Last summer, she knocked everyone out in Bobby Hutcherson’s Quartet. This summer, pianist Renee Rosnes returns with her own superlative quartet (Steve Nelson, Peter Washington, and Lewis Nash) to kick off the 2011 Jazz Festival with an inspired and elegant evening in the intimate Spanish Courtyard.
Virtuoso bassist Christian McBride brings his Big Band to heat up the Venetian Theater as Saturday’s headliner and to show us why this propulsive large ensemble is one of the hottest groups on the scene. Guitarist Juan Carlos Formell and his quartet Johnny’s Dream Club begin the afternoon by conjuring the sounds of late-‘40s Havana—rhapsodic yet sizzling. Joshua Redman’s latest project—James Farm—brings together pianist Aaron Parks, bassist Matt Penman, and drummer Eric Harland for a truly collaborative approach resulting in rhythmically complex, harmonically rich, and melodically beautiful music-making. Singer José James—a true rising star—closes the afternoon with the power and tenderness of his extraordinary and seductive treatments of everything from jazz standards to soul to R&B and on…
2010 MacArthur ‘Genius’ Fellow recipient Jason Moran brings his intrepid trio—The Bandwagon—to close out the 2011 Caramoor Festival for a set that weaves myriad influences into the future of music—now. Legendary guitarist and innovator John Scofield and his quartet also summon stylistic diversity as they launch into their powerful improvisations—hold on… Columbian harpist Edmar Castaneda and his quartet open Sunday with a lush and unexpected journey that demonstrates how he is revolutionizing the perception of his instrument. One of the most brilliant pianists and composers of his generation, Fred Hersch teams up with Italian multi-reedist Nico Gori for deeply immersive and subtle music-making. The Robert Glasper Trio closes out the afternoon with an intricate set of hip-hop inflected originals.
