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Jazz icon @WyntonMarsalis leads world-renowned musicians for @JazzatLincolnCenter (Facebook)/@JazzDotOrg (Instagram and Twitter) with special guest @NaseerShamma – presented by @KimmelCC (Twitter)/@KimmelCulturalCampus (Facebook and Instagram) on 1/22. For more info, visit kimmelculturalcampus.org.
Press Contacts:
Lauren A. Woodard Hall Hannah Palermo
484-832-1963 267-765-3724
lhall@kimmelculturalcampus.org hpalermo@alliedglobalmarketing.com
KIMMEL CULTURAL CAMPUS PRESENTS WORLD RENOWNED MUSICIANS OF JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER ORCHESTRA WITH WYNTON MARSALIS AND SPECIAL GUEST NASEER SHAMMA
JANUARY 22, 2023
"...a prime keeper of jazz tradition.” – Los Angeles Times
"The greatest big band on the planet" – Chick Corea
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (November 28, 2022) – The Kimmel Cultural Campus presents the return of Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis at the Academy of Music on January 22, 2023 at 7:00 p.m. Led by Wynton Marsalis, Managing and Artistic Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center, this incredibly versatile orchestra performs a vast repertoire ranging from original compositions and Jazz at Lincoln Center-commissioned works to rare historic compositions and masterworks by jazz legends, including Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Fletcher Henderson, Thelonious Monk, Mary Lou Williams, Dizzy Gillespie, Benny Goodman, Charles Mingus, and many others. This year, they will be joined by oud (an ancient Middle Eastern stringed instrument) virtuoso and award-winning artist, Naseer Shamma. An Iraqi musician, Shamma is known for raising funds for humanitarian efforts using his music.
“Wynton Marsalis is one of the world’s greatest artists and musical citizens. It is an honor to present this one-night-only event during which he will be joined by another international treasure and humanitarian, Naseer Shamma,” said Matías Tarnopolsky, president and CEO of The Philadelphia Orchestra and Kimmel Center, Inc. “This tour marks the first collaboration between the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and Shamma, and we are delighted to bring this groundbreaking concert to Philadelphia audiences.”
This unique pairing of Middle Eastern traditions with American jazz springs from Marsalis’s vision for Jazz at Lincoln Center’s 2022-23 season, designed to illuminate and reaffirm the notion of jazz as a global language. “Jazz encourages us to tell our unique story and teaches us how to create a collective story with others,” said Marsalis. “The music expresses the depth and power of our collective humanity.”
Wynton Marsalis first met Naseer Shamma at a music festival in Abu Dhabi in 2010. Entranced by the sound and versatility of the oud, Marsalis began jamming with Shamma backstage, and invited him to play with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra onstage during the festival. Their performance of Marsalis’s landmark “Majesty of the Blues” brought the audience to their feet in a spontaneous celebration of Eastern and Western styles.
For audiences unfamiliar with the oud or with Arabic music, this concert will vividly display the kinship of the two forms. Jazz and Arabic music share the art of improvisation, key to the artist’s expression, and many artists compare the quarter tones used in some Arabic scales to the “blue” notes in jazz—the sound that gives a soulful tone to the music. Watching the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra perform with Shamma makes it clear the delight the musicians experience melding the two forms, as exploring the possibilities drives them to new heights of improvisation and expression.
Since 1988, Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra (JLCO) has been the resident orchestra for Jazz at Lincoln Center. They have toured over 300 cities across six continents, performing alongside symphony orchestras, ballet troupes, students, and a superb roster of guest artists.
In addition to serving as Managing and Artistic Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center, Wynton Marsalis is a trumpeter, composer, and teacher. He prides himself on promoting classical and jazz music with an emphasis on young audiences. He is a nine-time Grammy® Award winner and is the only musician to win a Grammy® Award in jazz and classical during the same year. Additionally, his oratorio Blood on the Fields was the first jazz composition to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music.
A distinguished oud player, Naseer Shamma is an artist from Kut, Iraq. (An oud is a stringed instrument dating back to the 9th century, comparable in shape to a lute). Now called an oud master, Shamma’s talent and appearances have captured the imaginations of critics and audiences around the world. He created “The Arab Oud House”, training new musicians and bringing this Eastern instrument to Western audiences. A humanitarian, Shamma was awarded the 2012 International Gusi Peace Prize, works as the UNESCO Artist for Peace, and recently has worked with the International Red Crescent and Red Cross Societies (IFRC) as goodwill ambassador.
Naseer Shamma appears in partnership with the Abu Dhabi Festival.
The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis and special guest Naseer Shamma performance is a part of the Kimmel Cultural Campus’s Jazz Series. Remaining shows on the Kimmel Cultural Campus’ 22-23 Jazz Series include: Gregory Porter (February 16, 2023, Academy of Music); David Sánchez (February 18, 2023, Perelman Theater), Ranky Tanky with Ms. Lisa Fischer (March 11, 2023, Miller Theater), Immanuel Wilkins (April 6, 2023, Perelman Theater), Monterey Jazz Festival on Tour (April 8, 2023, Verizon Hall), George Benson (May 20, 2023, Academy of Music), and American Patchwork Quartet (June 24, 2023, Perelman Theater.)
Tickets
Tickets can be purchased by calling 215-893-1999 or online at www.kimmelculturalcampus.org. In-person ticket sales can be conducted daily from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. at the Academy of Music Box Office, located at 240 S. Broad Street. See www.kimmelculturalcampus.org for more information.
Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis and special guest Naseer Shamma
Academy of Music on the Kimmel Cultural Campus
January 22, 2023, at 7:30 p.m.
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KIMMEL CULTURAL CAMPUS
Located in the heart of Center City, Philadelphia, our mission is to engage the region's diverse communities with art through performance and education. Our Cultural Campus serves more than 1-million guests per year and includes Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts (Verizon Hall, Perelman Theater, and SEI Innovation Studio), the Academy of Music, and the Miller Theater (formerly the Merriam Theater) – representing more than 160 years of rich history for the performing arts along Philadelphia's Avenue of the Arts. We are home to The Philadelphia Orchestra and seven esteemed Resident Companies: Opera Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Ballet, The Philly POPS, PHILADANCO, The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, The Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, and Curtis Institute of Music. With nearly 9,000 seats per night, we are the region's most impactful performing arts center, and the second largest in the country. Our Cultural Campus serves as a preeminent and inclusive place to enjoy exceptional experiences that reflect the spirit of our region by cultivating a creative and socially responsible environment where our community shares experiences that are delivered with pride, integrity, and respect. As a 501 c 3 nonprofit organization, we collaborate on, present, and produce a broad range of relevant and meaningful events, we serve as an active gathering space for social and community events, we educate the region's young people through access to quality arts experiences, and we provide support to artists in the creation of new work. Read Kimmel Cultural Campus' vision statement, world view, and mission statement here. Learn more about our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and how it encompasses our mission, coworkers, and programs here.
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For photography, please visit https://kcccpress.smugmug.com
For a PDF version of this press release, click here.