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“When you hear music, after it’s over, it’s gone, in the air, you can never capture it again.” - Eric Dolphy

Friday, 09 January 2009

Tom Harrell, Baptiste Trotignon Duo at the Kintano 1/12-13

Written by Ronaldo Oregano

Tuesday, 02 January 2007

"Life is so intriguing because there is constant change. There's a certain shading for every moment. That's what we do when we play. We express our feelings through the textures and colors of the sensual material world and then transcend that into the spiritual realm." - Tom Harrell

Last year, trumpeter and composer Tom Harrell was awarded a grant by Chamber Music of America and French American Cultural Exchange to write new pieces for a trumpet-piano duo project to be performed at concerts with the French pianist, Baptiste Trotignon. On January 12th and 13th we will be able to hear the fruit of that effort when the Duo of Harrell and Trotignon perform at Kitano in New York.

Tom Harrell is a highly skilled trumpeter and composer with a genius IQ. That genius shines both in his compositions and his playing. He is a brilliant improviser with a clear and precise tone, a singular talent and unique voice in jazz today. He has been selected as trumpet player of the year by Downbeat magazine three times. Despite his struggle with schizophrenia, a disorder he was diagnosed with in his twenties, Harrell has amazing creative output, working on diverse musical projects and colaborations.

Tom Harrell was on born June 16th, 1946 in Urbana, Illinois. His family moved to the San Francisco Bay Area when he was five. Tom first picked up the trumpet when he was eight and when he was barely a tennager he began jamming locally with professional bands. After playing with the Jazz Workshop in the late 60s, Harrell toured with the Stan Kenton and Woody Herman bands. Tom worked several years with Horace Silver during the 70s, then he moved to New York, where he performed with the Mel Lewis Village Vanguard big band, Bill Evans and Lee Konitz, Azteca, and many others. During the 80s Phil Woods expanded his quartet to a quintet in order to include Harrell. He has also recorded several sessions as a leader, with a major label recording contract exposing his compositional skills to a wider audience. Harrell’s 1999 release, Time’s Mirror, won a Grammy nomination and his 1998 Latin CD, The Art of Rhythm, was named the Best Jazz Album of the Year (2000) by Entertainment Weekly.

Young pianist Baptiste Trotignon was born in Nantes in 1974. He moved to Paris in 1995, and decided to devote himself to jazz after a dozen years spent studying classical piano. Shortly after he had moved to Paris, Baptiste was heard in every jazz club of the capital as well as in festivals around France and abroad. In 2001, he received a Golden Django in the New Artist Category for his first album Fluide. His second album as a leader, Sightseeing, was released later on the same year. In 2002, he earned the Grand Prize at Martial Solal International Jazz Piano Competition. Baptiste was a key member of Moutin Reunion (with the Moutin brothers and Rick Margitza), and has been a collaborator of many groups on the French Jazz Scene : Alex Tassel Quintet, Claudia Solal Quartet, Jérôme Barde Quartet, Umberto Pagnini Quartet (La Cricca d'Umberto), Eric Le Lann Trio (featuring Riccardo Del Fra), Pierrick Pedron Quartet, Jean Christophe Beney Quartet.

Hear The Tom Harrell and Baptiste Trotignon Duo on January 12th and 13th, with sets at 8:00 and 9:45 p.m. at Kitano New York, 66 Park Avenue, (212)-885-7000.

Also on January 14th, you can hear Tom Harrell & Baptiste Trotignon at St. Luke's Lutheran Church as part of the French Jazz Festival. 308 W. 46th St. 212-246-3540.

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