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Patchwerx: Shadow Vignettes, Film and Live Performance 12/7 at HotHouse |
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Written by Ronaldo Oregano
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Tuesday, 28 November 2006 |
 Shadow Vignettes
Shadow Vignettes combines the
excitement and musical power generated by an ensemble consisting of
twenty-five talented musicians using their gifts to continue and extend
the proud traditions of the legendary "big bands" performing
fresh and original compositions with vocalists, poets, and dancers.
Shadow Vignettes is a unique assemblage of musicians which has
astounding and thrilled audiences and critics alike with its singular
interpretation of the rich musical heritage known as Great Black Music.
Under the direction of Edward Wilkerson, Jr. of th e AACM (Association
for the Advancement of Creative Musicians), Shadow Vignettes dares to
present a diverse pro gram of creative music which plumbs the emotional
and intellectual depths of music's more serious side, and retains the
pageantry, color and humor of a night at the famous "Cotton Club" of
Harlem in the 1930's.
Shadow Vignettes was founded by Edward Wilkerson, Jr.. The ensemble has
been in existence since 1979, and during that time this organization
has toured throughout the world, carrying on the best traditions of the
rich heritage of creative music for large groups that includes such
names as Ellington , Basie, Lunceford, Calloway, Abrams, and Sun Ra, to
name a few. All of the music is original and orchestrated specifically
for this ensemble. Mr. Wilkerson, who assumes the duties of composer
and director, has been distinguished through the awarding of several
grants and awards for performance and composition from the National
Endowment for the Arts, The Illinois Arts Council, Meet-the-Composer,
and Arts Midwest. Mr. Wilkerson, also known through his appearances
with such innovative musical collectives such as 8 Bold Souls, The
Ethnic Heritage Ensemble, and The Clarinet Choir, is an accomplished
performer, making his mark on the saxophone, clarinet, and piano. Some
of the stellar musicians with which Mr. Wilkerson has performed include
Muhal Richard Abr ams, Bobby "Blue" Bland, George Lewis, Joseph Jarman,
David Baker, Gerri Allen, Kahil El' Zabar, Roscoe Mitchell, Anthony
Braxton, and many others.
Currently, Shadow Vignettes presents a program of original compositions
which often combine various discipl ines with music, drama, poetry,
dance and visual arts all offer new vistas to be united with music: not
as a simple mixing of incongruous elements, but with love and respect
for the traditions involved. A good example of this amalgam is the
Shadow Vignettes' show stopper "Honky Tonk Bud". This piece started out
as a "jail house toast poem" which Mr. Wilkerson scored for Shadow
Vignettes. The narration and music now make up the soundtrack from the
award winning film, "Honky Tonk Bud".
Shadow Vignettes presents a dramatic and often theatrical outlet for
creative music in a new and fresh format. The ensemble takes full
advantage of lighting and staging techniques in order to impact on all
the senses. The energy and power generated by an aggregation of this
size must be experienced first hand to be appreciated. The constantly
growing number of members of the Shadow Vignettes Fan Club have all
attested to the adage "expect the unexpected" when it comes to a Shadow
Vignettes performance. The one common denominator is that all have been
touched by the sincerity and artistry of the performance.You must see
it 'live' to believe it.
HotHouse, Thursday December 7
PATCHWERX: Shadow Vignettes
A film by Jonathan Woods and live performance by Shadow Vignettes
7:00pm $18 in Advance $20 day of show Non-smoking show (21 & Over)
HotHouse is located in the South Loop of downtown Chicago, at the
corner of Balbo and Wabash, which is two blocks south of Congress
Parkway and one block west of Michigan Avenue.
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 Tuesday, 02 December 2008
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