Art After 5 Presents An Evening Inspired By Artist Beauford Delaney
The Philadelphia Museum of Art's Friday night Art After 5 series caps off a successful year of great jazz performances with an evening dedicated to a great jazz lover, the African American artist Beauford Delaney. This special event stars Philadelphia jazz pianist Orrin Evans and includes a screening of the Oscar-nominated film A Great Day in Harlem.
Delaney, whose paintings are on view in the special exhibition Beauford Delaney: From New York to Paris through Jan. 29, 2006, captured the energy of New York's streets, parks, and jazz clubs in the 1930s and '40s. His Jazz Quartet of 1946 shows a pianist, guitarist, drummer, and clarinetist playing amid a lively field of colorful patterns that mimic the vibrant rhythms of their music.
The New York Times described Orrin Evans as “a poised artist with an impressive template of ideas at his command," a quality undoubtedly recognized by the legendary saxophonist Bobby Watson, who engaged Evans as piano chair for his band, a position he has held for six years. He has also performed with Donald Byrd, Robin Eubanks, Charles Fambrough, Roy Hargrove, Branford Marsalis, Christian McBride, Grover Washington Jr., and the Mingus Big Band, among others.
For Evans, however, the greatest joy is playing his own band, which, at different times, has included such notables as Ralph Peterson, Sam Newsome, Ralph Bowen, Nasheet Waits, Reid Anderson, John Swana and Duane Eubanks. His 2002 CD, Meant to Shine, earned critical acclaim and his 10th recording as a leader, 2005's Easy Now, is a rousing tribute to his late father, Donald Evans, who was a prominent playwright.
Performances are presented in two sets: 5:45 - 6:45 p.m. and 7:15 - 8:15 p.m., with tours of the Beauford Delaney exhibition offered throughout the evening.
A Great Day in Harlem, which will be screened at 7:30 p.m. in the Museum's Van pelt Auditorium, is an hour-long documentary that brings to life a remarkable moment in the history of jazz. In 1958, Art Kane, now deceased, coordinated a group photograph of the top jazz musicians in New York City for Esquire magazine. Just about every jazz musician at the time showed up for the photo shoot, which took place in front of a brownstone near the 125th Street station. The Oscar-nominated 1994 film, directed by Jean Bach, includes interviews with many of the musicians in the photograph, including Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie, Coleman Hawkins, Roy Eldridge, Sonny Rollins, Art Blakey and Thelonius Monk.
About Art After 5
The Museum stays open late every Friday night, presenting a program of Art After 5, with music, dance, food and drinks in the Great Stair Hall in addition to the experience of 200 galleries housing a vast collection of art from around the world. A full cash bar and la carte menu of appetizers, light entres and desserts is available with table service in the Great Stair Hall.
Admission is $12 for adults, $9 for senior citizens (62 and over); $8 for students with I.D. and children 13-18; children 12 years old and younger are admitted free at all times.
The Philadelphia Museum of Art is among the largest art museums in the United States, showcasing more than 2,000 years of exceptional human creativity in masterpieces of painting, sculpture, works on paper, decorative arts and architectural settings from Europe, Asia and the Americas. The striking neoclassical building stands on a nine-acre site above the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and houses more than 200 galleries. The Museum offers a wide variety of enriching activities, including programs for children and families, lectures, concerts and films.
For additional information, contact the Marketing and Public Relations Department of the Philadelphia Museum of Art at (215) 684-7860. The Philadelphia Museum of Art is located on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway at 26th Street. For general information, call (215) 763-8100
The Philadelphia Museum of Art's Friday night Art After 5 series caps off a successful year of great jazz performances with an evening dedicated to a great jazz lover, the African American artist Beauford Delaney. This special event stars Philadelphia jazz pianist Orrin Evans and includes a screening of the Oscar-nominated film A Great Day in Harlem. Delaney, whose paintings are on view in the special exhibition Beauford Delaney: From New York to Paris through Jan. 29, 2006, captured the energy of New York's streets, parks, and jazz clubs in the 1930s and '40s. His Jazz Quartet of 1946 shows a pianist, guitarist, drummer, and clarinetist playing amid a lively field of colorful patterns that mimic the vibrant rhythms of their music.
The New York Times described Orrin Evans as “a poised artist with an impressive template of ideas at his command," a quality undoubtedly recognized by the legendary saxophonist Bobby Watson, who engaged Evans as piano chair for his band, a position he has held for six years. He has also performed with Donald Byrd, Robin Eubanks, Charles Fambrough, Roy Hargrove, Branford Marsalis, Christian McBride, Grover Washington Jr., and the Mingus Big Band, among others.
For Evans, however, the greatest joy is playing his own band, which, at different times, has included such notables as Ralph Peterson, Sam Newsome, Ralph Bowen, Nasheet Waits, Reid Anderson, John Swana and Duane Eubanks. His 2002 CD, Meant to Shine, earned critical acclaim and his 10th recording as a leader, 2005's Easy Now, is a rousing tribute to his late father, Donald Evans, who was a prominent playwright.
Performances are presented in two sets: 5:45 - 6:45 p.m. and 7:15 - 8:15 p.m., with tours of the Beauford Delaney exhibition offered throughout the evening.
A Great Day in Harlem, which will be screened at 7:30 p.m. in the Museum's Van pelt Auditorium, is an hour-long documentary that brings to life a remarkable moment in the history of jazz. In 1958, Art Kane, now deceased, coordinated a group photograph of the top jazz musicians in New York City for Esquire magazine. Just about every jazz musician at the time showed up for the photo shoot, which took place in front of a brownstone near the 125th Street station. The Oscar-nominated 1994 film, directed by Jean Bach, includes interviews with many of the musicians in the photograph, including Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie, Coleman Hawkins, Roy Eldridge, Sonny Rollins, Art Blakey and Thelonius Monk.
About Art After 5
The Museum stays open late every Friday night, presenting a program of Art After 5, with music, dance, food and drinks in the Great Stair Hall in addition to the experience of 200 galleries housing a vast collection of art from around the world. A full cash bar and la carte menu of appetizers, light entres and desserts is available with table service in the Great Stair Hall.
Admission is $12 for adults, $9 for senior citizens (62 and over); $8 for students with I.D. and children 13-18; children 12 years old and younger are admitted free at all times.
The Philadelphia Museum of Art is among the largest art museums in the United States, showcasing more than 2,000 years of exceptional human creativity in masterpieces of painting, sculpture, works on paper, decorative arts and architectural settings from Europe, Asia and the Americas. The striking neoclassical building stands on a nine-acre site above the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and houses more than 200 galleries. The Museum offers a wide variety of enriching activities, including programs for children and families, lectures, concerts and films.
For additional information, contact the Marketing and Public Relations Department of the Philadelphia Museum of Art at (215) 684-7860. The Philadelphia Museum of Art is located on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway at 26th Street. For general information, call (215) 763-8100
For more information contact All About Jazz.
