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651ARTS Presents Two Evenings with Randy Weston at Long Island University's Kumble Theater - January 12 & 14
TWO EVENINGS with Legendary Jazz Composer/Pianist
RANDY WESTON
SOLO CONCERT & 80th BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION
And
651 ARTS' INAUGURAL SEASON
At Long Island University's Kumble Theater for the Performing Arts
January 12 and 14
“Although Weston has used every grouping from trio to jazz orchestra to traditional musicians from Marrakech, it is in solo piano where he is most himself." (All About Jazz )
UPDATE: (Brooklyn, New York, December 29, 2005) 651 ARTS celebrates the opening of their season with a solo concert and an 80th birthday bash for Brooklyn native, legendary jazz composer/pianist Randy Weston, January 12 and 14, 2006 at Long Island University's (LIU) Kumble Theater for the Performing Arts. Tickets are $80, $45, $35 and $25. For more information, call 651 ARTS at 718-636-4181 x2229.
This very special two-day event gives acknowledgement to Weston's five decades of contributing musical direction and genius which began in 1955 with the recording of Cole Porter in a Modern Mood, to his latest recording ANCIENT FUTURE (Mutable Music). “ANCIENT FUTURE," says Weston, “...is a meditation on music's origins." January 12th will be an intimate evening with the incomparable Weston on solo piano, sharing in his spiritual dimensions where for Weston “...music is a timeless thing." The up-close and personal evening will span Weston's notable discography. January 14th, “The Spirit of Afrika," will be an evening with a stage full of jazz greats that include: T. K Blue, Benny Powell, Alex Blake, Neil Clarke, Talib Kibwe, Billy Harper, Billy Hart, Cecil Bridgewater, Min Xiao-Fen, Abdou M'boup, Cecil Payne and Candido. The majority of the evening's arrangements are by the late trombonist/arranger Melba Liston, who Weston looks to as a major influence to his development as an artist. Fittingly, or coincidentally, Weston's 80th birthday year is also celebrated by Liston.
651 ARTS' Interim Executive Director, Georgiana Pickett, affirms “I thought it was appropriate to inaugurate our presence in a new Brooklyn venue with a focus on Brooklyn artists. Music has taken Weston around the globe -- and he is committed to exchanging musical ideas among many cultures. We are proud to have him as one of Brooklyn's world ambassadors."
About Randy Weston
Brooklyn-born Randy Weston is one of the world's foremost pianists today, a true cultural ambassador, innovator and visionary. He is both a riveting soloist and a dynamic leader of small groups and large, whose performance career, spanning half a century, has taken him to over forty countries throughout Africa, Europe, Asia, the Caribbean and the Americas. He is also a prolific composer, many of whose works--such as Little Niles, Hi-fly and Berkshire Blues--are jazz classics, recorded by top artists. He is particularly acclaimed for his collaboration with the Gnawa, the traditional Black musicians of Morocco. The culmination of Weston's rich musical offerings has resulted in the following awards: America Jazz Masters Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, Arts Critics and Reviewers Association of Ghana (ACRAG) and Black Music Star Award. He was honored by Harvard University, received The French Order Of Arts And Letters, and The Montreal Jazz Festival gave him a five-night tribute. Weston won Composer Of The Year from Down Beat magazine in 1999 and 1996.
About 651 ARTS
Founded in 1989, 651 ARTS is Brooklyn's premier performing arts presenter of contemporary dance, theater, music, and humanities programming celebrating the breadth of the African Diaspora. 651 ARTS has brought culturally resonant arts programming and artists to its home at the BAM Harvey Theater and surrounding geographic area for the past 16 years, with over 600 artists and artistic ensembles-from Cuba to Trinidad, Senegal to South Africa, Brooklyn to Brazil. 651 ARTS continues to expand programming to encompass a panoramic view of the arts of the African Diaspora, solidifying a vital connection to its community and its changing demographics, while maintaining the high standards of artistic excellence. Sponsors
651 ARTS 2005-2006 Season is sponsored in part by the following: The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Ford Foundation, Lila Acheson Wallace Theater Fund, Emma A. Scheafer Charitable Trust, Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust, Axe-Houghton Foundation, Meet The Composer, Tides Foundation, Harkness Foundation for Dance, Capezio/Ballet Makers Dance Foundation, Con Edison, American Express, JPMorgan Chase Foundation, Time Warner Cable, Verizon, Pfizer, Inc., National Endowment for the Arts, New York State Council on the Arts, City of New York Department of Cultural Affairs, Senator Velmanette Montgomery, Council Member Letitia James, National Performance Network and Network of Cultural Centers of Color.
RANDY WESTON
SOLO CONCERT & 80th BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION
And
651 ARTS' INAUGURAL SEASON
At Long Island University's Kumble Theater for the Performing Arts
January 12 and 14
“Although Weston has used every grouping from trio to jazz orchestra to traditional musicians from Marrakech, it is in solo piano where he is most himself." (All About Jazz )
UPDATE: (Brooklyn, New York, December 29, 2005) 651 ARTS celebrates the opening of their season with a solo concert and an 80th birthday bash for Brooklyn native, legendary jazz composer/pianist Randy Weston, January 12 and 14, 2006 at Long Island University's (LIU) Kumble Theater for the Performing Arts. Tickets are $80, $45, $35 and $25. For more information, call 651 ARTS at 718-636-4181 x2229.
This very special two-day event gives acknowledgement to Weston's five decades of contributing musical direction and genius which began in 1955 with the recording of Cole Porter in a Modern Mood, to his latest recording ANCIENT FUTURE (Mutable Music). “ANCIENT FUTURE," says Weston, “...is a meditation on music's origins." January 12th will be an intimate evening with the incomparable Weston on solo piano, sharing in his spiritual dimensions where for Weston “...music is a timeless thing." The up-close and personal evening will span Weston's notable discography. January 14th, “The Spirit of Afrika," will be an evening with a stage full of jazz greats that include: T. K Blue, Benny Powell, Alex Blake, Neil Clarke, Talib Kibwe, Billy Harper, Billy Hart, Cecil Bridgewater, Min Xiao-Fen, Abdou M'boup, Cecil Payne and Candido. The majority of the evening's arrangements are by the late trombonist/arranger Melba Liston, who Weston looks to as a major influence to his development as an artist. Fittingly, or coincidentally, Weston's 80th birthday year is also celebrated by Liston.
651 ARTS' Interim Executive Director, Georgiana Pickett, affirms “I thought it was appropriate to inaugurate our presence in a new Brooklyn venue with a focus on Brooklyn artists. Music has taken Weston around the globe -- and he is committed to exchanging musical ideas among many cultures. We are proud to have him as one of Brooklyn's world ambassadors."
About Randy Weston
Brooklyn-born Randy Weston is one of the world's foremost pianists today, a true cultural ambassador, innovator and visionary. He is both a riveting soloist and a dynamic leader of small groups and large, whose performance career, spanning half a century, has taken him to over forty countries throughout Africa, Europe, Asia, the Caribbean and the Americas. He is also a prolific composer, many of whose works--such as Little Niles, Hi-fly and Berkshire Blues--are jazz classics, recorded by top artists. He is particularly acclaimed for his collaboration with the Gnawa, the traditional Black musicians of Morocco. The culmination of Weston's rich musical offerings has resulted in the following awards: America Jazz Masters Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, Arts Critics and Reviewers Association of Ghana (ACRAG) and Black Music Star Award. He was honored by Harvard University, received The French Order Of Arts And Letters, and The Montreal Jazz Festival gave him a five-night tribute. Weston won Composer Of The Year from Down Beat magazine in 1999 and 1996.
About 651 ARTS
Founded in 1989, 651 ARTS is Brooklyn's premier performing arts presenter of contemporary dance, theater, music, and humanities programming celebrating the breadth of the African Diaspora. 651 ARTS has brought culturally resonant arts programming and artists to its home at the BAM Harvey Theater and surrounding geographic area for the past 16 years, with over 600 artists and artistic ensembles-from Cuba to Trinidad, Senegal to South Africa, Brooklyn to Brazil. 651 ARTS continues to expand programming to encompass a panoramic view of the arts of the African Diaspora, solidifying a vital connection to its community and its changing demographics, while maintaining the high standards of artistic excellence. Sponsors
651 ARTS 2005-2006 Season is sponsored in part by the following: The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Ford Foundation, Lila Acheson Wallace Theater Fund, Emma A. Scheafer Charitable Trust, Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust, Axe-Houghton Foundation, Meet The Composer, Tides Foundation, Harkness Foundation for Dance, Capezio/Ballet Makers Dance Foundation, Con Edison, American Express, JPMorgan Chase Foundation, Time Warner Cable, Verizon, Pfizer, Inc., National Endowment for the Arts, New York State Council on the Arts, City of New York Department of Cultural Affairs, Senator Velmanette Montgomery, Council Member Letitia James, National Performance Network and Network of Cultural Centers of Color.
For more information contact All About Jazz.
