2012-2013 Hunt Real Estate Art of Jazz Series

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Are you a fan of jazz? I mean are you a really big fan of jazz? If so, then hopefully you're familiar with the Hunt Real Estate Art of Jazz Series. For fourteen years the Albright-Knox Art Gallery has been hosting the series, and during that time an unexpected occurrence took place - the auditorium venue became know "as one of the premier venues for live jazz in North America". Now that's something to brag about. "We present the best jazz artists in the world," says series Producer Bruce Eaton. "Musicians who are constantly touring the globe. They tell us that the combination of the setting of the venue, the art collection, the acoustics and intimacy of the auditorium, and our attentive and enthusiastic audiences add up to a creative environment that's rare in North America. The word has spread and we now have reknowned artists who could play anywhere telling their representatives that they want to be part of the Art of Jazz Series. When they arrive in Buffalo, they're eager to find out what the buzz is all about."

This is an incredible asset to have right in our own backyard. Be sure to get your tickets early, and enjoy a season full of unreal jazz performances. Here are all of the details:

The 2012-2013 lineup includes harmonica virtuoso Grégoire Maret, trailblazing saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa, classic jazz masters the Jim Cullum Jazz Band, and acclaimed vocalist Gretchen Parlato. The price of individual concert tickets is $25 for Gallery Members and $29 for non-members. Season tickets are available at a discounted rate of $90 for Gallery Members. Tickets can be purchased at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery Admissions Desk or online at www.albrightknox.org/artofjazz.

The 2012-2013 Hunt Real Estate Art of Jazz Series will feature:

GRÉGOIRE MARET

Saturday, November 3, 2012

Pre-concert Conversation, 7 pm

"The 'Miscellaneous Instrument' In Jazz History"

With Art of Jazz Series Producer Bruce Eaton

Concert, 8 pm

After more than a decade of touring and recording with Herbie Hancock, Sting, Pat Metheny, George Benson, Prince, Robert Glasper, and Kurt Elling, Swiss-born harmonica virtuoso Grégoire Maret "possesses the most original voice on harmonica since Toots Thielemans and Stevie Wonder. He is carrying the instrument into the 21st century with prowess, passion, and creativity" (Marcus Miller). Maret is now stepping forward as a leader. As Cassandra Wilson says, "Wherever Grégoire Maret stands, whenever he lifts his instrument to his lips, the room and all its inhabitants are immediately transformed, we are transported with a sweet yet powerful intensity to a higher plane."

(www.gregoiremaret.com)

RUDRESH MAHANTHAPPA'S GAMAK

Featuring David "Fuze" Fiuczynski, François Moutin & Dan Weiss

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Pre-concert Film, 2 pm

Ravi Shankar: The Extraordinary Lesson (2011)

Concert, 3 pm

Guggenheim Fellow and DownBeat Critics Poll winner Rudresh Mahanthappa is one of the most innovative young musicians and composers today. Named "Alto Saxophonist of the Year" for the past four years by the Jazz Journalists Association, Mahanthappa has incorporated the culture of his Indian ancestry into his music, fusing a myriad of influences to create a truly groundbreaking artistic vision. His new project, Gamak, showcases the stunning guitar work of David "Fuze" Fiuczynski, his partner in Jack DeJohnette's current group. Mahanthappa appears destined to reach great heights in presenting contemporary American music that synthesizes Western and non-Western forms and concepts.

(www.rudreshm.com)

THE JIM CULLUM JAZZ BAND

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Pre-concert Conversation, 2 pm

"Brass Deconstruction: The Cornet in Jazz History"

With Buffalo Spree Contributor and Musician Phil Nyhuis

Concert, 3 pm

Hailed as "the best traditional jazz band in the country . . . and quite possibly the world" by esteemed critic Stanley Dance, the Jim Cullum Jazz Band is heard weekly on nearly 200 public stations and on SirusXM on their Riverwalk Jazz radio show. Led by cornetist Cullum, the group has thrilled audiences around the world for fifty years, playing the swinging, traditional hot jazz associated with King Oliver, Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton, and Bix Beiderbecke. The band will be taking a brief break from their weekly shows in San Antonio for a tour that will conclude with their Albright-Knox performance. Don't miss this rare opportunity to see them in Western New York!

(www.riverwalkjazz.org) (www.jimcullum.com)

GRETCHEN PARLATO

Saturday, May 4, 2013

Pre-concert Conversation, 7 pm

"Los Angeles Jazz: The Hot and Cool"

With Art of Jazz Series Producer Bruce Eaton

Concert, 8 pm

Gretchen Parlato, winner of the 2004 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Vocals Competition, has been lauded as "the most original jazz singer in a generation" (The Boston Globe). Wayne Shorter has said, "Gretchen Parlato knows how to play the same instrument that Frank Sinatra played. There's no one out there like Gretchen." Parlato's 2011 release The Lost and Found, produced by Robert Glasper, was the top-selling jazz vocal album of the year and a fixture on year-end best-of lists. With a unique sound that draws on the jazz tradition, Brazilian music, and organic R&B, and "holds something of the vulnerable intimacy of Billie Holiday and Miles Davis" (All About Jazz), Parlato has "an almost magical connection to the music" (Herbie Hancock).

(www.gretchenparlato.com)

Programs are subject to change. For the most current information, please visit

www.albrightknox.org/artofjazz.

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