Art Lillard's Heavenly Band
The Center for Performing Arts at Rhinebeck
661 Route 308 in Rhinebeck, New York
http://www.centerforperformingarts.org/
For tickets and information about upcoming events, please contact The CENTER's Box Office at (845) 876-3080
8-10pm (doors open at 7pm)
adult admission$20
seniors, students and children admission $18
2 shows of 45 minutes for listening and or dancing with this wwingin' New York City big band.
Art Lillard's New CD from Summit RECORDS Records.: Reasons To Be Thankful.
THIS “AIN'T" YOUR REGULAR 'BIG BAND'...THIS IS ART LILLARD'S HEAVENLY BIG BAND
Art Lillard's Heavenly Big Band is a living, breathing, working group that Art has kept together for 18 years. What makes this feat so impressive is that he offers original music, not the standard reworking of Cole Porter or Duke Ellington. Every single tune on Reasons To Be Thankful (SMT 440) is composed and performed superbly by Art and members of his Heavenly Big Band.
Perhaps we now have the beginnings of an answer to the question that has plagued jazz musicians and aficionados for the last 30 or so years: Where are the new original jazz tunes to fill the next chapter in the standards songbook? Many of them are right here. Reasons To Be Thankful offers fresh, original tunes that sound vaguely familiar and nostalgic but still feel modern. Art's Heavenly Big Band can conjure up the
vibe from the days when big band jazz was at the height of its popularity without being a carbon copy cover band.
Commenting on the qualities that make a drummer great, Stanley Crouch noted that when it comes to ballads the great ones have “sensitivity to lyric rhythm," in other words, the ability to listen and know exactly how to respond. By this definition, Art Lillard is surely one of the greats. But he's far more than just a well-rounded musician. Art is a masterful bandleader who also arranges, writes lyrics and composes music. As you will hear, Art skillfully blends many musical styles, from blues to Latin to swing, adding a vocal here and there... making the music on this CD far more diverse than that in the usual big band repertoire.
There is so much to like about this recording: so much talent, so many great tunes, and a leader whose vision the rest of us can now enjoy. Art Lillard the drummer is a lot like Art Lillard the person: thoughtful, intelligent and a great listener.
Media Contact:
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For more information contact All About Jazz.
