Guest Artist Series 2016–2017 Season Sara M. Snell Music Theater Thursday, October 13, 7:30 PM
Mitch Frohman Quartet
Program to be selected from his CD “From Daddy with Love”:
Mambo De Nice
Cha Cha With The Bronx Horn
Sex & The City
Accents Con Ritmo
El Rumbon Del Bariton
Mas Flauta
From Daddy with Love (Vocal Version)
Mongo’s Groove
The Girl From Java
Mambo Sin Fronteras
Soprano Con Soul
4B Cha Cha (Bari, Bass, Bongo & The Bell)
From Daddy With Love (Instrumental version)
Luques Curtis Mitch Frohman
Luques Curtis was born in 1983 in Hartford, Connecticut. After For 25 years he was the sax and flute soloist with The Tito Puente having formal training on piano and percussion, he found himself Orchestra & Latin-Jazz Ensemble and also was a steady member of wanting to play the bass. Luques studied at the Greater Hartford the Mongo Santamaria band for many years. Continuing that Academy of Performing Arts, Artist Collective, and Guakia with Dave tradition, Mitch Frohman is the leader/co-leader of three of the most Santoro, Volcan Orham, Nat Reeves, Paul Brown, and others. While in-demand Latin & Latin-Jazz groups; The Bronx Horns, The Mambo attending high school, he was also very fortunate to study the Afro- Legends Orchestra (former Tito Puente All-Star musicians), and the Caribbean genre with bass greats Andy Gonzalez and Joe Santiago. Eddie Torres Mambo Kings Dance Show Orchestra. He has also With his talent and hard work he earned a full scholarship to the played with greats; Celia Cruz, Machito, La Lupe, Cheo Feliciano, prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston. There he studied Eddie & Charlie Palmieri, Blood Sweat & Tears, Paul Simon, David with John Lockwood and Ron Mahdi. While in Boston he was also Byrne, The Spanish Harlem Orchestra, Milly, Jocelyn & Los Vecinos able to work with great musicians such as Gary Burton, Ralph and even Aventura! Of course, his signature sound can be heard Peterson, Donald Harrison, Christian Scott, and Francisco Mela. somewhere in the world as he is the sax soloist on the theme of Luques was also working with his brother Zaccai Curtis and formed a TV's mega- hit "Sex & The City”. group called Insight. Now living in New York City, Mr. Curtis has been performing Zaccai Curtis nationally and internationally with artists such as: Eddie Palmieri, Brian Lynch, Ralph Peterson, Christian Scott, Sean Jones, Gary After graduating from New England Conservatory in 2005, Zaccai Burton, Stefon Harris, Donald Harrison, Orrin Evans, Albert Rivera, Curtis moved to New York City where he performs with artists such Elio Villafranca, Francisco Mela, and others. He also co-owns a as: Ralph Peterson, Brian Lynch, Ray Vega, Antoine Roney, Wallace record label called Truth Revolution Records alongside his brother. Roney, Cindy Blackman, Jerry Gonzalez and the Fort Apache Band, Together they have three releases, the most recent being Papo Vasquez, and Donald Harrison. “Completion of Proof”. Luques was also part of Brian Lynch’s Zaccai Curtis composes and arranges for his own quartet, Grammy winning CD “Simpatico” and Christian Scott’s Grammy trio, solo piano works, Big-Band, Orchestra, as well as large and nominated CD “Rewind That”. You can hear him on Gary Burton’s small ensembles with strings. In 2001 he was commissioned to CD “Next Generations”; Dave Valentin’s “Come Fly with Me”; Sean arrange Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Capriccio Espagnol” to be performed by Jones “Roots”, “Kaleidoscope” and “The Search Within”; Albert his 7-piece Latin jazz ensemble ‘insight’ with the Hartford Symphony Rivera’s CD “Re-Introduction”; Etienne Charles’ CD “Folklore”; Orrin Chamber Orchestra. In 2003 he was chosen as a winner of the Evans’ CD “Faith In Action”. ASCAP Young Jazz Composer’s competition and each year consecutively through 2006. Zaccai and his quartet were selected by Joel Mateo the U.S. State Department to be in the American Music Abroad (Jazz Ambassadors) program two times in 2006. They performed in Joel E. Mateo is a drummer and percussionist born in San Juan, P.R. Bangladesh, Calcutta, Bangalore, Mumbai, Sri Lanka and Maldives. and raised in Ponce, Puerto Rico. He began his musical studies at In 2007, Zaccai was awarded the ‘Connecticut Commission on an early age at the Escuela Libre de Música Juan Morell Campos in Culture and Tourism’s Artist Fellowship’ for original composition. Ponce, PR. He continued his music studies completing a BA in the Zaccai currently performs his own music with his group ‘Curtis Interamerican University in PR and then an MA at the Aaron Copland Brothers quartet’. Zaccai and brother Luques Curtis are currently School of Music in NYC. His musical range has lead him to play, live releasing their album ‘completion of proof’, after two successful and record with international artists such as Papo Vazquez, Miguel albums, “a genesis” and “Blood spirit land water freedom”. Zaccai is Zenon, Manuel Valera, Chembo Corniel, Joel Frahm, Andy Gonzalez, also the head of his own record label ‘truth revolution records’, where The Spanish Harlem, Pedro Martinez, Luigie Texidor, William music from talented independent artists is released. Cepeda, Tego Calderon, Anthony Carrillo, The Curtis Brothers, Mitch Frohman, Elio Villafranca, John Benitez, La Mala Rodriguez, and Paoli Mejias among others.