Next on festival schedule:
Afro-Cuban, Brazilian, Asian and classic jazz
A Cuban pianist, a
percussion master, a stylish vocalist and a classic
cornetist are among the featured performers in the fourth
and fifth week of the Stanford Jazz Festival.
Percussion master John
Santos and Cuban-born pianist and composer Omar Sosa
bring their synergistic blend to Campbell Recital Hall in
the Braun Music Center at 8 p.m. Friday, July 16. Tickets
are $18.
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Since moving to the Bay
Area in 1995, Sosa has invigorated the local Latin jazz
scene and emerged as an electrifying performer with a
unique brand of impressionistic Afro-Cuban jazz, as
confirmed on his most recent recording, Spirit of the
Roots. His music encompasses cha-cha grooves, Monkish
phrases, Yoruba chants, hip-hop beats and rhapsodic
melodies.
In 1997 Sosa began his
collaboration with noted Bay Area percussionist and
educator John Santos. A live recording of their
appearance at the San Francisco Jazz Festival, Nfumbe,
presents an intimate glimpse of the duo's style, which
the San Jose Mercury News has called
"mermerizing . . . spellbinding music"
The Sandy Cressman Quintet
performs at 8 p.m. Saturday, July 17, in Campbell Recital
Hall. Tickets are $15.
With the release of her
debut CD, Homenagem Brasileria, vocalist Cressman
demonstrates her longtime passion for Brazilian jazz, in
collaboration with keyboardist Marcos Silva. An active
performer in the Bay Area, she has appeared and recorded
with Ray Obiedo, Eddie Money, Pete Escovedo, Rebeca
Mauleón and the vocal trio Pastiche, of which she is a
founding member. Cressman also sings regularly with the
salsa band Edgardo y Su Candela.
Mark Izu brings his
quartet of bass, drums, sax and Japanese koto to Campbell
Recital Hall at 8 p.m. Saturday, July 24, for a night of
travel across musical boundaries. Tickets are $15.
As artistic director of
the Asian American Jazz Festival for the past 15 years,
Izu has drawn international acclaim for his contributions
to the new genre of Asian American jazz -- an integration
of jazz and traditional Asian music.
In addition to playing the
acoustic bass, Izu also performs on several traditional
Asian instruments, including the Chinese multi-reed sheng
and Japanese sho. He has been commissioned to create
music for large jazz ensemble, full symphony, film
soundtracks and theatrical productions.
Izu's scores for film
include Steven Okazaki's Academy Award-winning Days of
Waiting and Wayne Wang's Dim Sum Take Out.
Among his theatrical credits are Lawrence Yep's Dragon
Wings, performed at the Kennedy Center, Lincoln
Center and the Sundance festival, and Brenda Wong Aoki's The
Queen's Garden, which won a Dramalogue Award for best
original music. In 1997 Izu premiered Mermaid, a
monodrama scored for full symphony that was commissioned
by maestro Kent Nagano.
Cornetist Jim Cullum and
the Cullum Classic Jazz Band will perform at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, July 25, in Dinkelspiel Auditorium. Tickets are
$20.
A veteran faculty member
of the Stanford Jazz Workshop, Cullum has been keeping
the classic jazz flame alive for more than 30 years with
his San Antonio-based group. Cullum and the band perform
throughout the country at festivals and in concert halls,
and also entertain radio audiences with the acclaimed
Riverwalk series that is broadcast nationally on more
than 150 public radio stations.
Other concerts on the
festival schedule during the next two weeks include the
following:
Hard Bop Night, a tribute
concert, at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, July 18, in Campbell
Recital Hall. Tickets $12.
Tadd Dameron's World, a
tribute concert, at 7:30 p.m. Monday, July 19, in
Campbell Recital Hall. Tickets $12.
Gershwin 101, a tribute
concert, at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 21, in Campbell
Recital Hall. Tickets $12.
The Music of Stevie
Wonder, a tribute concert, at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, July
22, in Campbell Recital Hall. Tickets $12.
Remembering Dizzy, a
tribute concert, at 7:30 p.m. Monday, July 26, in
Campbell Recital Hall. Tickets $12.
Gail Dobson at 7:30 p.m.
on Tuesday, July 27, in Campbell Recital Hall. Tickets
$12.
Tickets for all
performances are available by calling 725-ARTS or by
visiting the website at www.ticketweb.com. SR
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