Arturo Sandoval’s concert approaches
By Salome Modebadze
Wednesday, March 6
On March 8 Tbilisi Concert Hall will host the Grammy and Emmy winning Arturo Sandoval as part of his world tour. The Cuban musician received his 9th Grammy on February 10 in Los Angeles for the album Dear Diz (Every Day I Think of You) dedicated to his mentor, Dizzy Gillespie. Born in Havana, Cuba, Sandoval was influenced by jazz legends Charlie Parker, Clifford Brown and Dizzy Gillespie, finally meeting Dizzy later in 1977.
Dear Diz is a tribute to Dizzy Gillespie, the mentor and friend who literally rescued him and his family from an oppressive existence and gave them a chance at an entirely new and better life.
Latin Jazz Network has dedicated a long article to Sandoval’s album calling Dear Diz “a collection of classics from Gillespie’s massive body of work, each framed in big-band arrangements that throw the spotlight squarely on the elements of bebop that underscore so much of the iconic trumpeter’s work and set the tone for the music of his era.”
The set opens with Gillespie’s voice, introducing a young Arturo Sandoval as “one of the young grand masters of the trumpet” during a live performance in the late ‘80s. What follows is a contemporary re-construction of Gillespie’s signature “Bebop,” arranged by 2012 Grammy-winner Gordon Goodwin. Goodwin, whom Field calls “The most interesting voice in contemporary big band writing,” is also responsible for the fiery arrangement of “Salt Peanuts!,” which features Bob Mintzer on tenor sax, Gary Burton on vibes and if you listen closely you’ll hear Sandoval friend Joe Pesci joining in the band vocal. “This is such a perfect example of Gordon’s genius,” says Field, “of his ability to take something that is so familiar to jazz musicians and fans and completely rework it.”
“When it comes to bebop, you either know it or you don’t,” Sandoval says. “There’s no halfway. If you’re going to be a good bebop player, you really need to be a hell of a musician with a lot of skill and a great education and a great command of your instrument. This is what Dizzy was all about. He wasn’t just a trumpet player. He was an innovator and a creator. That sense of innovation and creativity that he brought to every note he played is what inspires this recording and everyone who plays on it. In that sense, he’s still very much with all of us. I do think of Dizzy every day.”
In a couple of days the Cuban virtuoso will be performing his beautiful jazz tunes in the Georgian capital thus making Tbilisi the part of his jazz world.
Tagiss Art, the company that organized the concert, has hosted various interesting musicians in Tbilisi including Cape Verdean Cesaria Evora, Japanese pianist and composer HIROMI, the Gotan Project, flamenco dancer and choreographer Joaquin Cortes, French virtuoso accordion player Richard Galliano and other artists. The Messenger is pleased to be the media partner of Tagiss Art’s events and welcome Arturo Sandoval to the Georgian stage.
Tickets for the event are 20 GEL-100 GEL and available at Tbilisi Concert Hall Box Office and www.biletebi.ge
For further information contact: 577-417996 / 593- 314 313