Jazz On Edge Volume 2
February 2010, Garden Theatre, Winter Garden FL:
Jazz On Edge 2010 was the first Central Florida appearance of the Tiptons Sax Quartet – in fact, it was the first jazz show presented at the Garden Theatre, and the only time internationally renowned pianist Edward Simon, a resident of nearby Orange City, had performed in the Orlando area, with his family in the audience. The “after hours” jam with critically acclaimed New York trumpeter Brian Groder brought acclaimed sax player Tamara Danielsson and pianist Per Danielsson to the stage to play with Brian and Sam Rivers' bassist Doug Mathews. The weekend started with a free "Fridays on the Plaza" concert with the Fellsway Trio on Feb 5, and a free preshow performance by the Lakeview Middle School Jazz Band outside the theater on Saturday.
Featured in the Orlando Sentinel:
Improvisation at the heart of Jazz On Edge
By Jim Abbott, Orlando Sentinel Music Critic
Jazz is one of those things that's hard to define.
The legendary Louis Armstrong took a shot at it, famously saying that if you had to ask what it was, "you'll never know."
Not too much help there, Satch! In the case of what falls under the jazz umbrella hereabout, it can be anything from the innocuous Smooth Jazz (not too much different from adult pop) to the more purist-friendly Sunday jam sessions once a month at the Altamonte Chapel on State Road 436. There's room for more in this realm, and a promising prospect takes another step forward this weekend in Winter Garden.
"Jazz On Edge" is a concert series that is the brainchild of Orlando freelance writer
and promoter Joseph Hayes, who put together the inaugural show in 2008 at Taste in College Park. The follow-up is moving on Saturday to the larger Garden Theatre in the emerging business center in downtown Winter Garden.
The theater will accommodate a bigger audience and also offer a setting that is conducive to listening, although Hayes is incorporating some potential audience participation in a "jazz loft" jam session that will close the evening.
He's calling the show "International Flavors and the Sound of Sax," and the headliners are designed for jazz fans who appreciate challenging music that leans on skilled musicians equipped to solo. The latter quality is at the heart of Hayes' own definition of jazz:
"The image of jazz is either of being in a concert to sit down and watch it, or of someone playing it as background music in some restaurant," Hayes says. "Rather than it being an act of creation in front of you, which is really the definition of jazz, isn't it?"
The headliners at Saturday's show are well-equipped for improvisation: Pianist Edward Simon, who will be playing with his trio, is fresh from two nights earlier this week at The Jazz Standard in New York. A sideman for the likes of trumpeter Terence Blanchard, Simon and his work have twice been honored as one of the Ten Jazz Records of the Year by The New York Times, for Edward Simon (1995) and Simplicitas (2008).
Simon's penchant for Latin and Caribbean music is exemplified in compositions such as 2005's Venezuelan Suite, which melds jazz, chamber music and Venezuelan folk music. His performance in Orlando actually will be a homecoming, of sorts, because he lives in Orange City. Who knew?
"He's been so supportive and, frankly, he wanted an opportunity to play locally," Hayes says. "There aren't many venues in town that will focus on original music, rather than covers of the same five standards while people are eating shrimp scampi."
Also on the bill is the Tiptons Saxophone Quartet, an ensemble of four saxophones and drums that combines New Orleans' Second Line style with Balkan and gypsy influences, Bebop and Swing. The Tiptons set will be followed by a short intermission, in which tables will be moved on to the stage to create a "jazz loft" atmosphere for the closing third-set jam session led by New York trumpeter Brian Groder.
"The things we're trying to accomplish with this series is, first, to have musicians play their own music," Hayes says. "Second, we want to expose people to the astounding variety of music that is still classified as jazz. Everything is listenable and rhythmic and from the heart," he
says. "I don't think there will be a lot of real 'out-there' stuff
until we get to the jam, and then all bets are off."
Besides, when it comes to the music, Hayes isn't hung-up on definitions.
"When someone says they don't really like jazz, it's like saying
they don't really like reading. It doesn't mean anything,
because there's so many different kinds."
Edward Simon
"an important presence on the jazz and world music scenes"
Lovers of the tender elegance and power of jazz piano and
Latin-flavored music will find all this and more in
Edward Simon.
Venezuelan-born, and currently living in Orange City, Simon has been quietly
but profoundly making an impact for a number of years.
Edward's Jazz On Edge videos:
Performing with Edward Simon:
Adam Cruz - drums
Joe Martin - bass
The Tiptons Saxophone Quartet
"a worldly and soulful touch that cannot be described; it must be heard"
With a repertoire that ranges from New Orleans second-line to
Jazz, Afro-Cuban to Balkan, klezmer and beyond, the
Tiptons create some of the wildest sounds ever to come out of a
sax quartet. An all-women sax quartet (who sing!) from Seattle, New York
and points Midwest, with 10 CDs under their belt, touring and playing festivals in Europe and the US for
more than 15 years. Each member is a solo artist in her own right.
Their dynamic, playful concerts feature high-energy interaction between artists, and a repertoire that touches on soulful music from around the
world.
The Tipton's Jazz On Edge videos:
The Tiptons are:
Amy Denio, alto sax, clarinet, voice
Jessica Lurie, alto & tenor sax, voice
Sue Orfield, tenor sax, voice
Tina Richerson, baritone sax, voice
Lee Frisari , drums & percussion
