MUSIC
August 25, 2017
Kabaka Pyramid: Elephant Convoy
8pm (Doors), 9pm (Show)
Admission: $15+
Keron “Kabaka Pyramid” Salmon is a multi-talented artist and producer hailing from the streets of Kingston, Jamaica with a unique musical style
blending the power, energy and melody of Reggae with the lyricism of Hip Hop. He is based out of the Bebble Rock Music camp and through his liquid
and hypnotizing delivery spreads the positive messages of spirituality and conscious evolution that forces you to listen.
The Pour House Music Hall
224 S. Blount Street, Raleigh
(919) 821-1120
www.thepourhousemusichall.com
August 25, 2017
PJ Morton
8pm (Doors open), 9pm (Show)
Admission: $15+
PJ Morton (b.March 29, 1981, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA) is an American R&B singer, musician, record producer, songwriter and one of the keyboardists in the pop rock band Maroon 5.
Motorco Music Hall
723 Rigsbee Ave, Durham
(919) 901-0875
www.motorcomusic.com
August 26, 2017
N'Kognito
8pm (Doors), 9pm (Show)
Admission: $8+
Based out of Raleigh-Durham, NC, N’kogniito has spent the last two and half years crafting their own original sound and honing their skill set. With
heavy influences from a variety of genres, the group does not like generic. Their music blurs the lines between R&B, Soul, Funk, Jazz, Blues and more.
It’s only a matter of time before N’kogniito becomes a well-recognized name.
The Pour House Music Hall
224 S. Blount Street, Raleigh
(919) 821-1120
www.thepourhousemusichall.com
September 7, 2017
Jojo Abot
7:30pm
Admission: $20
Dive into the dreamy multiple worlds of Ghanaian global fusionist Jojo Abot, coupling Afrobeat, jazz, reggae and electronica with fashion, film, literature and performance art. Dividing her time between Accra, Copenhagen and New York City, Jojo’s ongoing project FYFYA WOTO (New Birth | New Discovery) examines Self as a provocative tool in the discovery, exchange and evolution of identity. Poised to take the world by storm with her uniquely coined Afro-Hypno-Sonic sound and otherworldly perspective, Fall 2017 sees her on tour with the legendary Lauryn Hill.
Carolina Performing Arts
Memorial Hall
114 E. Cameron Ave, Chapel Hill
(919) 843-3333
www.carolinaperformingarts.org
October 4, 2017
TajMo: The Taj Mahal & Keb’ Mo’ Band
7:30pm
Admission: $49.50+
TajMo: The Taj Mahal & Keb’ Mo’ Band sees Blues titans Taj Mahal and Keb’ Mo’ share the stage with their band for an exciting night of music, performing songs from their long-anticipated collaborative album ‘TajMo’, coming May 5, 2017 on Concord Records, stopping at DPAC on October 4, 2017. While the two have known and influenced each other for decades, and Taj played a key role in Keb’s first record deal, ‘TajMo’ marks the first proper collaboration between Taj Mahal and Keb’ Mo’. The album was self-produced by the duo and was mixed by Grammy Award-winner Ross Hogarth and mastered by Grammy Award-winner Richard Dodd. The 11-song set includes covers of John Mayer and The Who, as well as 6 original songs.
Durham Performing Arts Center
123 Vivian St, Durham
(919) 680-2787
www.dpacnc.com
October 19, 2017
JD Allen Trio & Geri Allen
7pm & 9pm
Admission: $25 (Regular), $10 (Duke Students)
The pianist Geri Allen is one of the most celebrated jazz musicians of her generation. A Guggenheim Fellow and University of Pittsburgh Director of Jazz Studies, she has worked with a Who’s Who of players and arrangers, from Ornette Coleman and Charlie Haden to Laurie Anderson and Betty Carter.
For a decade now, tenor saxophonist JD Allen has anchored his eponymous trio, supported by drummer Rudy Royston and bassist Gregg August. Allen’s ragged, searching tone is redolent of jazz’s blues heritage, and his playing reflects his pedigree as a grandson of the Delta, a son of Detroit, and a leader of modern jazz.
Durham Fruit & Produce Company
305 South Dillard Street, Durham
(919) 684-4444
www.dukeperformances.duke.edu
October 20, 2017
Tyshawn Sorey & Jason Moran
7pm & 9pm
Admission: $25 (Regular), $10 (Duke Students)
In this dream collaboration, two of American music’s brightest and most adventurous modern minds, Tyshawn Sorey and Jason Moran, collaborate to pay tribute to their clear musical and intellectual predecessor, Thelonious Monk. A MacArthur fellow lauded by The Los Angeles Times for his “relentless thirst for experimentation,” Moran is best known in these parts for IN MY MIND, a reimagining of Monk’s 1959 Town Hall concert commissioned by Duke Performances. Sorey is a powerhouse drummer, digging into jazz and funk grooves with great authority. There are few pairs of musicians as capable of pulling Monk’s legacy into this century, in spirit and in sound.
Duke Performances
Durham Fruit & Produce Company
305 South Dillard Street, Durham
(919) 684-4444
www.dukeperformances.duke.edu
October 21, 2017
Gerald Clayton & Ben Wendel
7pm & 9pm
Admission: $25 (Regular), $10 (Duke Students)
Pianist Gerald Clayton and saxophonist Ben Wendel are bandmates and compelling musical collaborators. The two share a sumptuous approach to jazz, where sophisticated chords and shifting rhythms are delivered with charm and enthusiasm. Clayton began playing with his family band, the Clayton Brothers, as a child, studied with Kenny Barron, and is a multiple GRAMMY nominee. He was last seen at Duke Performances in Piedmont Blues. Wendel plays with the fusion outfit Kneebody and has performed with Snoop Dogg and Prince. His playing has a radiant lyricism that finds delight in every melodic contour, making him the perfect partner for this project.
Duke Performances
Durham Fruit & Produce Company
305 South Dillard Street, Durham
(919) 684-4444
www.dukeperformances.duke.edu
October 22, 2017
The Como Mamas
7pm
Admission: $25 (Regular), $10 (Duke Students)
Remarkably little is known about the years Thelonious Monk spent on the road as a teenager, playing organ behind an evangelist and faith healer possibly called the Texas Warhorse. The influence of gospel on Monk’s music — big, strong chords above and a warm, assured spirit coursing below — is evident in everything he wrote. Few contemporary groups tap the same vein as the Como Mamas, a trio of singers from the tiny Mississippi town of Como. On their breakthrough, Get an Understanding, Della Daniels, Ester Mae Smith, and Angela Taylor belted out unaccompanied spirituals with a grit and power that would astonish even the staunchest agnostic. In Durham, too, the trio sings without accompaniment, on a program that considers the thrilling source material of Monk’s distinctive music.
Duke Performances
Durham Fruit & Produce Company
305 South Dillard Street, Durham
(919) 684-4444
www.dukeperformances.duke.edu
October 24, 2017
Ethan Iverson Trio with Chris Potter & Houston Person
7pm & 9pm
Admission: $25 (Regular), $10 (Duke Students)
Nearly four decades separate the exuberant Chris Potter and the sage Houston Person, but in Durham they share the same supporting trio. This double bill of saxophonists from South Carolina stretches across generations and styles. Though Ethan Iverson is best known for his groundbreaking crossover work with the Bad Plus, that trio’s remarkable catalogue only marks the second phase of a sterling quarter-century career. Iverson emerged as a major new player in the early 1990s, when he became an essential piece of a rising underground New York jazz scene. Drummer Victor Lewis was a key element of the top-shelf Woody Shaw group for many years, and bassist David Williams was the lynchpin for an awe-inspiring trio with Cedar Walton and Billy Higgins for three decades.
Duke Performances
Durham Fruit & Produce Company
305 South Dillard Street, Durham
(919) 684-4444
www.dukeperformances.duke.edu
October 25, 2017
Ethan Iverson Trio & Joshua Redman
7pm & 9pm
Admission: $25 (Regular), $10 (Duke Students)
“Is Joshua Redman a new archetype?” The New York Times asked more than two decades ago, when the saxophonist, who had just moved to the city, was just twenty-five. The Times was right: since he abandoned Yale Law School to become a musician, Redman — the son of saxophone titan Dewey Redman and dancer Renee Shedroff — has become the new standard-bearer for jazz. His bright, bold tone and innate sense of momentum have made his music instantly accessible, an open invitation for audiences who thought jazz had left them behind. Redman has worked to foster a new breed of jazz giants, doing riveting work with Brad Mehldau and collaborating with the Bad Plus.
Duke Performances
Durham Fruit & Produce Company
305 South Dillard Street, Durham
(919) 684-4444
www.dukeperformances.duke.edu
October 26, 2017
Ethan Iverson Trio & Ravi Coltrane
7pm & 9pm
Admission: $25 (Regular), $10 (Duke Students)
Saxophonist Ravi Coltrane was born into jazz royalty, the son of musicians John (who died before Ravi was two) and Alice. But his surname has served less as a free pass and more as an impetus to sharpen and stretch his athletic approach to the same instrument his father revolutionized. He has also, much like his mother, explored outsider styles and influences. Since initially shying away from a career in music, Coltrane has become an emissary for jazz, not only through his own writing and recording but also through high-profile collaborations, including one that commemorated the seventieth anniversary of the label he and his father shared, Blue Note Records.
Duke Performances
Durham Fruit & Produce Company
305 South Dillard Street, Durham
(919) 684-4444
www.dukeperformances.duke.edu
November 2, 2017
Pharoache Monch & PitchBlak Brass Band
8pm
Admission: $10+
In February 2016, a quarter century after his debut with the pivotal hip-hop duo Organized Konfusion, Queens emcee Pharoahe Monch took a chance and stepped onstage at New York’s Ecstatic Music Festival with Brooklyn’s uproarious PitchBlak Brass Band. They astounded the audience with a full set of full-band rap. Sousaphones and strings, trombones and trumpets, drums and saxes, background singers and bass all blasted the beats for the best of Monch’s catalogue, including cuts from his 2014 album, PTSD: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. From the ’90s party anthem “Simon Says” to the verbally acrobatic exploration of addiction “Broken Again,” the experiment worked. One of the most inventive emcees in hip-hop’s history, Monch has never been one to sit still, perpetually pushing his rhymes into new musical settings. But the crowd in New York was so jubilant and the performance so strong that he agreed to revisit the PitchBlak project in Durham, reanimating his songs with a big, bold band that spoke his language, even delighted in it. “Too many groups from the classical world that engage with hip-hop do so in a superficial way,” said Ecstatic curator Judd Greenstein. “I wanted to make sure that Pharoahe could work with people who knew hip-hop and enriched the material.” PitchBlak joins rap to one of America’s most exciting new brass bands.
Reynolds Industries Theater
Bryan University Center
125 Science Drive, Durham
(919) 684-4444
www.dukeperformances.duke.edu
December 2, 2017
Kamasi Washington
7:30 pm
Admission: $28.12
Music titan Kamasi Washington’s new EP Harmony of Difference. the first new music from Washington since his universally acclaimed 2015 debut album The Epic, is out September 29 via Young Turks. Furthermore, Washington has confirmed a very special run of North American headline shows this fall in partnership with AEG Presents.“My hope is that witnessing the beautiful harmony created by merging different musical melodies will help people realize the beauty in our own differences.”—Kamasi Washington
Raleigh Memorial Auditorium
2 E South Street, Raleigh
(919) 996-8700
www.dukeenergycenterraleigh.com
December 9, 2017
Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Winston Marsalis: Big Band Holidays
8pm
Admission: TBA
In this much-anticipated annual tradition, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis spreads holiday cheer with swinging renditions of your favorite music. Joined by special guest vocalists Catherine Russell and Kenny Washington, they perform sacred and secular holiday classics such as Count Basie’s “Jingle Bells,” Billie Holiday’s “I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm,” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”
Carolina Performing Arts
Memorial Hall
114 E. Cameron Ave, Chapel Hill
(919) 843-3333
www.carolinaperformingarts.org
January 20, 2018
Brian Blade & The Fellowship Band
8pm
Admission: (Regular) $20+, (Students) $10+
Drummer Brian Blade has an astounding résumé. He played on Bob Dylan’s Time out of Mind, Norah Jones’ Come Away with Me, and Emmylou Harris’ Wrecking Ball. His gentle touch and commitment to playing in the pocket have made him one of the world’s foremost session drummers, able to intuitively galvanize most any mood. For the past seventeen years he’s also been the anchor of Wayne Shorter’s quartet. Although Blade has appeared frequently at Duke Performances, this season, for the first time, he comes to Durham with his long-running Fellowship Band. With the Fellowship Band, Blade brings all of his inspirations and experiences to the fore simultaneously, from the gospel he grew up playing in his family’s Louisiana church to the New Orleans jazz of his college years. Perennially cool and nuanced, the ensemble moves seamlessly between hard bop and heavenly atmospherics, threaded together by sophisticated harmony and meticulous rhythm. The band — composer and keyboardist Jon Cowherd, horn players Myron Walden and Melvin Butler, and upright bassist Chris Thomas — is of the highest caliber, with a chemistry between the players that is amazing to behold.Duke Performances
Baldwain Auditorium
1336 Campus Drive, Durham
www.dukeperformances.org
January 26 & 28, 2018
Verdi - Rigoletto
Admission: TBA
The court jester Rigoletto insults and humiliates all those around him for the amusement of his boss, the Duke of Mantua. But eventually those words come back to haunt him, setting him and his innocent, love-struck daughter Gilda on a course for disaster. You will immediately recognize the parade of hit tunes from Gilda’s “Caro nome” to the Duke’s “La donna è mobile” and to the thrilling final quartet. At the heart of the story though is Rigoletto himself, a tragic title character worthy of Shakespeare, a case study that proves that nothing good ever comes from hate and a never-ending thirst for revenge. The role of Gilda will be performed by African American sophrano Jacqueline Echols. The role of Sparafucile will be played by African American bass-baritone Soloman Howard. Sung in Italian with English supertitles.
North Carolina Opera
Raleigh Memorial Auditorium
2 E South Street, Raleigh
(919) 996-8700
www.ncopera.org
February 8, 2018
MURS - 9th Wonder
7pm (Doors Open), 8pm (Show)
Admission: $28+
MURS stands for: Making Underground Raw Shit
Originally making Hiphop beats from his North Carolina Central University dorm room using FL Studio (formerly known as Fruityloops), he has since become one of the more acclaimed producers in the Hiphop music music industry. As an up-and-coming producer, he released a remix album of Nas' 2002 album God's Son entitled God's Stepson. This album began what is now a regular trend of remixing whole albums.
Motorco Music Hall
723 Rigsbee Ave, Durham
(919) 901-0875
www.motorcomusic.com
February 15, 2018
Ambrose Adkinmusire Quartet
7:30pm
Admission: TBA
Headlining the Carolina Jazz Festival, this young trumpet innovator’s serene, elusive compositions reassemble conventional jazz elements in mercurial, unorthodox musings. A winner of the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Trumpet Competition and the Carmine Caruso International Jazz Trumpet Solo Competition, Ambrose Akinmusire has appeared with jazz greats including Steve Coleman, Vijay Iyer, Aaron Parks, Esperanza Spalding and Jason Moran. His album the imagined savior is far easier to paint received five stars in All About Jazz and The New York Times named his debut recording 2011’s #1 album.
Carolina Performing Arts
Memorial Hall
114 E. Cameron Ave, Chapel Hill
(919) 843-3333
www.carolinaperformingarts.org
February 24, 2018
Somi
8pm
Admission: TBA
NPR calls Somi, “The quintessential artist citizen of the world.” Born in Illinois, the daughter of immigrants from Uganda and Rwanda, Somi has worked for the last decade carving out a career as a renowned jazz vocalist, songwriter and activist.
Timus Theatre
NC State University
2241 Dunn Ave, Raleigh
(919) 515-2405
www.live.arts.ncsu.edu
March 1, 2018
Alsarah and the Nubatones
7pm (Doors open), 8pm (Show)
Admission: $20+
Members: Alsarah - Vocals Nahid - Additional Vocals Rami El Aasser - Percussion Mawuena Kodjovi - Bass Brandon Terzic - Oud
Genre: Nubian/Sudanese inspired East-African Retro-Pop. Home Town: Brooklyn, NY
Motorco Music Hall
723 Rigsbee Ave, Durham
(919) 901-0875
www.motorcomusic.com
March 2 & 3, 2018
Audra McDonald
8pm
Admission: TBA
Audra McDonald is unparalleled in the breadth and versatility of her artistry as both singer and actress. The winner of a record-breaking six Tony Awards, two Grammy Awards and an Emmy Award, she was named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2015 and received a 2015 National Medal of Arts. Blessed with a luminous soprano voice and an incomparable gift for dramatic truth-telling, she is cherished on Broadway, opera and concert stages, film and television.
Carolina Performing Arts
Memorial Hall
114 E. Cameron Ave, Chapel Hill
(919) 843-3333
www.carolinaperformingarts.org
March 8, 2018
For Michael: The Music of Michael Jackson
7:30pm
Admission: $48+
From his early years with the Jackson 5 to his mega-hit album Thriller and beyond, Michael Jackson stormed the music industry with hit after hit. A full rock band and vocalist join the Symphony to jam on “ABC,” “I'll Be There,” “Beat It,” “Rock With You,” “The Way You Make Me Feel,” and many, many more.
Duke Energy Center for Performing Arts
Meymandi Concert Hall
2 E South Street, Raleigh
(919) 996-8700
www.ncsymphony.org
March 25, 2018
Lawrence Brownlee, tenor
7:30pm
Admission: TBA
Grammy-nominated tenor Lawrence Brownlee captivates audiences and critics around the world, ushering in “a new golden age in high male voices” (The New York Times). Nominated Male Singer of the Year by the International Opera Awards, he has performed with the leading international opera houses, festivals and orchestras. His critically acclaimed discography and videography are testaments to his broad impact across the classical music world, with opera and concert works alongside African American spirituals. In his first appearance with Carolina Performing Arts, he performs opera arias, gospel, spirituals and showtunes.
Carolina Performing Arts
114 E. Cameron Ave, Chapel Hill
(919) 843-3333
www.carolinaperformingarts.org
March 26, 2018
Joan Soriano
7pm (Doors open), 8pm (Show)
Admission: $20+
Joan Soriano is a bachata singer and guitarist from the Dominican Republic. His style is a blend of modern with traditional bachata. Since the 1980s, Joan's guitar and arrangements have graced many hit bachatas by other artists, and since 2008, he has begun to make a name for himself internationally.
Motorco Music Hall
723 Rigsbee Ave, Durham
(919) 901-0875
www.motorcomusic.com
April 4, 2018
Dayme Arocena
7:30pm
Admission: TBA
Santería chants, complex rhythms, fluid jazz stylings and nuanced Afro-Cuban soulfulness mark singer/composer Daymé Arocena’s impact on the unfolding history of Cuban music. One of the most inviting ambassadors for the country’s contemporary sound, her virtuosity, charisma and warmth were recognized by the Havana Cultura Mix project, in which producers from around the world recorded in Cuba with local musicians. Her 2016 album One Takes features Horace Silver’s “Gods of Yoruba” among a collection of masterfully reimagined rare covers that further bridge her musical worlds.
Carolina Performing Arts
Memorial Hall
University of North Carolina
114 E. Cameron Ave, Chapel Hill
(919) 843-3333
www.carolinaperformingarts.org
April 7, 2018
Boots Riley and The Coup
8pm
Admission: TBA
Merging hip hop beats, punk urgency and astute social commentary inspired by world events and literature, Boots Riley and The Coup will have you dancing in your seats. Rapper/author/activist Boots Riley is integral to the progressive struggle for radical change through culture. After student organizing in Oakland’s public schools and joining the Progressive Labor Party’s central committee, he served as president of InCAR (International Committee Against Racism) and organized to build California’s Anti-Racist Farm Workers’ Union.
Carolina Performing Arts
Current Artspace + Studio
123 W. Franklin Street, Building C, Chapel Hill
(919) 843-3333
www.carolinaperformingarts.org
From his early years with the Jackson 5 to his mega-hit album Thriller and beyond, Michael Jackson stormed the music industry with hit after hit. A full rock band and vocalist join the Symphony to jam on “ABC,” “I'll Be There,” “Beat It,” “Rock With You,” “The Way You Make Me Feel,” and many, many more.
August 25, 2017
Kabaka Pyramid: Elephant Convoy
8pm (Doors), 9pm (Show)
Admission: $15+
Keron “Kabaka Pyramid” Salmon is a multi-talented artist and producer hailing from the streets of Kingston, Jamaica with a unique musical style
blending the power, energy and melody of Reggae with the lyricism of Hip Hop. He is based out of the Bebble Rock Music camp and through his liquid
and hypnotizing delivery spreads the positive messages of spirituality and conscious evolution that forces you to listen.
The Pour House Music Hall
224 S. Blount Street, Raleigh
(919) 821-1120
www.thepourhousemusichall.com
August 25, 2017
PJ Morton
8pm (Doors open), 9pm (Show)
Admission: $15+
PJ Morton (b.March 29, 1981, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA) is an American R&B singer, musician, record producer, songwriter and one of the keyboardists in the pop rock band Maroon 5.
Motorco Music Hall
723 Rigsbee Ave, Durham
(919) 901-0875
www.motorcomusic.com
August 26, 2017
N'Kognito
8pm (Doors), 9pm (Show)
Admission: $8+
Based out of Raleigh-Durham, NC, N’kogniito has spent the last two and half years crafting their own original sound and honing their skill set. With
heavy influences from a variety of genres, the group does not like generic. Their music blurs the lines between R&B, Soul, Funk, Jazz, Blues and more.
It’s only a matter of time before N’kogniito becomes a well-recognized name.
The Pour House Music Hall
224 S. Blount Street, Raleigh
(919) 821-1120
www.thepourhousemusichall.com
September 7, 2017
Jojo Abot
7:30pm
Admission: $20
Dive into the dreamy multiple worlds of Ghanaian global fusionist Jojo Abot, coupling Afrobeat, jazz, reggae and electronica with fashion, film, literature and performance art. Dividing her time between Accra, Copenhagen and New York City, Jojo’s ongoing project FYFYA WOTO (New Birth | New Discovery) examines Self as a provocative tool in the discovery, exchange and evolution of identity. Poised to take the world by storm with her uniquely coined Afro-Hypno-Sonic sound and otherworldly perspective, Fall 2017 sees her on tour with the legendary Lauryn Hill.
Carolina Performing Arts
Memorial Hall
114 E. Cameron Ave, Chapel Hill
(919) 843-3333
www.carolinaperformingarts.org
October 4, 2017
TajMo: The Taj Mahal & Keb’ Mo’ Band
7:30pm
Admission: $49.50+
TajMo: The Taj Mahal & Keb’ Mo’ Band sees Blues titans Taj Mahal and Keb’ Mo’ share the stage with their band for an exciting night of music, performing songs from their long-anticipated collaborative album ‘TajMo’, coming May 5, 2017 on Concord Records, stopping at DPAC on October 4, 2017. While the two have known and influenced each other for decades, and Taj played a key role in Keb’s first record deal, ‘TajMo’ marks the first proper collaboration between Taj Mahal and Keb’ Mo’. The album was self-produced by the duo and was mixed by Grammy Award-winner Ross Hogarth and mastered by Grammy Award-winner Richard Dodd. The 11-song set includes covers of John Mayer and The Who, as well as 6 original songs.
Durham Performing Arts Center
123 Vivian St, Durham
(919) 680-2787
www.dpacnc.com
October 19, 2017
JD Allen Trio & Geri Allen
7pm & 9pm
Admission: $25 (Regular), $10 (Duke Students)
The pianist Geri Allen is one of the most celebrated jazz musicians of her generation. A Guggenheim Fellow and University of Pittsburgh Director of Jazz Studies, she has worked with a Who’s Who of players and arrangers, from Ornette Coleman and Charlie Haden to Laurie Anderson and Betty Carter.
For a decade now, tenor saxophonist JD Allen has anchored his eponymous trio, supported by drummer Rudy Royston and bassist Gregg August. Allen’s ragged, searching tone is redolent of jazz’s blues heritage, and his playing reflects his pedigree as a grandson of the Delta, a son of Detroit, and a leader of modern jazz.
Durham Fruit & Produce Company
305 South Dillard Street, Durham
(919) 684-4444
www.dukeperformances.duke.edu
October 20, 2017
Tyshawn Sorey & Jason Moran
7pm & 9pm
Admission: $25 (Regular), $10 (Duke Students)
In this dream collaboration, two of American music’s brightest and most adventurous modern minds, Tyshawn Sorey and Jason Moran, collaborate to pay tribute to their clear musical and intellectual predecessor, Thelonious Monk. A MacArthur fellow lauded by The Los Angeles Times for his “relentless thirst for experimentation,” Moran is best known in these parts for IN MY MIND, a reimagining of Monk’s 1959 Town Hall concert commissioned by Duke Performances. Sorey is a powerhouse drummer, digging into jazz and funk grooves with great authority. There are few pairs of musicians as capable of pulling Monk’s legacy into this century, in spirit and in sound.
Duke Performances
Durham Fruit & Produce Company
305 South Dillard Street, Durham
(919) 684-4444
www.dukeperformances.duke.edu
October 21, 2017
Gerald Clayton & Ben Wendel
7pm & 9pm
Admission: $25 (Regular), $10 (Duke Students)
Pianist Gerald Clayton and saxophonist Ben Wendel are bandmates and compelling musical collaborators. The two share a sumptuous approach to jazz, where sophisticated chords and shifting rhythms are delivered with charm and enthusiasm. Clayton began playing with his family band, the Clayton Brothers, as a child, studied with Kenny Barron, and is a multiple GRAMMY nominee. He was last seen at Duke Performances in Piedmont Blues. Wendel plays with the fusion outfit Kneebody and has performed with Snoop Dogg and Prince. His playing has a radiant lyricism that finds delight in every melodic contour, making him the perfect partner for this project.
Duke Performances
Durham Fruit & Produce Company
305 South Dillard Street, Durham
(919) 684-4444
www.dukeperformances.duke.edu
October 22, 2017
The Como Mamas
7pm
Admission: $25 (Regular), $10 (Duke Students)
Remarkably little is known about the years Thelonious Monk spent on the road as a teenager, playing organ behind an evangelist and faith healer possibly called the Texas Warhorse. The influence of gospel on Monk’s music — big, strong chords above and a warm, assured spirit coursing below — is evident in everything he wrote. Few contemporary groups tap the same vein as the Como Mamas, a trio of singers from the tiny Mississippi town of Como. On their breakthrough, Get an Understanding, Della Daniels, Ester Mae Smith, and Angela Taylor belted out unaccompanied spirituals with a grit and power that would astonish even the staunchest agnostic. In Durham, too, the trio sings without accompaniment, on a program that considers the thrilling source material of Monk’s distinctive music.
Duke Performances
Durham Fruit & Produce Company
305 South Dillard Street, Durham
(919) 684-4444
www.dukeperformances.duke.edu
October 24, 2017
Ethan Iverson Trio with Chris Potter & Houston Person
7pm & 9pm
Admission: $25 (Regular), $10 (Duke Students)
Nearly four decades separate the exuberant Chris Potter and the sage Houston Person, but in Durham they share the same supporting trio. This double bill of saxophonists from South Carolina stretches across generations and styles. Though Ethan Iverson is best known for his groundbreaking crossover work with the Bad Plus, that trio’s remarkable catalogue only marks the second phase of a sterling quarter-century career. Iverson emerged as a major new player in the early 1990s, when he became an essential piece of a rising underground New York jazz scene. Drummer Victor Lewis was a key element of the top-shelf Woody Shaw group for many years, and bassist David Williams was the lynchpin for an awe-inspiring trio with Cedar Walton and Billy Higgins for three decades.
Duke Performances
Durham Fruit & Produce Company
305 South Dillard Street, Durham
(919) 684-4444
www.dukeperformances.duke.edu
October 25, 2017
Ethan Iverson Trio & Joshua Redman
7pm & 9pm
Admission: $25 (Regular), $10 (Duke Students)
“Is Joshua Redman a new archetype?” The New York Times asked more than two decades ago, when the saxophonist, who had just moved to the city, was just twenty-five. The Times was right: since he abandoned Yale Law School to become a musician, Redman — the son of saxophone titan Dewey Redman and dancer Renee Shedroff — has become the new standard-bearer for jazz. His bright, bold tone and innate sense of momentum have made his music instantly accessible, an open invitation for audiences who thought jazz had left them behind. Redman has worked to foster a new breed of jazz giants, doing riveting work with Brad Mehldau and collaborating with the Bad Plus.
Duke Performances
Durham Fruit & Produce Company
305 South Dillard Street, Durham
(919) 684-4444
www.dukeperformances.duke.edu
October 26, 2017
Ethan Iverson Trio & Ravi Coltrane
7pm & 9pm
Admission: $25 (Regular), $10 (Duke Students)
Saxophonist Ravi Coltrane was born into jazz royalty, the son of musicians John (who died before Ravi was two) and Alice. But his surname has served less as a free pass and more as an impetus to sharpen and stretch his athletic approach to the same instrument his father revolutionized. He has also, much like his mother, explored outsider styles and influences. Since initially shying away from a career in music, Coltrane has become an emissary for jazz, not only through his own writing and recording but also through high-profile collaborations, including one that commemorated the seventieth anniversary of the label he and his father shared, Blue Note Records.
Duke Performances
Durham Fruit & Produce Company
305 South Dillard Street, Durham
(919) 684-4444
www.dukeperformances.duke.edu
November 2, 2017
Pharoache Monch & PitchBlak Brass Band
8pm
Admission: $10+
In February 2016, a quarter century after his debut with the pivotal hip-hop duo Organized Konfusion, Queens emcee Pharoahe Monch took a chance and stepped onstage at New York’s Ecstatic Music Festival with Brooklyn’s uproarious PitchBlak Brass Band. They astounded the audience with a full set of full-band rap. Sousaphones and strings, trombones and trumpets, drums and saxes, background singers and bass all blasted the beats for the best of Monch’s catalogue, including cuts from his 2014 album, PTSD: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. From the ’90s party anthem “Simon Says” to the verbally acrobatic exploration of addiction “Broken Again,” the experiment worked. One of the most inventive emcees in hip-hop’s history, Monch has never been one to sit still, perpetually pushing his rhymes into new musical settings. But the crowd in New York was so jubilant and the performance so strong that he agreed to revisit the PitchBlak project in Durham, reanimating his songs with a big, bold band that spoke his language, even delighted in it. “Too many groups from the classical world that engage with hip-hop do so in a superficial way,” said Ecstatic curator Judd Greenstein. “I wanted to make sure that Pharoahe could work with people who knew hip-hop and enriched the material.” PitchBlak joins rap to one of America’s most exciting new brass bands.
Reynolds Industries Theater
Bryan University Center
125 Science Drive, Durham
(919) 684-4444
www.dukeperformances.duke.edu
December 2, 2017
Kamasi Washington
7:30 pm
Admission: $28.12
Music titan Kamasi Washington’s new EP Harmony of Difference. the first new music from Washington since his universally acclaimed 2015 debut album The Epic, is out September 29 via Young Turks. Furthermore, Washington has confirmed a very special run of North American headline shows this fall in partnership with AEG Presents.“My hope is that witnessing the beautiful harmony created by merging different musical melodies will help people realize the beauty in our own differences.”—Kamasi Washington
Raleigh Memorial Auditorium
2 E South Street, Raleigh
(919) 996-8700
www.dukeenergycenterraleigh.com
December 9, 2017
Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Winston Marsalis: Big Band Holidays
8pm
Admission: TBA
In this much-anticipated annual tradition, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis spreads holiday cheer with swinging renditions of your favorite music. Joined by special guest vocalists Catherine Russell and Kenny Washington, they perform sacred and secular holiday classics such as Count Basie’s “Jingle Bells,” Billie Holiday’s “I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm,” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”
Carolina Performing Arts
Memorial Hall
114 E. Cameron Ave, Chapel Hill
(919) 843-3333
www.carolinaperformingarts.org
January 20, 2018
Brian Blade & The Fellowship Band
8pm
Admission: (Regular) $20+, (Students) $10+
Drummer Brian Blade has an astounding résumé. He played on Bob Dylan’s Time out of Mind, Norah Jones’ Come Away with Me, and Emmylou Harris’ Wrecking Ball. His gentle touch and commitment to playing in the pocket have made him one of the world’s foremost session drummers, able to intuitively galvanize most any mood. For the past seventeen years he’s also been the anchor of Wayne Shorter’s quartet. Although Blade has appeared frequently at Duke Performances, this season, for the first time, he comes to Durham with his long-running Fellowship Band. With the Fellowship Band, Blade brings all of his inspirations and experiences to the fore simultaneously, from the gospel he grew up playing in his family’s Louisiana church to the New Orleans jazz of his college years. Perennially cool and nuanced, the ensemble moves seamlessly between hard bop and heavenly atmospherics, threaded together by sophisticated harmony and meticulous rhythm. The band — composer and keyboardist Jon Cowherd, horn players Myron Walden and Melvin Butler, and upright bassist Chris Thomas — is of the highest caliber, with a chemistry between the players that is amazing to behold.Duke Performances
Baldwain Auditorium
1336 Campus Drive, Durham
www.dukeperformances.org
January 26 & 28, 2018
Verdi - Rigoletto
Admission: TBA
The court jester Rigoletto insults and humiliates all those around him for the amusement of his boss, the Duke of Mantua. But eventually those words come back to haunt him, setting him and his innocent, love-struck daughter Gilda on a course for disaster. You will immediately recognize the parade of hit tunes from Gilda’s “Caro nome” to the Duke’s “La donna è mobile” and to the thrilling final quartet. At the heart of the story though is Rigoletto himself, a tragic title character worthy of Shakespeare, a case study that proves that nothing good ever comes from hate and a never-ending thirst for revenge. The role of Gilda will be performed by African American sophrano Jacqueline Echols. The role of Sparafucile will be played by African American bass-baritone Soloman Howard. Sung in Italian with English supertitles.
North Carolina Opera
Raleigh Memorial Auditorium
2 E South Street, Raleigh
(919) 996-8700
www.ncopera.org
February 8, 2018
MURS - 9th Wonder
7pm (Doors Open), 8pm (Show)
Admission: $28+
MURS stands for: Making Underground Raw Shit
Originally making Hiphop beats from his North Carolina Central University dorm room using FL Studio (formerly known as Fruityloops), he has since become one of the more acclaimed producers in the Hiphop music music industry. As an up-and-coming producer, he released a remix album of Nas' 2002 album God's Son entitled God's Stepson. This album began what is now a regular trend of remixing whole albums.
Motorco Music Hall
723 Rigsbee Ave, Durham
(919) 901-0875
www.motorcomusic.com
February 15, 2018
Ambrose Adkinmusire Quartet
7:30pm
Admission: TBA
Headlining the Carolina Jazz Festival, this young trumpet innovator’s serene, elusive compositions reassemble conventional jazz elements in mercurial, unorthodox musings. A winner of the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Trumpet Competition and the Carmine Caruso International Jazz Trumpet Solo Competition, Ambrose Akinmusire has appeared with jazz greats including Steve Coleman, Vijay Iyer, Aaron Parks, Esperanza Spalding and Jason Moran. His album the imagined savior is far easier to paint received five stars in All About Jazz and The New York Times named his debut recording 2011’s #1 album.
Carolina Performing Arts
Memorial Hall
114 E. Cameron Ave, Chapel Hill
(919) 843-3333
www.carolinaperformingarts.org
February 24, 2018
Somi
8pm
Admission: TBA
NPR calls Somi, “The quintessential artist citizen of the world.” Born in Illinois, the daughter of immigrants from Uganda and Rwanda, Somi has worked for the last decade carving out a career as a renowned jazz vocalist, songwriter and activist.
Timus Theatre
NC State University
2241 Dunn Ave, Raleigh
(919) 515-2405
www.live.arts.ncsu.edu
March 1, 2018
Alsarah and the Nubatones
7pm (Doors open), 8pm (Show)
Admission: $20+
Members: Alsarah - Vocals Nahid - Additional Vocals Rami El Aasser - Percussion Mawuena Kodjovi - Bass Brandon Terzic - Oud
Genre: Nubian/Sudanese inspired East-African Retro-Pop. Home Town: Brooklyn, NY
Motorco Music Hall
723 Rigsbee Ave, Durham
(919) 901-0875
www.motorcomusic.com
March 2 & 3, 2018
Audra McDonald
8pm
Admission: TBA
Audra McDonald is unparalleled in the breadth and versatility of her artistry as both singer and actress. The winner of a record-breaking six Tony Awards, two Grammy Awards and an Emmy Award, she was named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2015 and received a 2015 National Medal of Arts. Blessed with a luminous soprano voice and an incomparable gift for dramatic truth-telling, she is cherished on Broadway, opera and concert stages, film and television.
Carolina Performing Arts
Memorial Hall
114 E. Cameron Ave, Chapel Hill
(919) 843-3333
www.carolinaperformingarts.org
March 8, 2018
For Michael: The Music of Michael Jackson
7:30pm
Admission: $48+
From his early years with the Jackson 5 to his mega-hit album Thriller and beyond, Michael Jackson stormed the music industry with hit after hit. A full rock band and vocalist join the Symphony to jam on “ABC,” “I'll Be There,” “Beat It,” “Rock With You,” “The Way You Make Me Feel,” and many, many more.
Duke Energy Center for Performing Arts
Meymandi Concert Hall
2 E South Street, Raleigh
(919) 996-8700
www.ncsymphony.org
March 25, 2018
Lawrence Brownlee, tenor
7:30pm
Admission: TBA
Grammy-nominated tenor Lawrence Brownlee captivates audiences and critics around the world, ushering in “a new golden age in high male voices” (The New York Times). Nominated Male Singer of the Year by the International Opera Awards, he has performed with the leading international opera houses, festivals and orchestras. His critically acclaimed discography and videography are testaments to his broad impact across the classical music world, with opera and concert works alongside African American spirituals. In his first appearance with Carolina Performing Arts, he performs opera arias, gospel, spirituals and showtunes.
Carolina Performing Arts
114 E. Cameron Ave, Chapel Hill
(919) 843-3333
www.carolinaperformingarts.org
March 26, 2018
Joan Soriano
7pm (Doors open), 8pm (Show)
Admission: $20+
Joan Soriano is a bachata singer and guitarist from the Dominican Republic. His style is a blend of modern with traditional bachata. Since the 1980s, Joan's guitar and arrangements have graced many hit bachatas by other artists, and since 2008, he has begun to make a name for himself internationally.
Motorco Music Hall
723 Rigsbee Ave, Durham
(919) 901-0875
www.motorcomusic.com
April 4, 2018
Dayme Arocena
7:30pm
Admission: TBA
Santería chants, complex rhythms, fluid jazz stylings and nuanced Afro-Cuban soulfulness mark singer/composer Daymé Arocena’s impact on the unfolding history of Cuban music. One of the most inviting ambassadors for the country’s contemporary sound, her virtuosity, charisma and warmth were recognized by the Havana Cultura Mix project, in which producers from around the world recorded in Cuba with local musicians. Her 2016 album One Takes features Horace Silver’s “Gods of Yoruba” among a collection of masterfully reimagined rare covers that further bridge her musical worlds.
Carolina Performing Arts
Memorial Hall
University of North Carolina
114 E. Cameron Ave, Chapel Hill
(919) 843-3333
www.carolinaperformingarts.org
April 7, 2018
Boots Riley and The Coup
8pm
Admission: TBA
Merging hip hop beats, punk urgency and astute social commentary inspired by world events and literature, Boots Riley and The Coup will have you dancing in your seats. Rapper/author/activist Boots Riley is integral to the progressive struggle for radical change through culture. After student organizing in Oakland’s public schools and joining the Progressive Labor Party’s central committee, he served as president of InCAR (International Committee Against Racism) and organized to build California’s Anti-Racist Farm Workers’ Union.
Carolina Performing Arts
Current Artspace + Studio
123 W. Franklin Street, Building C, Chapel Hill
(919) 843-3333
www.carolinaperformingarts.org
From his early years with the Jackson 5 to his mega-hit album Thriller and beyond, Michael Jackson stormed the music industry with hit after hit. A full rock band and vocalist join the Symphony to jam on “ABC,” “I'll Be There,” “Beat It,” “Rock With You,” “The Way You Make Me Feel,” and many, many more.
