Burnt Sugar Arkestra mashes Bowie + James Brown Wednesday, November 9, 2011 in support of the Jazz Foundation of America
With: Hamiet Blueitt Band, Greg Bandy’s Jam Session
Time: 6:00pm -10:00pm
Where: Tammany Hall – 152 Orchard Street (between Stanton and Rivington)
tammanyhallny.com
jazzfoundation.org
Cost: $10
Proceeds from this event will benefit the Jazz Foundation of America.
“The true spirit of jazz is a joyous revolt from convention, custom, authority, boredom, even sorrow – from everything that would confine the soul of man and hinder its riding free on the air.” – J.A. Rogers
About Tammany Societies
Tammany Societies bring together an inter-generational, multidisciplinary group of cultural leaders in multiple fields to create a shared synergy of cultural exchange and to advance and influence the next artistic wave. The overall experience of the night will take you on a musical journey from the future to the past – starting with the next generation of sound and ending with the Jazz Legends. The event will include a local beverage paired with tastings of the latest farm to table food trends. The first two hours of the evening will highlight musicians who are innovating and redefining jazz and blues music for the next generation of listeners. While the second set will highlight the established craftsman of Jazz and Blues and bring the living legends into venues of current cultural happenings. The night will culminate with an inter-generational jam. This environment offers seasoned veterans a place to meet, perform and network, and presents up-and-comers with the opportunity to find mentors and learn from the originals. This will showcase the music and provide an informal gathering spot for artists and fans alike. Experience a cross-generational gathering of musicians, from former members of the Count Basie band to young prodigies, all sharing the stage together.
About Hamiet Blueitt
The finest baritone saxophonist of the 1970s and beyond, Hamiet Bluiett has demonstrated a huge, impressive sound, superb technique, and a mastery of his horn in every register. In his solos, he can provide an array of tonal colors and harmonic options. A first-rate free player who’s as proficient on standards as in blues, Bluiett has played in many excellent groups, has led his own bands, and has been featured on numerous magnificent recordings. He played with Lester and Joseph Bowie, Charles “Bobo” Shaw, Julius Hemphill and Oliver Lake. He also founded the BAG (Black Artists Group), the St. Louis equivalent of Chicago’s Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM). He moved to New York in 1969, and joined Sam Rivers’ large ensemble and Olatunji. Bluiett worked with various bands before joining Charles Mingus’ quintet in 1972, with whom he remained, off and on, until 1974. While his tenure was relatively short, Bluiett helped Mingus crystallize some of the finest music of his last years. After Mingus, Bluiett performed and recorded with Abdullah Ibrahim, Hemphill and others.
Bluiett, Hemphill, Lake and David Murray formed a quartet in 1976 for a New Orleans concert. They decided to remain intact as a working unit and named themselves the World Saxophone Quartet. They continued recording and performing into the ’90s, with Arthur Blythe replacing Hemphill. The WSQ has been cited as one of the key groups of the ’80s and ’90s; Down Beat and the New York Times consider them among the most important acoustic jazz quartets performing today. In 1996 they recorded their acclaimed Justin Time
About Greg Bandy
A Charles Mingus discovery at age 20, Greg Bandy has played with many prominent jazz artists over the last thirty-plus years: Joe Henderson, Betty Carter, Pharaoh Sanders, Freddie Hubbard, Olu Dara, Curtis Fuller, Jack McDuff, Leon Thoman, Lee Morgan, Freddie Hubbard, Stanley Turrentine, George Benson, Yusef Lateef and many more, securing his status as a living legend. The New Yorker, commenting on one of Gary Bartzs Quartet’s recent Village Vanguard appearances, wrote of Greg, “one of those rare old-school drummers who remind you what the art of jazz percussion is all about, adds class as well as rhythmic friction to Bartz’s band.” Mr. Bandy’s 1997 debut CD “Lightning in a Bottle” garnered two Grammy nominations. He produces “Bandy Does Blakey,” a tribute to one of his mentors, the late Art Blakey, and reunites former members of Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. An inspiring educator, many prominent musicians in jazz today credit his mentoring and tutelage for their success. This percussion virtuoso conducts his seminar explaining the African migration with music. Beginning with African rhythms, he plays his way through South America, the Caribbean and continues the trip to New Orleans up the Mississippi River and across America. Whether at Lincoln Center, the Smithsonian or a corner bar, Greg’s playing is an anthology of all the great drummers.
About the Jazz Foundation of America
Jazz Foundation of America has kept Jazz and Blues alive for 22 years. They are the only national organization dedicated to saving the lives and homes of elder Jazz and Blues musicians in crisis – musicians who have made our world richer through their music. JFA has grown to support over 6,000 cases a year with emergency assistance and work opportunities. Every day, they help clients in need who often have nowhere else to turn: the Emergency Assistance program keeps the electricity on, the rent or mortgage paid, and food on the table, in addition to providing counseling and referrals for pro bono services. They help to reestablish a musician’s sense of dignity and purpose through performance opportunities with the Agnes Varis Jazz in the Schools program which brings music to schools, nursing homes, hospitals and other venues throughout the country. JFA also save lives through their partnership with Englewood Hospital and Medical Center doctors and staff who have been serving JFA clients for 18 years. With this network of caring professionals, JFA social workers provide crucial services that keep many of these accomplished music veterans alive and productive, doing what they love to do – make music.
Jazzfoundation.org/