NEW YORK TOKYO QUARTET TO BRING UNEXPECTED TWISTS TO JAZZ CLASSICS
TUESDAY, MARCH 25th @ 8PMRECITAL HALL at The College of Charleston
Co-Sponsored by Jazz Artists of Charleston & CofC School of the ArtsCHARLESTON, SC - The New York Tokyo Standards Quartet is one of the most exciting bands to hit the scene. The scene in question, however, has been in Shinjuku, Aoyama and Kyoto - and points east, namely, the islands of Japan. That is, until now. The Jazz Studies Program in the College of Charleston’s School of the Arts and co-sponsor Jazz Artists of Charleston, will host a concert by the quartet on Tuesday, March 25 at 8 p.m. The event will take place in the Recital Hall of the Simons Center for the Arts, 54 St. Philip St. Admission is $10 general public / $5 for students with ID. For more information, please call (843) 953-5927.
The quartet will also conduct a master class on Monday, March 24 from 5-7 p.m. in Room 316 of the Simons Center. General admission is $5 and students with ID may attend free of charge.
This unique band features some of New York's busiest jazz players, who developed their rapport by playing clubs in Manhattan and who reunited 6,000 miles away during their regular travels in Japan. The band's concept is straightforward, keeping the music simple. They draw on jazz classics and material from the familiar world of jazz standards but bring freedom to it and fun playing that invites the unexpected. Three tours around Nihon later, on the eve of the release of their first recording (“Live from NHK”), the results are impressive.
Tim Armacost, a fiery tenor saxophone player, has shared the stage with the likes of Jimmy Cobb, Kenny Barron, Tom Harrell, Billy Hart and many of the world’s most famous jazz musicians. He speaks fluent Japanese and has traveled to Japan regularly since his school days. David Berkman brings a mountain of harmony to the group. His playing is always rhythmically forceful and filled with unusual twists and turns. Yosuke Inoue, a New York club regular who has recently moved back to Japan, is justly celebrated as one of the country’s finest bassists. His solos are virtuosic and filled with his wry humor, and his outlandish quotes appear in unimagined places. Gene Jackson, the ultimate Japanophile, who lives on Toro (Fatty Tuna), Unagi (eel) and top-level sake, is a drummer of the highest order - a favorite of many jazz superstars such as Herbie Hancock, Dave Holland and Branford Marsalis.
Jazz artists, such as the members of the New York Tokyo Standards Quartet, have inspired the 2008 inception of Jazz Artists of Charleston (JAC), a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote musical awareness and education, including the recognition and preservation of the history of jazz, in the City of Charleston through performances, special events and educational outreach. A significant hallmark of JAC’s inaugural year is their partnership with the City of Charleston Office of Cultural Affairs in its efforts to produce the 2008 Piccolo Spoleto Festival Jazz Series in its 30th year. For more information about Jazz Artists of Charleston, visit www.jazzartistisofcharleston.org or call (843) 564-5154.
