Adventurous jazz bassist to teach, perform on campus
The Connecticut College Department of Music presents Mario Pavone in concert, Friday, March 28, at 7 p.m. in Evans Hall of Cummings Arts Center.
Pavone will be accompanied by the Orange Ensemble, a variant of his acclaimed Orange Double Tenor group that includes Dave Ballou (trumpet, flugelhorn), Ellery Eskelin (tenor saxophone), Kris Allen (alto saxophone), Peter McEachern (trombone), Gerald Cleaver (drums) and Matt Mitchell (piano).
He will also be joined by some of the student musicians in the College’s Jazz Ensemble, with whom he will be working during a weeklong residency that culminates in the concert. During that week, he’ll also visit music classes, lead a masterclass for acoustic bass students and give a talk about his music at 11:50 am. on Wednesday, March 26, in Fortune Recital Hall. The talk, and a rehearsal in Evans Hall from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. on Friday, are free and open to the public.
“Pavone is often described as an ‘unsung hero’ of jazz,” said Associate Professor of Music and Chair of the Music Department Midge Thomas. “He's an incredible player and composer who never received formal music training and didn't seriously encounter jazz until he was exposed to a friend's jazz record collection in college.
“I find his playing to be vivid and energetic, and his compositions exhilarating,” she continued. “His works have an uncanny way of moving from strictly composed — and always rhythmically striking — passages to freely improvisational passages and back. We are so fortunate that he will be performing here and bringing with him this terrific group. Because he frequently collaborates with these musicians, their improvisational interactions are sure to be both exciting and nuanced.”
Tickets are $10 for general admission, $5 for students and seniors, and free to Connecticut College students, staff and faculty. They can be purchased at the door or in advance at the box office in Palmer Auditorium. For more information, call 860-439-ARTS (2787).
March 21, 2014