CHICAGO - The 2009-2010 Jazz at Symphony Center concert series, presenting both living legends and today's top talent, gets underway with two exceptional programs in October. On Friday, October 16, at 8 pm, sultry vocalist Dianne Reeves returns to Chicago along with guitarists Russell Malone and Romero Lubambo in a program titled Strings Attached. And on Friday, October 30, at 8 pm, bassist Dave Holland joins forces with pianist Jason Moran, saxophonist Chris Potter and drummer Eric Harland for an evening of vibrant quartet arrangements, opening with the Symphony Center debut of the Vijay Iyer Trio.
Dianne Reeves: Strings Attached
Dianne Reeves' Symphony Center Strings Attached program, on Friday, October 16, at 8 pm, is a seductive collection of standards infused with the great guitar traditions of blues and bossa nova, featuring guitar masters Russell Malone and Romero Lubambo. Renowned for her rhythmic virtuosity and powerful storytelling, Reeves is one of the best loved jazz vocalists in the world today. Her improvisational prowess and unique R&B stylings have earned her an unprecedented four Grammy Awards for Best Jazz Vocal Performance. She has a vast and varied performance and recording career, having collaborated with Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and with Daniel Barenboim and members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, as well as appearing in George Clooney's Good Night, and Good Luck (the soundtrack recording of the Oscar-nominated film won Reeves her fourth Grammy).
Russell Malone's career has included touring stints with Harry Connick Jr. and Diana Krall - for which he received great acclaim as Kralls right-hand man - as well as concerts with organist Jimmy Smith, Bucky Pizzarelli, Freddie Cole, Mulgrew Miller and Roy Hargrove, to name just a few. Romero Lubambo, a native of Rio de Janeiro, has established himself as a performer and composer of exceptional skill, versatility and fluency in both jazz and Brazilian idioms; he has collaborated with many outstanding artists, including Michael Brecker, Yo-Yo Ma, Kathleen Battle, Diana Krall, Herbie Mann, Wynton Marsalis, and Luciana Souza, among many others.
Dave Holland plus the Vijay Iyer Trio
On Friday, October 30, at 8 pm, Grammy-winning bassist Dave Holland joins forces with three exceptional young musicians - pianist Jason Moran, saxophonist Chris Potter and drummer Eric Harland - for an evening of vibrant quartet arrangements. Holland's versatility and creativity have made him one of the most sought after bassists in modern jazz, in solo, small ensemble or big band settings, and in multiple styles from traditional to blues to free improvisation. The innovative Jason Moran most recently presented his Thelonious Monk multimedia retrospective, In My Mind, at Symphony Center in November 2007, and he was named Playboy's first Jazz Artist of the Year in 2005. Thirty-two-year-old drummer Eric Harland, whom Wynton Marsalis “discovered" in a high school workshop, is part of the SFJAZZ Collective and also has recorded with Charles Lloyd, Ravi Coltrane, Terence Blanchard and others; he was named number 1 rising star drummer in DownBeat's 2008 Critics Poll. Saxophonist Chris Potter has emerged as a world-class soloist, accomplished composer and formidable bandleader during his 20-year career; a potent improviser, he was nominated for a Grammy Award for his solo work on “In Vogue" from Joanne Brackeen's 1999 album Pink Elephant Magic, and was prominently featured on Steely Dan's Grammy-winning album Two Against Nature.
This concert opens with the Symphony Center debut of the Vijay Iyer Trio. Indian American pianist and composer Vijay Iyer has been picking up worldwide critical recognition and effusive acclaim for his compositions, recordings and performances since 2001. Largely self-taught, this rising star creates music that is built on the American jazz idiom but also draws from a range of non-Western traditions. Iyer's emotionally powerful music making is firmly grounded in groove and pulse, with intricate rhythms and an interactive, improvisational feel. Its diverse points of reference include Monk, Ellington and Tyner; Ligeti, Debussy and Bartk; rock, soul, funk and hip-hop; African drumming and the hypnotic music of India. In addition to jazz compositions, his output includes concert orchestral pieces, chamber music, electronica and music for theater, film and television.
The 10-concert Jazz at Symphony Center season also includes: George Wein and the Newport All-Stars on November 13; McCoy Tyner with Jeff Lindberg's Chicago Jazz Orchestra on December 11; “Kings of the Crescent City" on January 29, 2010; Conrad Herwig and his Latin Side All-Star Band, along with Eliane Elias, on February 19; the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis on March 19; Sonny Rollins on April 9; Joshua Redman and the Anat Cohen Quartet on April 23; and Danilo Prez, in a salute to Dizzy Gillespie's United Nations Orchestra, on May 21.
Jazz at Symphony Center media sponsors: DownBeat and WBEZ
Tickets for Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Symphony Center Presents and Civic Orchestra of Chicago performances can be purchased by calling CSO ticketing services at 312-294-3000 or 800-223-7114, online at www.cso.org, or by visiting the Symphony Center box office at 220 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60604. Discounted student tickets can be purchased, subject to availability, online in advance or at the box office on the day of the concert. For group rates, please call 312-294-3040. Artists, programs and ticket prices are subject to change.
For more information contact All About Jazz.
