Seattle Modern Orchestra: Darius Jones in Seattle
Online: $15 | In person: $25 ($15 senior, $10 student)
- Darius Jones, alto saxophone
Angelique Poteat — Cyclic Complement (for bass clarinet and electronics)
Anne Leilehua Lanzilotti — Find (for solo viola and electronics)
Yiğit Kolat — Inference Engines
Eva-Maria Houben — echo fantasia V (for any kind and number of instruments or voices)
Darius Jones — WAR (world premiere)
After the enthusiastic reception of our collaboration with New York-based composer and saxophonist, Darius Jones, in 2019, Seattle Modern Orchestra is commissioning a new work from the celebrated composer. This experimental concert will feature Jones on the saxophone and will explore the intersection between written and improvised music. The second SMO commission of the concert will be by Seattle-based composer, Yiğit Kolat, composed specially for Mr. Jones and SMO.
COVID-19 Protocols: The safety of our musicians and audience is of top priority to us. We will continue to follow guidelines and recommendations from the CDC, King County, and the City of Seattle as we move forward this season. All of our performances this season will require masking and proof of vaccination. Details about Town Hall Seattle’s COVID-19 policy can be found here: https://townhallseattle.org/plan-your-visit/building-policies/
About Seattle Modern Orchestra
Founded in 2010, Seattle Modern Orchestra (SMO) is the only large ensemble in the Pacific Northwest solely dedicated to the music of the 20th and 21st Centuries. Led by co-artistic directors Julia Tai and Jérémy Jolley, SMO commissions and premieres new works from an international lineup of composers, in addition to presenting important pieces from the contemporary repertoire that are rarely if ever heard by Seattle audiences. The ensemble "operates at that exciting cusp between old and new, between tradition and innovation" (Vanguard Seattle) curating new sounds and experiences for concert goers in the region.
SMO provides audiences with performances of the best in contemporary chamber and orchestral music, and develops radio talks, lectures, and other forms of outreach in an accessible and inviting format all designed to expand the listener’s appreciation and awareness of the music of today.
http://www.seattlemodernorchestra.org/About Darius Jones, alto saxophone
Over the past decade, Darius Jones has created a recognizable voice as a critically acclaimed saxophonist and composer by embracing individuality and innovation in the tradition of African-American music. “Jones’ concept is proudly his own,” writes Philip Clark in The Wire. “[His music] poses big questions about the relationship between the African-American tradition of spirituals, blues and gospel, and now.” With New York City as his base since 2005, Jones has brought his unique sound to dozens of cities around the United States, Canada, and Europe.
Jones early on established himself as a powerful voice in the jazz community and was nominated in 2013 for Alto Saxophonist of the Year, and for Up & Coming Artist of the Year two years in a row for the Jazz Journalists Association Jazz Awards. More recently The New York Times named Jones among the Best Live Jazz Performances of 2017 for his Vision Festival performance with Farmers by Nature.
Jones has collaborated with artists including Gerald Cleaver, Oliver Lake, William Parker, Trevor Dunn, Branford Marsalis, Steve Lehman, Sun Ra Arkestra, and many more. Signed to AUM Fidelity records in 2009, Jones has released a string of diverse recordings which comprise his Man’ish Boy Epic, featuring music and images evocative of Black Futurism. Darius’ 2012 release, Book of Mæ’bul (Another Kind of Sunrise) was listed among NPR’s Best Top 10 Jazz Albums of that year.
Jones graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a Bachelors in Jazz Studies in 2003, earning a Master’s Degree in Jazz Performance/Composition from New York University in 2008, where he also taught New Music Improvisation for a year as an adjunct professor. Jones taught saxophone and improvisation at Columbia University in 2017.
http://www.dariusjonesmusic.com/