mikiya Matsuda, bass
Riley Baker, drums


Nick writes:

"Tickets are available now for the Nick Rossi's Jazzopaters: an Ellingtonia Unit at the Stanford Jazz Workshop as part of their Jazz Inside Outseries on Friday, 24th  May at the Campbell Recital Hall on Stanford University campus. This will be a great opportunity to see and hear the band perform their core Swing Era repertoire in a true concert setting with the bonus of a deep level of audience + artist interaction."


Details here


And, finally, the ship may have already sailed on this. Nick Rossi writes:

"I am very proud to announce that Nick Rossi's Jazzopaters: an Ellingtonia Unit will be performing at this year's Healdsburg Jazz gala dinner event at Montage Healdsburg, on Friday, April 19th. And for fundraising event's Roaring '20s theme, we are putting together a program of Jazz Age Duke Ellington material for your listening and dancing pleasure. Join us up in Healdsburg for an elegant night in support of a great Bay Area arts organization.


... Pleased and proud to announce that this year's Healdsburg Jazz Gala featuring a special 1920s Jazz Age Ellingtonia performance from the Jazzopaters is SOLD OUT! Thank you for everyone who purchased tables and tickets. There is a waitlist for those interested."

 

 




Returns may be available. Details here.



 

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