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Jazz in July Festival at the 92nd Street Y

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July 22-31, 2008

BILL CHARLAP, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

DR. BILLY TAYLOR, KURT ELLING, CEDAR WALTON, FREDDY COLE, FRANK WESS, CAROL SLOANE, MULGREW MILLER, FRED HERSCH, THE VANGUARD JAZZ ORCHESTRA

All Concerts at 8:00 p.m.
92nd Street Y / Lexington Avenue & 92nd Street
Information: www.92Y.org/jazz or 212-415-5500

Tickets: $55 / $50
All 6 Concerts: $256 / $234
Any 4 Concerts: $184 / $168 New York, NY: April 4, 2008 - Jazz in July at the 92nd Street Y, under the direction of pianist and Blue Note recording artist Bill Charlap, features six concerts over two weeks from Tuesday, July 22 to Thursday, July 31.

As he has done for the past three seasons at the Y, Charlap brings together some of the world's best jazz players for once-in-a-lifetime performances in a variety of jazz styles ranging from swing to samba. The festival opens with Grammy Award-nominated vocalist Kurt Elling and a septet of eminent jazz musicians shining the spotlight on the incomparable songs of composer Leonard Bernstein (West Side Story, On the Town, Candide, Wonderful Town) in honor of what would have been his 90th birthday. Venerable jazz polymath Dr. Billy Taylor returns to the Festival in this year's Piano Jam, and the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra comes uptown for a rare appearance away from its legendary downtown home. Jazz in July devotes an evening to the work of esteemed pianist and composer George Shearing, who turns 89 later this year, and another to the sounds of Brazilian jazz, with an ensemble of Latin jazz all-stars. The festival concludes with a tribute to Billy Strayhorn, the man who gave us classics like “Take the A Train" and “Lush Life."

On Monday, July 28 at 8:15 p.m., the annual Jazz in July master class with Bill Charlap and Ted Rosenthal showcases three gifted young jazz pianists. Tickets are $20.

For more than a decade, pianist Bill Charlap has been forging a career characterized by eloquence and swing. With his long-term working trio of bassist Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington, he has released six highly-acclaimed albums for Blue Note Records, including last year's Grammy-nominated The Bill Charlap Trio - Live at the Village Vanguard. The trio is recognized as one of the premiere musical groups in jazz today.

Charlap creates the Festival program in conjunction with Hanna Arie-Gaifman, director of the 92nd Street Y Tisch Center for the Arts, which presents the 92nd Street Y's concert programs, including Jazz in July.

SOMEWHERE: THE SONGS OF LEONARD BERNSTEIN
Tuesday, July 22, 8 pm, $55/$50 Jazz in July opens this year with a program dedicated to the songs of Leonard Bernstein. Bernstein would have turned 90 this year, and tonight's show is one of a number of tributes in New York honoring this charismatic musical force who personified the intersection of American popular song, classical music and jazz. Bernstein first achieved eminence as a classical composer and conductor, though he began writing popular songs while still in college. His repertoire of unforgettable songs - including classics from On the Town and West Side Story - are infused with a jazz sensibility and a quintessentially urban quality. Bill Charlap, who explored Bernstein's songs on his Grammy-nominated 2004 recording Somewhere, gathers an ensemble of leading jazz musicians to dig into this remarkable catalog, with guest vocalist Kurt Elling giving voice to the songs. Elling is an eight-time winner of Downbeat's Critic's Poll for Best Male Vocalist and a charismatic performer known for his four-octave range, virtuoso vocalese (setting lyrics to instrumental solos), and powerful stage persona. The band features Bill Charlap (piano), Ted Rosenthal (piano), Brian Lynch (trumpet), Jimmy Greene (tenor saxophone), Jon Gordon (alto saxophone), Peter Washington (bass) and Kenny Washington (drums). PIANO JAM
Wednesday, July 23, 8 pm, $55/$50 Four master pianists of different generations gather for a night of classic jazz, swing and the blues: Dr. Billy Taylor, Cedar Walton, Bill Mays, and Bill Charlap. The pianists are joined by vocalist Sandy Stewart (Charlap's mother and frequent musical collaborator), cornetist Warren Vach, bassist Peter Washington and drummer Eddie Locke. THE VANGUARD JAZZ ORCHESTRA: 42 YEARS OF SWING
Thursday, July 24, 8 pm, $55/$50 The world's premiere big band swings uptown for a special evening of toe-tapping standards and original music drawn from its 42-year history. Established in 1966 by trumpeter/composer/ arranger Thad Jones and drummer Mel Lewis at the Village Vanguard for what was initially to be a three-week stint, this Grammy-winning New York treasure has been home to some of the world's greatest soloists, composers and arrangers for more than four decades. This concert is dedicated to Vanguard Jazz Orchestra bassist Dennis Irwin, who passed away last month. The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra is:

Nick Marchione, Frank Greene, Terell Stafford and Scott Wendholt (trumpets/flugelhorns), John Mosca, Luis Bonilla, Jason Jackson and Douglas Purviance, (trombones) Dick Oatts, Billy Drewes, Rich Perry, Ralph LaLama and Gary Smulyan (woodwinds), Jim McNeely (piano), and John Riley (drums) and Phil Palumbi (bass). JAZZ SAMBA!
Tuesday, July 29, 8 pm, $55/$50 From the rhythms of bossa nova and samba to the landmark recordings of Stan Getz and Astrud Gilberto, Brazilian jazz has become part of the fabric of both American jazz and popular song. In this concert, an ensemble of today's finest interpreters of Brazilian music perform selections including music by bossa nova legend Antonio Carlos Jobim and the prolific Brazilian guitarist/composer Luiz Bonfa (who is probably best known for his song “Manh de Carnaval" from the 1959 film Black Orpheus). In addition to diving into this Brazilian repertoire, Charlap and company bring a Brazilian sensibility to a selection of quintessentially American standards by George Gershwin, Cole Porter and other composers. The ensemble features: Bill Charlap and Dario Eskanazi (piano), Vera Mara (vocals), Claudio Roditi (trumpet), Harry Allen (tenor saxophone), David Finck (bass), Sandro Albert (guitar), Adriano Santos (drums) and Mauro Refosco (percussion). THE SHEARING SOUND: A TRIBUTE TO GEORGE SHEARING
Wednesday, July 30, 8 pm, $55/$50 George Shearing's sound - impressionistic, elegant, and innovative - has been hugely influential over the last half-century. His contributions as a composer (he wrote more than 300 tunes) include “Lullaby of Birdland" and “Conception." This evening, pianist Fred Hersch, whose career Shearing has long championed and supported, and vocalist Freddy Cole pay tribute to Shearing's legendary piano artistry and his partnerships with great singers like Nat King Cole (Freddy Cole's brother), Peggy Lee, Carmen McRae and Mel Torm. (Cole and Charlap worked together on Cole's 2007 Grammy-nominated CD, Music Maestro Please.) Shearing and his music are no strangers to the 92nd Street Y; not only has he has performed several times on the Y's stage, but he can often be found in the audience at the Y, as well.

The five-piece ensemble of Bill Charlap (piano), Joe Locke (vibes), Peter Bernstein (guitar), Sean Smith (bass) and Kenny Washington (drums) celebrates the classic sound of the George Shearing Quintet; they are joined by percussionist Daniel Sadownick, just as Shearing's quintet was often augmented by a percussionist. LUSH LIFE: BILLY STRAYHORN
Thursday, July 31, 8 pm, $55/$50 Duke Ellington called his musical partner, pianist/composer Billy Strayhorn, “.... my right arm, my left arm, all the eyes in the back of my head...." Strayhorn created a huge number of compositions while working alongside Ellington, including the classics “Take the 'A' Train," “Satin Doll," “Chelsea Bridge," and “Lush Life." Often in the shadow of Ellington's stardom, Strayhorn was the subject of a 2007 PBS documentary and accompanying soundtrack - Billy Strayhorn: Lush Life - which brought him to a wider audience and featured performances by both Bill Charlap and Russell Malone. Tonight, an all-star cast of musicians - including Frank Wess, Carol Sloane and Mulgrew Miller - wraps up Jazz in July's 2008 season with an exploration of Strayhorn's enduring contribution to American music. The Lush Life ensemble features Mulgrew Miller and Bill Charlap (piano), Carol Sloane (vocals), Frank Wess (tenor saxophone), Terell Stafford (trumpet), Russell Malone (guitar), Peter Washington (bass) and Willie Jones (drums).

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