Sunday, June 12, 4pm, First Congregational Church, 10 W Lockwood Ave, Webster Groves, Missouri
The concert will be preceded by a 3pm lecture on Thelonious Monk & John Coltrane by
Paul DeMarinis, Director of Jazz Studies at Webster University
PERFORMERS: Mike Parkinson, trumpet, Paul DeMarinis, Hugh Jones and Mike Karpowicz, saxophones, Carol Schmidt & Kim Portnoy, piano, Ben Wheeler, bass, and Nick Savage, drums.
ADMISSION: $10 adults, $5 students. All proceeds benefit Willem von Hombracht, renowned St. Louis jazz bassist/educator, to help defray medical expenses from a recent serious accident. Individuals may provide support for Ukrainian students to attend the 2022 International Summer Jazz Academy, July 24-31, Krakow, Poland.
Tickets are available via EVENTBRITE.
THELONIOUS MONK & JOHN COLTRANE: In 1957 tenor saxophonist John Coltrane joined the Thelonious Monk Quartet for a brief but highly productive period. Coltrane developed into a fully assured saxophonist; navigating Monk’s highly challenging compositions with growing ease. The best recordings of the quartet are from a November 1957 concert at Carnegie Hall. With bassist Ahmed Abdul-Malik and drummer Shadow Wilson, Monk’s quartet sounded more intense and brilliant than ever. Coltrane’s rapid arpeggios were soon called “sheets of sound” by critic Ira Gitler, with Monk responding with fresh inventions of his own. The concert was issued by BLUE NOTE in 2006 as Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane at Carnegie Hall. Works from the album to be performed include imaginative settings of Monk’s Evidence, Bye-Ya, Blue Monk, Monk’s Mood, Nutty, Crepuscule with Nellie, Epistrophy, and the standard Sweet and Lovely. The concert also includes Hi Lili, Hi Lo and Invitation by Bronislaw Kaper, the renowned Polish composer long admired by jazz artists.
The INTERNATIONAL SUMMER JAZZ ACADEMY (ISJA) celebrates its 26th anniversary in Krakow, Poland, July 24-31, with 95 students expected to attend. From its inception, the ISJA has included faculty from the United States, Poland, and other nations, teaching over 2,000 students from across Europe and the United States in an intense study of jazz (theory, history, improvisation, master classes, ensembles, jam sessions), culminating in two public gala concerts. Prominent ISJA alumni include Dominik Wania, ECM pianist/composer, 2021 Polish Jazz Artist of the Year, Pawel Kazmarcyk, ACT pianist/composer, Tomasz Kudyk, trumpet/composer, Maciej Lakomy, trombone professor, Paderewski Music Academy/Poznan, Dawid Rudnicki, pianist/organist/composer, Przemek Jarosz, drums/recording engineer, Agata Pisko, vocalist/educator, Andrzej Danek, New York vocalist, and DAGADANA, pop vocal group of musicians from Poland and Ukraine.
The ISJA was founded by Isidore Rudnick, Coordinator of Fine Arts for the Cincinnati Public Schools. Mike Parkinson, former Webster University music department chair was an original ISJA instructor and served as Artistic Director from 1995-2005, assisted by Webster colleagues and students, including Willem von Hombracht, Artistic Director from 2008-2015. Willem and Mike have been invited to return as Artistic Directors by Grzegorz Motyka, Krakow School of Jazz & Contemporary Music, the ISJA presenter. Due to a recent accident, Willem is unable to attend. All proceeds will help defray medical expenses for Willem. Individuals may also provide support for Ukrainian students to attend the ISJA.
Saint Louis Polonia, 11469 Olive Blvd #1115, Creve Coeur, MO 6314 https://stl-pl.org/
Nottelmann Music, 1590 Lemay Ferry Rd, St. Louis, MO 63125 https://nottelmannmusic.com/
First Congregational Church, 10 W Lockwood Ave, Webster Groves, MO 63119 https://firstchurchwg.org/
