Legendary Paquito D'Rivera joins the Juilliard Jazz Orchestra on Wednesday, October 17 at 8 PM for an evening of Latin Jazz in The Peter Jay Sharp Theater

The Juilliard Jazz Orchestra opens its season with special guest artist, clarinetist, saxophonist, and composer Paquito D’Rivera, Wednesday, October 17 at 8 PM in The Peter Jay Sharp Theater. (Enter at 144 West 66th Street.) Celebrated for his artistry in Latin jazz and his achievements as a classical composer, Mr. D’Rivera is guest artist for an evening showcasing the contributions of Latin American musicians to the world of big bands and American music. The program features Samba for Carmen (composer: Paquito D’Rivera, arranged by Chico O’Farrill), a Brazilian tribute to Carmen McRae; Wapango (composer: Paquito D’Rivera), a divertimento based on the Mexican rhythm known as the huapango; Como Fué (composer: Ernesto Duarte, arranged by Chico O’Farrill), a bolero; Bonitinha (composer: Carlos Franzetti), a samba; I Remember Diz (A Night in Englewood) (composer: Paquito D’Rivera), in memory of Mr. D’Rivera’s close friend and mentor Dizzy Gillespie, featuring the form of a Brazilian bossa nova; Donna Lee (composer: Charlie Parker, arranged by J. Wilson and J. Ashby), a tribute to Charlie Parker; Song to my Son (composer: Paquito D’Rivera); and Alma Llanera (folk song from Venezuela) (composer: Paquito D’Rivera), which makes use of the joropo, a Venezuelan rhythm. 
       
Joining Mr. D’Rivera is the Juilliard Jazz Orchestra, conducted by Wycliffe Gordon, featuring Juilliard Jazz students William Reardon-Anderson, Eddie Barbash, Peter Reardon-Anderson, Thomas Gardner, and Paul Nedzela on saxophones, clarinets and flute; Kyle Athayde, Aaron Kleinstub, Etienne Charles, and Christopher Burbank on trumpets; James Burton, Marques Young, Willie Applewhite, and Paul Tarussow on trombones; Peter Mazza on guitar; Jonathan Batiste on piano; Ryland Kelly on bass; and Marion Felder on drums. 
       
FREE tickets are required and are available beginning October 3 at the Juilliard Box Office located at 60 Lincoln Center Plaza. Box Office hours are Monday through Friday from 11 AM to 6 PM. To reach the Box Office, take the elevator or escalator located on West 65th Street between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue to the plaza level.
       
Born in Havana, Cuba, Paquito D’Rivera first performed at age 10 with the National Theater Orchestra, studied at the Havana Conservatory of Music, and at age 17, became a featured soloist with the Cuban National Symphony Orchestra, premiering several works by notable Cuban composers. Additionally, he was a founding member and co-director of the innovative and Grammy-winning (1979) musical ensemble Irakere. In 1980, while on tour in Spain, Mr. D’Rivera sought asylum in the United States Embassy. Since then, he has toured the world with his ensembles, the Chamber Music Jazz Ensemble, the Paquito D’Rivera Big Band, and the Paquito D’Rivera Quintet.
      
Mr. D’Rivera is a recipient of the National Medal for the Arts, presented at the White House by President George W. Bush in 2005. He was named one of the 2005 NEA Jazz Masters, and was honored in March 2007 with the Living Jazz Legend Award in ceremony at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. His discography includes more than 30 solo albums in jazz, bebop, and Latin music. He received his 8th Grammy for Best Classical Recording for the recording Riberas with the Buenos Aires String Quartet. He has received a 2007 John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship in Music Composition, and the 2007-08 appointment as composer-in-residence at the Caramoor Center for Music and Arts with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s.

Wycliffe Gordon, trombonist and conductor for this concert, enjoys an extraordinary career as a performer, conductor, composer, arranger, and educator. He tours the world performing jazz for audiences ranging from heads of state to elementary school students. Mr. Gordon received the Jazz Journalists Association 2002 and 2001 awards for trombonist of the year, the Jazz Journalists Association 2000 critics’ choice award for best trombone, and has been nominated for the Jazzpar Award. He tours regularly with the Wycliffe Gordon Quartet and is a former veteran member of the Wynton Marsalis Septet, the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, and the Gully Low Band, as well as featured guest artist on Billy Taylor’s “Jazz at the Kennedy Center” series.

The 2007-08 season marks the 7th anniversary of Juilliard Jazz. Juilliard offers an undergraduate jazz program, awarding a bachelor of music degree to those completing its four-year curriculum. This fall, Juilliard begins its master of music degree program in jazz. The two-year program is designed for advanced performers who want to maximize their professional opportunities, onstage, and in the academic world. Students in the program will have equal opportunity for performance and tailored studio and coursework. An artist diploma also is offered through the Juilliard Institute for Jazz Studies and is a collaboration between Juilliard and Jazz at Lincoln Center. For more information, go to www.juilliard.edu.

Last season, the Juilliard Jazz Orchestra and Juilliard Jazz Ensembles traveled to Doha, Qatar, the Sheldon Concert Hall in St. Louis, Missouri, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, and performed at the IAJE conference. This summer, they traveled to Snow College in Utah, the Costa Rica International Jazz Festival, the Vitoria Jazz Festival (Vitoria, Spain), the Craftsbury Festival in Vermont, and the Detroit Jazz and Heritage Festival. This upcoming season, the Juilliard Jazz Orchestra will tour Aiken, South Carolina, and the Juilliard Jazz Ensembles will be traveling to St. Louis, Missouri.