Patrick Cornelius

“Jazz's tradition and future are aptly represented in Patrick Cornelius' individuality, direction, and talent. By following Patrick's career, you will always enjoy the saxophone at its highest level."
-- Dick Oatts

The new hot spot for jazz in Manhattan, Cachaca has been booking a combination of proven veterans and up-and-coming stars through its first year of operation. On Tuesday, February 26th, the stage will be stoked by an ensemble of fast-rising talents headed by alto saxophonist Patrick Cornelius. Joining Cornelius will be guitarist Lionel Loueke, pianist Aaron Goldberg, bassist Peter Slavov, and drummer Jamire Williams.

A relative newcomer on the New York jazz scene, Patrick Cornelius had a global upbringing as the son of a US Air Force officer, living in such diverse locales as Georgia, Texas, Germany and Great Britain. After studying piano from age 5, he discovered the alto sax in his teens, and soon shifted his priorities from Bartok and Grieg to Parker and Coltrane. Attending high school in San Antonio, Patrick won National Merit and DownBeat scholarships, and then a full tuition scholarship from Billboard to support his studies at Berklee. By graduation, he had already performed at the Blue Note and Monterey and Umbria Festivals, and was selected to further his studies at the Monk Institute. He recently completed graduate studies at Manhattan School of Music and had a weekly gig with his quartet at the Mona Lounge on the Upper West Side. His first CD, The Patrick Cornelius/Nick Vagenas Quintet, was released in 2003. Recent collaborators have included Luis Perdomo, Gerald Clayton, Assen Doykin, Martin Bejerano, Mike Moreno, Peter Mazza, Lionel Loueke, Matt Brewer, Peter Slavov, Matt Clohesy, Pete Zimmer, Marcus Gilmore, Francisco Mela, and more. Acclaimed for his compositions as well as his performance chops, Cornelius won back-to-back Young Jazz Composer awards from ASCAP in 2005, 2006, and 2007, for his compositions “Unfinished Business,” “Winds of Change,” and “Brother Gabriel.” In fall 2007, Patrick toured Europe with the Trans-Atlantic Collective, and Japan with guitarist Peter Mazza.

Jamire Williams©Andrea Canter

With his multi-talented cohorts at Cachaca, Patrick indicates that “we’ll be debuting a boatload of new music that I've been compiling for my next project.” Sounds like a “boatload” worthy of a sonic regatta. Don’t miss the Patrick Cornelius Quintet at Cachaca Tuesday night.

Cachaca Jazz and Samba Club is located at 35 W 8th St at MacDougal in Manhattan;; (212) 388-9099; www.cachacajazz.com. Sets at 9 and 11 pm. More on Patrick Cornelius at www.patrickcornelius.com