Welcome to Philadelphia Jazz Project
Mysterious Traveler All Stars Go Pop!
Jan 5, 2020
Mysterious Traveler All Stars Go Pop!
Monday, January 27th, 2020 at 7:00 pm
Parkway Central Library | Montgomery Auditorium
1901 Vine Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103-1189
ADMISSION IS FREE.
Who says a jazz band can't play dance music? - George Clinton of Parliament/Funkadelic
At its core, Jazz music is a good time, celebratory music and since its earliest days it has been tied to Pop Music. In fact, Jazz was once THEE most popular American music of the day. It is essentially one of the key building blocks of all American popular music and due to America’s longtime, cultural marketplace dominance, the influence of Jazz has been global for decades. Rock & Roll, Rhythm & Blues, Soul, Country Western, Hiphop, House, Techno and all of the many popular musical styles that are derived from these styles, owe a debt to Jazz music.
Most of music that we call Jazz standards, were popular tunes of the 1920,30s and 40s, taken from Tin Pan Alley popular songs, Broadway show tunes, or songs from Hollywood musicals. Jazz musicians took these sometimes quaint, simple and quite often, corny songs and gave them new life, new meaning and new purpose using masterful instrumental solos, improvised and/or re-composed arrangements and new rhythmic possibilities. Because of the heavy influence of Jazz musicians and their translations of this music, it is extermely rare to hear these tunes, even by Broadway performed without a hint of Jazz flavor.
So, it should not come as a surprise to us when Jazz musicians decide to dig into Pop tunes. In that spirit, The Mysterious Traveler All Stars present a fascinating concert of interpretations of contemporary Pop tunes - all filtered through their masterful Jazz sensibilities and expertise. The group, an adventurous and creative bunch of composers, arrangers, songwriters and players, led this time, by keyboardist, Tim Brey have some surprises in store for you. As musicians who have grown up with Pop hits of the 1960s, 70s, 80s, 90s, as well as the hits since the turn of the century, these artists have plenty of interesting material to explore. Expect something, funky, something mellow, something danceable and something blue.
The Mysterious Traveler All Stars are an ensemble of some of the best composers and performers culled from the six year old, Mysterious Traveler Concert Series, presented as a collaboration between the Free Library of Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Jazz Project. The series ,which presented monthly concerts from September through May, showcased young and not so young, Philadelphia Jazz artists. The name of the series emphasized the need for these highly talented artists and the general public to get acquainted, making these strangers no longer mysterious, but friends and fans. Most important, these concerts were free to the general public. You didn't have to be a hipster or a Jazz expert to attend. You just had to show up and enjoy yourself.
MEMBERS OF THE MYSTERIOUS TRAVELER ALL STARS:
▪ Tim Brey - Keyboards
▪ Madison Rast - Bass
▪ Matthew Jernigan - Drums
▪ Matthew Stewart - Trumpet
▪ Victor North - Tenor Sax
▪ Matthew Clayton - Alto Sax
▪ Alexis Simmons - Vocals
▪ Howard Tucker - Vocals
Mysterious Traveler All Stars Go Pop!
Monday, January 27th, 2019 at 7:00 pm
Parkway Central Library | Montgomery Auditorium
1901 Vine Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103-1189
ADMISSION IS FREE.
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Philadelphia Jazz Project is a sponsored project of the Culture Trust | Greater Philadelphia, with funding provided by The Philadelphia Foundation.
