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Cleveland Jazz Orchestra celebrates Rhapsody in Blue alongside more ‘20s music & four premieres

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by Jarrett Hoffman

The Cleveland Jazz Orchestra is taking an intriguing approach to the 100th anniversary of Rhapsody in Blue. This weekend’s program will feature the Gershwin classic alongside more music from the 1920s — not to mention four world premieres by Aidan Plank and Brad Wagner of the CJO, and Margi Griebling-Haigh and Ty Alan Emerson of the Cleveland Composers Guild.

At the piano in the Gershwin will be the Orchestra’s own Jackie Warren. At the podium will be Cleveland Pops Orchestra music director Carl Topilow. And joining the CJO will be string players from the Cleveland Pops, BlueWater Chamber Orchestra, CityMusic Cleveland, and Case Western Reserve University.

Performances take place Friday, March 15 at 7:30 pm at the Maltz Performing Arts Center and Saturday, March 16 at 8:00 pm at BLU Jazz+. [Read more…]

DIARY: Weekend of August 12-14, 2022

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by Stephanie Manning

IN THIS EDITION:

•Lots of pianos on stage this weekend at Lakeside, Blossom, and The Madison

•How climate change is affecting summer venues

•Almanac: remembering Janáček, Massanet, and Persichetti

CONCERTS AND EVENTS:

This weekend of piano features will kick off with the Lakeside Symphony, which will close out its 59th summer residency in Lakeside Chautauqua tonight at 7:30 pm. Due to a soloist change, pianist David Allen Wehr will now perform Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 25 in A, and conductor Daniel Meyer will also lead the ensemble in Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition (arr. Ravel). Click here to purchase pass and parking.

[Read more…]

Piano Days @CLE: Dueling Pianist Jackie Warren

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by Mike Telin

Describing pianist Jackie Warren, critic Carlo Wolff wrote, “To hear her is to fix on her, because Jackie Warren is a lover of the piano. She plays the instrument so well, it makes love back.”

On Sunday August 14 at 5:00 pm at The Madison, Piano Days @CLE will feature Warren in a Dueling Piano Gala as she faces off with GRAMMY Award-nominated pianist and contemporary jazz master Benito Gonzalez. Purchase tickets here.

I caught up with Cleveland’s First Lady of Jazz by telephone and began our conversation by asking her how she met Gonzalez. [Read more…]

Piano Cleveland presents: Prelude to Piano Days 2022 Listening Series

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by Mike Telin

Piano Cleveland has a lot in store for Northeast Ohio this summer. But before PianoDays@CLE kicks off on July 24, why not take a deep dive into how to listen to piano music by enrolling in the Prelude to Piano Days 2022 Listening Series? During the three sessions you’ll discover how two pianists work together, what it means to immerse yourself in the work of a single composer, and what exactly is involved in improvisation. Click here for more information.

“We call this ‘education for adults,’” Piano Cleveland president Yaron Kohlberg said during a Zoom conversation. “It’s all part of our mission to make piano music as accessible as possible. And to help everybody, regardless of their knowledge of piano music, find something to connect with.”

Following the success of last year’s listening series which touched on the basics, Kohlberg said that this year the series will go one step further. “Everything that is being presented during the listening series will be heard during the summer performances. So there is a direct connection.” [Read more…]

Two nights at the virtual Tri-C JazzFest (Aug. 21-23)

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by Jarrett Hoffman

The 41st Tri-C JazzFest set a high bar for any virtual concerts to come, with excellent performances by local artists and a slick presentation. I heard the Friday and Sunday showings of the three-night festival, which ran from August 21-23.

[Read more…]

Fridays@7: Jazz acts sandwich The Cleveland Orchestra (Dec. 5)

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by Jarrett Hoffman

Dec-5-Grand-Foyer

A party raged at Severance Hall Friday night. Everybody in the house — young and old — had their hands in the air and their bodies on the dance floor, the bartender tapping on bottle caps along to the music. No, this wasn’t during the performance by The Cleveland Orchestra — maybe someday. It was afterwards, in the majestic Grand Foyer, its golden ceiling and tall pillars overlooking a performance by the twelve-piece Latin jazz group Sammy DeLeón y su Orquesta, who invited listeners to take to the dance floor. [Read more…]

CD Review: Josh Rzepka’s Trumpet Genesis

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by Mike Telin

Trumpet_Genesis-hiresAfter one listen it was pretty easy to come up with at least one hundred reasons to get a copy of Trumpet Genesis, the latest recording project by Northeast Ohio trumpeter and arranger Josh Rzepka. Consisting of six tracks and a total play time of roughly 39 minutes, this album leaves you wanting, wishing, hoping for more — due in large part to the all-star lineup Rzepka has assembled for the project. Musically speaking, every track of Trumpet Genesis is a lesson in ensemble playing with plenty of great solo work adding just the right spices to each and every tune — all of which were either written or made famous by a trumpeter.

In the well-written liner notes (a bit hard to read, especially for my middle aged eyes), Rzepka says that the inspiration for the album came from the desire to record some tracks with his mentor and Oberlin Conservatory teacher Kenny Davis. After approaching Tri-C’s Crooked River Grove Records about a project that would include Davis, his friend and mentor, pianist Jackie Warren and himself, the project “took off” from there. [Read more…]

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