NEW YORK, NY— It's a Hard bop Life, the first play to feature an entire cast of jazz musicians, will open February 2011 at the Producers Club in midtown Manhattan. The play, which originally debuted as a Special Event at the 2004 New York JVC Jazz Festival and was featured in Jazz Times Magazine, has undergone some revisions.
The play was written by and stars former Duke Ellington Orchestra and Broadway's Five Guys Named Moe trombonist Gregory Charles Royal http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregory_Charles_Royal . Also starring is Marvel Comics' Spiderwoman Jolynn Carpenter.
Royal, who actually lived with legendary drummer Art Blakey as a teen and was chronicled in the book Art Blakey Jazz Messenger (Leslie Gourse Shirmer Books, New York 2002) says his experience with Blakey was the inspiration behind the play.
Set in 1964 New York, It's a Hard bop Life is tragedy about a jazz trombone player named Q. (Royal) and his wealthy girlfriend Julie's (Carpenter) struggle over his artistic ethics and her shallow desire for singing fame. This all happening on the day of Q.'s band Hard bop's debut performance at the Jazz Corner Nightclub.
Royal, who performs live improvisation in the production says, “I am truly excited about this opportunity to merge musical performance and stage acting in a story with familiar overtones in the jazz community. I am also excited, as a Broadway musician, to perform something other than the sterotypical big band jazz in a theater production."
The play was written by and stars former Duke Ellington Orchestra and Broadway's Five Guys Named Moe trombonist Gregory Charles Royal http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregory_Charles_Royal . Also starring is Marvel Comics' Spiderwoman Jolynn Carpenter.
Royal, who actually lived with legendary drummer Art Blakey as a teen and was chronicled in the book Art Blakey Jazz Messenger (Leslie Gourse Shirmer Books, New York 2002) says his experience with Blakey was the inspiration behind the play.
Set in 1964 New York, It's a Hard bop Life is tragedy about a jazz trombone player named Q. (Royal) and his wealthy girlfriend Julie's (Carpenter) struggle over his artistic ethics and her shallow desire for singing fame. This all happening on the day of Q.'s band Hard bop's debut performance at the Jazz Corner Nightclub.
Royal, who performs live improvisation in the production says, “I am truly excited about this opportunity to merge musical performance and stage acting in a story with familiar overtones in the jazz community. I am also excited, as a Broadway musician, to perform something other than the sterotypical big band jazz in a theater production."
