Los Angeles, CA – September 16, 2021 – Angel City Arts ends the 14th Annual Angel City Jazz Festival with performances from two of the top women jazz players, festival favorite Myra Medford plus the Jamie Baum Septet+1 October 15 at the Skirball Center, 2701 N Sepulveda Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90049, at 8pm. Info and tickets are available at https://angelcityjazz.com/event/myrajamie/.
Myra Melford, whom the New Yorker called “a stalwart of the new-jazz movement” — has spent the last three decades making original music that is equally challenging and engaging. She’s explored an array of formats, among them ruminative solo-piano recitals (as she’ll perform at this show), deeply interactive combos, and ambitious multidisciplinary programs.
Since debuting on record as a bandleader in 1990, she’s built a discography of more than 25 albums as a leader or co-leader, and has been awarded numerous DownBeat poll placings, a 2000 Fulbright Scholarship, a 2012 Alpert Award in the Arts for Music and, between 2013 – 2016, a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Doris Duke Performing Artist Award, and the Doris Duke Residency to Build Demand for the Arts.
The Other Side of Air, the most recent release by her quintet Snowy Egret, was named one of the best jazz recordings of 2018 by the New York Times and one of NPR Music’s 50 Best Albums of 2018. “This is music with an endless capacity for elasticity and surprise,” NPR wrote, “along with an affirming spirit of coherence.” http://myramelford.com
NYC jazz flutist/composer, Sunnyside Records artist and 2014 Guggenheim Fellow, Jamie Baum, released her 6th CD, Bridges with The Jamie Baum Septet+, in May 2018. Internationally recognized and listed in DownBeat Critics Polls every year since 1999, she’s toured in over 35 countries and worked/recorded with many renown and diverse jazz artists ranging from Randy Brecker, and Roy Hargrove, to Ralph Alessi, Anthony Braxton, and Wadada Leo Smith, and many more.
A brief backstory… The Jamie Baum Septet was formed in ’99 and has been Baum’s compositional muse ever since. With two highly acclaimed CDs and several tours under their belt, Baum expanded the group in 2010 to the current Septet+. Their Sunnyside release, In This Life (2013), was met with much positive attention, Baum noted: “So many wonderful things came from that recording that I could not have anticipated. Not only was I nominated in 2014 by the Jazz Journalists Association for ‘Flutist of the Year,’ but my band, The Jamie Baum Septet+, was nominated as ‘Best Midsize Ensemble of the Year’ – in the same list with only two other bands, The Wayne Shorter Quartet and Steve Coleman’s Five Elements!” https://jamiebaum.com
In addition to Jamie leading and playing flute, her current Septet+ includes Jonathan Finlayson on trumpet, Sam Sadigursky on alto sax and bass clarinet, Chris Komer on French horn, Brad Shepik on guitar, John Escreet on piano, Ricky Rodriguez on bass, and Jeff Hirshfield on drums.
For more information on the Angel City Jazz Festival and to purchase event tickets please visit http://www.angelcityjazz.com/.