April 2, 2014
MEDIA CONTACT
Su Byron § [email protected]
Jazz Club of Sarasota Presents
Giacomo Gates
April 11 § Beatrice Friedman Symphony Center
The acclaimed master bebop vocalist is joined by pianist Mac Chrupcala, drummer Patricia Dean, and bassist, John Lamb.
“One of the jazz world’s finest living exemplars of true grit.”
(Sarasota, Florida) Acclaimed master bebop vocalist Giacomo Gates returns to Sarasota, Friday, April 11, 7:30 p.m., at Holley Hall in the Beatrice Friedman Symphony Center, 709 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. Gates will be joined by pianist Mac Chrupcala, drummer Patricia Dean, and bassist, John Lamb, who performed for more than 10 years with the Duke Ellington Orchestra. Tickets are $30 general admission; $25 Jazz Club members. For tickets and information call 941-366-1552, or visit www.jazzclubsarasota.org.
Giacomo Gates is considered to be one of the world’s leading practitioners of vocalese, a challenging form of singing where lyrics take the place of instrumental melodies. Heavily steeped in the traditions of the original vocal improvisers—from Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald through their modern counterparts, Betty Carter and Leon Thomas—Gates also draws from such bebop-rooted masters as Jon Hendricks, Babs Gonzales, King Pleasure and Eddie Jefferson. Like his influences, Gates has forged his own unique path. A Downbeat Critics Poll winner in 2012, Gates has played notable venues and at major festivals throughout the world. He has also recorded five acclaimed CDs, winning rave reviews from the Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe and Downbeat magazine.
Gates’ music career had a late and less than conventional start. Prior to his performing debut in 1990, he spent many years in the wilderness of Alaska working at a variety of jobs. Confronted with sights, sounds and experiences that had a profound effect upon his being, Gates found a powerful stimulus to developing his own artistic expression. That expression found its voice in the music that had been a part of his life since childhood. Gates returned to his native Connecticut in the late 80s to devote full attention to his music and become, as one critic has said, “one of the jazz world’s finest living exemplars of true grit.”
Gates also gives back to the art form that embraced him so late in life, teaching at Wesleyan and Sacred Heart Universities and conducting workshops and residencies throughout the country. He is also known for the witty and informative banter that infuses his live performances, making each one a little lesson in jazz history.
Accompanying Gates will be Sarasota Jazz Club favorites, Mac Chrupcala on piano, Patricia Dean on drums, and John Lamb on bass.
Jazz Club of Sarasota president Dave Walrath is thrilled to be bringing the Connecticut-based Gates back to Sarasota. “Giacomo Gates and this quartet dazzled the audience at last year’s Sarasota Jazz Festival. We’re pleased to be able to reunite them once again for another evening of innovative and invigorating jazz.”
For more information about the Jazz Club of Sarasota, call 941-366-1552, or visit www.jazzclubsarasota.org.
About the Jazz Club of Sarasota
The Jazz Club of Sarasota’s mission is to promote, preserve, present, and educate people about jazz, the original American art form. Founded in 1980 by the late Hal Davis, the club presents ongoing concert series, events, lectures and the annual Sarasota Jazz Festival.
