Saxophonist Azar Lawrence to Perform at the John Coltrane 90th Birthday Solo Saxophone Tribute & Celebration - Friday, September 23, 2016 - Church of the Advocate, Philadelphia, Penn.
(Published: August 30, 2016)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Philadelphia Jazz Project - John Coltrane 90th Birthday Solo Saxophone Tribute & Celebration
Philadelphia, Penn., USA, August 29, 2016
Saxophonist Azar Lawrence performs Friday, September 23; 11:20pm at the Church of the Advocate - 1801 Diamond St, Philadelphia, PA. 215.978.8000.
Friday, September 23, 2016, Post "Trane" Tenor & Soprano Saxophonist; Azar Lawrence will perform in Philadelphia at the historic Church of the Advocate.
Produced by the Philadelphia Jazz Project in collaboration with WRTI Media Temple University Libraries, Ars Nova Workshop, WRTI, PhillyCAM, Jazz Near You and other partners the celebration will take place over a nine day period beginning September 17 through September 25, 2016.
The series begins each night at 6:30 and ends at 12:00am. This presentation will consist of virtuoso, solo performances by national, regional and local saxophonists paying tribute to John Coltrane and his enduring influence on Jazz music.
John William Coltrane, also known as "Trane," was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. A pioneer in the use of modes in jazz and was later at the forefront of free jazz. His next to last performance was at Philadelphia's historic Church of the Advocate.
While still an adolescent; Azar Lawrence was spirited off to New York by the late drummer Elvin Jones at the tender age of nineteen. That year, 1971, Azar became a member of Jones' Jazz Machine. While Azar was a member of Elvin's group; McCoy Tyner frequently attended Azar's performances. And, accordingly seven years after Trane's passing; at the request of the pianist; in 1973 at age 21 Azar Lawrence joined McCoy Tyner's band. Azar collaborated, recorded, and performed on several of Jones' and Tyner's productions. He also performed and recorded live with Miles Davis on the album Dark Magus.
Azar then would go on to produce his own albums and also delved into R&B. He wrote for Stanley Turrentine, collaborated with the late Maurice White of Earth Wind & Fire and wrote three songs on Earth, Wind & Fire's Powerlight album. In his hometown of Los Angeles, Ca.; Azar also worked with the band War and Charles Wright's Watt's 103rd (Express Yourself) Street Band.
Moreover, among many musical luminaries such as Woody Shaw, Freddie Hubbard, Marvin Gaye, Nicholas Payton, Roy Ayers, Phyllis Hyman and Denise Williams are just some of the names with whom Lawrence has performed and recorded.
About Azar Lawrence; Ben Ratliff of the New York Times said, "He seems in possession of a great, almost ecstatic power, but he cares about songs, and their shape and melody always pulled him back to earth. He controlled several mixtures of things that could seem like opposites: easy, melodic swing and bottom-line seriousness; short-line form and long-line expressiveness." New York Times, June 2014
Blowing stronger than ever, and still on the circuit; Child prodigy Azar Lawrence has confirmed his longstanding reputation as one of the 21st century's greatest exponents of the John Coltrane legacy. As one of the best to blend the elements of earth and the spirit through music; Azar Lawrence stands out as a distinctive instrumentalist with his searing, passionate saxophone sound and brilliant compositional style.
Save the dates!
Azar will be performing Friday, September 23, 2016, 11:20pm at the Church of the Advocate, 1801 Diamond St, Philadelphia, PA, 215.978.8000.
Azar Lawrence and Al McLean perform Saturday, September 24, 2016, 8pm; with L'Orchestre National de Jazz de Montreal (OJM), L'Astral, 305 Rue Sainte-Catherine, Montréal, QC, Canada, +1 514.288.8882.
The Azar Lawrence Quintet performs Friday, October 7 through Sunday, October 9, 2016, 7:30pm and 9:30pm at Dizzy's Club Coca Cola, Jazz at Lincoln Center, 10 Columbus Cir, New York, NY, 212.258.9595.
Press: www.nytimes.com/2014/06/28/arts/music/azar-lawrence-quintet-focuses-on-the-seeker.html?_r=0
Websites:
https://azarlawrence.com
www.sallelastral.com
http://www.jazz.org
Contact:
Zarman Productions
zarmedia@gmail.com
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More Information: http://philajazzproject.org
