The 48th season of Jack Kleinsinger’s Highlights In Jazz continues on Thursday, March 19, 2020 at BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center at 8 PM with Ellington Everlasting. The show features trombonist Art Baron & The Duke’s Men, drummer Bernard Purdie, bassist Bill Crow, saxophonists Bill Easley and Mark Hynes, pianist James Weidman and vocalist Ira Hawkins. Ellington Everlasting spotlights the legendary pianist and composer Duke Ellington, one of the most influential figures in jazz. As Ellington famously said, “There are simply two kinds of music: good music, and the other kind.” There’s no doubt which category his contributions fall into, and listeners continue to enjoy his music more than 45 years after his death.
Ellington sparked international interest in “American Music,” his preferred term for his art, playing more than 20,000 gigs outside the U.S. during his half-century-long career. He wrote or co-wrote more than 3,000 compositions including beloved standards such as “Mood Indigo,” “Caravan,” “It Don’t Mean a Thing,” “Solitude,” “Sophisticated Lady,” and “C Jam Blues.” Ellington’s tunes have been used in hundreds of movies, TV shows and stage presentations, with the elegant bandleader sometimes making onscreen appearances himself. He garnered countless awards and honors, including a Pulitzer Prize, 13 Grammys, the President’s Gold Medal, the Medal of Freedom, and the French Legion of Honor. Duke also appeared on a postage stamp.
Trombonist Art Baron joined the Duke Ellington Orchestra in 1973, and was the last trombonist Ellington ever hired. Since then Art has performed and appeared on hundreds of recordings with Stevie Wonder, B.B. King, Bruce Springsteen, George Gruntz, Mel Tormé, Frank Wess, David Sanborn, Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, the Mingus Big Band, Sam Rivers, Lou Reed, James Taylor, John Legend, and others. The trombonist regularly fronts his own ensembles, including The Duke’s Men, which often comprises alumni from Ellington’s orchestra.
Tickets can be purchased in advance at the box office, by calling 212-220-1460 and online at Tickets.Tribecapac.org
The BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center is located at 199 Chambers St., in Manhattan
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