January 23, 2007 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact:
Lara Hoyt, Coordinator for Public Relations and Alumni Affairs
Edward Simon in concert with Rutgers Jazz Ensemble New Brunswick, NJ – Pianist/composer Edward Simon and his sextet, Ensemble Venezuela, will perform in a free concert with the Rutgers Jazz Ensemble at Nicholas Music Center on Tuesday, Feb. 20 at 8 p.m. The concert will explore the guest artist’s Venezuelan roots, showcasing both his original compositions and jazz arrangements of well-loved Venezuelan masters. Among other pieces, Ensemble Venezuela will perform Simon’s “Venezuelan Suite,” a 40-minute composition commissioned by Chamber Music America. The Rutgers Jazz Ensemble, directed by Ralph Bowen, will perform two compositions by Simon, as well as original compositions and arrangements by its student members. Simon’s appearance at Mason Gross will include a master class in which he will discuss the compositional techniques and processes he used to create “Venezuelan Suite.” The class, which is free and open to the public, will be held at Nicholas Music Center on Wednesday, Feb. 21 at 12:30 p.m. "Venezuelan Suite" comprises four movements. Each explores a traditional Venezuelan folk song form or rhythm: merengue, joropo, gaita, and vals. Characteristic Venezuelan instruments such as cuatro, maracas, tambora, and flute are set alongside those found in jazz and the Afro-Venezuelan tradition. The presentation of “Venezuelan Suite” by Edward Simon and Ensemble Venezuela and the master class is possible with support from Chamber Music America’s New Work’s Encore Program, funded through the generosity of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. The concert is presented in partnership with the Center for Latino Arts and Culture at Rutgers, with additional support provided by the New Jersey Jazz Society. No tickets are required, and admission will be granted on a first-come, first-serve basis. Nicholas Music Center is in the Mason Gross Performing Arts Center, 85 George Street (between Route 18 and Ryders Lane), on the Douglass campus of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey in New Brunswick, New Jersey. For more information on any Mason Gross event, visit www.masongross.rutgers.edu or call the Mason Gross Performing Arts Center ticket office at 732-932-7511.
About Edward Simon and Ensemble Venezuela
Edward Simon belongs to a generation of young “multilingual” musicians who have grown up studying classical, jazz and Latin American music. His love of music began in his native city of Punta Cardón, Venezuela, in the state of Falcon, Venezuela. The talent he demonstrated as a youth led his father to send him to study in the U.S., where he won scholarships in classical piano at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia and in jazz at the Manhattan School of Music. Settling in New York City, Simon continued his career performing with a number of jazz masters—Herbie Mann, Paquito D'Rivera, Bobby Hutcherson, Bobby Watson, Terence Blanchard, Jerry Gonzalez and The Fort Apache Band, Arturo Sandoval, Manny Oquendo and Libre and Don Byron. The time he spent playing with Paquito D'Rivera proved inspirational, as it sparked an interest in the exploration of the music of his native country. Edward Simon has performed on more than 40 recordings and has produced seven albums as a leader. He currently collaborates with David Binney, John Patitucci, Brazilian singer Luciana Souza, painter Ellen Priest, and leads both his jazz trio and his sextet, Ensemble Venezuela. Ensemble Venezuela includes Edward Simon (piano), John Patitucci (bass), Aquiles Baez (guitar, cuatro), Adam Cruz (drums), Leonardo Granados (maracas), Marco Granados (flute), and Seamus Blake (tenor saxophone).
About the Rutgers Jazz Ensemble The Rutgers Jazz Ensemble, directed by Ralph Bowen, is the top student jazz ensemble at Mason Gross School of the Arts. The Ensemble has performed at the Blue Note, Town Hall, Symphony Space, Cecil's, and in Japan by invitation of the Governor of the Fukui Prefecture. It has performed and recorded with Ray Charles and Benny Carter and has featured guest artists including Eddie Palmieri, Benny Golson, John Faddis, Gerald Wilson, Dave Brubeck and Clark Terry. The group boasts a notable alumni list including Terrence Blanchard, Ralph Peterson, Steve Nelson, Harry Pickens, Michael Mossman, Jerry Weldon, Harry Allen, Jeff Rupert, Yoron Israel, Ken Filiano, Derrick Gardner, Sean Jones, Terrell Stafford, Lee Hogans, Brad Leali, Jim Brenan, Adam Cruz, Frank Lacy, Rob Bargad, John Chin, Misha Piatigorsky, Noah Bearman, Earl McDonald, Orrin Evans, Roger Lent, Riley Mullins, Kenneth Davis, Chris Brown, Tom DiCarlo and Dave Shumacher.
About the Center for Latino Arts and Culture The Center for Latino Arts and Culture was established to advance, research, and document arts and humanities scholarship, artistic production, and cultural traditions of Latinos in the United States, the Caribbean, and the Americas. The Center sees the arts as the impetus for educational change, bridging communities, and improving the quality of life for Rutgers University students, faculty, staff, and the community at large. About Mason Gross School of the Arts Founded in 1976, Mason Gross School of the Arts is the arts conservatory of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, and is home to the departments of dance, music, theater arts, and visual arts. Its faculty and alumni rosters include arts professionals recognized nationally and internationally. The school's enrollment of 625 undergraduates across four departments and 250 graduate students across three departments, combined with a faculty of 140, assures students the opportunity to work closely with accomplished artists within their fields.
About Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey A comprehensive research institution with more than 50,000 students on three main campuses in New Brunswick, Newark and Camden, Rutgers comprises one of the major state university systems in the nation. Chartered in 1766 in New Brunswick as Queen's College, Rutgers is the eighth oldest institution of higher learning in the nation and now comprises 29 degree- granting divisions, including 16 offering graduate programs of study.
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