Newsletter

Evan travels up from New Orleans to present live
music and discussion, in “Creole Blues, Identity in Transition“.
(full description below)

This FREE event takes place in the Agnes Varis and
Karl Leichtman Recording Studio of Jazz at Lincoln Center,
Time Warner Center, Broadway at 60th St., New York, NY.
Seating is limited, and first come, first served. This will be a memorable evening with one of New Orleans foremost artists.

Full Details:

Lincoln Center’s Jazz Academy, New Orleans-based clarinetist Evan Christopher, and The Sidney Bechet Society present a free Listening Party on Monday, May 15 at 7 pm. This concert and discussion will take place in the Agnes Varis and Karl Leichtman Recording Studio of Jazz at Lincoln Center, Time Warner Center, Broadway at 60th St., New York, NY.

Join clarinetist Evan Christopher for “Creole Blues, Identity in Transition“, as Evan celebrates the 120th birthday of Sidney Bechet, focusing on Bechet’s experiments with Creole songs and Afro-Caribbean musics, and examines the evolution of Creole identity and its relationship to the music marketed as jazz.

The event will combine listening examples curated by Evan, with live performances featuring an ensemble including trombonist and musicologist Chris Washburne (of Columbia University) and Brazilian piano virtuoso André Mehmari.

Co-presented with the Sidney Bechet Society.

Evan Christopher combines virtuosity, immaculate taste, and enthusiasm with a commitment to exploring the full range of possibilities in the New Orleans clarinet tradition. His highly personal brand of “contemporary, early jazz” strives to extend the legacies of early Creole clarinetists such as Sidney Bechet, Omer Simeon, and Barney Bigard. Critics remarking on Christopher’s dynamic expressiveness have coined his style “close-encounter music” (NEW YORK TIMES) and have called his respect for the music traditions of New Orleans, “a triumph, joining the present seamlessly to a glorious past.” (THE OBSERVER, UK). Christopher’s journey on Clarinet Road began in 1994, when he left his native California to join the New Orleans music community. Published research on the New Orleans clarinet style, his “Clarinet Road” series of CDs, and international touring place him squarely as one of the most active ambassadors of the tradition.

Monday, May 15th at 7:00pm

“Creole Blues, Identity in Transition“
Agnes Varis and Karl Leichtman Recording Studio,
in Jazz @ Lincoln Center’s
Irene Diamond Education Center (IDEC)
5th Floor
The Time Warner Center
10 Columbus Circle (Broadway at 60th St.)
New York, NY 10023

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