MEDIA ADVISORY For Immediate Release : January 23, 2012 Press information: Jessica Wolf 310.825.7789 [email protected] Image Library : www.cap.ucla/press-images
Robert Randolph, The Slide Brothers and Otis Taylor Hit Royce Hall Feb 23
Center for the Art of Performance at UCLA presents an evening full of visionaries from the world of roots music, with Robert Randolph performing a headlining set alongside his musical mentors The Slide Brothers Saturday, February 23 at 8 p.m. in Royce Hall. Multi-instrumentalist and blues great Otis Taylor opens the show. Tickets ($15-$50) are now available via cap.ucla.edu , Ticketmaster or at the UCLA Central Ticket Office.
A renowned pedal steel guitarist in his own right, Robert Randolph is dedicated to shining a much-deserved and long-awaited spotlight on The Slide Brothers—Calvin Cooke, Chuck Campbell, Darick Campbell and Aubrey Ghent, standard-bearers of the Sacred Steel tradition. With a new album “Robert Randolph Presents: The Slide Brothers”— the very first studio release for the Slide Brothers—arriving February 19, and a cross-country tour, Randolph is bringing these profoundly influential musicians to the forefront of modern music.
Randolph himself is credited with revitalizing the Sacred Steel tradition in the modern era, carrying the style born in The House of God Church more than 80 years ago to mainstream secular success before concert and festival audiences around the world.
Each member of the Slide Brothers was raised worshiping and performing in The Church of the Living God. They became an ad hoc family, traveling and learning from the other dominions in their communities in cities from Nashville to Chicago to Newark. Calvin Cooke was born into a musical family in Cleveland, Ohio in 1944 and would go on to become known among the ranks of Nashville’s premier country steel guitarists as “the B.B. King of gospel steel guitar.” Cooke is hailed today as the most influential living pedal steel guitar master within the Sacred Steel tradition.
The Slide Brothers shift easily between genres, incorporating both traditional gospel repertoire as well as and secular material. Inspired by Randolph to finally emerge beyond their respected positions within the sacred steel community, the Slide Brothers tackle rock, funk and even the deepest blues with a ferocity that will startle fans of Duane Allman, Derek Trucks and even Muddy Waters.
When it comes to Otis Taylor, it's best to expect the unexpected. Whether it's his unique instrumentation (he fancies banjo and cello), or the sudden sound of a female vocal, or when a seemingly upbeat optimistic song takes a turn for the forlorn, what remains consistent is poignant storytelling based in truth and history. Although Taylor’s music is based in the blues and folk realm, his meticulously crafted recordings crash the barriers of jazz, rock, funk, Americana and myriad other genres to create a hybrid that Taylor labels “trance blues.” And that signature style serves as a backbone for his frank tales of struggle, freedom, desire, conflict and, of course, love.
His 13th album “My World is Gone” streets February 12 and explores the struggles of Native Americans with contributions from Indigenous frontman/guitar virtuoso Mato Nanji.
To date, Taylor has garnered eleven Blues Music Awards nominations. His 2001 album “White African” was named 'Best Artist Debut'. Down Beat magazine critics' poll named Taylor's “Truth is Not Fiction” Blues CD of the Year for 2002. His 2008 effort, “Recapturing the Banjo,” was an attempt to reconnect him and the world with the true African origins of the banjo."There may not be," claimed Down Beat in a review, “a better roots album released this year or decade than ‘Recapturing the Banjo.’" Guitar Player magazine writes, "Otis Taylor is arguably the most relevant blues artist of our time.”
ABOUT CAP UCLA Center for the Art of Performance at UCLA (CAP UCLA) is dedicated to the advancement of contemporary performing arts in all disciplines — dance, music, spoken word and theater, as well the emerging digital, collaborative and cross-art platforms inspired by today's leading artists and creators. CAP supports the creation, presentation and critical dialogues vital to the ongoing innovation and expressive potential of artists whose work, whether vibrantly emerging or internationally acclaimed, forms the dynamic and evolving heritage of contemporary performance. Based in UCLA's iconic Royce Hall, CAP UCLA is the university's public center for the presentation of the performing arts and contributes to the cultural life of the campus and greater Los Angeles, promoting civic dialogue and creative inquiry. Through an annual season of performing arts programs and extensive community- engagement events — including artist fellows and residency programs, K–12 arts education (Design for Sharing), student mentorship (Student Committee for the Arts), and art-making and experiential activities (Art in Action) — CAP UCLA advances the importance of art in society by celebrating and deepening the connection between artist and audience.
PRESS REVIEW TICKETS/PHOTO PASSES/ INTERVIEW REQUESTS Artists are available for interviews. Contact Jessica Wolf at [email protected] 310.825.7789
IMAGES Available for download at cap.ucla.edu/press-images . Register for access.
###