The Brooklyn Conservatory of Music is located at 58 Seventh Ave (at Lincoln Place), Park Slope, Brooklyn, NY, Tel 718 622 3300, Tkts are $15, and $10 for students and seniors
First Concert of the 2011-2012 season
Saturday, October 1, 2011, 8:00 PM
Double CD Release Concert
Gentile/Romano—Flesh and Steel
Rob Garcia 4 Featuring Noah Preminger on tenor saxophone, Dan Tepfer on piano (bass, TBA), Perform Music From—The Drop and the Ocean (on BJURecords, September 27)
“the downtown scene has established an outpost in Brooklyn . . . where local practitioners are presenting a music so diverse and eclectic it doesn't even fit under the general umbrella of avant-garde."—The Wall Street Journal
“Celebrate music by being a part of the concert series that 'Brooklyn Jazz Wide Open' provides for the community at large!!! We need each other to carry on... Sounds & Feelings" —Joe Lovano
“Brooklyn Jazz Wide Open is not just another concert series. One of the elements that makes it special-for both the audience and the musicians-is that artists are invited to discuss their process and answer questions as they arise. This creates a natural, relaxed atmosphere in which the barriers between audience and performers are removed and true understanding and appreciation can take place."—Eileen Willis, Metropolitan Museum of Art
This event is made possible in part with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, by the Greater New York Arts Development Fund of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, and by JPMorgan-Chase, all administered by the Brooklyn Arts Council, Inc. (BAC) as well as funding from Meet the Composer.
October 1—Michel Gentile and Tony Romano have been performing as a duo since 2002, and have developed a style of playing that is truly personal in its approach. They have dispensed with conventional roles in order to develop a musical experience rich with interaction and nuance. Their approach creates an organic counterpoint of ideas, a musical conversation full of surprises that draws on the Brazilian, Jazz, and Classical vocabularies.
Gentile-Romano's first recording entitled Flesh and Steel released in 2008 on Deeptone Records (DT003) was comprised of mostly Brazilian repertoire, re-imagined in a unique way. The critics cited this in the reviews: “They may play separate instruments, but when Tony Romano and Michel Gentile make music together, it is with one mind. Improvisational departures from form and imaginative leaps of musical faith....elevate Gentile and Romano from the ordinary Brazilian-meets-jazz read." —Dave Good, NBCSanDiego.com. “Tony and Michel have taken the traditional concept of Flute and Guitar into the modern era. These traditional pieces shine with a contemporary flair" —Vic Juris
October 1—For over a decade, drummer/composer Rob Garcia has been a major force on the jazz and creative music scene in Brooklyn, NYC and beyond. His superb skills have been called upon by some the most noteworthy musicians of our time, including Wynton Marsalis, Joseph Jarman, Anat Cohen, Sam Newsome, Judi Silvano, Woody Allen, Howard Alden, Lynne Arriale, Brad Shepik, John Benitez, John Bunch, Dena DeRose, Chris Cheek, Daniel Kelly, and Vince Giordano, to name but a few. Garcia has also collaborated with other A-list musicians much too numerous to mention here. Suffice it to say, his pedigree is well established.
On September 27 Brooklyn Jazz Underground Records releases the latest creative tour-de- force from the inspired drummer /composer /bandleader, The Drop and The Ocean, the follow up to Garcia's previous, critically-acclaimed recording on BJURecords, Perennial. The Drop and the Ocean features Garcia's working band, including two young sensations and regulars in the group for the past three years, Noah Preminger (saxophones) and Dan Tepfer (piano), as well as the future bass legend and long time friend, John Hebert.
Rob Garcia has received grants from Meet The Composer, DCA and NYSCA to support his performances. Rob's other releases include, Place of Resonance (Consolidated Artists), which features Dave Kikoski and Mike Formanek and Heart's Fire (Connection Works Records #101), all receiving favorable reviews hailing Garcia's playing, composing and arranging.
Artist-run organizations are a new and successful trend in the jazz world, and Garcia has been a major force in this new way for jazz to continue and thrive. He is the founder and executive director of Connection Works, which presents world-class jazz performances and educational events to the Brooklyn community. He is a member of the Brooklyn Jazz Underground, an association of independent artists with a shared commitment to creativity and community. He was also a founding member of the Douglass Street Music Collective, an artist-run rehearsal and performance space, featuring some of New York's most creative and cutting edge musicians/composers.
UPCOMING BROOKLYN JAZZ WIDE OPEN CONCERTS:
- November 5—Mike Formanek solo & Mike Formanek with Works
- December 3—Jerome Harris and Marty Ehrlich withWORKS
- January 14—Briggan Trio / WORKS
- February 11—Daniel Kelly “Rakonto" (Yoon Sun Choi—Voice; Rez Abbasi—Guitar; Daniel
- March 10—TBA
- April 21—Chamber Orchestra with WORKS
- May 19—Dave Liebman with WORKS
For more information contact Jason Byrne, Red Cat Publicity.
