Pianist Edward Simon Ð a native of Venezuela who has made a name for himself over decades in America as a jazz pianist, bandleader and composer-arranger, along with being a Guggenheim Fellow and member of the hit SFJAZZ Collective Ð has created fresh, supple interpretations of melodies from all over Latin America. His latest album Latin American Songbook won him an NAACP Image Awards for ÔOutstanding Jazz AlbumÕ. For this performance, SimonÕs trio features two of the most distinguished players from the Bay Area: drummer Alan Hall and bassist Jeff Denson, whose subtly virtuosic performances brim with lyricism, color and groove.The New York Times has praised SimonÕs Òlight, warm touchÓ as a pianist, while the Jazz Journal International singled out Òhis deep emotional statements.Ó Edward Simon has recently explored the commonalities jazz can have with the folkloric sounds of Latin America...
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Pianist Edward Simon Ð a native of Venezuela who has made a name for himself over decades in America as a jazz pianist, bandleader and composer-arranger, along with being a Guggenheim Fellow and member of the hit SFJAZZ Collective Ð has created fresh, supple interpretations of melodies from all over Latin America. His latest album Latin American Songbook won him an NAACP Image Awards for ÔOutstanding Jazz AlbumÕ. For this performance, SimonÕs trio features two of the most distinguished players from the Bay Area: drummer Alan Hall and bassist Jeff Denson, whose subtly virtuosic performances brim with lyricism, color and groove.The New York Times has praised SimonÕs Òlight, warm touchÓ as a pianist, while the Jazz Journal International singled out Òhis deep emotional statements.Ó Edward Simon has recently explored the commonalities jazz can have with the folkloric sounds of Latin America. JazzTimes summed up his impact this way: ÒSimon is less talked about than many other important jazz pianists from the Caribbean and South America, but he may be the most complete creative artist among them.Ó Based in the San Francisco Bay Area as a member of the all-star SFJAZZ Collective, he has been a Guggenheim Fellow along with being awarded multiple composition grants as part of the Chamber Music AmericaÕs New Jazz Works initiative. Simon, a Yamaha artist, has recorded 15 albums as a leader or co-leader; his latest is Sorrows and Triumphs, released via Sunnyside Records in April 2018. This follows SimonÕs 2016 album Latin American Songbook, with the four-and-a-half-star DownBeat review praising its Ògrand and sophisticatedÓ sound. Latin American Songbook also won Simon an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Jazz Album. The New York Times has praised SimonÕs Òlight, warm touchÓ as a pianist, while Jazz Journal International singled out Òhis deep emotional statementsÓ as a composer and improviser. Sorrows and Triumphs showcases the long-running virtuoso quartet Afinidad, featuring Simon alongside alto saxophonist David Binney, bassist Scott Colley and drummer Brian Blade. The albumÕs color-rich arrangements also include several special guests: vocalist Gretchen Parlato, guitarist Adam Rogers and the chamber quintet Imani Winds, plus percussionists Rogerio Boccato and Luis Quintero. The albumÕs material blends two bodies of work commissioned from Simon by Chamber Music of AmericaÕs New Jazz Works: the suites ÒSorrows and TriumphsÓ and ÒHouse of Numbers,Ó their individual movements re-sequenced to form a holistic listening experience that brims with a lyricism both intimate and majestic. About this music, influenced by SimonÕs Buddhist practice, he says: ÒI wanted these compositions to bring joy to the listener, to be direct and accessible, with singable melodies.ÓSimon first performed the ÒSorrows and TriumphsÓ suite with Afinidad in 2009 at Walton Performing Arts Center in Arkansas and later at New YorkÕs Jazz Standard, with performances broadcast on National Public RadioÕs Jazz Set. Afinidad and Imani Winds unveiled the ÒHouse of NumbersÓ suite in 2016 at CaliforniaÕs University of the Pacific. Simon Rowe, executive director of Roots, Jazz & American Music at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, attended the premiere of ÒHouse of Numbers,Ó saying afterward that the blend of the five Imani Winds with SimonÕs jazz quartet was Òmesmerizing,Ó as the Òwriting juxtaposed the lyrical and often dense textures of the quintet with the ever-changing, percolating rhythmic drive of Afinidad.Ó,
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