"With his rich, shining tone... he plays smart swinging solos that go somewhere and tell a story."  --Michael Anthony, Star Tribune 

Charles Lazarus

Trumpeter Charles Lazarus is a busy guy. Not content to keep up with the rehearsals and performances of the Minnesota Orchestra, he’s developed an original pops show, A Night in the Tropics, and recently celebrated the release of a new recording, Zabava. Lazarus will reprise the 2007 debut of A Night in the Tropics at Orchestra Hall on Saturday, May 23rd. The show features the full orchestra and jazz quintet performing music from and inspired by tropical regions around the globe.  Original compositions will be featured along with favorites Ellington, the Buena Vista Social Club and more.

Zabava

A native of North Carolina and graduate of Julliard, Charles Lazarus first performed solo at Carnegie Hall at age 19 with the New York String Orchestra. His eclectic resume includes the Dallas Brass, Meridian Arts Ensemble, and Canadian Brass, as well as his current tenure with the Minnesota Orchestra. An educator as well as performer, he has taught at Princeton University and St. Olaf College, along with master classes throughout the U.S., Canada, South America, Europe and Asia. Lazarus has performed his own compositions at the Montréal and Ottawa International Jazz Festivals, on Radio Canada and Canadian television, and as an opening act for Tony Bennett. Other performance credits include the New York Trumpet Ensemble, The New York Big Brass, The London Brass, and the Montréal Symphony; he has been a featured soloist with the Minnesota Orchestra, North Carolina Symphony, Oregon Symphony, Florida Orchestra, Les Violons du Roy, and the Bach Society. In 2007 he won a McKnight Fellowship for Performing Musicians.

Lazarus released his debut recording in 2005, Solo Settings, produced by Craig Hara. His composition “Waves” was voted Instrumental Song of the Year in the Great American Song Contest. Zabava, again produced by Hara, was released in late 2008, and features a stellar cast of Twin Cities’ musicians—Tommy Barbarella on keyboards, Jeff Bailey on acoustic and electric bass, and Craig Hara on drums, percussion and guitars. Guest artists include Minnesota Orchestra conductor Osmo Vanska on clarinet, as well as Shai Hyo and Tim O’Keefe on percussion. Lazarus wrote 7 of the 9 tracks, joined forces with Hara on another. “Zabava” is a Slavic term for music-centered parties featuring virtuoso players, an apt description of the recording which infuses the energy of traditional East European instrumental music with a 21st century American groove.  Zabava is a triumph of global cross-pollination in terms of melodies, harmonies, instrumentation, and sheer energy. [Click here for Jazz Police review]

While Zabava is decidedly more Nordic than tropical, one can nevertheless anticipate the international flavors, energetic performances, and musicality that will mark Charles Lazarus’s recreation of “A Night in the Tropics” on the Orchestra Hall stage, May 23rd at 8 pm. The program of Latin-inspired compositions includes the title tune by Gottschalk, as well as works by Gershwin, Ellington, Jobim and of course Charles Lazarus, including his award-winning “Wave.” 

For tickets and information, visit www.minnesotaorchestra.org.  

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