 Deanna Witkowski © Elimar Coelho
An accomplished bandleader, composer and liturgist, pianist/vocalist Deanna Witkowski has been described as “consistently thrilling” with a “boundless” imagination (Rick Anderson, All Music Guide) and “a clear musical vision” (JazzTimes). The winner of the 2002 Great American Jazz Piano Competition and a past guest on Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz trained in both classical piano and flute. She first encountered jazz while attending Wheaton (IL) College, and after starting graduate studies at DePaul University, she left to devote full time to music performance. Deanna’s musical palette soon extended beyond classical and jazz, teaching piano in Kenya and studying Cuban music with Chucho Valdes and Hilario Duran. Her first recording, Having to Ask (Jazzline, 2000), was acclaimed as the debut of a “major talent” by Jazz Improv. Still living in the Chicago area, Witkowski moved in yet another direction when she began coordinating an annual jazz service for the LaSalle Street Church, leading to an interest in composing liturgy and a move to New York in 1997. During three years as music director for All Angels Church, she composed a body of new liturgical music and two jazz masses. Her interest in liturgical music continues, with the release of a recording of her sacred works anticipated this year. Her three jazz recordings to date have been greeted with critical acclaim.
Deanna’s success as bandleader is also evident in her quartet’s performance at the Kennedy Center's Women in Jazz Festival, the International Association for Jazz Education Conference, Dizzy's Club at Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Tel Aviv Opera House, the Jacksonville and Rochester Jazz Festivals, and on NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday. She’s also performed with pianist Fred Hersch (her last gig at the Jazz Gallery in 2002), toured with vocalist Lizz Wright and will return to Brazil this fall to headline the Recife Jazz Festival. As a composer, she has participated in the BMI Jazz Composers Workshop; her choral commission for the Rochester based choir, Concentus, premiered in late 2004. In the last year, Witkowski has devoted much of her energies to becoming increasingly fluent in Portuguese and in arranging works by Brazilian composers such as Ivan Lins and Djavan. She’ll feature these new arrangements as well as her own compositions at the Jazz Gallery, joined by bandmates Adam Kolker on soprano and tenor saxes, Dave Ambrosio on bass, and Scott Latzky on drums.  Sarah Manning
Featuring young New York musicians pianist Art Hirahara, bassist Thomson Kneeland and drummer Kyle Struve, Shatter the Glass is a new ensemble that showcases Manning’s “compelling new voice, marked by a big, bracing sound and a knack for delivering angular phrases with graceful precision” (Andrew Gilbert, Contra Costa Times). A key objective of Shatter the Glass is to eradicate the notion that women are somehow “the other” in jazz, as perpetuated by the many “women in jazz” festivals, novelty “girl groups” and events that marginalize their contributions. Shatter the Glass will follow Saturday’s Jazz Gallery performance with a Sunday evening concert at Saint Peter’s Church on 54th and Lexington.
This exciting evening at the Jazz Gallery presents the opportunity to hear two artists with two very distinct voices and the common desire to push the boundaries of jazz. The Jazz Gallery is located at 290 Hudson Street (corner of Spring) in Manhattan. Tickets can be purchased at http://www.jazzgallery.org or by calling 212-242-1063. For more information about these amazing artists, visit www.deannajazz.com and www.sarahmanningmusic.com |
Sunday, 06 July 2008
