Bates College Concert Series offers mix of jazz, classical, Latin music
September 4, 2008 
LEWISTON - A trio led by pianist-composer Danilo Pérez, whom The New
York Times called “one of the best things that happened to jazz around
the turn of the millennium,” will open the 2008-09 Bates College
Concert Series Thursday, Sept. 11.
Featuring a lively blend of
jazz, Latin and classical music, the college’s flagship series of
musical events will also present Pablo Aslan’s Avantango, a noted tango
revival troupe; the Assad Brothers, renowned guitarists; and Germany’s
Auryn Quartet, in a two-evening stand that begins the group’s multiyear
presentation of the complete Beethoven string quartets at Bates.
All
four performances will take place at 8 p.m. in the Olin Arts Center
Concert Hall, 75 Russell St. Tickets are $10 general admission, $4 for
students and seniors; they are available at www.batestickets.com and by
calling 786-6135. For more information, e-mail olinarts@batesedu.
Panamanian
musician Pérez ranks among the most influential and dynamic musicians
of our time. In just over a decade, his distinctive Pan-American jazz -
blending the music of the Americas, folkloric and world music - has
attracted critical acclaim and loyal audiences.
Pérez has toured
with Wynton Marsalis and is a member of the Wayne Shorter Quartet.
Since the early ’90s, he has received Grammy nominations for recordings
like “Motherland,” which was also a three-time winner of “Best Jazz
Album” in the Boston Music Awards. Learn more at www.daniloperez.com.
Here’s more on other performers in the upcoming concert series:
Pablo
Aslan’s Avantango, Sept. 26: Led by bassist Aslan, this troupe of
Argentine natives residing in New York City comprises six musicians and
four dancers, plus a guest singer. Mixing the legendary music of Astor
Piazzolla with contemporary themes and rhythms, the ensemble reclaims
the tango as a living tradition, while incorporating jazz improvisation
and turning historic cliches upside down.
A New York Daily News
critic wrote that Avantango “uncovered a colorful, bristling range of
musical possibilities … harnessing jazz improvisation to take off in
some suggestive, fascinating musical directions.” Avantango members
have toured with such artists as Shakira, Yo Yo Ma and Julio Iglesias,
and has appeared on the National Geographic television special “Tango!”
narrated by Robert Duvall. Learn more at www.avantango.com.
The
Assad Brothers, Jan. 31: Brazilian-born brothers Sérgio and Odair Assad
have set new standards of guitar innovation, ingenuity and expression.
Equally at home in South American, European Baroque and contemporary
art music, the duo has collaborated with Yo-Yo Ma, Nadja
Salerno-Sonnenberg, Fernando Suarez Paz, Paquito D’Rivera, Gidon
Kremer, Dawn Upshaw and the Turtle Island String Quartet.
Auryn
String Quartet, Feb. 5-6: Recently celebrating 26 years of continuous
membership, this quartet based in Cologne, Germany, reflects a
“European tradition that blends elegance of sound with seamless
phrasing and clarity of detail,” in the words of a writer for
Cleveland’s Plain Dealer.
Having presented the complete cycle of
Beethoven string quartets in Germany, Italy and Washington, D.C., the
quartet begins a three-year Beethoven cycle for Bates, offering two
concerts per season. Learn more at www.aurynquartet.com.
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