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Even with today's modern synthesizers and electronically-produced music, the Trumpet is still King of the Instruments. From Buddy Bolden and Louis Armstrong to Wynton Marsalis and Roy Hargrove, Trumpet Players have always occupied a special place in the hearts of jazz lovers. Join us to salute Masters of the Jazz Trumpet, including Masters who are "Gone But Not Forgotten": Miles Davis, "Little" Benny Harris, Booker Little, Woody Shaw, Howard McGhee, Joe Gordon, Bill Hardman, Tommy Turrentine, and Lonnie Hillyer. Don will also pay a Special Tribute to Living Trumpet Masters Freddie Hubbard, Kenny Wheeler, and Ruby Braff. Also, the Quintet and Sextet will feature nights saluting Miles Davis' classic Blue Haze sessions, and Booker Little's Out Front session. Wednesday, March 15 recording anniversary Blue Haze: Miles Davis and Beyond The date makes this a perfect opportunity to pay tribute to a great artist, the music he created, and the musicians he influenced: March 15, 1954, was Davis' famous "Blue Haze" session. Listen while the quintet explores the development of this artist through some of his rarely-heard compositions from the 1950s; also hear the compositional voices of trumpeters he influenced. Sets at 8 and 10 p.m. with the Quintet, with added dimensions by vocalist Roberta Gambarini. Thursday, March 16 Birthday Tribute to Trumpet Masters Today is trumpeter Ruby Braff's 73rd birthday. Earlier this year Kenny Wheeler celebrated his 70th birthday. Freddie Hubbard also has a birthday coming up, April 7th. Clark Terry turns 80 this December! Join Don and the Quintet and Sextet (with Virgil Jones on trumpet) as they pay tribute to these and other great Living Trumpet Masters. Roberta Gambarini adds her voice to the ensemble. Sets at 8 and 10 p.m. Friday, March 17 recording anniversary Out Front with Booker Little's Music Today marks the 39th anniversary of the first recording session for performance since the recording session. Hear the sextet explore Little's varied compositional contributions in depth, from the outgoing, energetic early works when he started in 1958 as a sideman with Max Roach, through a 40th anniversary tribute to Booker's second session as a leader (April, 1960), to the introspective and challenging sextet sessions that followed. His technical abilities were so outstanding, his compositional skills so compelling, his imagination so adventurous, that he could have changed the course of modern jazz trumpet & composition history, had he lived. Sets at 8 and 10:30 p.m., and 12 midnight. Saturday, March 18 Gone But Not Forgotten Sadly, the evolution of the jazz trumpet has been shaped by the early deaths of some of its most talented practitioners, some still in their 20s, like Fats Navarro, Clifford Brown and Booker Little; Joe Gordon was in his 30s. The inspiration for tonight's program is a beautiful ballad titled "Gone But Not Forgotten" by the late Tommy Turrentine in memory of Fats Navarro. Fortunately for us, Turrentine turned his attention from the trumpet to composing when his health failed. You'll hear his admiration and love for Fats in this ballad. Tonight's performances will also include special tributes to some great trumpeters we lost this past year: Harry "Sweets" Edison, Art Farmer and Nat Adderley. Vocalist Roberta Gambarini joins the sextet. Sets at 8 and 10:30 p.m., and 12 midnight. Sunday, March 19 Salute to Trumpet-Playing Composers The perfect way to cap off Trumpet Legacy Week. Soulful, smokin' trumpeter and Verve recording artist Roy Hargrove joins Don and the group for some spirited 2-Trumpet and sextet salutes to great trumpet-playing composers. Roy's first recording session was with Don (on Superblue/Somethin' Else-Blue Note). Sets at 7 and 9 p.m. Featuring the Quintet of Don Sickler, tpt & flgl Bobby Porcelli, alto & bari sax, flute & alto flute Ronnie Mathews, piano Ron McClure, bass Ben Riley, drums with special guests Roy Hargrove, tpt & flgl Virgil Jones, tpt & flgl Roberta Gambarini, vocalist Wednesday March 15 through Sunday March 19. The Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St. (bet. Park and Lex.) Phone: (212) 576-2232. Two sets nightly, at 8 and 10 p.m. (7 and 9 p.m. Sunday.) Three sets, at 8, 10:30, and 12 midnight on Friday and Saturday. About the musicians Don Sickler, trumpet, flugelhorn, arranger. A perennial finalist in the Down Beat and JazzTimes polls for Jazz Arranger of the Year, Sickler is also an in-demand producer with numerous successes to his credit, including Joe Henderson's breakthrough 1992 CD" Lush Life", and its Grammy-winning follow-up, "So Near, So Far" (both for Verve/Polygram). His own recordings as a trumpeter include "The Music of Kenny Dorham" (Reservoir) and "Night Watch" (Uptown). Musical director/trumpeter for the T.S. Monk Band until 1999. Previously he was the musical director of drummer Philly Joe Jones' Tadd Dameron repertory ensemble "Dameronia". Don's music publishing company, Second Floor Music, represents many of the top jazz composers, and is a behind-the-scenes force in the resurgence of modern jazz. Bobby Porcelli, alto saxophone, baritone saxophone, flute, alto flute. Bobby, a native New Yorker, is a powerful yet subtle player, with deep roots that reflect his love for the music of Charlie Parker, as well as his decades of on-the-stand experience with the best Latin and jazz bands. He and Don have a long association that predates their involvement together in the T.S. Monk sextet. Ronnie Mathews, piano. The Brooklyn-born veteran of the bands of Max Roach, Roy Haynes, Freddie Hubbard, Johnny Griffin, Art Blakey, Dizzy Gillespie, and Woody Herman, Ronnie is clearly a talent deserving of wide recognition. This hard bop and post-bop piano master has a longstanding association with Don trough their work together in the bands of T.S. Monk and the late, great tenor saxophonist Clifford Jordan. Ronnie's latest endeavor, as actor/pianist in "The Devil's Music," got rave reviews. Ron McClure, bass. Another well-travelled jazz veteran since getting his start with Buddy Rich in 1963, Connecticut's own McClure has played with Maynard Ferguson, Wynton Kelly, Charles Lloyd, Joe Henderson, Freddie Hubbard, Keith Jarrett, Blood Sweat and Tears, Jack DeJohnette, and Dave Liebman. All valued him for his steady time and swinging choice of notes, and we are pleased he could be part of Trumpet Legacy Week. Ben Riley, drums. Ben needs no introduction for serious jazz fans who call this swinging Georgia native raised in New York City one of the best drummers on the planet. Known to the public at large through his work in Thelonious Monk's 1960s quartet, he has played with a who's who of jazz royalty. He is currently known for his work with the pianist Kenny Barron, both in Barron's trio and in the resurrected Sphere with alto saxophonist Gary Bartz and bassist Buster Williams. About the special guest artists Roy Hargrove, trumpet, flugelhorn. With many fine recordings as a leader in the 1990s, Roy is one of the top jazz soloists and bandleaders on the scene today. Roy has led groups of all sizes throughout his career, including a progressive big band in the mid-1990s that garnered critical raves. In 1997 he formed the Afro-Cuban group" Crisol", with which he has since toured the world. His new Verve release is due in May. Virgil Jones, trumpet, flugelhorn. Born in Indianapolis, Ind., Virgil got his start with Lionel Hampton in 1960. He later played with Ray Charles, he Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra, and Dizzy Gillespie's big band. Virgil played with Don in "Dameronia" and many projects since. The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz, recently published by Oxford Press, calls Virgil "a valued, versatile section man and accomplished soloist," and we couldn't agree more. Roberta Gambarini, vocalist. After more than 15 years of singing professionally in Europe, recording and performing at all the major clubs & festivals, Gambarini moved from Milan, Italy, to the US, where she placed 3rd in the 1998 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Vocal Competition. She has since appeared at the Schomburg Center with the Jazz Legacy Ensemble, at the Kennedy Center with "Monk On Monk," and at The Jazz Standard with the True Blue All-Stars with Billy Higgins and in the Kenny Dorham 75th Birthday Festival. She's currently working on her first US CD release. browse our archive SFM News stories below . . . |