> A Night of Brazilian Jazz: Luciana Souza/Romero Lubambo, plus Alegritude

> A History of African Rhythms and Jazz

> Randy Weston's African Rhythms Trio

> Freddy Cole Quartet

> Next Week at Stanford Jazz Festival

A Night of Brazilian Jazz!
Luciana Souza: Brazilian Duos featuring Romero Lubambo
plus Harvey Wainapel's Alegritude

First set: Harvey Wainapel, woodwinds; Jeff Buenz, guitar; Scott Thompson, bass; Celso Alberti, drums
Second set: Luciana Souza, vocals; Romero Lubambo; guitar

Friday, June 25 | 8 pm | Dinkelspiel Auditorium
Tickets: $34 general | $20 students | TAKE 5!

“A uniquely talented vocalist who organically crosses genre borders” (Billboard), Brazilian-born Luciana Souza is equally at home singing jazz, Brazilian music, contemporary art songs, or pop. She received a Grammy award for her performance on Herbie Hancock’s River: The Joni Letters, and her 2007 release, The New Bossa Nova, was named Billboard’s Latin Jazz Album of the Year. She is a graduate of Berklee College of Music and the New England Conservatory, and was on the faculty at the Manhattan School of Music for four years. Romero Lubambo, whom Herbie Mann calls “quite simply… the best Brazilian guitarist there is,” accompanied Souza on her two Grammy-nominated albums of duets. Their “inspired excellence [and] utter musical involvement” make each duo performance a “must-hear musical destination” (LA Times).

New York-born saxophonist Harvey Wainapel truly “understands Brazilian music,” says Brazilian composer and icon Ivan Lins. “He’s got the spirit!” Wainapel has played and toured worldwide with artists including McCoy Tyner, Joe Henderson, Flora Purim, Airto Moreira and Joe Lovano, as well as his own groups. Lovano says that Harvey has “the performance attitude, which for me is what jazz and improvisation is all about.” Wainapel’s new all Brazilian-jazz quartet, Alegritude, celebrates the joyful spirit and diverse sounds of Brazil, absorbed over a decade of Latin American musical pilgrimages.

A History of African Rhythms and Jazz
Randy Weston, piano; Alex Blake, bass; Neil Clarke, percussion

Saturday, June 26 | 11 AM | Dinkelspiel Auditorium
Tickets: $5 advance purchase | $10 at the door | Kids under 18 free!

Jazz has its roots in the musical traditions of Africa, and pianist Randy Weston has spent his distinguished career discovering and exploring these roots.

In this special presentation, Weston and his African Rhythms Trio will discuss and illustrate - with musical examples - the history of jazz in the context of its African origins, deepening listeners' understanding and appreciation.

Randy Weston's African Rhythms Trio
Randy Weston, piano; Alex Blake, bass; Neil Clarke, percussion

Saturday, June 26 | 8 pm | Dinkelspiel Auditorium
Tickets: $34 general | $20 students | TAKE 5!

If you love music," says pianist Randy Weston, "you have to know where it came from." New Orleans may call itself the birthplace of jazz, but the special alchemy that took place there couldn't have happened without untold centuries of African musical traditions.

An NEA Jazz Master and "a magnificent, inspired and powerful pianist" (San Francisco Examiner), Weston creates music that embraces these traditions and explores the continuity between modern and ancient sounds. By digging deep into African rhythms to find the roots of jazz - and, ultimately, the origin of all music and culture - Weston creates music that honors and illuminates the past while sounding fresh and contemporary.

Randy Weston's fascination with African music and culture dates back to his childhood in Brooklyn. Several musical tours to Africa throughout the 1960s deepened Weston's connection to the continent. After a 1967 tour he relocated to Morocco, where he remained for six years, running his own nightclub and studying with master musicians.

Cultivated over decades of immersion and careful study, Weston's deep knowledge and artistic perspective bridge the historical gap between jazz and the rich traditions of African rhythms. When Weston says that jazz is ultimately African music, "those who have experienced Mr. Weston and African Rhythms know he is right by how the music makes us feel" (New York Times).

Freddy Cole Quartet
Freddy Cole, vocals/piano; Randy Napoleon, guitar; Elias Bailey, bass; Curtis Boyd, drums

Sunday, June 27 | 2:30 PM | Dinkelspiel Auditorium
Tickets: $32 general | $18 students | TAKE 5!

Inside Jazz: A Touch of Cole & the American Songbook
Speakers: Sonny Buxton, KCSM Jazz 91.1 & Freddy Cole, 1:30 pm (free with concert ticket)

Refusing to stand in the shadow of his older brother, Nat "King" Cole, Freddy Cole has distinguished himself as "the most maturely expressive male jazz singer of his generation, if not the best alive" (New York Times). Freddy's elegantly swinging piano style is all his own, and a subtle hint of bluesy growl gives his rich baritone voice an unmistakable character.

Even more distinctive is Freddy's phrasing; with exquisite timing and subtlety, he makes melodies and lyrics come vividly to life. His interpretations of classic songs are mature and often understated, allowing him to find the essential spirit of each composition and make it his own. Cole began playing piano at the age of five, studying at Julliard and the New England Conservatory of Music; he has developed what the Boston Globe describes as "a body of work as richly detailed, diverse, and satisfying as that of any other jazz-inflected male singer over the past two decades."

His most recent album, The Dreamer in Me, deftly captures Cole's signature swing in a live set at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola. "If you quiet your thoughts and really listen," R&B diva Ruth Brown once said, "Freddy Cole will open the door to your heart with a key that you did not even know existed."

Next Week at Stanford Jazz Festival

  Order Tickets: stanfordjazz.org / 650 725 ARTS (2787)

Thanks To Our Sponsors
Whether through cash sponsorships or in-kind donations, the support of our corporate sponsors helps to make the Stanford Jazz Festival and Workshop possible. SJW gratefully acknowledges the following sponsors for their generosity: See’s Candies, Presenting Sponsor of the 2009 Stanford Jazz Festival; KCSM FM 91.1, Official Radio Sponsor; Palo Alto Weekly, Official Print Media Sponsor, Rosewood Sand Hill Hotel; Stanford Park Hotel; Vin, Vino, Wine; Department of Music at Stanford University; Western Jazz Presenters Network; CoHo; JazzWest.com; Grooveyard Jazz; Avid; Gallien Krueger; Gordon Biersch Brewing Company; Stanford Blood Center; Yamaha Drums.