Join us for POP Presents: Aardvark Jazz Orchestra - No Walls, Jazz Beyond Category, Music by Mark Harvey and Duke Ellington on Tuesday, September 9th.
Called “stunningly beautiful” (The New York City Jazz Record) and “spellbinding” (The Boston Globe), The Aardvark Jazz Orchestra will open its 53rd season with an exhilarating show called No Walls, Jazz Beyond Category. JazzTimes praised Aardvark’s “lush sonorities and a saxophonic blend worthy of Ellington’s finest reed sections,” while Jazz Podium (Germany) called Aardvark “one of the best jazz ensembles in the world.”
The show on September 9, inspired by Duke Ellington’s credo to move “beyond category” in music and life, features wide-ranging music by Ellington and Aardvark director Mark Harvey. Ellington’s work, “It’s Freedom” (1968), evokes the larger Civil Rights struggle and the powerful Freedom Songs of the 1960s. Duke’s “Chinoiserie” reflects his vision of cross-cultural exchange. Aardvark commemorates the 250th anniversary of the founding of America with the premiere of Mark Harvey’s arrangement of “Chester” by Revolutionary War-era Boston composer William Billings. The Billings piece (1770), widely recognized as an anthem of the struggle for independence, finds new meaning in Harvey’s arrangement, celebrating freedom and democracy today. The concert finale is Mark Harvey’s “No Walls,” an exotic, multi-layered suite that moves through many styles to a vibrant expression of inclusivity inspired by Ellington’s protégé the South African musician Abdullah Ibrahim.
This concert is made possible by a Project Grant from the Somerville Arts Council and the Mass Cultural Council, and with support from Arts at the Armory POP.
POP (Performance Opportunity Program) is a signature program of the Center for Arts at the Armory. Arts at the Armory fundraises to be able to provide artists and cultural workers with use of the Armory Performance Hall at a highly subsidized rate through POP.
Cash bar: beer, wine, and curated bar menu with dinner options and snacks.
Cabaret seating available! Free parking behind the venue, and in nearby lot (first come, first served)
Doors: 7:00 PM
Show: 7:30 PM
Front Section Cabaret Table Seating: $30
General Admission: $25
All Ages
