BOULDER, CO/LOS ANGELES, CA -- Nationally known jazz fusion keyboardist and composer Lao Tizer brings his Los Angeles-based band TIZER to his hometown of Boulder for a fundraiser on May 7 at the Boulder Theater. The event will support the “Stories That Fill the Empty Places" project, a photo documentary by Boulder photographer Ralena Gordon that will capture the history of mental institutions in the U.S.
TIZER features an all-star lineup including Jeff Kollman - guitar, Rufus Philpot - bass, Raul Pineda - drums, and Steve Nieves - sax, percussion and vocals. The band's music is a mixture of rock, world beat, and contemporary jazz with some jam band sensibility thrown in. Lao is a powerful player who can shift effortlessly from power chords and funky riffs to lyrical ballads. TIZER bridges the generation gap and brings a youthful vibe to the contemporary jazz genre. The bill includes guest speaker Robert Whitaker, author of “Mad in America" and “Anatomy of an Epidemic", opening band Luke Rackers and Kailin Yong, a presentation on The Empty Places, and headliner TIZER to close the evening. The event also features a silent auction with gift certificates from local businesses and artwork from area artists.
“I am thrilled to have TIZER join me in support of my project to document the nearly 100 mental institutions in the United States that were built between 1800 and 1920," says Ms. Gordon. “Many of these psychiatric facilities are being sold, converted into prisons or demolished and I want to document this important piece of history before it is lost. My photo documentary will draw attention to the implications of institutions that operate on a restrictive budget instead of improving in-patient care, and what happens to the mentally ill who can't afford to pay for treatment."
Tickets to The Empty Places fundraiser are $35 general admission and $100 VIP (included in VIP tickets are reserved seating, “happy hour" with drinks and appetizers, silent auction preview, meet artists of silent auction, meet author Robert Whitaker, and signed photo from photographer Ralena Gordon.) A portion of the VIP tickets are tax deductible. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. for VIP tickets and 6:30 p.m. for general admission. Tickets can be purchased online. The Boulder Theater is located at 2032 14th St., Boulder, CO and the Box Office phone number is 303-786-7030.
TIZER will also be performing at SOhO in Santa Barbara, CA on April 10, The Baked Potato in Universal City, CA on May 28, Playboy Jazz Festival in Woodland Hills on June 6; Summer Jazz Series in Jacksonville Beach, FL on July 11, the Cortland Main Street Music Series in Cortland, NY on July 16; the Hartford Jazz Festival in Hartford, CT on July 17; Columbus Jazz & Rib Fest in Columbus, OH on July 23, Spaghettini Jazz Club in Seal Beach, CA on July 30, Burnsville Art & All That Jazz in Burnsville, MN on Aug. 21; the Suisun Jazz Series in Suisun, CA on Aug. 29 and the Caribbean Sea Jazz Fest in Aruba on October 9. Lao Tizer will be appearing as a featured guest with Karen Briggs Soulchestra at the “City of Lights" Jazz and R&B Fest in Las Vegas, NV on April 24. About Lao Tizer
Lao was formally trained in piano by University of Colorado professor Doris Lehnert. He began his professional career at age fourteen, performing at Boulder's famed Pearl Street Mall and self-produced and released his first three solo keyboard recordings by the age of seventeen. After graduating Boulder High School in 1996, Lao relocated to Los Angeles to further pursue his musical career. TIZER's sixth CD, Passages, a follow up to his acclaimed Diversify album is a return to Lao's roots, flying almost solo at the piano. Lao has graced the stage at events worldwide alongside artists including Isaac Hayes, Babyface, Boney James, Zappa Plays Zappa, Wayne Shorter, George Benson, The Commodores, Robin Thicke, The Rippingtons, Bruce Hornsby, Jethro Tull, and Spyro Gyra.
TIZER features an all-star lineup including Jeff Kollman - guitar, Rufus Philpot - bass, Raul Pineda - drums, and Steve Nieves - sax, percussion and vocals. The band's music is a mixture of rock, world beat, and contemporary jazz with some jam band sensibility thrown in. Lao is a powerful player who can shift effortlessly from power chords and funky riffs to lyrical ballads. TIZER bridges the generation gap and brings a youthful vibe to the contemporary jazz genre. The bill includes guest speaker Robert Whitaker, author of “Mad in America" and “Anatomy of an Epidemic", opening band Luke Rackers and Kailin Yong, a presentation on The Empty Places, and headliner TIZER to close the evening. The event also features a silent auction with gift certificates from local businesses and artwork from area artists.
“I am thrilled to have TIZER join me in support of my project to document the nearly 100 mental institutions in the United States that were built between 1800 and 1920," says Ms. Gordon. “Many of these psychiatric facilities are being sold, converted into prisons or demolished and I want to document this important piece of history before it is lost. My photo documentary will draw attention to the implications of institutions that operate on a restrictive budget instead of improving in-patient care, and what happens to the mentally ill who can't afford to pay for treatment."
Tickets to The Empty Places fundraiser are $35 general admission and $100 VIP (included in VIP tickets are reserved seating, “happy hour" with drinks and appetizers, silent auction preview, meet artists of silent auction, meet author Robert Whitaker, and signed photo from photographer Ralena Gordon.) A portion of the VIP tickets are tax deductible. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. for VIP tickets and 6:30 p.m. for general admission. Tickets can be purchased online. The Boulder Theater is located at 2032 14th St., Boulder, CO and the Box Office phone number is 303-786-7030.
TIZER will also be performing at SOhO in Santa Barbara, CA on April 10, The Baked Potato in Universal City, CA on May 28, Playboy Jazz Festival in Woodland Hills on June 6; Summer Jazz Series in Jacksonville Beach, FL on July 11, the Cortland Main Street Music Series in Cortland, NY on July 16; the Hartford Jazz Festival in Hartford, CT on July 17; Columbus Jazz & Rib Fest in Columbus, OH on July 23, Spaghettini Jazz Club in Seal Beach, CA on July 30, Burnsville Art & All That Jazz in Burnsville, MN on Aug. 21; the Suisun Jazz Series in Suisun, CA on Aug. 29 and the Caribbean Sea Jazz Fest in Aruba on October 9. Lao Tizer will be appearing as a featured guest with Karen Briggs Soulchestra at the “City of Lights" Jazz and R&B Fest in Las Vegas, NV on April 24. About Lao Tizer
Lao was formally trained in piano by University of Colorado professor Doris Lehnert. He began his professional career at age fourteen, performing at Boulder's famed Pearl Street Mall and self-produced and released his first three solo keyboard recordings by the age of seventeen. After graduating Boulder High School in 1996, Lao relocated to Los Angeles to further pursue his musical career. TIZER's sixth CD, Passages, a follow up to his acclaimed Diversify album is a return to Lao's roots, flying almost solo at the piano. Lao has graced the stage at events worldwide alongside artists including Isaac Hayes, Babyface, Boney James, Zappa Plays Zappa, Wayne Shorter, George Benson, The Commodores, Robin Thicke, The Rippingtons, Bruce Hornsby, Jethro Tull, and Spyro Gyra.
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