Segerstrom Center for the Arts Announces Jazz Series

Transcription

1 CONTACT Scalla Jakso (714) x4710, Tim Dunn (714) x4209, Images: SCFTA.org/media RELEASE UPDATED: August 10, 2017 Segerstrom Center for the Arts Announces Jazz Series Ramsey Lewis Quintet & Lee Ritenour Pedrito Martinez Group Alfredo Rodriguez Trio Chick Corea & Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra Bill Charlap - Somewhere: The Songs of Leonard Bernstein COSTA MESA, CA Icons, legends and rising stars perform throughout the year in Segerstrom Center for the Arts Jazz Series. The season opens this fall with a powerhouse two multi-grammy Award winners: The Ramsey Lewis Quintet paired with the Lee Ritenour and Ernie Watts in their Center debut. Two Cuban jazz stars making their Center debuts infuse a rich Latin sound into the lineup: the Pedrito Martinez Group and the Alfredo Rodriguez Trio. Chick Corea will be joined by Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. The series will close with a special musical birthday salute to Leonard Bernstein by jazz pianist and keeper of the Bernstein torch, Bill Charlap, who is also making his Center Jazz Series debut. Subscriptions to the Jazz Series are $340, and go on sale April 22. Single tickets will go on sale approximately eight weeks prior to individual engagements. Visit the Center s website, for more information. For inquiries about group ticket discounts, call the Group Services office at (714) Segerstrom Center for the Arts applauds Kia Motors America, Official Automotive Partner of the Center, and United Airlines, Official Airline of the Center. KJazz is the media sponsor for the Jazz Series. RAMSEY LEWIS QUINTET AND LEE RITENOUR WITH SPECIAL GUEST ERNIE WATTS October 7, 2017 Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall [Lewis ] music offers the opportunity to connect with something universal, joyful and profoundly human. AllAboutJazz.com

2 Season Announcement NEWS 2/5 Lee Ritenour is a consummate and complete guitarist if ever there was one; his varied discography supporting a seemingly insatiable appetite for anything to do with the six-stringed instrument and all its variations. AllAboutJazz.com "[Ernie Watts] is one of the greatest living tenor saxophonists, at the top of his game." All About Jazz A powerful jazz triumvirate opens the Jazz Series. Three-time Grammy Award winner and seven-time Gold Record artist Ramsey Lewis has amassed generations of fans with his flawless piano stylings and warm personality. He crosses from pop and gospel. The Center welcomes Lee Ritenour in his Jazz Series debut. His eclectic and storied career is highlighted by a Grammy Award, 17 Grammy nominations and numerous #1 spots in guitar polls. Two-time Grammy Award winner Ernie Watts completes the trio. Watts is one of the most versatile and prolific saxophone players in music and has been featured on more than 500 albums. ALFREDO RODRIGUEZ TRIO DEBUT December 9, 2017 (Two performances) The thoroughly extroverted nature of Rodriguez's pianism became evident in his first expansive solo, which left few technical devices untried. Chicago Tribune Cuban-born pianist Alfredo Rodriguez s forte is improvisation, both at and away from the keyboard: when caught by authorities while trying to defect to the United States from Cuba, he convinced them to let him go. After coming to the attention of Quincy Jones at the Montreux Jazz Festival, Rodriguez made his way to Los Angeles and became Jones protégé. His freedom translates to palpable pianistic joy; backed by bass and drums, he weaves echoes of classical and pop into his Latin beat. Rodriguez s Center debut is also part of Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA. CHICK COREA AND JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER ORCHESTRA March 25, 2018 Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall we watched the gift of the talent and the magic spell that she cast over the audience, making us all laugh and cry. Broadwayworld.com A concert by legends: the 22-time Grammy Award winner Chick Corea appears with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. They ll perform works by Corea in arrangements created by JLCO players. Corea s range is wide he even composes children s songs and the JLCO equally versatile, so expect distinctive orchestrations, a variety of rhythms with swing leading the way and a thrilling clarity of instrumental sound even amidst full ensemble playing.

3 Season Announcement NEWS 3/5 BILL CHARLAP SOMEWHERE: THE SONGS OF LEONARD BERNSTEIN CENTER DEBUT April 28, 2018 Like Bernstein, Charlap is a master of the unexpected. Ideas flow constantly and are executed with formidable technique. JazzReview.com In his Center debut, jazz pianist Bill Charlap helps the Center celebrate Leonard Bernstein s 100 th birthday with music from many of the composer s most beloved works. Bernstein loved jazz, even recording an instructional album about it. In 2004, Charlap recorded the album Somewhere: The Songs of Leonard Bernstein with transcriptions of 12 beloved Bernstein compositions for piano, bass and drums from West Side Story, On the Town, Wonderful Town, Candide and Fancy Free. Charlap will be joined by the Cal State University Singers, under the direction of Dr. Robert Istad. PEDRITO MARTINEZ GROUP CENTER DEBUT May 4, 2018 (previously scheduled for November 11, 2017) Pedrito Martinez is undeniably one of the most talented young musicians in Latin music today AllAboutJazz.com Cuban percussionist-vocalist Pedrito Martinez toured the world with the Yerba Buena band he co-founded and now collects attention and accolades as the head of his own foursome. The winner of the Thelonious Monk International Afro-Latin Jazz Hand Drum Competition tears it up on congas and bongos, his Afro-Cuban music infused with New York influences to create its own unique sound. Stars such as Wynton Marsalis have requested that he teach them about his music. Segerstrom Center for the Arts is an acclaimed arts institution as well as a beautiful multi-disciplinary cultural campus. It is committed to supporting artistic excellence on all of its stages, offering unsurpassed experiences, and to engaging the entire community in new and exciting ways through the unique power of live performance and a diverse array of inspiring programs. Previously called the Orange County Performing Arts Center, Segerstrom Center is Orange County s largest non-profit arts organization. In addition to its six performance venues, Segerstrom Center is also home to the American Ballet Theatre William J. Gillespie School, where students ages 3 14 are taught by acclaimed teachers utilizing the renowned ABT National Training Curriculum in studios utilized by the world s greatest dancers and choreographers. The Center presents a broad range of programming for audiences of all ages, including international ballet and dance, national tours of top Broadway shows, intimate performances of jazz and cabaret, contemporary artists, classical music performed by renowned chamber orchestras and ensembles, familyfriendly programming, free performances open to the public from outdoor movie screenings to dancing on the plaza and many other special events.

4 Season Announcement NEWS 4/5 The Center s education programs are designed to inspire young people through the arts and reach hundreds of thousands of students each year. In addition to the presenting and producing institution Segerstrom Center for the Arts, the 14-acre campus also embraces the facilities of two independently acclaimed organizations: Tony Award -winning South Coast Repertory and a site designated as the future home of the Orange County Museum of Art. Segerstrom Center for the Arts is also proud to serve as the artistic home to three of the region s major performing arts organizations: Pacific Symphony, the Philharmonic Society of Orange County and the Pacific Chorale, who contribute greatly to the artistic life of the region with annual seasons at Segerstrom Center for the Arts JAZZ SERIES Segerstrom Center for the Arts 615 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, CA RAMSEY LEWIS QUINTET AND LEE RITENOUR WITH SPECIAL GUEST ERNIE WATTS October 7, 2017 ALFREDO RODRIGUEZ TRIO December 9, 2017 CHICK COREA AND JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER ORCHESTRA March 25, 2018 BILL CHARLAP SOMEWHERE: THE SONGS OF LEONARD BERNSTEIN WITH THE CAL STATE UNIVERSITY SINGERS April 28, 2018 PEDRITO MARTINEZ GROUP May 4, 2018 (previously scheduled for November 11, 2017) In person - The Box Office 600 Town Center Drive Costa Mesa, CA Open 10 a.m. 6 p.m. daily

5 Season Announcement NEWS 5/5 Online - SCFTA.org Phone - (714) Open 10 a.m. 6 p.m. daily Group Sales - (714) Information provided is accurate at the time of printing, but is subject to change. Segerstrom Center for the Arts is a private, non-profit organization. Segerstrom Center for the Arts is a registered trademark. # # #