|
Page 2 of 2
The Rosslyn Jazz Festival
A trio of superstars headlines the 15th
annual Rosslyn Jazz Festival, to be held Saturday, September 10th,
from 1-7 pm at Gateway Park (at North Lynn Street and Lee Highway in
Arlington, VA). Co-sponsored by Arlington Cultural Affairs, Rosslyn
Renaissance, and the Rosslyn Business Improvement District, the
festival will be broadcast live on WPFW Radio (89.3 FM). Local
restaurants and vendors will offer a wide range of gourmet
concessions. Public transportation is easy as the Rosslyn Metro
Station is just two blocks from the festival stage. The line-up of
free music includes local jazz star Robert Jospe and Inner Rhythm,
along with James Moody, Ahmad Jamal and Nnenna Freelon.
Robert Jospé and Inner
Rhythm (1-2 pm). An active player on the New York jazz and
rock scene before relocating to Virginia, drummer, percussionist, and
composer Robert Jospé is well known throughout the
mid-Atlantic for performances at festivals, clubs, and concert halls.
A member
of the University of Virginia's music department's performance
faculty since 1989, Jospé teaches jazz drumming and is a
member of UVA's faculty jazz ensemble, The Free Bridge Quintet. Since
1992 he has held a touring grant from the Virginia Commission for the
Arts for
Inner
Rhythm —his
high energy, world beat ensemble, and his educational
lecture/demonstration, The
World Beat Workshop
Of his recent release, Hands On, the August 2004 issue of
Modern Drummer noted, “Robert
Jospé and his Inner Rhythm showcase a polished, jubilant mix
of straight-ahead, Latin, and funk on Hands On. Jospé’s
crisp, tight grooves seamlessly merge styles. Hot!"
 Photo by Howard A. Gittelson Nnenna
Freelon (4-5:20 pm).
Acclaimed vocalist Nnenna Freelon was a late bloomer—her
professional music career got underway after raising a family and
working in healthcare. From playing local gigs and festivals, she was
recording for Columbia in the 90s, and later for Concord. With five
Grammy nominations, Freelon recently won the Billie Holiday Award
from the Academie du Jazz, the Eubie Blake Award, and made her
feature film debut in Mel Gibson's What Women Want. With
her latest recording released just a few weeks ago (Blueprint
of a Lady, a tribute to Billie
Holiday), Freelon is poised for yet another Grammy. Wrote Robert
Daniels in Variety,
“Nnenna Freelon possesses that rarest of qualities... she makes
(standards) sound freshly minted, refreshingly new... her phrasing is
original, surprising... she mines the (melodies) for new and hidden
meaning... and imaginative spirit that reaches out and bubbles
over..."
 Photo by Howard A. Gittelson Ahmad Jamal (5:40-7 pm).
Of the living legends of jazz piano, perhaps none has exerted such
wide influence on the genre as Ahmad Jamal. Now in his
70s, Jamal has been cited as a key muse by pianists as diverse as
McCoy Tyner, Herbie Hancock, Keith Jarrett, Kenny Barron, Cedar
Walton and Mulgrew Miller; echoes of Jamal can be found in the
playing of a younger generation including Eric Reed and Jacky
Terrasson; and trumpet legend Miles Davis was impressed with Jamal’s
approach and repeatedly sought pianists who could incorporate that
sound in his early bands. Although he has primarily concentrated on
the trio format over the years, Ahmad Jamal was heavily influenced
himself by the big bands, and particularly Ellington, Basie,
Strayhorn, and Mandel, as well as the orchestrations of Ravel. Today,
listening to Ahmad Jamal and his trio (bassist James Cammack
and drummer Idris Muhammad) is like listening to a full orchestra; he
covers a large sonic palette of complex harmonies and widespread
dynamics. Noted fellow pianist Harold Mabern, “Every time I hear
Ahmad, I leave inspired. He plays a three-chord masterpiece before he
even sits down on the stool… It’s his sound, his knowledge of
chords, the way he orchestrates from the bottom of the piano to the
top.”
For more information about the Rosslyn
Jazz Festival, visit
www.rosslynva.org.
|
Wednesday, 07 January 2009
Home | Jazz Ed | CD/DVD/Book Reviews | Interviews | SF Bay Area | Chicago | Los Angeles | New York | Twin Cities, MN | More Cities | Festivals | News | Contact | Video | 
