TD Jazz: The Roots of Jazz Danilo Pérez with Ben Street & Terri Lyne Carrington: Panamonk and Alfredo Rodríguez Trio Saturday, November 25, 2017 at 8:00pm This is the 779th concert in Koerner Hall
Danilo Pérez, piano Ben Street, bass Terri Lyne Carrington, drums
Alfredo Rodríguez, piano Ricardo Rodríguez, bass Ferenc Nemeth, drums
Danilo Pérez Pianist, composer, educator, and social activist, Danilo Pérez is among the most influential and dynamic musicians of our time. He studied jazz composition at the Berklee College of Music and, while still a student, he performed with Jon Hendricks, Terence Blanchard, Slide Hampton, Claudio Roditi, and Paquito D’Rivera. Quickly established as a young master, he soon toured and/or recorded with artists such as the Dizzy Gillespie United Nations Orchestra, Jack DeJohnette, Steve Lacy, Lee Konitz, Charlie Haden, Michael Brecker, Joe Lovano, Tito Puente, Wynton Marsalis, Tom Harrell, Gary Burton, and Roy Haynes. In 2000, he joined Wayne Shorter to form Shorter’s quartet with John Patitucci and Brian Blade and, since 2003, he has been touring with regular trio featuring Ben Street and Adam Cruz. In 1993, Pérez turned his focus to his own ensembles and recording projects, releasing eight albums as a leader, earning Grammy and Latin Grammy nominations. In 1996, he recorded Panamonk, a tribute to Thelonious Monk, which according to DownBeat magazine is one of the most important jazz piano albums in history. Pérez, who served as Goodwill Ambassador to UNICEF, has received a variety of awards for his musical achievements, activism, and social work efforts. He currently serves as UNESCO Artist for Peace, Cultural Ambassador to the Republic of Panama, Founder and Artistic Director of the Panama Jazz Festival, and Artistic Director of the Berklee Global Jazz Institute in Boston’s Berklee College of Music. His latest album, Children Of The Light, a collaboration with fellow Wayne Shorter Quartet members John Patitucci and Brian Blade, was released on Mack Avenue in September of 2015.
Thelonious Monk is universally regarded as one of jazz’s greatest icons and his enduring influence is still paramount today, 100 years after his birth. As a performer and innovator, Danilo Pérez has made his own considerable mark in the genre. NPR exclaims, “Pérez is a man with some serious jazz cred. The Panamanian pianist got his start playing with Dizzy Gillespie, and continued with Wayne Shorter. As a composer and bandleader himself, he’s practically peerless.” 20 years ago, Pérez recorded an album celebrating Monk’s legacy. On Panamonk, Pérez explored Monk’s music and style through a contemporary jazz lens … adding a bit of his own personal Panamanian flair. The New York Times called it “a masterpiece of jazz synthesis,” and said, “Mr. Pérez’s approach was refreshing in its irreverence: rather than try to be as faithful as possible to Monk’s distinctive rhythms and harmonies, he used Monk’s vision as a jumping-off point for his own individuality as an improviser.” Now, in celebration of Monk’s centennial, Pérez revisits Panamonk and brings his fresh take on the music to today’s audiences.
Ben Street’s work in avant-garde and free jazz during the1990s included performing and recording with Tim Berne, and in a variety of line-ups with drummer Kenny Wolleson. His bass playing is featured on many recordings, including Kurt Rosenwinkel’s Next Step, Sam River’s Violet Violets, Danilo Pérez’s Til Then, David Sánchez’s Coral, and Cyndi Lauper’s At Last. He has performed and toured with Danilo Pérez, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Roswell Rudd, Paul Motian, Lee Konitz, David Sánchez, James Moody, Sam Rivers, Jimmy Scott, the Frank Carlberg Quintet, and Once Blue, among others.
Grammy Award-winning drummer, composer, and bandleader Terri Lyne Carrington has toured with Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Al Jarreau, Stan Getz, David Sanborn, Joe Sample, Cassandra Wilson, Clark Terry, and Dianne Reeves. Her extensive recording career includes several albums she released as a leader, including The Mosaic Project and Money Jungle: Provocative in Blue. Her recording credits include work with Carlos Santana, John Scofield, Terence Blanchard, Dianne Reeves, George Duke, Nancy Wilson, Esperanza Spalding, and Geri Allen, among many others. She is the artistic director of the Berklee Beantown Jazz Festival.
Alfredo Rodríguez Discovered at the 2006 Montreux Jazz Festival by Quincy Jones, Cuban-born Alfredo Rodríguez has distinguished himself as the definition of jazz and improvisation without boundaries. He is the man behind the piano with fingers that seem to travel from one end of the world to the other, just within the span of the keys. His mastery of the art has earned him frequent appearances on prestigious stages around the world such as the Playboy Jazz Festival at the Hollywood Bowl, Montreux Jazz Festival, North Sea Jazz Festival, Jazz in Marciac, Umbria Jazz, and Jazz A Vienne. Additionally, Rodríguez was nominated for a 2015 Grammy Award in the category of “Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella,” for the track “Guantanamera,” from his 2014 release, The Invasion Parade. Now, in Tocororo, his new album on Mack Avenue Records, Rodriguez’s story is represented by the national bird of Cuba. The tocororo is a bird that, if caged, dies of sadness, reflecting not only the desire for liberty, but the necessity of it. Beyond that is the story of everything else the bird represents: freedom, travel, and cross-pollination. In Rodriguez’s case, it represents the cross-pollination of his Cuban culture with all of the cultures he has experienced throughout his musical journey, thus leading him to assemble an international band, fusing the musical perspectives of Michael Olivera and Reinier Elizarde from Cuba, Ibrahim Maalouf from Lebanon, the French-Cuban duo Ibeyi, Cameroonian vocalist and bassist Richard Bona, flamenco style singer Antonio Lizana, and Indian vocalist Ganavya. Rodríguez continues to spread his message along with his music on tour and is working on a new album to be released next year.
Ferenc Nemeth is an accomplished and versatile musician who continues to push the boundaries of jazz drumming and composition. Since the early days of his career, he has been one of the most sought-after drummers both in his native Hungary as well as in the United States. Coming from a musical family, his unique dynamism and versatility was fostered from a very early age. An exciting performer and imaginative collaborator, Nemeth is well regarded for his work with the Lionel Loueke Trio and GilFeMa. He has also travelled, performed, and collaborated extensively as a bandleader, co-leader, sideman, and educator, and has initiated creative projects of his own.
Bassist Ricardo Rodríguez was born in Puerto Rico and studied at the Conservatory of Music, where he performed with many Latin jazz giants of today: Ray Baretto, Endel Dueno, Cuchito Valdés, Danilo Pérez, and others. Since moving to New York City in 2004, he has shared the stage with internationally distinguished musicians such as Branford Marsalis, Miguel Zenón Quartet, Lionel Loueke, Alfredo Rodríguez Trio, Donny McCaslin Trio, and many others, including the Jazz at Lincoln Center all-star group, the Jazz Ambassadors. Last year he released his debut album titled Looking Beyond under Destiny Records. He is now working on his second record and continues to tour around the world.
Danilo Pérez and Ben Street made their Royal Conservatory debuts on March 27, 2010; Terri Lyne Carrington on April 26, 2014; Alfredo Rodríguez on December 11, 2010; Ricardo Rodríguez on November 17, 2012; and Ferenc Nemeth is making his Conservatory debut tonight.