Impresario Jack Kleinsinger’s Highlights in Jazz, now it its 49th year, resumes live on Thursday, March 17 at 8 PM at BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center. The featured program is Ellington Everlasting with Art Baron & The Duke’s Men with special guest, vocalist Sheila Jordan.
The concert turns the spotlight on the maestro—legendary pianist and composer Duke Ellington’s—timeless compositions and enduring legacy, through the lens of trombonist and leader Art Baron (who joined the Duke Ellington Orchestra in 1973, the last trombonist Ellington ever hired), with drummer Bernard Purdie, bassist Bill Crow, saxophonists Mark Hynes and Mark Gross, pianist James Weidman, and special guest NEA Jazz Master Sheila Jordan on vocals. In keeping with the long-running HIJ tradition, a surprise guest will be on hand for the concert.
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 five-decades-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 even appeared on a U.S. postage stamp.
Tickets—$50.00 and $45.00 (Students)—must be purchased in advance through the online box office at TribecaPAC.org.
BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center is located at 199 Chambers St., in Manhattan, HOWEVER, entrance is through the West Street Gate—between Chambers Street and Harrison Street.
Leave a Reply