A little Latin flavor will spice up Lawrence University’s 36th annual salute to all things jazz Nov. 4-5.
Brazil-born Grammy Award-winning vocalist Luciana Souza performs Friday, Nov. 4 at 7:30 p.m. with guitarist Romero Lubambo and percussionist Cyro Baptista.
The Children of the Light Trio — pianist Danilo Perez, bassist John Patitucci and drummer Brian Blade — closes the Fred Sturm Jazz Celebration Weekend Saturday, Nov. 5 at 7:30 p.m. Both concerts are in the Lawrence Memorial Chapel.
Tickets, at $30/$25 for adults, $25/$20 for seniors and $20/$18 for students are available through the Lawrence Box Office, 920-832-6749.
The daughter of a singer/songwriter father and poet/lyricist mother, Souza has been transcending traditional boundaries around musical styles as one of jazz’s leading singers and interpreters. a transcends traditional boundaries around musical styles. She has been releasing recordings to much acclaim since 2002, including six records that have earned Grammy nominations. Souza won a Grammy Award in 2007 as a featured vocalist on Herbie Hancock’s “River: The Joni Letters.”
Souza, who is returning to Lawrence after performing at 2010’s Jazz Celebration Weekend, has recorded with numerous jazz greats, among them Maria Schneider, Donny McCaslin and Vince Mendoza. She also has worked with Bobby McFerrin, Paul Simon and James Taylor and performed with the New York Philharmonic, the Atlanta Symphony and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, among others.
“We are thrilled to have Luciana Souza return to the Chapel for Friday evening’s concert,” said Patricia Darling, lecturer in music at Lawrence who also directs the Lawrence University Jazz Ensemble. “Luciana’s work combines solid roots in jazz with sophisticated elements of world music and new music.”
Grammy Award winners Perez, Patitucci and Blade have been long-time musical soulmates as the rhythm section of the Wayne Shorter Quartet. As the Children of the Light trio, they celebrate Shorter’s music and embrace new compositions.
Their group improvisations of Shorter’s 50-year history of compositions were described by NPR as “a family dinner where everyone’s talking at once yet somehow, everyone’s being heard.” The trio’s name is an homage to the Shorter composition “Children Of The Light.”
“This trio features three independent musical virtuosos and when they come together, they bring layers of intricate melodies, rhythm and textures, which is positively explosive,” said Jose Encarnacion, director of jazz studies at Lawrence. “Just as light naturally stimulates sights and makes things visible, so does this trio, bringing enlightenment and illumination to all its audience.”
Like Souza, Perez is also making a return visit to Lawrence, having closed out the 2011-12 Jazz Series. Born in Panama, he began playing piano at age three and later studied classical music at the National Conservatory in Panama. After moving to the United States, he studied jazz at Berklee College of Music, where he began performing with jazz heavyweights Jon Hendricks, Terence Blanchard, Claudio Roditi and Paquito D’Rivera. In the late 1980s, Pérez became the youngest member of Dizzy Gillespie’s United Nations Orchestra.
A Brooklyn native, Patitucci has been playing the bass since the age of 10. As a successful studio musician in Los Angeles, Patitucci performed on scores of albums with artists ranging from B. B. King, Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock to Bon Jovi, Sting and Queen Latifah. A 15-time Grammy Award nominee, his self-titled first solo recording hit No. 1 on the Billboard Jazz charts. Last year, he released his 14th solo album, “Brooklyn,” which featured his latest band, “The John Patitucci Electric Guitar Quartet.”
Blade, who performed at Lawrence in May 2015 with Jon Cowherd, is the founder of the eight-member Fellowship Band, which has released four albums, including 2014’s “Landmarks,” since making its debut in 1997. Blade applied his own singer/songwriter talents to his first solo album in 2009, “Mama Rosa,” which featured songs dedicated to his grandmother and family.
In addition to the evening concerts, a series of free performances by Lawrence combos, big bands, jazz faculty and high school bands will be held throughout the day on Saturday. Visit http://go.lawrence.edu/lujazz-16 for a complete schedule.
Lawrence’s annual jazz celebration weekend was renamed last year in honor of long-time music professor Fred Sturm, its founder and mentor who passed away in 2014.
About Lawrence University
Founded in 1847, Lawrence University uniquely integrates a college of liberal arts and sciences with a nationally recognized conservatory of music, both devoted exclusively to undergraduate education. It was selected for inclusion in the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.” Engaged learning, the development of multiple interests and community outreach are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,500 students from nearly every state and more than 50 countries.
