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Local News for a Global Village | www.VoiceSB.com
May 13, 2022
Santa Barbara Symphony
End The Season On High Note with Jazz Royalty –
the Marcus Roberts Trio By Renee Cooper
Jazz and symphony fans alike will be awestruck by the Marcus Roberts Trio, bringing pure alchemy to Gershwin’s Piano Concerto in F (arranged by Marcus Roberts for jazz trio and orchestra). Audiences will also get in tune with early 20th-century composer Florence Price, recognized as the first woman African American
www.thesymphony.org Tickets for Riffing on Gershwin on May 21st & 22nd at the Granada Theatre are on sale now and can be purchased online at www.TheSymphony.org. The community can also enjoy the Marcus Roberts Trio earlier that week on May 18th at the Lobero Theatre, as part of their Artist Residency. For more information visit www.Lobero.org.
symphonic composer, who is experiencing a well-deserved resurgence of popularity. The orchestra will perform her critically acclaimed Symphony No. 1, originally premiered by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 1933, and inspired by Dvorak’s New World Symphony, similarly incorporating folk tunes and hymn-like melodies that evoke a range of American flavors. “We are proud to continue our commitment to American music with this concert featuring George Gershwin and Florence Price. Both highlight American themes and genres, and mark important milestones in American music history,” shared Nir Kabaretti, Music & Artistic Director of the Santa Barbara Symphony. “Gershwin was an innovator, bringing jazz into the concert hall from the clubs, and Marcus Roberts carries on that innovation by expanding Gershwin’s piano solo part into a jazz combo, while honoring the composer’s original structure and orchestration. I bet Gershwin would have done the same had he lived longer.” The Marcus Roberts Trio, a long-term musical partnership between pianist Marcus Roberts, drummer Jason Marsalis, and bassist Rodney Jordan, is known for its virtuosic style and an entirely new approach to jazz
trio performance. While most jazz trios have the piano front and center, all members of the Marcus Roberts Trio share equally in shaping the direction of the music. The trio is known for having almost telepathic communication on the stage. The Marcus Roberts Trio believes in ‘letting the music take over’ and the result is a powerfully rhythmic Nir Kabaretti, conductor and melodic sound that is filled with rhythmic, Kathryn R. Martin, President, harmonic, and dynamic contrast. and CEO of the Santa Barbara Musical cues combine with Symphony. “Our new artistic musical inspiration from all over partnership with our friends at the world and guarantee that the Lobero is making it possible audiences never know where for the community to hear the this trio is heading. Influences trio in a straight-up Jazz Recital from Africa, Europe, and South on Wednesday, and then come America are combined with see them with The Symphony American traditions to give this group an infinite palate of styles, timbres, and colors to draw from. Photos by Zach Mendez
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NDING ITS SEASON ON A HIGH NOTE, The Santa Barbara Symphony will present Riffing on Gershwin on Saturday, May 21st at 7:30pm and Sunday, May 22nd at 3pm at the Granada Theatre. The concerts will showcase The Symphony’s new artistic partnership with Jazz at the Lobero.
The Marcus Roberts Trio
“The Symphony believes that when nonprofits collaborate, the community benefits. We bring guest artists to town for more than a performance – we invest in ways to leverage their time with us, and make it possible for other organizations to benefit as well,” shared
on Saturday and Sunday. The trio will also participate in a masterclass with local high school students, deepening the impact of the Symphony’s Music Education programming.” Riffing on Gershwin is generously sponsored by Principal Concert Sponsor, Samuel M. & Alene S. Hedgepeth; Artist Sponsor, Pat Gregory for the Baker Foundation, and Daniel & Mandy Hochman; Selection Sponsors Omega Financial Group, Dingman Family Foundation, Anne F. Sage & Jesse D. Sgro, Village Properties, Inc., and Wallin Studios.