Sunday Jazz at the Depot Featuring Travis Linville
The 2011-2012 Sunday Jazz Concert series concludes on May 13 with a solo guitar performance by local guitar hero, Travis Linville. The concert takes place at the Historic Santa Fe Depot, located at 200 South Jones in Norman. The show begins at 7:30 pm. An admission fee of $7 will be charged; $5 for seniors/students and free for 18 and under. Refreshments will be provided.
Most folks know Linville through his tuneful singer/songwriter mode or as a guitar soloist sitting in with local and regional bands passing through Oklahoma. However, this show promises to highlight his considerable jazz chops. Two years ago he opened the 2010-2011 concert series with a jazz trio but this year he’s going solo.
"Classic Jazz has a lot to do with who I am musically," said Linville. "I'm thrilled about the opportunity to stretch out on some tunes in a great setting. This will be something different for fans who come out regularly to hear me do songwriter material."
Years of paying dues as an underage guitar slinger paid off when Linville formed the Burtschi Brothers in 2000. The hop, alt country, jazz/jam quartet quickly became an Oklahoma favorite and put Travis on the map among Oklahoma's finest guitar players.
When he's not performing, Travis is producing records at his DirtyBird recording studio in Norman, OK, or sharing his knowledge and experience with students at ACM@UCO and McMichael Music.
Sunday Jazz at the Depot concerts are made possible in part by grants from the Norman Arts Council, Oklahoma Arts Council and National Endowment for the Arts. Additional funding comes from generous individual and business sponsors, including Mark Williams and the Northeast Blanco Development Corporation, Nancy McClellan, Fred Overstreet, Fred Schneider, and Deborah Norris.
The Performing Arts Studio Gallery and office in the Norman Depot are open from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm, Monday through Friday. Phone 405-307-9320 for additional information about PAS programs.
Dr. Lonnie Smith Trio at the Heartland Jazz Summit
Renowned jazz organist Dr. Lonnie Smith will take the stage with his trio for the second in the two-concert series Heartland Summit Jazz 2012, a collaboration between The Performing Arts Studio and Jazz In June Inc.
The concert is scheduled for 9 p.m. Wednesday, April 25, at Meacham Auditorium in the Oklahoma Memorial Union on the University of Oklahoma campus, 900 Asp Ave., Norman.
Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door, and $15 for students with a valid ID.
A master of the Hammond B-3 organ for more than five decades, Smith has been featured on more than 70 albums. He also has recorded and performed with many of the music industry’s jazz, blues and R&B giants.
A native of Buffalo, N.Y., Smith was immersed in gospel, blues and jazz at an early age. In the late 1950s, he learned to play a Hammond organ. With such early inspirations as organists Wild Bill Davis, Bill Doggett and Jimmy Smith, he began to find his musical voice. “Even though I didn’t know how, I was able to play right from the beginning,” Smith said. “I learned how to work the stops and that was it. It’s a passion for me, so everything else came naturally.”
After moving to New York City, Smith met George Benson and formed the George Benson Quartet featuring Lonnie Smith in 1966. Smith recorded his first solo album, Finger Lickin’ Good, the following year.
In addition to original compositions and a more traditional jazz repertoire, Smith has recorded tribute albums to the music of Jimmy Hendrix and Beck: Foxy Lady (1994), Purple Haze (1995) and Boogaloo to Beck (2003). The Jazz Journalist Association has named Smith Organ Keyboardist of the Year five times.
The Lonnie Smith Trio also includes Jonathan Kreisberg on guitar and Jamire Williams on drums.
The Performing Arts Studio, located in the historic Norman Santa Fe Depot, produces a variety of programs, including the Summer Breeze, Winter Wind and Sunday Jazz at the Depot concert series. Jazz in June’s annual three-day summer blues and jazz festival draws some 50,000 attendees.
For more information about the concert go to http://jazzinjune.org. Advance tickets can be purchased by clicking the Buy Now button above or at the Norman Santa Fe Depot, 200 S. Jones Ave.
The Heartland Summit Jazz series is made possible by support from the Norman Arts Council, Norman Chamber of Commerce, Oklahoma Arts Council, Northeast Blanco Development Corporation, Arrow Gas and Holdings, Midway Market Concert Series, Mark Williams, and Fred Overstreet.
Brian Gorrell & Jazz Company at the Depot Stage
The Brian Gorrell & Jazz Company will perform at the historic Santa Fe Depot in Norman, 200 South Jones Avenue, as part of the Performing Arts Studio’s Sunday Jazz at the Depot series on April 8, 2012. The show begins at 7:30 p.m. An admission fee of $7 will be charged; $5 for seniors/students and free for 18 and under. Refreshments will be provided.
In addition to Brian Gorrell on saxophone, the quintet features Dennis Borycki on keyboards, Harry Tonchev on guitar, Johnny Nelson on bass, and Mike Walker on drums.
Brian Gorrell serves as Head of the Jazz Studies Division for the University of Central Oklahoma School of Music. Mr. Gorrell, a former pianist for the Lawrence Welk Orchestra, also manages the operation of the Jazz Lab Recording Studio, serves as Graduate Advisor for the Master of Music in Jazz, and teaches Applied Saxophone, Jazz Ensemble I, Jazz Theory & Analysis, Computer Music Technology, Advanced Recording Technology, and CD Album Production.
Equally proficient on both saxophone and keyboards, Mr. Gorrell has produced many album projects including In Some Other World (1995), Soulmates (1999), In The Swing of Christmas (2001), and The Jazz Company Live @ the UCO Jazz Lab (2008). In addition to the Welk Orchestra, he has performed with such notables as The Manhattan Transfer, Louie Bellson, Phil Woods, Bill Trujillo, Jay Migliori, Jay Daversa, Clark Terry, The Lennon Sisters, Ralna English, Patti Page, Slide Hampton, Kay Starr, Steve Allen, Jim Nabors, Ty England, Diane Schuur, Christopher Cross, The Temptations, The Drifters, and many others.
Mr. Gorrell has always been passionate about music education and has been aggressive in developing new programs at UCO, including the Minor in Jazz Studies and the Master of Music in Jazz Studies. His band, Brian Gorrell & Jazz Company, has been performing together regularly since 1995 and always delivers a first rate performance with a mixture of traditional and contemporary mainstream jazz.
Dennis Borycki is well known in Oklahoma as an inspiring teacher, recording artist, composer and arranger, and piano wizard. He earned degrees from San Jose State University and the University of Oklahoma in organ performance. After performing countless hours on the organ and piano in churches and recital halls and as many or more on the road with Nashville legend Jerry Reed, Billie Jo Spears, and 1995 Grammy jazz nominee Jeff Kirk and in the studio with national artists such as Barbara Bailey Hutchison, Connie Ellisor, and David Davidson, Mr. Borycki has been jamming and recording with many artists who call Oklahoma home, including Chris Hicks, Watermelon Slim, Byron Berline’s Western Swing Band, Beatrice Cole, among many others.
Harry Tonchev graduated with a degree Music Performance (Jazz Emphasis) from the University of Central Oklahoma. A native of Bulgaria, he is influenced by many unique ethnic styles and the popular "Gypsy Jazz" movement that is prominent throughout his homeland. Mr. Tonchev brings a high degree of technical proficiency and artistry to the band.
Johnny Nelson plays the fretless electric bass guitar and is also an alumnus of UCO’s jazz program. One of the most in-demand bass players in OKC he has performed with many area musicians and groups across a wide range of genres.
Mike Walker is considered by anyone that has heard him play, or been fortunate enough to play with him, as simply the best drummer in Oklahoma. His level of musicality, sensitivity, and at the same time incredible strength and intuitive ability to take the music where the soloist wants to go is unmatched. In addition to working with my band, Mr. Walker regularly tours with the rock band Aranda all around the country.
Mark Mitchell, Chair of the PAS Jazz Committee, encourages music fans to come out and experience one of Oklahoma’s best jazz bands.” In addition to a great evening of music,” he said, “your ticket to get in gives you a chance to win a couple of Brian Gorrell’s CDs to be given away in a raffle that night, as well as some tickets for the upcoming Heartland Summit Jazz concert featuring the Dr. Lonnie Smith Trio on April 25 at Meacham Auditorium.”
Sunday Jazz at the Depot concerts are made possible in part by grants from the Oklahoma Arts Council, the Norman Arts Council, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional funding comes from generous individual and business sponsors, including Mark Williams and the Northeast Blanco Development Corporation, E. J. Harmony Fund, Nancy McClellan, Fred Overstreet, Fred Schneider, and Deborah Norris.
The Performing Arts Studio Gallery and office in the Norman Depot are open from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm, Monday through Friday. Phone 405-307-9320 for additional information about PAS programs.
Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds
SISTER SPARROW & THE DIRTY BIRDS HEADLINE FIRST HEARTLAND SUMMIT JAZZ CONCERT
Nine-piece powerhouse band Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds will headline the first in the two-concert series Heartland Summit Jazz 2012, a collaboration between The Performing Arts Studio and Jazz In June, Inc. The concert is scheduled for 7:30 – 10:30 p.m. Thursday, March 15 at Meacham Auditorium in the Oklahoma Memorial Union on the University of Oklahoma campus, 900 Asp Ave., Norman. Tickets are $10 or $5 for students and are available online from TicketStorm.com, at the Norman Depot, 200 S. Jones, or at the door.
Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds puts a modern spin on classic soul. The band is led by Arleigh Kincheloe (Sister Sparrow), whose powerful voice and sly demeanor make for a spellbinding onstage presence. She is backed by the mighty force of The Dirty Birds, eight men – including Oklahoma bass-master Aidan Carroll – who masterfully lay down thundering grooves and soaring melodies. The band’s high energy and horn-fueled live performances have drawn comparisons to Amy Winehouse and Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings.
On Feb. 28, Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds released its newest album, Pound of Dirt. The album’s foundation is laid on “Make It Rain,” led by Kincheloe’s fast-paced crooning, heavyweight horns, and fiery harmonica breaks courtesy of Jackson Kincheloe, Arleigh’s brother and the leader of The Dirty Birds. The group subtly dips into an expansive array of styles on Pound of Dirt, channeling Winehouse’s gritty vocals on “Hollow Bones,” Jones’ meticulously tight grooves on “Too Much” and studio experimentation akin to My Morning Jacket and Broken Social Scene on “Horse To Water.”
The band currently is on a 29-city tour that in addition to Norman’s Meacham Auditorium includes New York’s Bowery Ballroom, Levon Helm’s Midnight Ramble in Woodstock, N.Y., and SXSW in Austin, Texas.
Opening the March 15 show will be the unique sounds of local legends John Calvin and David Leach a.k.a. Cooking with John and Dave. The instrumental jazz duo, with a sound it calls Latin jazz hip-hop, takes influence from Ray Brown, John Coltrane, The Weather Report, The Bad Plus and old school hip-hop sensibilities.
The Performing Arts Studio, located in the historic Norman Santa Fe Depot, produces a variety of programs, including the Summer Breeze, Winter Wind and Sunday Jazz at the Depot concert series. Jazz in June’s annual three-day summer blues and jazz festival draws some 50,000 attendees. Jazz in June will announce its 2012 lineup in April.
The Heartland Summit Jazz series is made possible by support from the Norman Arts Council, Norman Chamber of Commerce, the Oklahoma Arts Council and Northeast Blanco Development Corp.
Alegria Real to Perform at the Depot in Norman
Alegria Real will perform on March 11, 2012 at the historic Santa Fe Depot located at 200 South Jones Avenue in Norman as part of the Performing Arts Studio Sunday Jazz at the Depot series. The show begins at 7:30 p.m. An admission fee of $7 will be charged, $5 for seniors and students; free for 18 and under. Refreshments will be provided.
Join Alegria Real, comprised of Christina Audas and Armando Rivera and their guests Miranda Arana, Larry Hammett, and Erick Walschap, as they take you on a journey into the heart of Latin American roots music.
Christina Audas sings and plays the Siku (Bolivian pan-pipes), rhythm nylon-string guitar, the charango (Bolivian ten-stringed instrument), as well as the cavaquinho (Brasilian four-stringed instrument). Christina began learning guitar in her early teens and developed her passion for Latin-American folkloric styles and traditions on frequent trips to her maternal homeland, Bolivia. She later earned a degree in classical guitar performance with an emphasis in Latin-American folkloric music from the University of California, Santa Cruz. In addition to performing with and directing various folkloric ensembles, Christina lived and travelled in Mexico, Guatemala, Ecuador, Bolivia, Brazil, Spain, Japan, and China.
Armando Rivera performs percussion on a wide range of instruments that includes several types of cajón, bombo, tan-tan, bongo, congas, and many more of Afro-Brazilian and Afro-Cuban traditions. Versatile and innovative percussionist hailing from Guadalajara, Mexico, Armando has been living in the Oklahoma City area for the last 25 years and has performed with many groups, including jazz saxophonist Brian Gorrell, singer/song writer Paul Reeves of Fannie Grace, Son Del Barrio and the Legendary OKC Latin group Salsa Nueva . Armando creates a unique rhythmic approach–a perfect complement to the music of many singers, instrumentalists and dancers.
Miranda Arana studied flute at the Eastman School of music and earned a master’s degree in Ethnomusicology from Wesleyan. In between she studies traditional Vietnamese flute playing with master artists. She teaches world music at the University of Oklahoma and has played with Alma Latina, Nur, Banish Misfortune and Arabesque since moving to Oklahoma.
Larry Hammett teaches guitar and jazz history at the University of Oklahoma and is well known to music fans in the area. In addition to performing jazz at local clubs, he has been a feature performer at Sunday Jazz at the Depot and the Jazz in June music festival. He recently performed the Fantasia para un Gentlehombre for guitar and orchestra by Joaquín Rodrigo with the Enid Symphony.
Erick Walschap has been playing saxophone professionally since he was 16 years of age. He currently teaches private lessons and is working on his Master’s Degree in Music at the University of Oklahoma in Saxophone Performance. He’s a Norman native of Columbian-American descent.
Sunday Jazz at the Depot concerts are made possible in part by grants from the Oklahoma Arts Council, the Norman Arts Council, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional funding comes from generous individual and business sponsors.
The Performing Arts Studio Gallery and office in the Norman Depot are open from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm Monday through Friday. Phone 405-307-9320 for additional information about PAS programs.
Mitch Bell Quintet Jammin’ at the Depot
The Mitch Bell Quintet will perform at the historic Norman Depot, 200 South Jones Avenue, as part of the Performing Arts Studio Sunday Jazz at the Depot series on February 12, 2012. The show begins at 7:30 p.m. An admission fee of $7 will be charged ($5 for seniors/students; free for 18 and under). Refreshments will be provided.
In addition to Mitch Bell on guitar, the quintet features Lee Rucker on trumpet, Chris Hicks on alto saxophone, Garrett Jacobson on the Hammond B3, and Justin Walke on drums. According to Mark Mitchell, Chair of the Performing Arts Studio Jazz Committee, “Mitch has assembled an all-star band for this show with members well known to and liked by local jazz fans.”
A graduate of the University of Central Oklahoma’s celebrated Jazz Studies program, Mitch Bell discovered his love for the guitar at the age of ten. In the years since, Mitch has performed and recorded in numerous settings, ranging from intimate club dates to Broadway tour productions.
Mitch Bell has recorded one album, Live at The Jazz Lab (2004), with the Mitch Bell Trio. Bell’s composing combines a great respect for the century-long jazz tradition with explorations into the rhythmic, harmonic, and melodic realms of contemporary forms. The Mitch Bell Group, in its various configurations, has performed at numerous jazz festivals across the Midwest and performs regularly at a variety of venues in the Oklahoma City area.
Mitch currently serves as a faculty member at the Academy of Contemporary Music at UCO where he teaches classes in guitar performance and techniques. Mitch is also a member of the newly formed Oklahoma City Jazz Orchestra.
Lee Rucker has been teaching at UCO since 1981. Mr. Rucker has served since that time as the Director of the UCO Marching Band, Concert Band, Jazz Ensembles I, II and III, Music Theatre Pit Orchestra and many smaller jazz groups. His ensembles have been recognized with numerous awards on the state, regional and national levels for musical excellence. As a performer, he has worked with the Woody Herman Orchestra and the Louis Bellson Orchestra as a featured soloist. He has also performed with countless other nationally recognized artists throughout the U.S. and abroad.
Chris Hicks hails from Oklahoma City where he earned such honors as Musician of the year from 1989 through 1991. He plays saxophone and guitar in every style from Jazz to R&B and Country. Chris has performed live with Sara Evans, Brooks and Dunn and jazz trumpet great Chet Baker. In 1995 Chris joined Reba McEntire's band through 2000 touring the US as well as Europe, Australia, and Brazil. Currently Chris is serving as the Coordinator of Academic Operations at the ACM@UCO in Oklahoma City.
Garrett “Big G” Jacobson is well known in the Oklahoma City area both as an accomplished jazz organ player and as a dynamic blues guitarist and vocalist. He champions the Hammond B3 with generous helpings of straight-ahead and swinging jams. He has recorded four albums to date.
Justin Walke earned a Master of Jazz Performance degree from the Manhattan School of Music and currently teaches at the University of Central Oklahoma’s Academy of Contemporary Music. He has performed and recorded locally with Brian Gorrell & the Jazz Company, Michael Summers, the Heather Nelson Trio, and Cami Stinson.
Sunday Jazz at the Depot concerts are made possible in part by grants from the Norman Arts Council, the Oklahoma Arts Council, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional funding comes from generous individual and business sponsors.
The Performing Arts Studio Gallery and office in the Norman Depot are open from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm, Monday through Friday. Phone 405-307-9320 for additional information about PAS programs.
Mark Giammario Quartet Featured at the Depot
The Mark Giammario Quartet will perform on January 8, 2012 at the historic Santa Fe Depot, 200 South Jones Avenue, Norman, as a part of the Performing Arts Studio Sunday Jazz at the Depot series. The show begins at 7:30 p.m. An admission fee of $7 will be charged ($5 for seniors/students; free for 18 and under). Refreshments will be provided.
In addition to Mark Giammario on drums, the quartet features Cory Gavito on piano, Raul Reyes on bass, and Brent Blount on saxophone.
Mark Giammario is a drummer, percussionist and composer with extensive musical experience in the Philadelphia, New York City, and Oklahoma City metropolitan areas. This experience includes a wide variety of genres and styles including jazz, orchestral, rock, Caribbean, Afro-Cuban and seventeenth century Spanish music. Mark recently earned a Masters in Music Performance at the University of Central Oklahoma where he also assisted in directing ensembles. Mark works professionally as a freelance musician with faculty members from the University of Oklahoma and the University of Central Oklahoma, and with several local groups and artists. He is currently an accompanist for the OU School of Dance, and teaches privately at Sonder Music and his home studio.
Cory Gavito teaches jazz piano and music history courses at Oklahoma City University. Before joining the OCU faculty on 2006, Cory studied at the University of Texas at Austin and the University of North Texas. His teachers include John Owings and Barney McAll, and he has performed with such jazz luminaries as Louis Bellson, Clark Terry, John Reilly, and Conrad Herwig.
Raul Reyes is a bassist and pianist from Havana, Cuba. He studied music and acoustic bass at Escuela Nacional d’Arte in Havana. Raul performed for four years with the Camaguey Symphony Orchestra. He also has experience playing jazz, salsa, and many styles of Cuban music. Since arriving in the US on Christmas day 2010, Raul has been teaching privately out ot his home, and performing around the Oklahoma City area.
Brent Blount received his Bachelor’s degree in saxophone performance from UCO and his Master’s degree in clarinet performance from OCU. Brent has played in various bands, including leading his own jazz and blues band in Oklahoma for the last 23 years. For more about Brent, visit his website at http://brentblount.com.
Sunday Jazz at the Depot concerts are made possible in part by grants from the Norman Arts Council, the Oklahoma Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional funding comes from generous individual and business sponsors.
The Performing Arts Studio Gallery and office in the Norman Depot are open from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm Monday through Friday. Phone 405-307-9320 for additional information about PAS programs.
Sisters of Swing Sing in the Holidays at the Norman Depot
The Sisters of Swing will perform a holiday jazz show at the historic Norman Depot, 200 South Jones Avenue, as part of the Performing Arts Studio Sunday Jazz series at 7:30 pm on December 11, 2011. An admission fee of $7 will be charged ($5 for seniors/students, free for 18 and under.) Refreshments will be provided.
Sisters of Swing features Mary Reynolds (bass, guitar, vocals), Louise Goldberg (piano, accordion, vocals), Elyse Angelo (drums), Mary Freeh (vocals), Joanne Trombley (vocals), Christine Freeh (vocals), Rosalind Cravens (vocals), and special guest Terry “Buffalo” Ware (guitar).
According to Mary Reynolds, the members of this musical collective have “always enjoyed singing Christmas music: ancient and beautiful, modern and fun, some of it just plain silly. But we didn't want to be another commercial in a season that’s already saturated with the noise of the marketplace. So we found charities, through the years, that were happy to take the money we raised. Then we just concentrated on giving our audience a fun time.”
For the past several years, the Sisters of Swing have donated to Saint George’s Guild, a food pantry and outreach that serves the poor of Oklahoma County. The Guild is supported by the Episcopal Diocese of Oklahoma and has its office downtown in St. Paul’s Cathedral. Besides helping with food, the Guild provides assistance with utilities, transportation and documentation all year long.
Reynolds says their show features “as much good will toward men -- and women -- that we can possibly generate! We’ll do numbers from the swing era, the rock and roll years, and ancient times.” Mary Freeh and Mary Reynolds arrange all the music.
The Performing Arts Studio Gallery and office in the Norman Depot are open from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm Monday through Friday. Phone 405-307-9320 for additional information about PAS programs.
Sunday Jazz Concerts at the Depot are made possible in part by grants from the Norman Arts Council, the Oklahoma Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional funding comes from generous individual and business sponsors.
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