Salute to Paquito D’Rivera

Photo credit: R. Andrew Lepley

Thursday, March 3 at 8PM

Clarinet Summitt:
Peter & Will Anderson
Ken Peplowski
Paquito D’Rivera (photo)
with David Wong and Jason Brown

Jack Kleinsinger’s “Highlights in Jazz” is New York City’s longest running jazz concert series.

Jack Kleinsinger’s Highlights In Jazz, New York’s longest running jazz concert series, continues its 44th season on Thursday March 3, 2016 with a A Salute To Paquito D’Rivera featuring the multi Grammy Award Winning saxophonist/clarinetist with his critically acclaimed Latin Jazz Quintet featuring trumpeter Diego Urcola and the world premiere of Clarinet Summit with D’Rivera, Ken Peplowski and Will and Peter Anderson, plus, as in all Highlights In Jazz concerts, a surprise special guest.
        
The second concert of the Highlights 44th season A Salute to Paquito D’Rivera who will be honored as this year’s recipient of the Annual Highlights In Jazz Award which has been presented every year since 1974 to honor a singular living jazz musician for their “matchless musical achievements.”  D’Rivera joins an esteemed roster of previous honorees including Roy Eldridge, Lionel Hampton, Roy Haynes, Hank Jones, Frank Wess, Dr. Billy Taylor and many others.  Kleinsinger is proud to bestow this honor upon D’Rivera recalling that the alto saxophonist/clarinetist, who will be making his fourth Highlights In Jazz appearance, originally performed on the series back in 1984 not long after he first arrived in the US from his native Cuba, on a program billed Jazz Is My Passport that also featured Brazilian songstress Astrud Gilberto and Belgian harmonica legend Toots Thelma's.

Since then he has appeared in other Highlights In Jazz programs, both as a guest soloist and with his own group. D’Rivera remembers  “Jack Kleinsinger was one of the first impresarios to invite me to join his prestigious series.  For that, and for his contribution for this music, I hold him in high esteem, and as a dear friend.”  This show will have D’Rivera performing with his working quintet featuring Argentine trumpeter Diego Urcola, pianist Alex Brown, bassist Zach Brown, and drummer Erik Doob, as well as part of a Clarinet Summit with previous Highlights In Jazz Award recipient Ken Peplowski and twin brother reed men Will and Peter Anderson, who appeared together on Highlights’ successful Saxophone Summit concert in 2015.  The four clarinetists will be ably assisted by the exciting young rhythm team of bassist David Wong and drummer Kenny Washington.

As in all Highlights In Jazz concerts, these great artists will be joined by a surprise special guest. Some of the biggest stars in jazz who have appeared as special guests in previous years have been Eubie Blake, Cab Calloway, Dizzy Gillespie, Earl Hines, Branford Marsalis, Carmen McRae, Gerry Mulligan, George Shearing and other jazz luminaries. 


Jack Kleinsinger’s Highlights In Jazz, continues its 44th season on Thursday May 12th with Highlights In Jazz Audience Favorites.  The all star cast will feature two Highlights In Jazz Award Winners guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli and trombonist Wycliffe Gordon, along with vocalist Alexis Cole, trumpeter Bria Skonberg, guitarist Frank Vignola, bassist/vocalist Nicki Parrott and drummer Alvin Atkinson. The season will conclude on Thursday June 16th with Trio Time, featuring the classic jazz of the Dick Hyman Trio with bassist Jay Leonhart and guitarist Howard Alden and the Brazilian sounds of Trio da Paz, with guitarist Romero Lumbambo, bassist Nilson Matta and drummer Duduka Da Fonseca.