Paquito D’Rivera – February 18, 2021

Jazz at Lincoln Center presents

Paquito D’Rivera & Alex Brown

Like his mentor Dizzy Gillespie, virtuoso clarinetist and saxophonist D’Rivera possesses a deep commitment to the cultural exchange between jazz and Latin music. He’s also an 14-time GRAMMY® Award winner, NEA Jazz Master, and Carnegie Hall Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, who ranks among the likes of Benny Goodman and Sidney Bechet.

Paquito D’Rivera, alto saxophone & clarinet

Paquito D’Rivera defies categorization. He is celebrated both for his artistry in Latin jazz and his achievements as a classical composer.

Born in Havana, Cuba, he performed at age 10 with the National Theater Orchestra, studied at the Havana Conservatory of Music and, at 17, became a featured soloist with the Cuban National Symphony. As a founding member of the Orquesta Cubana de Musica Moderna, he directed that group for two years, while at the same time playing both the clarinet and saxophone with the Cuban National Symphony Orchestra. He eventually went on to premier several works by notable Cuban composers with the same orchestra. Additionally, he was a founding member and co-director of the innovative musical ensemble Irakere. With its explosive mixture of jazz, rock, classical and traditional Cuban music never before heard, Irakere toured extensively throughout America and Europe, won several GRAMMY nominations (1979, 1980) and a GRAMMY (1979).

His numerous recordings include more than 30 solo albums. In 1988, he was a founding member of the United Nation Orchestra, a 15-piece ensemble organized by Dizzy Gillespie to showcase the fusion of Latin and Caribbean influences with jazz. D’Rivera continues to appear as guest conductor. A GRAMMY was awarded the United Nation Orchestra in 1991, the same year D’Rivera received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Carnegie Hall for his contributions to Latin music. Additionally, D’Rivera’s highly acclaimed ensembles – the Chamber Jazz Ensemble, the Paquito D’Rivera Big Band, and the Paquito D’Rivera Quintet are in great demand world wide.

While Paquito D’Rivera’s discography reflects a dedication and enthusiasm for Jazz, Bebop and Latin music, his contributions to classical music are impressive. They include solo performances with the London Philharmonic, the London Symphony Orchestra, the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra, the Baltimore Symphony, the Florida Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Brooklyn Philharmonic. He has also performed with the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra, the Costa Rica National Symphony, the Simón Bolivar Symphony Orchestra, the Bronx Arts Ensemble, and the St. Luke’s Chamber Orchestra, among others. In his passion to bring Latin repertoire to greater prominence, Mr. D’Rivera has successfully created, championed and promoted all types of classical compositions, including his three chamber compositions recorded live in concert with distinguished cellist Yo-Yo Ma in September 2003.

Alex Brown, piano

Grammy-nominated pianist and composer Alex Brown is quickly emerging at the forefront of a new generation of artists. The New York Times says he plays “with a crystalline touch and a worldly approach.” Brown frequently performs with his own group, and Downbeat Magazine described his 2010 album Pianist as “a really fine record that leaves you wanting more.” Brown has been a member of Paquito D’Rivera’s ensemble since 2007, performing on and contributing arrangements to their Latin Grammy award-winning album Jazz Meets the Classics. Brown collaborates frequently with vibraphonist Warren Wolf, steel pan virtuoso Victor Provost and the classical wind quintet Imani Winds.  In 2016, he performed Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue as a soloist with the Orquesta Symphonica de Mineria led by conductor Carlos Miguel Prieto in Mexico City.  Brown has performed in many of the world’s greatest venues including Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City, the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, and the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City. As an arranger and orchestrator, he has had music performed by premier groups that include the Philadelphia Orchestra. Brown earned his Bachelor of Music degree at New England Conservatory and his Master of Music degree in composition at the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music. From 2018-2019, Brown served as a Visiting Artist in Jazz Studies at the Peabody Institute, part of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.

This performance will feature the music of Dizzy, Chano, Bebo & Mario — all friends of Paquito who’ve left their contributions on American culture, jazz and much more.

This Live from Dizzy’s performance will be filmed at Frederick P. Rose Hall in New York City in accordance with the New York State Department of Health Interim Guidance on Media Production during the Covid-19 Emergency.

East Coast Broadcast: Thursday, February 18, 2021 from 7:30pm to 8:45pm ET

To purchase your virtual ticket visit: www.jazzatlincolncenter.squarespace.com/dizzys-club