A top flight ensemble with 5 high profile US jazz artists including James Ford (trumpet), Bob Ferrazza (guitar), Chris Anderson (trombone), Michael Orenstein (piano), Emma Loring Adomeit (bass) with Karen Devroop (sa) on saxophone joined by a local drummer .
Chris Anderson (Trombone) - USA
Chris
Anderson is the founder of Open Tone Music, a non-profit 501c3
organization which provides access to premier music education and
performance programming for all people. Through Open Tone Music he has
reached thousands of individuals in the northern Ohio area. After
studying music education at Baldwin Wallace University, where he
received his bachelors, he went on to receive his masters degree in
music from The University of Akron. In addition to being a successful
music educator, Mr. Anderson composes and performs many different styles
of music. He has performed trombone with some of the best in the
Classical, Jazz, Gospel, Latin and other musical idioms. Mr. Anderson
has had the pleasure of performing with such recording artist as Clark
Terry, John Fedchock, Jiggs Whigham, Jon Faddis, Nancy Wilson, Frank
Wess, Louie Bellson, Aretha Franklin, Al Green, Barry Manilow, Bobby
Caldwell, The Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Band featuring Slide Hampton,
Phil Woods and Antonio Hart and others. Chris Anderson has also been
heard on national and international radio and television including WCPN,
BET and HBO. He is also in demand as a clinician conducting music
workshops for individuals of all ages throughout the U.S. Additionally,
Chris Anderson has displayed success in local and national solo
competitions.
Karén Devroop (Saxophone) – SA
Karén
Devroop is a jazz pianist and saxophonist from Pietermaritzburg, South
Africa. He has performed extensively across the USA, Europe, Asia and
South Africa as a soloist with orchestra and lead alto saxophonist with
his jazz quartet. He has several live and studio recordings to his
credit and he is regularly called upon to perform in musicals and
productions. He has performed at several major music festivals across
the USA, Asia, Europe and South Africa including the Amersfoort Jazz
Festival, Samui Latin and Jazz Festival, Taipei International Music
Expo, Gretna Jazz festival (US), Virginia Arts Festival (US), North
Texas Jazz Festival (US) and Beach Street USA. In 2017 he performed as
soloist with the Sanremo Symphony Orchestra (Italy) and in 2018 as
soloist with the Orchestra del Teatro Traetta in Bitonto, Italy. In
addition to his orchestra performances Karendra has recently completed a
national tour with the “Battle of the Saxes” production and New York
Round Midnight which is a jazz theatre production. He has appeared as a
lead alto saxophonist with the Dallas Jazz Orchestra, Marcus Wolfe Big
Band and Carroll Bailey Big Band. As a soloist, he has appeared as a
side stage act to Earth Wind and Fire, Chicago, Jill Scott and Queen
Latifah. His debut CD recording “Reminiscing” was released in 2009 and
enjoyed airplay on all six continents in over 30 countries. In
addition
to his extensive performance schedule, Karendra is also a professor of
music at the University of South Africa and Artistic Director of the
Unisa International Music Competitions.
Bob Ferrazza (Guitar) - USA
Bob
Ferrazza was born in Cleveland Ohio and began studying the guitar at
fifteen years of age after having developed a passion for music from
listening to rock and the popular music of the time. Very shortly after
picking up the guitar, Ferrazza’s interests branched out dramatically
into many diverse forms of music including classical, blues, ragtime,
bluegrass and others. But it wasn’t until he heard a George Benson
record that Ferrazza started to concentrate his efforts on jazz, an
entirely new genre to him. Inside of his first year on the guitar,
Ferrazza sought out jazz guitar legend Bill deArango for lessons.
DeArango had been a jazz star in the 1940s, having played with all of
the greats of those days: Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis,
Ben Webster and many others. The lessons with deArango were extremely
formative for Ferrazza who went on to study music at the Cleveland State
University. Other lessons followed with jazz guitar greats such as Joe
Pass and Pat Martino.
Having
been a professional musician for over 25 years, Ferrazza has performed
all over the United States and beyond, including such places as Japan
and Europe, concertizing with some of the most celebrated jazz musicians
in the world, including: Donald Byrd, Joey DeFrancesco, Joe Lovano, Art
Farmer, Benny Golson, J.J. Johnson, Slide Hampton, Curtis Fuller, Billy
Hart, Robin Eubanks, Gary Bartz, Dan Wall, Marcus Belgrave, Clark
Terry, Steve Turre, Bill Watrous, Jack McDuff, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Greg
Bandy, Ernestine Anderson, Vanessa Rubin and many others. All of these
musical experiences, both educational and professional, have instilled
in Ferrazza the passion to pass music on to others and to teach. Bobby
Ferrazza has taught at the Oberlin Conservatory since 1988, where he is
currently Associate Professor of Jazz Guitar and Director of the Jazz
Division. He also taught at the Interlochen Arts Academy from 1992-1996.
James Ford (Trumpet) – USA
Dr
James Ford III teaches studio trumpet and courses in jazz studies. Dr
Ford holds the Doctor of Music Arts from the University of North Texas.
He also holds the Master of Music and Master of Music Education from the
University of North Texas and the Bachelor of Music from Valdosta State
University.
Dr.
Ford is a native of Perry, Georgia. Since moving to Los Angeles, CA in
2003, he has established an impressive reputation as an accomplished
all-round trumpet player. Ford’s dexterity and warm sound has allowed
him to cross many musical boundaries. He performs in diverse musical
settings including big band, small
groups,
orchestral, chamber, pop, and early music ensembles. Ford continues to
experiment and broaden his musical palette. He is a member of the
Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, the Benjamin Wright Orchestra and John
Beasley’s MONKestra. For has played in venues in Europe, Asia, South
America, South Africa, Canada and throughout the U.S. A few of the
artists he has performed and/or recorded with include The Los Angeles
Opera, Justin Timberlake, Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight, Joss Stone,
Michael Buble, Queen Latifah, Paul Anka, Leon Russell, Eric Benet,
Englebert Humperdink, John Pizzarelli, among many others.
Michael Orenstein (Piano) – USA
Originally
from Berkeley, California, Michael Orenstein started studying piano at
age ten. Almost immediately after, Orenstein took an interest in jazz,
and later attended Berkeley High School, known for its renowned jazz
program. Through programs like the SFJAZZ High School All-Stars, the
Jazzschool, and Oberlin Conservatory, Michael has gotten to play with
Terrence Blanchard, Christian McBride, Wycliffe Gordon, Tiger Okoshi,
and BiIlly Drewes. Orenstein recently graduated from Oberlin with a B.M.
in Jazz Piano as well as a B.A. in Economics. At Oberlin he studied
privately with Dan Wall, Sullivan Fortner, and Robin Eubanks.
In
2015 Michael was selected attended the Banff International Workshop in
Jazz and Creative music as a TD Fellow, where he got to perform his
compositions with Ingrid Jensen and Zakir Hussain. Orenstein has won 3
compositions awards in Downbeat Magazine, as well as an ASCAP Young Jazz
Composers award. Most recently, Orenstein was selected as a finalist
for the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance, where he got to
audition in front of Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, James Newton, and
Ambrose Akinmusire. Orenstein has been fortunate enough to travel the
world by means of music. In addition to playing multiple tours across
the United States, Orenstein has played two tours in the Bahamas with
Giveton Gelin, and will be touring in Canada and South Africa in June.
Michael has also traveled to India and Cuba to study music.
Emma Adomeit (Bass) – USA
Emma
Adomeit is a bassist and composer originally from Hartford,
Connecticut. She is a recent graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory in
Ohio, completing a four-year undergraduate study in jazz performance. In
her time at Oberlin, Adomeit has had the opportunity to share the stage
with musicians in the jazz, Classical and world genres, including Matt
Wilson, Avery Sharpe, Jamey Haddad, Romero Lubambo, and Guitar Prasanna.
She will soon be continuing her musical career in Chicago, Illinois.
This
concert is a part of The Unisa Music Foundation in collaboration with
the US Embassy (Pretoria). Join us at The Centre for Jazz and Popular
music (CJPM), Level 2, Shepstone Building at UKZN Howard College Campus
on Friday 1 June 2018 at 19h00. Doors open at 17h30pm show starts at
18h00. R100 for general admission // R80 pensioners // R50 for students.
Please contact Thuli on 031 2603385 or email Zamat1@ukzn.ac.za for more
details