Join us on Friday, March 3, 2006 at 8 pm, as this sizzling band takes the stage in a rare benefit concert for the Bronx High School for Performance and Stagecraft.
While Latin jazz has become quite popular and there are many new releases of this genre of music, JERRY GONZALEZ'S FORT APACHE BAND is one of the longest running jazz groups in the world. With their unique fusion of jazz and Latin music, they just reach deeper, have more street smarts and just plain play better than anyone else. As noted in the New York Times: A Fort Apache tune may start out swinging with the feel of the drummer Art Blakey, then move into a Cuban guaganco, then take on a shuffle, then return to swing." Gonzalez explained it by saying, I am bilingual -- I speak Spanish and English. I can play the blues and I can play the rumba."
Just call him Jerry from the block" - a Bronx-born conga and trumpet player, Jerry Gonzalez and his brother, bassist Andy Gonzalez, were discovered by pianist Lew Matthews who heard them jamming behind their housing project. The Gonzalez brothers formed the Fort Apache band in the early 1980s featuring top soloists Andy Gonzalez (bass), Larry Willis (piano), Steve Berrios (bass) and Joe Ford (alto & soprano sax).
A portion of the evening's proceeds will benefit the BRONX HIGH SCHOOL FOR PERFORMANCE & STAGECRAFT whose mission it is to make students aware of the connections between a rigorous academic curriculum and the disciplined work and rewards of the performing arts. By encouraging students to manage their learning while developing performance skills, the school helps young people become better learners.
Tickets are $37.50 and $32.50, available through Ticketmaster or the Town Hall Box Office, 212-840-2824.
The Town Hall
123 West 43rd Street
New York, NY 10036
For more information contact All About Jazz.