[Dixielandjazz] Re Inventing the Music & Finding a Place to Play

[Steve barbone]

The below promotional email is not about an OKOM group. It is about
reinventing the music and finding places to play.

Note the venue listing of their 27 city tour. OKOM musicians should have
programs that also perform in these types of venues. Certainly in NYC, OKOM
groups perform at Lincoln Center and Alice Tully Hall and various other
general audience venues. And here in the Philadelphia Area, OKOM groups
perform at Kimmel Center, Longwood Gardens, various University Concert Halls
and centers for the performing arts.

Why not your OKOM band, or your favorite OKOM band? There are hundreds of
similar venues around the United States that should be contacted. Why not
bring the music to where the people are and expand the audience for OKOM?

YCDBSOYA.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone


December 23, 2004 To: Listings/Critics/Features -

From: Koch International Classics

Much anticipated breakthrough debut CD From Imani Winds - The Classical
Underground Inspired by Jazz, Latin, and African influences

Major 27-city US tour begins Jan. 2005

Imani Winds is Valerie Coleman, flute; Toyin Spellman, oboe; Mariam Adam,
clarinet; Jeff Scott, French horn; Monica Ellis, bassoon

You don't have to listen for very long to recognize that although Imani
Winds is a classical ensemble, they are a quintet with many musical
influences‹including jazz, Latin, and African. It also doesn't take long to
realize that there is something special about the group. The award-winning
ensemble has gained wide recognition for their commitment to expanding the
boundaries of the traditional wind quintet. This sense of exploration and
innovation is evident in their debut recording, The Classical Underground,
available on KOCH International Classics in January 2005.

The name imani, which means 'faith' in Swahili, embodies the ensemble's
mission of exploring links between European, African, and American musical
traditions. This young ensemble of African/Latin American heritage performs
a culturally rich and diverse repertoire, reflecting their own diverse
experiences. Imani Winds' tradition-bending programs have achieved great
critical acclaim and an enthusiastic response by both long-time classical
audiences and young audiences newer to the genre.

"As young Classical musicians‹and we are Classical musicians‹we don't claim
to be jazz musicians or anything other than what we are," says Imani Wind's
Monica Ellis, "the beauty of Imani Winds is the juxtaposition of our youth,
culture, training and passion for innovation."

The Classical Underground is a collection of works that sample the range and
depth of Imani¹s musical interests. The ensemble interprets compositions by
a diverse group of composers that include Argentine-born Astor Piazzolla,
Cuban clarinetist Paquito D¹Rivera and Lalo Schifrin.

Piazzolla's Liber Tango, arranged by Imani¹s Jeff Scott, is this recording¹s
dynamic first work. Piazzolla has composed some of the twentieth century's
most popular crossover repertoire, breaking ground that Imani continues to
explore. Paquito D'Rivera¹s Aires Tropicales is an important inclusion, as
D¹Rivera has been especially inspirational to the group. The final movement
of this work, "Afro," is arranged by Scott and features jazz vocalist René
Marie and percussionist Rolando Morales-Matos. La Nouvelle Orleans by
composer Lalo Schifrin, paints a picture of old and modern New Orleans,
which fits perfectly into Imani¹s musical spectrum.

Compositions by Imani's own Valerie Coleman and Jeff Scott show off the
ensemble as creators as well as interpreters. Steal Away by Valerie Coleman
demonstrates Imani¹s interest in atmospheric music through the exploration
of this traditional spiritual. Concerto for Wind Quintet, also by Coleman,
is evocative of an orchestral Afro-Cuban ensemble, using rhythms (such as
the 6/8 clave) and ideas indicative of the genre. In her compositions,
Coleman displays her broad and atypical vision, utilizing wind instruments
in unusual and virtuosi ways.

The final piece on this disc draws inspiration from Duke Ellington's sacred
music, one of his often-overlooked catalogues. Jeff Scott's Homage to Duke
began life as an arrangement of Ellington's "Come Sunday," and is a study of
the composer's methods and ideas.

In January, Imani Winds will kick off a major American tour in support of
their new release. Tour highlights include an appearance at the La Jolla
Music Society in January and a full recital in New York's Alice Tully Hall
with clarinetist/ saxophonist/ composer Paquito D'Rivera in March 2005, as
one of their Chamber Music Society events.  Notable appearances will also
include dates at Seattle's Meany Hall in May 2005, as well as their return
to the Virginia Arts Festival, also in May.

Please direct all media requests (press kit, CDs, review tickets and
interviews) to James Scileppi (516) 484-1000 Ext. 243 or email
james.scileppi at kochent.com.
                   
IMANI WINDS ³CLASSICAL UNDERGROUND² TOUR 2005

Date            Venue                                   City
Jan. 30   La Jolla Music Society -                      La Jolla, CA
Feb. 2    World Theater @ California State University - Seaside, CA
Feb 5.    Joe's Pub ­ Official Release Party -          New York, NY
Feb. 11   Detroit Institute for the Arts -              Detroit, MI
Feb. 13   Shadyside Presbyterian Church -               Pittsburgh, PA
Feb. 17   Dalton Center Recital Hall -                  Kalamazoo, MI
March 1   Alice Tully Hall @ Lincoln Center -           New York, NY
March 3   Strathmore Mansion Music Room -               North Bethesda, MD
March 6   Krannert Center -                             Urbana, IL
March 10  Berea College -                               Berea, KY
March 11  Madisonville Community College -              Madisonville, KY
March 15  DePauw University -                           Greencastle, IN
March 16  Indiana History Center -                      Indianapolis, IN
March 18  Armor Hall -                                  Riverdale, NY
April 15  Bucknell University -                         Lewisburg, PA
April 17  Beckman Auditorium -                          Pasadena, CA
April 20  Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts -     Cerritos, CA
April 27  Reed College Kaul Auditorium -                Portland, OR
May 3     Virginia Arts Festival -                      Norfolk, VA
May 25    Meany Hall for the Performing Arts -          Seattle, WA