Sherman Chamber Ensemble presents “JAZZING IT UP” November 27 and December 28

 Thanksgiving is full of annual traditions – and a favorite tradition for the Sherman Chamber Ensemble and audiences is the annual “Jazzing It Up" concert - this year returning to live in-person performances in compliance with Covid guidelines. Pianist Ted Rosenthal and alto saxophonist Eddie Barbash join a most talented group of accomplished New York musicians including Thomson Kneeland (double bass), Chris Parker (drums), Susan Rotholz, (flute), and Eliot Bailen (cello) in an exciting program where the classics meet jazz. 

 Bailen, Artistic Director of the Ensemble, said, “The program pays tribute to Billy Strayhorn – American jazz composer, pianist, lyricist, and arranger, who collaborated with bandleader Duke Ellington. In fact, some say it was difficult to discern where one’s style ended and the other’s began as the two together brought much joy to the jazz world.” Strayhorn composed over 150 pieces of music, including: “Chelsea Bridge,” “Day Dream,” “Johnny Come Lately,” “Rain Check,” and Ellington’s theme song, “Take the A Train.” Strayhorn was inducted into the Great American Songbook Foundation Hall of Fame as part of the 2021 class. 

Bailen said that special arrangements are being created for the Ensemble’s program to include flute and cello. “The combination of Rosenthal, one of the leading jazz pianists of his generation, and Barbash, an exciting, young virtuoso (and a founding member of John Batiste's Stay Human house band for the Steven Colbert Late Night Show) will have audiences jumping in their seats,” said Liba Furhman, Executive Director of the Sherman Chamber Ensemble. Leonard Feather of the Los Angeles Times said, "Rosenthal is a pianist of rarest skill, weaving rapid single-note lines that span out into rich chordal patterns, parallel octaves, and hints of the blues." And Nate Chinen of the New York Times said, “There aren't many modern jazz pianists more dexterous than Mr. Rosenthal.” Barbash, named by Vanity Fair as one of the “millennials shaking up the jazz world” was a founding member of the Jon Batiste and Stay Human Band, of Late Night with Stephen Colbert fame. 

 In past performances with the Ensemble he received rave reviews and standing ovations, playing diverse styles of music from Debussy to Mozart, Rossini to bluegrass and Roy Orbison tunes, leading music reviewer Kevin T. McEneaney to write, “Barbash is simply the greatest alto sax player I’ve ever heard.” 

 Also featured is drummer Chris Parker. Over the past four decades, he's worked with everybody from the Brecker Brothers to Miles Davis, Laura Nyro, and Lou Rawls and made his mark time and again with a who's who of music giants. Called an “unsung hero of the music biz” Parker brings his skill and intensity to the Ensemble.

The concerts will take place on Saturday, November 27 at 4 p.m. at Christ Church on Quaker Hill, 7 Church Road, Pawling, NY, Saturday, November 27 at 8 p.m. at Salem Covenant Church, 96 Baldwin Hill Rd in Washington, CT, and on Sunday, December 28 at 4 p.m. at St. Andrew’s Church, 1 North Main Street, Kent, CT. General Admission tickets are $25; children ages 15 and under are admitted free when accompanied by an adult. 

Please purchase advance tickets online at www.SCEmusic.org to minimize risk and to allow for contact tracing if necessary. Proof of vaccination, face masks, and social distancing are required. Tickets may be purchased at the door, subject to availability. For information or reservations call 860-355-5930. 

ABOUT THE SHERMAN CHAMBER ENSEMBLE World Class Music, Close to Home Founded in 1982 by cellist Eliot Bailen, Artistic Director, and flutist Susan Rotholz, the Sherman Chamber Ensemble offers a year-round schedule of performances for all ages at venues in Connecticut and New York. Guided by its mission to bring world-class musicians to our communities and schools to perform a diverse range of music with an approach that is intimate and inclusive, the SCE has been described by The New York Times as "about as close as it gets to the Platonic ideal of a chamber music concert." SCE offers Baroque programs, a summer chamber music series, educational activities, and a year-round slate of musical events showcasing the best of live musical performance, from classical to bluegrass to jazz – plus children's and family concerts, school residencies, and pop/rock coffeehouses. In addition to concert subscription and ticket sales, support comes from private foundations, local businesses, and many generous individual donors.