The Highlights in Jazz 45th Anniversary Gala launches the new season on Thursday, February 22 at 8 PM at The Tribeca Performing Arts Center. Headlining the performance is the Bucky Pizzarelli Trio with guitarist Russell Malone and bassist Martin Pizzarelli. Singer and guitarist Allan Harris replaces the scheduled Kevin Mahogany, who passed away suddenly in January. Producer Jack Kleinsinger aslo promises the appearance of a surprise special guest.
Highlights in Jazz is New York City’s longest-running jazz concert series, produced and hosted by Kelinsinger, who selects the artists in each year’s concerts. In addition, he designs and structures all the programs, coordinates publicity, public relations, technical assistance and fundraising and is solely responsible for series’ operation. Among the jazz luminaries who’ve appeared in the series are Dave Brubeck, Christian McBride, Freddy Cole, Cyrus Chestnut, Jay Leonhart, Dick Hyman, Bobby Sanabria, Steve Turre, Sonny Fortune, David “Fathead” Newman, Ken Peplowski, Dave Valentin, Lewis Nash and many others.
In addition to Highlights in Jazz, he has produced many concerts in New York City schools, colleges and prisons, co-produced programs for the Newport and the New York Jazz Festivals in the 1980s-1990s, stage-managed the Jazz Festival in Nice, France in 1976 and has taught jazz courses at New York University. He also volunteered his services as an instructor at the International Center in New York City. Kleinsinger has also served as a talent consultant and assistant for the Bern Jazz Festival in Switzerland (1985-86)and produced children’s jazz programs for the Boston Globe Festival in Massachusetts and the Sarasota, Florida Jazz Society in the 1980s.
Concert dates for the remaining Highlights in Jazz season are:
Thursday, March 22 at 8 PM: The Millennials Meet the Masters. Featuring saxophonists Peter and Will Anderson, trumpeter Dominick Farinacci, drummer Jimmy Cobb, bassist Buster Williams, trombonist Steve Turre and pianist George Cables, plus a surprise special guest.
Thursday, May 10 at 8 PM: Dick Hyman and Friends. Pianist Dick Hyman, trombonist Wycliffe Gordon, bassist Jay Leonhart, saxophonist Ken Peplowski, drummer/vibraphonist Chuck Redd and a surprise special guest.
Thursday, June 21 at 8 PM: Salute to Russell Malone. Guest of Honor: guitarist Russell Malone plus saxophonists Jimmy Heath and Houston Person, drummers Lewis Nash and Willie Jones III, trumpeter Jeremy Pelt, guitarist Gene Bertoncini, vibraphonist Steve Nelson, bassist Luke Sellick and a surprise special guest.
All shows are at the Tribeca Performing Arts Center, Borough of Manhattan Community College, 199 Chambers Street, New York, NY 10007. Box Office: 212-220-1460, www.tribecapac.org
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