THE MUSIC OF BURT BACHARACH

Burt Freeman Bacharach | May 12, 1928 – February 8, 2023 

An American composer, songwriter, record producer, and pianist who is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential figures of 20th-century popular music. Starting in the 1950s, he composed hundreds of pop songs, many in collaboration with lyricist Hal David. Bacharach’s music is characterized by unusual chord progressions, influenced by his background in jazz harmony, and uncommon selections of instruments for small orchestras. He arranged, conducted, and produced much of his recorded output.

Over 1,000 different artists have recorded Bacharach’s songs. From 1961 to 1972, most of Bacharach and David’s hits were written specifically for and performed by Dionne Warwick, but earlier associations from 1957 to 1963 saw the composing duo work with Marty Robbins, Perry Como, Gene McDaniels, and Jerry Butler. Following the initial success of these collaborations, Bacharach wrote hits for singers such as Gene Pitney, Cilla Black, Dusty Springfield, Tom Jones, and B. J. Thomas.

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The Jazz Voyager

Off to the City That Never Sleeps aka The Big Apple on my way to Harlem and the venue that still represents the standard of the community. It is still called The Apollo. After a fantastic performance in Boston it is good to be back home to experience the delights of the neighborhood.

Critically acclaimed composer and trumpeter Russell Gunn and his Royal Krunk Jazz Orkestra brings to life poet and author Amiri Baraka’s groundbreaking work, Blues People: Negro Music in White America. Special guests include Weedie Braimah, Davell Crawford, Miles Griffith, Craig Harris, Stefon Harris, Jazzmeia Horn, Oliver Lake, Jessica Care Moore, and Leon Timbo.

The building that later became the Apollo Theater was built in 1913 and was designed by architect George Keister. It was originally Hurtig and Seamon’s New (Burlesque) Theater, which enforced a strict “Whites Only” policy. The theater was operated by noted burlesque producers Jules Hurtig and Harry Seamon. They made alterations to the theater that same year and renamed it The Apollo.

In 1924, the Minskys took a long-term lease for burlesque shows, some of which included integrated casts with black performers such as Pigmeat Markham. After New York City mayor Fiorello La Guardia cracked down on burlesque, the theater was purchased in 1933 by Sidney Cohen, who owned other theaters in the area. Lavish renovations were made and it re-opened on January 26, 1934 catering to the Black community of Harlem. On February 14, 1934, the first major star to appear at the Apollo was jazz singer and Broadway star Adelaide Hall in Clarence Robinson’s production Chocolate Soldiers, which featured Sam Wooding’s Orchestra. The show ran for a limited engagement and was highly praised by the press, which helped establish Apollo’s reputation.

The Apollo’s number is 212-531-5300. If you want to get more show information visit https://notoriousjazz.com/event/russell-gunn-the-royal-krunk-jazz-orchestra.

CALIFORNIA JAZZ FOUNDATION

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PAUL BOLLENBACK | HARLEM JAZZ SESSION

Paul Bollenback – guitar, Pat Bianchi – organ, Anthony Pinciotti – drums

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PETER BRAININ & FRIENDS | HARLEM JAZZ SESSION

The Harlem Jazz Session is a weekly concert & jam session hosted by 3x Grammy and Latin Grammy winning saxophonist/composer, Peter Brainin, featuring the hottest and most innovative musicians from around the world and around the corner!

Weekly roster includes all star musicians: Paul Bollenback, Cecilia Coleman, Gary Versace, Mike Karn, Anthony Pinciotti and MORE!

Peter Brainin is a 3x Grammy and Latin Grammy winning saxophonist, composer and educator who has toured internationally with Mongo Santamaría, Valery Ponomorev, Hilton Ruiz, Bebo Valdez, Chico O’Farrill, Bobby Sanabria, Arturo O’Farrill & the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra (with whom he’s featured on 2 Grammy winning CD’s), Joris Teepe, Willie Colon & Legal Alien, Samuel Torres, the Mambo Legends Orchestra and John DiMartino as well as with his own quartet and as a guest artist and clinician. In the U.S. he has performed and/or recorded with Wynton Marsalis, Benny Golson, Randy Weston, Harold Mabern, Idris Muhammad, Jerry Gonzalez, Paquito D’Rivera, Israel “Cachao” López, Sheila E., Eddie Palmieri and many other Jazz and Latin Jazz legends. Peter has appeared on over 200 albums including his own as co-leader with Steve Johns (which also feature contributions by Conrad Herwig, George Cables and Ben Monder) and with the quartet Native Soul. A native of the Bronx, he twice received the BRIO (Bronx Recognizes its Own) award for music composition from Bronx Council on the Arts.

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JOHNATHAN BLAKE

Johnathan Blake, one of the most accomplished drummers of his generation, has also proven himself a complete and endlessly versatile musician. Blake’s gift for composition and band leading reflects years of live and studio experience across the aesthetic spectrum. Heralded by NPR Music as “the ultimate modernist,” he has collaborated with Pharoah Sanders, Ravi Coltrane, Tom Harrell, Hans Glawischnig, Avishai Cohen, Donny McCaslin, Linda May Han Oh, Jaleel Shaw, Chris Potter, Maria Schneider, Alex Sipiagin, Kris Davis and countless other distinctive voices. DownBeat once wrote, “It’s a testament to Blake’s abilities that he makes his presence felt in any context.” A frequent presence on Blue Note records over the past several years, Blake has contributed his strong, limber pulse and airy precision to multiple leader releases from Blue Note artists including Dr. Lonnie Smith’s Breathe (2021), All in My Mind (2018) and Evolution (2016) and Kenny Barron’s Concentric Circles (2018), the latter whose trio Blake has been a vital member for nearly 15 years.

Born in Philadelphia in 1976, Blake is the son of renowned jazz violinist John Blake, Jr. — himself a stylistic chameleon and an important ongoing influence. After beginning on drums at age 10, Johnathan gained his first performing experience with the Lovett Hines Youth Ensemble, led by the renowned Philly jazz educator. It was during this period, at Hines’s urging, that Blake began to compose his own music. Later he worked with saxophonist Robert Landham in a youth jazz ensemble at Settlement Music School. Blake graduated from George Washington High School and went on to attend the highly respected jazz program at William Paterson University, where he studied with Rufus Reid, John Riley, Steve Wilson and Horace Arnold. At this time Blake also began working professionally with the Oliver Lake Big Band, Roy Hargrove and David Sanchez. In 2006 he was recognized with an ASCAP Young Jazz Composers Award, and in 2007 he earned his Masters from Rutgers University, focusing on composition. He studied with the likes of Ralph Bowen, Conrad Herwig and Stanley Cowell. Deeply aware of Philadelphia’s role as a historical nerve center of American music, Blake has immersed himself in the city’s storied legacy — not just jazz but also soul, R&B and hip-hop. In many ways he’s an heir to Philadelphia drum masters such as Philly Joe Jones, Bobby Durham, Mickey Roker and Edgar Bateman, not to mention younger mentors including Byron Landham, Leon Jordan and Ralph Peterson, Jr..

Fridays at 7pm & 8:30pm – Running time for each set is 90 minutes

Reserved Seating – $20

All Access Ticket – $35

Premium Reserved Velvet Couch/Chair – $38

Blue Velvet Loveseat for 2 – $50

Dinner & A Show – $55 – updated prix fixe menu here

$15 food and beverage minimum – Full menu can be found here!

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