The UMOJA Quintet PRESS KIT
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
BIOGRAPHY 2
LONG BIOGRAPHY 2 SHORT BIOGRAPHY 3
PRESS REVIEWS 4
PERFORMANCE HISTORY 5
TECHNICHAL RIDER 7
STAGE, SOUND AND LIGHTING REQUIREMENTS 7 STAGE PLOT 9
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The UMOJA Quintet | PRESS KIT
The UMOJA Quintet
BIOGRAPHY (FULL)
Led by Alto Saxophonist, Yunie Mojica, and Trombonist, Raynel Frazier, The UMOJA Quintet encompasses concepts of community, faith and family, inspired by the 7 principles of Kwanzaa. The group is named after the first principle, UMOJA, meaning unity in Swahili, and was created through the musical sisterhood and friendship of Raynel Fraizier and Yunie Mojica. This friendship and collaboration began in 2007 at the Jackie McLean Institute and the Artist Collective, founded by Jackie and Dollie McLean, Located in Hartford, CT. These institutions provided a musical, supportive, and nurturing atmosphere for these two musicians. Raynel Frazier is a young talented trombonist from the Hartford area. In 2011 she graduated from the Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz, Hartt School of Music, in Hartford, CT with a BA in Jazz Studies. She is currently studying at American University in Washington, DC to receive her MA in Arts Management. Raynel was first introduced to jazz at the Artist Collective, where she was a member of the Youth Jazz Orchestra under the instruction of master artist Rene McLean. For the past five years Ms. Frazier has had the pleasure of studying with world –renowned trombonist and Professor of the Jackie McLean Institute, Steve Davis. Throughout her college years Ms. Frazier has opened for jazz masters, including Curtis Fuller, Randy Weston, and Hank Jones. She has also performed alongside with professors of the Jackie McLean institute Nat Reeves, Rene McLean, and Steve Davis. Raynel Frazier has also had the oppurtunity to intern at Jazz at Lincoln Center and currently she is the Administrative Assistant for the Performing Arts Department at the National Endowment for the Arts. Alto Saxophonist, Yunie Mojica was born in Hartford, CT, and grew up in the town of Windsor, CT. Being both Puerto Rican and Dominican, she has grown up listening to salsa, Merengue, and Latin Jazz artists such as Tito Puente, Machito, and Hector LaVoe to name a few. Her first experiences with Jazz and the alto saxophone was during her sophomore year in High School at the Litchfield Jazz Festival Summer Music School, which she attended for 3 consecutive years as a student, and 1 year as an RA. Ms. Mojica has also been a member of the Artist Collective Youth Jazz Orchestra, both as a student and instructor. Yunie Mojica has currently graduated the Hartt School and the Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz at the University of Hartford, with a B.M. in Music Management with Jazz emphasis in 2009. She has studied with alto saxophonist Kris Allen, multi-reed instrumentalist Rene McLean, Jimmy Greene, and Abraham Burton. Yunie Mojica and Raynel Fraizer have had the pleasure to work with jazz greats and their bands, such as Charli Persip's Super Sound and the Valery Ponomarov Big Band. Members of UMOJA are comprised of musicians from New York, Hartford, CT and Jackie McLean Institute Alumni. UMOJA has a powerful sound driven by a female front line. Featuring original works by its band members, UMOJA carries global influences from Africa, Puerto Rico, Cuba and other cultures, always built upon a solid foundation of the African-American music known as jazz.
UMOJA | PRESS KIT Page 2 of 9
The UMOJA Quintet | PRESS KIT
The UMOJA Quintet
BIOGRAPHY (SHORT)
Led by Alto Saxophonist, Yunie Mojica, and Trombonist, Raynel Frazier,The UMOJA Quintet encompasses concepts of community, faith and family, inspired by the 7 principles of Kwanzaa. The group is named after the first principle, UMOJA, meaning unity in Swahili. UMOJA was created through the musical sisterhood and friendship of Raynel Fraizier and Yunie Mojica through Hartford, CT based institutions - the Artist Collective and the Hartt School's Jackie McLean Institute. UMOJA has a powerful sound driven by a female front line featuring original works by it's band members. UMOJA's sound carries global influences and cultures built upon the solid foundation of African-American music known as jazz.
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The UMOJA Quintet | PRESS KIT
PRESS REVIEWS
UMOJA Quintet Gives Fitting Homage To Jackie McLean www.courant.com The spirit of Hartford jazz patriarch Jackie McLean burned brightly on Sunday afternoon as the UMOJA Quintet thrilled an overflow crowd at the Hartford Public Library.
Free Jazz at Hartford Public Library articles.courant.com Not all the fire and substance in the Hartford Pubic Library's free Baby Grand Jazz series emanates solely and soulfully from just the piano, as will be demonstrated Sunday, Jan. 15, by the young,...
Concert Review: Abbey Lincoln Tribute in Bushnell Park July 25 articles.courant.com Last week, the Hartford Jazz Society erred on the side of caution and held its Monday Night Jazz concert indoors at the Asylum Hill Congregational Church. The sun shone brightly as the event got...
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The UMOJA Quintet | PRESS KIT
PERFORMANCE VENUES AND FESTIVALS
Black-Eyed Sally’s 350 Asylum Street, Hartford, CT Monday, February 15, 2010 Monday, October 25, 2010 Monday, April 25, 2011 Monday, May 9, 2011 Friday, December 23, 2011
2nd Annual Some Blues, Some Jazz and Some Soul Food Festival University of Hartford 200 Bloomfield Ave, West Hartford, CT Saturday, February 19, 2011
Bloomfield Prosser Library 1 Tunxis Avenue, Bloomfield, CT Friday, April 29, 2011
The Jackie McLean International Arts Festival Hartford Public Library 500 Main Street, Hartford, CT Thursday, May 13, 2010 Thursday, May 12, 2011
The Wadsworth Athenaeum 600 Main Street, Hartford, CT Friday, August 19, 2011
Family Day at Keeny Park Greenfield St. & Woodland St. Hartford, CT Saturday August 20, 2011
Hartford Jazz Society’s 2011 Monday Night Jazz Series Bushnell Park, Hartford, CT Monday, July 25, 2011
Many Colors of a Woman Jazz Festival Faith Congregational Church 2030 Main Street, Hartford, CT Saturday, September 24, 2011
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The UMOJA Quintet | PRESS KIT
PERFORMANCE VENUES AND FESTIVALS
New England Autumn Fest Farmington polo grounds 152 Town Farm Rd, Farmington, CT October 1, 2011
Seven Bar and Grille 453 Franklin Ave., Hartford, CT Thursdays, June – July 2011
La Paloma Sabanera 405 Capitol Avenue Hartford, CT Saturday, January 8, 2011 Saturday, June 25, 2011 Friday, September 23, 2011
The Baby Grand Jazz Series Hartford Public Library 500 Main Street, Hartford, CT Sunday, January 15, 2012
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The UMOJA Quintet | PRESS KIT
TECHNICAL RIDER
STAGE, SOUND AND LIGHTING REQUIREMENTS
In order to assure a quality concert, PURCHASER agrees to provide ARTIST with the following at PURCHASER’S sole cost and expense: A professional sound augmentation system capable of providing clear, non-distorted, and evenly distributed sound throughout the audience area; microphones and monitors (positioning provided in the attached stage plot as well as technical specifications).
Backline Equipment PURCHASER shall provide: a) One (1) 3/4" Wood or carved bass b) One (1) Bass Amp: (Preferably Galien-Kruger, SWR, Ampeg, Acoustic Image, Walter Woods) c) 1 acoustic Steinway (seven 7’ foot) grand piano (acceptable alternative: 7’ foot Yamaha). The piano must be tuned to A-440 on day of performance and must be tuned before and after the sound check. d) Electric Keyboard: 88 keys weighted controller e) One (1) Gretch (or equivalent quality) Drum Kit consisting of:
[1] 18” or 20” (nothing larger) Bass Drum [1] 10” Tom-Tom [1] 12” Tom-Tom [1] 14” Tom-Tom [1] Snare Drum [1] High Hat Stand [2] Cymbal Stands [1] Snare Stand [1] Drum Stool
f) A close-cropped gray carpet measuring five feet by seven feet (5’x ‘7) for thekick g) Four (4) lighted music stands h) 2 direct boxes i) Four (4) monitors j) One (1) Boom Stand for Sax Mic k) One (1) Straight Stand for Vocal Mic l) 1 Acoustic bass stand m) 88 weighted keys controller: YAMAHA P80/ KURZWEIL n) One amp for keyboard
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The UMOJA Quintet | PRESS KIT
TECHNICAL RIDER
STAGE, SOUND AND LIGHTING REQUIREMENTS
MICROPHONES: Sound company should supply all microphone stands, stage boxes and break out cables for all microphone connections. All stage power must be supplied by the sound company and kept on the same feed as the audio, to avoid ground problems that may arise.
MICROPHONE REQUIREMENTS a) One Alto Sax (1 Mic): One (1) Quality Condensed Mic b) One (1) Trombone (1 Mic): One (1) Quality Ribbon Mic d) 2 Vocal (2 Mics): Two (2) Shure Beta 58 e) Piano (3 Mics) Three (3) Quality Condensers or Contact Mics f) Bass (1 Mic): One (1) Quality Bass Condenser Mic g) Drums (2 Mics): Two (2) (Condenser) Overhead
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The UMOJA Quintet | PRESS KIT
TECHNICAL RIDER
The UMOJA Quintet STAGE PLOT
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