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2009-08-06
7:30PM
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The concert will feature performances by some of Boston’s finest musicians.
For more information including concert performers, audio previews and photos visit www.nickgrondin.com |
[ Complete Show Schedule... ] |
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| Nick Grondin, SongTeller CD Release |
FEATURING:
The Nick Grondin Group:
Tammy Scheffer, voice
Aaron Kruziki, alto and soprano saxes
Vivek Patel, trumpet and flugelhorn
Nick Grondin, guitar and compositions
Michel Reis, piano
Greg Loughman, bass
Lee Fish, drums
With special guests:
Kevin Harris, piano
Mike Tucker, tenor sax
Randy Pingrey, trombone
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Leading a new generation of jazz performer/composers, guitarist Nick Grondin blends rock, folk and flamenco influences with contemporary jazz forms, creating bold works for groups from septet to full big band.
He is releasing his debut album, SongTeller – The Jazz Orchestra Project, which presents four new works for jazz orchestra, along with two pieces for ten-piece jazz ensemble that feature Grondin on guitar. Four of the pieces have won national awards from Down Beat Magazine and The ASCAP/Gibson Guitar Young Jazz Composer Awards.
On SongTeller, bright colors and sonic textures abound as Grondin animates the wide-ranging timbral palettes of the 18-piece jazz orchestra and 10-piece ensembles, with added harp, voice and percussion also illuminating the sonic journey.
Grondin sees composing and improvising as two sides of the same coin:
“It’s about shaping the experience shared by the audience and the performers, so that by the end of the night, we feel like we’ve arrived at a new place together.”
Grondin has directed performances of his pieces by ensembles across the country and in France. In the Boston area, he leads the Nick Grondin Group Septet. Using a broad palette of sounds, the group aspires to connect the listeners and performers through sharing a music that is rich on many intellectual and emotional levels.
The 26 year old, New Hampshire native is recent graduate of the Masters in Jazz Composition program at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. There, he honed his craft under the mentorship of celebrated jazz masters and composers Ken Schaphorst, Frank Carlberg, Danilo Perez, Bob Moses and Jerry Bergonzi.
Before arriving in Boston, Grondin developed as a jazz player and composer while studying at Macalester College (St. Paul, MN), where he began writing works for small jazz ensembles and big bands.
He then studied and performed for two years in Paris, France. Taking advantage of the European center for jazz and world music, Grondin absorbed as much live music as he could, often hearing three or four concerts per week. There, he was exposed to the finest Parisian jazz players, as well as Indian, Eastern European, North and West African music, and Argentinean Tango, which equally gave him perspective and appreciation for his roots in American blues, folk and popular music. |
