Jeff Denson Ensemble featuring Wu Man & Paul McCandless

850 Los Trancos Road,Portola Valley CA 94028

12 June, 2022

Description

The world’s finest pipa player joins jazz vocalist, composer and master of the bass Jeff Denson in compositions commissioned by SummerJazz “The world’s finest player of the pipa.” –The New York Times "Master of the jazz bass." — Lee Hilldebrand, SF Chronicle McCandless a "stellar player" who plays "sparkling harmonic cascades." - The Washington Post SummerJazz invites you to participate in this unique exploration into the blending of elements of traditional Chinese music and Western classical music with jazz. Wu Man, recognized as the world’s premier pipa virtuoso, has performed in recital and with major orchestras around the world, is a frequent collaborator with ensembles such as the Kronos and Shanghai Quartets and The Knights, and is a founding member of the Silkroad Ensemble. She has appeared in more than 40 recordings throughout her career, including the Silkroad Ensemble’s Grammy Award-winning recording Sing Me Home, featuring her composition “Green (Vincent’s Tune).” She is also a featured artist in the 2015 documentary The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble. She has performed in recital and with major orchestras around the world, is a frequent collaborator with ensembles such as the Kronos and Shanghai Quartets and The Knights, and is a founding member of the Silkroad Ensemble. She has appeared in more than 40 recordings throughout her career, including the Silkroad Ensemble’s Grammy Award-winning recording Sing Me Home, Jeff Denson has toured more than fifty times in Europe. He has recorded 16 albums as leader/co-leader and over a dozen more as a featured sideman. Over the past 20 years, Jeff has shared the bandstand with an impressive and diverse array of remarkable musicians including Brian Blade, Romain Pilon, Edward Simon, Gerald Cleaver, Mimi Fox, Anthony Davis, Jane Ira Bloom, Cuong Vu, Joe Lovano, Walter Smith III, Lionel Loueke, Warren Wolf, Bob Moses, Charles McPherson, Ralph Alessi, Dayna Stephens, Vadim Neselovskyi, Florian Weber, Dan Weiss, Mike Clark, Mimi Fox, Paul Hanson, Kenny Werner, Dave Douglas and many more, including having had an ongoing relationship with the legendary Lee Konitz for twelve years until his passing in 2020, recording four albums including two live recordings from the Village Vanguard. Jeff’s work with the Lee Konitz New Quartet was documented in the Jazz Oral Histories of the Smithsonian in Washington DC. Jeff received rave reviews in such periodicals as the Washington Post, NY Times, SF Chronicle, and Downbeat Magazine. He has received such prizes as the German Cultural Award in 2006 and Downbeat Magazine Rising Star Critic's Poll awards for "Electric Bassist," "Male Vocalist" and "Double Bassist" the last four years in a row (2018-2021). Jeff won the Downbeat Rising Star Critic's Poll for Electric Bassist in 2021. Paul McCandless has appeared on more than 200 albums and in concerts with such luminaries as Jaco Pastorius, Pat Metheny, Lyle Mays, Wynton Marsalis, Bela Fleck, Nguyen Le, Dave Samuels, Victor Wooten, Eberhard Weber, the Paul Winter Consort, Mark Isham, Steve Reich, Al Jarreau, Bruce Hornsby, Art Lande, Tony Furtado, and numerous jazz and pop artists, as well as the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, other symphonies, and as a composer of music for films and live theater.As a leader, he released 30 records featuring his compositions with Oregon, and his solo records include "All the Mornings Bring," "Navigator," "Heresay," "Skylight," "Premonition,” “Isole,” and Shapeshifter.” SummerJazz is delighted to contribute to the creativity and richness of the Bay Area music scene by bringing together these leading artists in exploring new possibiities in jazz. We hope you'll join us for this unique performance. We'll pour tastes of our wines, and we invite you to bring a picnic. Wine will also be available for purchase by the bottle. The concert begins at 6pm. We’re open from 5:00 to 8:00. Picnic tables are not available; feel free to bring a blanket to spread on the ground, or beach chairs. Please consider carpooling or bicycling, as parking is very limited.