Sunday, September 22nd @ 3:30pm, 5pm and 7pm – St. Peter’s Church – 619 Lexington Ave at 54th St, NY 10022 Free admission for 3:30pm and 5pm events, 20$ suggested donation for 7pm event.
3:30pm a talk with Ted Daniel on Exploring the correlation between improvisation and therapy. 5pm: Vespers with Hugh Ragin and trumpeters.7pm: Hugh Ragin with David Amram, Lew Soloff, James Zollar, Myles Sloniker, Bruce Cox.
Best known for capably filling the problematic trumpet chair in saxophonist David Murray’s various large ensembles, Hugh Ragin possesses the well-rounded technique and abundant imagination that his predecessors in those bands did not. A harmonically daring player, Ragin combines the clear, ringing tone of a classical trumpeter with the chops and rhythmic ingenuity of a top-notch bebopper. Ragin was raised in Houston, TX. Ragin received schoolboy honors in music (traveling to England and Wales with the Houston All-City High School Orchestra) then attended the University of Houston, where he received his bachelor’s degree in music education. Trumpeter Donald Byrd influenced Ragin around this time. Ragin attended Colorado State University, receiving his master’s in classical trumpet performance. In late 1978, he attended the Creative Music Studio in Woodstock, NY, where he studied composition with Roscoe Mitchell. The following summer, he played the annual jazz festival in Moers, Germany, with the Roscoe Mitchell/Leo Smith Creative Orchestra. Later that year, he toured with Anthony Braxton.
Since then, Ragin has periodically traveled to Europe to perform and teach. Ragin first met Murray in 1980; he toured with Maynard Ferguson throughout 1983. In 1985, Murray brought him to New York to play in his band. The two have been close musical associates ever since. On his 1999 album An Afternoon in Harlem (Justin Time), he’s joined by Murray, drummer Andrew Cyrille, and pianist Craig Taborn. He followed with more releases for Justin Time: Fanfare & Fiesta in 2001 and Feel the Sunshine in 2002. Ragin has taught extensively, including a stint at Oberlin College in Ohio.
A consummate fixture on the New York jazz scene, Lew Soloff’s career is filled with a rich history of renowned sessions and world-class collaborations. From the time he eased into the east coast world of trend setting musicians in the mid 1960s, Soloff’s creative ventures have resulted in a respected body of work that places him in a category of true accomplishment and keeps his elegant and lyrical signatures in constant demand. Whether interpreting a standard or improvising on an original composition, his phrasing and note choices exemplify his unique voice. Soloff is known as a virtuoso with tremendous range and superior technical command, yet he exudes a wisdom for quietness and melody. Soloff’s expertise includes trumpet, flugelhorn, harmon mute, plunger mute and he is particularly recognized for his work on piccolo trumpet.
Monday, September 23nd 7pm – St. Peter’s Church – 619 Lexington Ave at 54th St, NY 10022 20$ suggested donation
Dave Douglas Quintet and Sextet with special guest vocalist Heather Masse and Jon Irabagon, Josh Roseman, Matt Mitchell, Linda Oh, Rudy Royston. Post concert reception celebrating release of new album.
Dave Douglas is a prolific trumpeter, composer and educator from New York City.
His unique contributions to improvised music have garnered distinguished recognition, including a Guggenheim Fellowship, an Aaron Copland award and two Grammy nominations. Douglas has developed his work for several unique ensembles with whom he’s currently active, including his new quintet, an electric sextet (Keystone), and Sound Prints Quintet, co-led with saxophonist Joe Lovano. His new quintet released its debut recording, Be Still, in September 2012 with singer Aoife O’Donovan, the first time Douglas has featured a vocalist on a recording. The follow-up to that critically-acclaimed recording, Time Travel, was released in April 2013.
Since 2005, Douglas has operated his own record label, Greenleaf Music, releasing his own recordings as well as albums by other artists in the jazz idiom. Through his artist-friendly approach and innovative practices, he continues to prove himself a pioneer in new music marketing and delivery methods for the jazz world and among artist-run labels.
Douglas has held several posts as an educator and impresario. From 2002 to 2012, he served as artistic director of the Workshop in Jazz and Creative Music at The Banff Centre in Canada. He is a co-founder and director of the Festival of New Trumpet Music, which celebrated its tenth anniversary in 2012. In 2013, he begins his second year as International Jazz Artist in Residence at the Royal Academy of Music in London and launches his own Jazz Workshop, dedicated to enriching the musical experiences of younger players.
