UPTOWN NIGHTS
CARLA COOK QUARTET
Saturday, March 12, 2022, 7:30PM Harlem Stage Gatehouse Address: 150 Convent Avenue at West 135 Street, New York, NY 10031 Phone: 212.281.9240 ext. 19 | Website: www.harlemstage.org
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ABOUT THE EVENT Tonight we welcome The Carla Cook Quartet to the Harlem Stage Gatehouse as part of our monthly music series, Uptown Nights. The quartet includes vocalist Carla Cook, pianist Bruce Barth, bassist Kenny Davis, and drummer Jarrett Walser. Thank you for joining us for what will be a delightful evening of jazz music.
ARTIST STATEMENT The Carla Cook Quartet will present a concert of jazz standards ranging from the traditional to the contemporary. As always, original compositions and a few surprises are added to keep the listeners tuned in and tuned up!
PERFORMERS Carla Cook Bruce Barth Kenny Davis Jarrett Walser
Vocals Piano Bass Drums
BIOGRAPHIES
Photo by Andrew Lepley
CARLA COOK
VOCALIST
Jazz vocalist Carla Cook has been influenced by the jazz vocal masters, but equally influenced by instrumentalists, like Miles Davis, Wes Montgomery and The Crusaders. The Detroit native also finds inspiration in Motown, European Classical, Gospel, R&B, pop and country. Her remarkable voice has earned Cook a Grammy nomination for her debut album, It’s All About Love, and widespread critical acclaim for her two subsequent recordings, Dem Bones, and Simply Natural which solidified her reputation as a singer/songwriter. Cook attended Northeastern University and earned a degree in Speech Communication. While in Boston, she formed the first of several jazz ensembles. She moved to New York in 1990, where she began performing regularly on the jazz scene. In a career spanning more than two decades, she has performed in concert halls, theaters, nightclubs and jazz festivals throughout the world.
BRUCE BARTH PIANIST
Jazz pianist and composer Bruce Barth has been sharing his music with listeners the world over for more than thirty years. In addition to traveling widely performing his Photo by Antonio Porcar own music, he has also performed with revered jazz masters, as well as collaborated with leading musicians of his own generation. Zan Stewart of the Newark Star-Ledger writes: No one sounds quite like Barth. His solos are characterized by robust swing, his ability to tell a story, and by his rich, beguiling sound. Barth has performed on over 125 recordings and movie soundtracks, including fifteen as a leader. He is equally at home playing solo piano (American Landscape on Satchmo Jazz Records), leading an all-star septet (East and West on MaxJazz), and composing for a variety of ensembles. His trio has recorded live at the legendary Village Vanguard in New York City, and his duo recording with saxophonist Steve Wilson, Home, was chosen by Down Beat magazine as one of the best recordings of the year. Originally from Pasadena, California, Barth arrived on the New York jazz scene in 1988, and soon started working in the bands of Stanley Turrentine and Terence Blanchard. While in Terence’s band, Barth recorded his first two albums as a leader, In Focus and Morning Call for the Enja label; both were chosen for the New York Times’ top ten lists. These recordings displayed not only Barth’s powerfully fluent piano playing, but also the scope of his own compositions and his imaginative arrangements of jazz standards. His new trio recording, Dedication, due in 2022, features a program of newly penned tunes by Bruce. Several are dedicated to musicians and to important people in Bruce’s life. It is the first release on Bruce’s new label, “Shadow Grove Records.”
BIOGRAPHIES KENNY DAVIS BASSIST
Kenny is a native of Chicago, IL. Davis’ career began with listening to R&B artists such as: Earth Wind & Fire, Brothers Johnson and The Temptations, just to name a few. First being self taught, he then studied music theory with David Holder Sr. He then went on to Northeastern Illinois University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Education. Upon entering Northeastern University, he discovered jazz music and he quickly became part of the Chicago jazz scene, playing with Von Freeman, Ari Brown, and Fred Anderson. Later, he went on to study classical bass with Warren Benfield of the Chicago Symphony, and had a number of lessons with Jeffrey Bradetich. Some of his jazz influences are Ray Brown, Paul Chambers and Ron Carter. In addition, he also was influenced by the following electric bass musicians: Jaco Pastorius and Verdin White. One of the highlights of his career was being a music arranger for a song on the Grammy Award winning CD by artist Cassandra Wilson, Blue Light Till Dawn. Throughout the 90’s, Davis toured with such notable jazz artists as Herbie Hancock, Dianne Reeves and Art Farmer. In 1999, Kenny Davis got the call from Kevin Eubanks, then band leader/music director of The Tonight Show Band. Davis was the bassist of The Tonight Show Band from September, 1999 thru March, 2002. In June, 2002, Kenny Davis moved back to New York and he is again touring, recording and teaching. In May 2006 he recieved his Masters in Music (MA) from Rutgers University. Kenny was the bass teacher at the University of Connecticut (UCONN) from 2003 thru 2009. Also, in May 2006 Kenny received his Master of Music (MA) from Rutgers University. In 2009 Kenny released his first CD as a leader, Kenny Davis on Daken Records.
JARRETT WALSER DRUMMER
What started out as an inquisitive, playful orchestration on pots and pans at the age of 3, grew into a passion. Jarrett Walser’s first love has always been jazz. This allure commenced at the age of 11 when he began studying at NJPAC Wells Fargo Jazz for Teens program in 2001. After his studies at NJPAC, he continued to pursue his passion for music at Rutgers University, Mason Gross School of the Arts, where he received his B.A. (2012) and M.M. (2017) in Jazz Performance. Walser has made a career playing with various artists over a wide variety of genres from jazz to rock and theater. Some notable artists Walser has performed with include Rufus Reid, Chico Freeman and Valery Ponomarev to name a few. Waler currently leads the Jarrett Walser Pack, a modern jazz quartet performing his original compositions, incorporating a mixture of fusion, R&B, funk and rock. When not performing, Walser is an educator, sharing his love of music and inspiring the next generation of young artists.
OUR SUPPORTERS
This program is supported, in part, by public funds from The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in Partnership with the City Council. Harlem Stage’s Programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. This project is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.
ABOUT HARLEM STAGE Harlem Stage is the performing arts center that bridges Harlem’s cultural legacy to contemporary artists of color and dares to provide the artistic freedom that gives birth to new ideas. For nearly 40 years our singular mission has been to perpetuate and celebrate the unique and diverse artistic legacy of Harlem and the indelible impression it has made on American culture. We provide opportunity, commissioning, and support for artists of color, make performances easily accessible to all audiences, and introduce children to the rich diversity, excitement, and inspiration of the performing arts. We fulfill our mission through commissioning, incubating, and presenting innovative and vital work that responds to the historical and contemporary conditions that shape our lives and the communities we serve.
Board of Directors Courtney F. Lee-Mitchell, President Jamie Cannon, Vice President Michael Young, Secretary Mark Thomas, Treasurer Stefany Bergson Angela Glover Blackwell Jamila Ponton Bragg
JoAnn K. Chase Patricia Cruz Hugh Dancy and Claire Danes Trevor Gale Jenette Kahn LaChanze Sapp-Gooding Tamara Tunie
Administration Staff Patricia Cruz, Artistic Director & CEO MANAGEMENT Eric Oberstein, Managing Director DEVELOPMENT Shamar Hill, Director of Development Shanté Skyers, Associate Director of Development Julia Marrero, Development Associate PROGRAMMING Carl Hancock Rux, Associate Artistic Director/Curator-in-Residence Yunie Mojica, Programming Manager MARKETING Deirdre May, Senior Director of Digital Content and Marketing Andre Padayhag, Marketing Manager and Graphic Designer BOX OFFICE Daniel Im, Box Office Manager PRODUCTION Amanda K. Ringger, Director of Production Clarence Taylor, Lighting Operator Orlando Alvarado, Audio Engineer Julio Collado, Audio Crew David Barrett, Deck Crew OPERATIONS Rodney Bissessar, Director of Operations Lamont Askins, Operations Assistant Acey Anderson Sr., Maintenance
ADMINISTRATION & FINANCE Ncheng LLC, Accountants/Advisors Michelle Blankenship, Principal Aaron Lam, Supervising Senior Accountant CONSULTANTS Aon/Albert G. Ruben Company (NY) Claudia Kaufman, Insurance Digital Video Services—BriGuel Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz, P.C. —Lisa Davis Itelagen, IT Consultant Lutz & Carr/Chris Bellando, Accountants Madison Consulting Group, —Matt Laurence Manchester Benefits—Greg Martin Marc Millman Photography Digital Video Services —Jess Medenbach PR Canvas Public Relations & Marketing RL Stein Group—Robyn L. Stein Development Consultant The Whelan Group Incorporated —Charles Whelan USHERS Miriam Hernandez, Chloe Wilson, Brenda Hernandez, Nobar Deleon, Toma Carthens, Robert Gibbons