Now celebrating its Fifth Anniversary Season, the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County and Larry Rosen proudly announce a rare performance of one of the world’s most illustrious jazz trios for the next installation of JAZZ ROOTS – A Larry Rosen Jazz Series: AN EVENING WITH KEITH JARRETT, GARY PEACOCK AND JACK DEJOHNETTE. World-renowned piano virtuoso and Grammy Award nominee Keith Jarrett — a multi-platinum-selling artist and Downbeat Lifetime Achievement Award winner — and his longtime collaborators, legendary bassist Gary Peacock and drummer Jack DeJohnette, will perform on January 21, 2011 at 8 p.m. in the John S. and James L. Knight Concert Hall. Recognized as one of the premier working bands in jazz for more than 25 years, this all-star trio has garnered universal acclaim through its celebrated recordings and international tours. The trio’s improvised interplay on jazz standards, original tunes, and free playing has been described as “jazz at its finest” (Los Angeles Times).
Tickets range from $25 to $130 and are on sale now! Tickets may be purchased through the Adrienne Arsht Center box office by calling (305) 949-6722, or online at www.arshtcenter.org.
“It is with great honor and excitement that we offer our South Florida community and faithful JAZZ ROOTS concert-goers this special opportunity to hear three great American jazz masters – Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock, and Jack DeJohnette — perform on our Knight Concert Hall stage,” said M. John Richard, president and CEO of the Adrienne Arsht Center. “This stellar ensemble, known for its almost telepathic interplay and stunningly unique interpretation of jazz standards, is sure to present a mesmerizing evening of unforgettable sonic adventures!”
KEITH JARRETT-GARY PEACOCK-JACK DEJOHNETTE TRIO
Voted “Best Acoustic Jazz Group” in Downbeat Critic’s Poll (2008) and Jazz Times Reader’s Poll (2009) Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock, and Jack DeJohnette formed their permanent trio in 1983, when Jarrett invited the other two musicians to join him in New York for a recording session dedicated to playing jazz standards. Those original sessions produced the trio’s first three ECM Records releases, Standards Vol. 1 and 2, and Changes, which were re-released as a special 3-CD box set in 2008 in celebration of the trio’s 25th Anniversary. For the past two decades, numerous “live” concert recordings have followed on ECM, each recorded in a different international city. The legendary trio has been nominated for many international awards, including several Grammy nominations, plus dozens of “Record of the Year” and Critics Prize Awards from U.S., European, and Japanese music press.
Keith Jarrett came onto the scene in the 1960s with jazz great Art Blakey and then with the iconic Miles Davis, later becoming a star in his own right with his historic solo performances as well as with his jazz trio, including Peacock and DeJohnette. He is regarded one of the most creative and uncompromising musicians of our times — universally acclaimed as an improviser of unsurpassed genius; a master of jazz piano; a classical pianist of great depth, and as a composer. Among the pianist’s awards and distinctions include eight Grammy nominations, several French Grand Prix du Disque Awards, and in December 2008, he was inducted into the Downbeat Hall of Fame.
Gary Peacock has served as an inspiration for several generations of jazz bass players, not content with the traditional bassist’s role of simple time-keeping and harmonic accompaniment. His ability to bring melodic and rhythmic freedom into any musical setting has been his trademark for 45 years in jazz. Throughout his career, Peacock has played with jazz greats Bud Shank, Bill Evans, Miles Davis, and Sonny Rollins, to name a few. Other major collaborations besides the trio with Jarrett and DeJohnette, have included dates and recordings with pianists Marc Copland, Paul Bley, and Marilyn Crispell, in either duo settings or in trio with drummers Paul Motian and Bill Stewart.
Jack DeJohnette is one of the finest drummers in jazz. His approach to the drums is that of a complete musician, exploring the varied colors and timbres of his varied percussion instruments. Early in his career, he joined the Charles Lloyd Quartet alongside the young Keith Jarrett, and later played with many of the greatest improvisers in jazz, notably Bill Evans, John Coltrane, and Thelonius Monk, before joining Miles Davis to record the quintessential jazz/rock fusion album, Bitches Brew. In addition to his work with the Jarrett-Peacock-DeJohnette Trio, his current touring projects include Trio Beyond with guitarist John Scofield and organist Larry Goldings and a new trio with pianist Danilo Perez and bassist John Patitucci.
JAZZ ROOTS also features an in-depth educational partnership with Miami-Dade County Public Schools which will bring more than 900 music students to the Center for a unique behind-the-scenes experience, including a pre-concert sound check and a Q&A session with featured artists followed by a workshop with a local jazz expert that will highlight the music, the artistic process and the practical skills needed for a career in the arts. In addition, the Center has developed a curriculum which will be distributed to 800 music, English and social studies teachers throughout the MDCPS school system, potentially serving 24,000 children.
Heralded by Quincy Jones as “the most important new concert and educational jazz series in America!,” JAZZ ROOTS has the unique distinction of being the only major jazz series in America that has sold-out every one of its concerts since inception. Remaining concerts in the third consecutive season of the JAZZ ROOTS series include: CELEBRATING MILES (February 25); THREE GENERATIONS OF DIVAS (March 18); and GUITAR VIRTUOSOS (April 1). Since the inception of the series, more than 22,000 South Floridians have attended JAZZ ROOTS concerts at the Adrienne Arsht Center.
WPBT Channel 2, WDNA 88.9 FM Serious Jazz, WLRN 91.3 FM, and Capsule Media have generously agreed to be media sponsors of JAZZ ROOTS.