The Me We and Them Orchestra Honors Frank and Cecelia Foster
The Living Room at St. Peter's Church
619 Lexington Avenue (at 54th Street) in New York, NY
Tickets are $25 ($15 for seniors and students with ID; free for children under 12)
To reserve tickets, please call (212) 874-4448
Venue information at saintpeters.org
Learn more about Y'All at yallnewyork.org
James Jabbo Ware, composer/conductor; J.D. Parran, alto saxophone, clarinet, and E flat contra bass clarinet; Salim Washington, tenor saxophone, flute and oboe; Paavo Carey, soprano and tenor saxophones; Alex Harding, baritone sax and bass clarinet; Ray Vega, trumpet; Eddie Allen, trumpet; Cecil Bridgewater, trumpet; Clifton Anderson, trombone; Richard Harper, trombone; Bill Lowe, bass trombone and tuba; David Bryant, piano; Leon Dorsey, bass; Warren Smith, drums; with special guest Mala Waldron, vocals
On Friday, October 20th at Manhattan's St. Peter's Church, the non-profit organization Y'All of New York, Inc. will present a concert by its resident ensemble, James Jabbo Ware and The Me We and Them Orchestra (MWTO), in honor of NEA Jazz Master Frank Foster and his wife, longtime jazz supporter Cecelia Foster.
Mr. Foster, a former key member/leader of the Count Basie Orchestra among many other noted ensembles, is a longtime mentor to MWTO members such as Mr. Ware, Cecil Bridgewater, Bill Lowe and JD Parran, who performed in his Loud Minority Band in the 1970's. This concert will present compositions written by Mr. Ware, Mr. Bridgewater, the late Hilton Ruiz and John Stubblefield to showcase Foster's influence on their lives and music.
The Me We and Them Orchestra was founded in 1973 by Mr. Ware, a veteran of the Black Artist Group (BAG) and ensembles led by Albert King, Sam Rivers, Dollar Brand, Archie Shepp and Charles Mingus among many others. In 1990, he expanded the vision of the band to create Y'All of New York, Inc., a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that supports the composition, development, promotion and preservation of creative music. Y'All produces performances and educational programs throughout the greater New York City community and its label arm has released six CDs, including the MWTO's latest, 2005's Vignettes in the Spirit of Ellington.
For more information contact Improvised Communications.
