After premiering his New Gospel Quintet at the Jazz Standard in New York in April, Don Byron took the band on a European tour in May where their performances received standing ovations. The band features powerhouse vocalist DK Dyson, Frank Wilkins on piano and Hammond organ, bassist Brad Jones and drummer Pheeroan AkLaff. performing music by Thomas A. Dorsey and other gospel pioneers. Listen to audio clips from various shows, including a rousing renditions of the iconic "Precious Memories."
After his return from Europe, Don Byron had the extraordinary pleasure to perform for six nights with the great Allen Toussaint at the Village Vanguard. Byron is featured on Toussaint's newest recording, The Bright Mississippi, just released on Nonesuch Records. You can listen to the WBGO broadcast of one the nights at the Vanguard here.
The Dafnis Prieto Si o Si Quartet performed on WNYC's "New Americans" program in May and premiered a new composition commissioned by the radio station, Sueño de Amor, with vocalist Venissa Santi. Video and Audio clips at the WYNC website. Featuring saxophonist Peter Apfelbaum, pianist Manuel Valera, and bassist Charles Flores, the quartet's recent live recording from the Jazz Standard will be released in October on Dafnison Music. Upcoming tour dates here.
In March, Dafnis Prieto took part in a residency at the University of Miami, presenting a workshop version of "Revolution of Forms," an opera he is co-composing with pianist Anthony Davis, with a libretto by Charles Koppelman and Alma Guillermoprieto. For more information about the opera, including a video of a work-in-progress performance, visit Koppelman's website.
Poesia, Edward Simon's new trio recording with bassist John Patitucci and drummer Brian Blade, was released in May on CAM Jazz (distributed in the US by Sunnyside Records.) Audio sample here. The Edward Simon Quartet, featuring saxophonist Mark Turner, bassist Ben Street and drummer Adam Cruz, performed at New York's Village Vanguard in February. Listen to the WBGO radio broadcast.
Go Home, a new quartet led by clarinetist Ben Goldberg, with trumpeter Ron Miles, 7-string guitar genius Charlie Hunter, and drummer Scott Amendola toured Northern California earlier this year, selling out back-to-back concerts in San Francisco and Berkeley. Goldberg's sophisticated compositions provide a perfect lyrical framework for the band's deep grooves. Several East Coast dates, including a run at the Jazz Standard in New York, are planned for the fall 2009, with trombonist Curtis Fowles replacing Ron Miles. Check out these YouTube clips from a concert in the Bay Area.
Founding Tin Hat/Tin Hat Trio guitarist Mark Orton is an award-winning composer working in the mediums of film scoring, concert music, and radio drama. He is a multi-instrumentalist, performing on guitars, keyboards, and percussion, and an accomplished recording engineer and producer. His studio, Camp Watertown Studios, combines the best boutique recording equipment with an impressive array of antique and rare musical instruments. His new website features dozens of audio clips from his film scores, along with samples of his arranging, concert music, radio work, and performing groups: www.markortonmusic.com
Other recent News:
Don Byron has been awarded the prestigious Rome Prize and was also named a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize 2009 for Music:
The Samuel Barber Rome Prize for Composition
The Trustees of the American Academy in Rome awarded the The Samuel Barber Rome Prize for Composition to Don Byron, Composer, Clarinetist/Saxophonist, and Visiting Associate Professor, University at Albany State University of New York. Awardees are provided with a stipend, a study or studio, and room and board for a period of 6 months to 2 years. Don Byron will take up his residence at the American Academy in Rome, Italy in September 2009 for one year to work on a chamber opera based on the novel and film, Gentleman's Agreement.
Pulitzer Prize 2009 Finalist
Don Byron's composition 7 Etudes for Solo Piano was nominated as a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in music. The pieces, a deft set of studies that display rhythmic inventiveness and irresistible energy, charm and wit, were premiered on March 15, 2008 at Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center, Buffalo, NY. Co-commissioned by pianist Lisa Moore and Meet the Composer, 7 Etudes are the center pieces of HIMM, Moore's upcoming solo album featuring music by Don Byron, to be released this summer on Cantaloupe Music.
For more video and audio clips see below or visit our media pages Please visit our new Special Projects section for several exciting and unusual concert programs, including silent films with Laurel & Hardy, accompanied by Steven Bernstein's Millennial Territory Orchestra.
