“Years ago, they used to call jazz singer Dinah Washington "The Queen of the Blues." Well, these days, that title could very easily go to the dynamic, persuasive Barbara Morrison.”
-- Zan Stewart, The Los Angeles Times, August 18, 2000

“Morrison … gave her usual engaging performance, getting chummy with the crowd as she interpreted Ellington and Gershwin, and showing characteristic abandon when she sang the blues. Her natural way with scat and her sharp sense of swing made it clear why Morrison is one of the finest purveyors of the tradition established by Sarah Vaughn and Carmen McRae.” -- The Los Angeles Times, Sept. 22, 1998

“Morrison's performance, backed by drummer and festival founder Al Williams & His Jazz Society, roused the audience with mainstream pleasures in the heat of the day. Morrison is a world-class blues and ballad interpreter, and the Los Angeles-based singer justified her growing national prominence with salty readings of "I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)," "Exactly Like You" and drummer Williams' "Midnight Blue."
-- The Los Angeles Times, August 11, 1998

“Morrison's rendition of the funky "Same Old Story," composed by Crusaders drummer Stix Hooper, has people in the audience clapping, exhibiting the same kind of enthusiasm that Morrison exudes on the bandstand. Turning her head from side to side as she sings, snapping her fingers, freezing a pose or bending her knees to emphasize a lyric, she's a captivating entertainer. Morrison's set includes a rousing "Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me," "You Go To My Head" - done in tribute to the great Dinah Washington - and a couple of blues-based originals, highlighted by the get-down-and-funky "You Ain't Gonna Keep Me Blue." That Morrison is a natural crowd pleaser is indicated not only by the generous applause she receives, but also by the ubiquitous smiles on the customers' faces.”
-- The Los Angeles Times, May 19, 1991

About Geri Allen:
“Jazz pianist Geri Allen has taken the freedom of jazz and combined it with the cultural freedom movements that have paralleled the evolution of jazz itself.” -- Tavis Smiley

Geri Allen put her heart on the line Wednesday at the Jazz Bakery. Her heart, her imagination, her spirit and her capacity to enliven everything from soul-drenched spirituals to hard-edged post-bop … her playing throughout Wednesday's opening set was a paragon example of the complex of musical styles and issues facing jazz pianists in post-20th century jazz … The set peaked with a climactic blues -- basic and straight- ahead -- in which Allen reached deeply into the jauntily swinging, mainstream aspects of her style. Hearing it, one could only marvel at the stylistic range and improvisational depth she had brought to her hourlong set … it was Allen's spotlight, and she claimed it with musical wisdom and inventive depth.
– Don Heckman, The Los Angeles Times, October 20, 2006

“For more than 20 years, Geri Allen has been an archetype of the new breed of contemporary jazz musician who is equally versed in the most modern, cutting-edge music as well as the most traditional. When she works with more experimental player-composer-iconoclasts like Ornette Coleman or Steve Coleman (no relation), she may break a few rules, but when she plays jazz standards and the American songbook, it's clear she knows how to follow those rules, and to be creative within them.”
– Will Friedwall, The New York Sun, August 25, 2006

“When Geri Allen opened her Kimmel Center show Saturday night, the nascent weekend nor'easter raged outside, but the currents within the music of Allen and her quartet raged as well. The Detroit-born pianist, representing the city of her birth in the center's "One Nation Under Jazz" series, introduced the spiritual "Oh, Freedom" with fast, harmonically complicated runs and stately declarations that revealed an intimate knowledge of classical piano. Allen flew solo for several minutes, and by the time drummer Mark Johnson entered the fray with a nearly silent, sparklike touch of his crash/sizzle cymbal, the effect was startling, almost electronic. Allen, with the help of some great lighting, had created a mysterious, dark ambience.”
-- Kevin L. Carter, The Philadelphia Inquirer, February 13, 2006

“Without ever being preachy, Allen mixes her keenly felt sense of the spiritual, historical consciousness and original artistic voice into this ambitious, always thoughtful, often beautiful recording that ranges far and wide in theme and style…Allen makes the album’s 15 pieces a seamless suite that's spiritual, swinging and never sanctimonious.” -- Owen McNally, The Hartford Courant

“Geri Allen continues off a banner year with what I feel is another monumental leap forward as her new release comes forth, “Timeless Portraits and Dreams.” Strict and vibrant keyboard arrangements capturing the soul of the piece performed … Allen’s finesse and angelic tones of the ivory exhibit stunning execution. Allen’s talent succeeds in separating her from the standard jazz pianist template molding a special example for the young pianists to strive for. A truly gifted pianist should be a world unto his or her own while under the influence of composing magic. This Allen has accomplished with over twenty years of pure ivory joy and again this year will please the masses. -- eJazzNews.com.

“Whether Geri Allen performs solo, in a classic trio setting, or in a larger group, her music is typically lush yet elusive, expansive and abstract, lyrical while imbued with tensile strength, sophisticated modernism, essences of gospel, swing, and the blues. As a composer and improviser, leader or collaborative accompanist, she draws from the virtues and beauties of the American jazz tradition and enriches it in return. But her music truly transcends category through its expressive immediacy, originality, nuance, and universality.” – Howard Mandel

“Jazz embodies all that is best in us. Because it is a clear reflection of who we are, jazz can also reflect the wide range of human strengths and frailties. In jazz, we have complete freedom of expression. Jazz “is” who we are. At its best, we move out of the way, and become vessels ready to receive, vulnerable, and open to Divine influence … The potent experience of jazz connects us all. It reaches into the human soul, and the human soul is our bridge to enter into this Divine experience, whereby our lives become connected … Timeless Portraits and Dreams is about connections, jazz connections. All of our global musical cultures are inextricably connected.” – Geri Allen, liner notes in Timeless Portraits and Dreams

Paquito D’Rivera, Cuban-born composer and musician, has received 9 Grammy Awards; the National Medal for the Arts; the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master award; a Fellowship in Music Composition by the Guggenheim Foundation; and a Living Jazz Legend Award at the Kennedy Center for lifetime contributions to the art form. The National Hispanic Academy of Media Arts and Sciences paid tribute to Paquito for his "outstanding body of work." With over 30 albums in jazz and Latin music, he is the first artist to win Latin Grammys in both Classical and Latin Jazz categories. In his passion to bring a Latin repertoire to greater prominence, he created, championed and promoted all types of classical compositions, including three chamber works recorded live in concert with Yo-Yo Ma at Carnegie Hall in 2003. He is the artist in residence at the Caramoor Center for Music and Arts for 2007-2008. The National Endowment for the Arts website affirms "he has become the consummate multinational ambassador, creating and promoting a cross-culture of music that moves effortlessly among jazz, Latin, and Mozart.”

"…The Second half became a Paquito D’Rivera show. Mr. D’Rivera, a gifted saxophonist and clarinetist has become the man to call if you want a concert-hall presentation of Pan-Latin music. All in rich Carnegie Hall-style arrangements . . . Mr. D’Rivera is a formidable musician, and in his clarinet playing, with lovely, clear low registers and never a squeaked high note. He was at his best…" -- Ben Ratliff, The New York Times, November 3, 2001

“D'Rivera added character and individuality to everything he played. Classically trained, he brilliantly executed rapid-fire, finger-busting passages in pieces such as Pixinguinha's "Um a Zero," without losing the jazz-tinged individuality of his sound and phrasing. In a few numbers, space was opened up for him to explore his extraordinary improvisational skills. One of the evening's highlights was D'Rivera's improvisation on themes by Dizzy Gillespie (including an effort to have the audience join in the vocal exclamations of "Salt Peanuts"). Call it one of the most engaging musical presentations of the season. Better yet, call it a stunning display of the music of the Western Hemisphere, performed by three of that region's (and the world's) finest artists.”-- Don Heckman, The Los Angeles Times, January 27, 2005

A gifted author, Mr. D’Rivera’s book, My Sax Life, was published in Spain by the prestigious literary house, Seix Barral, and contains a prologue by Guillermo Cabrera Infante. Acclaimed by the public and critics alike, the English edition was released by Northwestern University Press in November 2005. Mr. D’Rivera’s reading of his book is available in Spanish by Recorded Books, LLC on both the Internet and in libraries. His novel, Oh, La Habana, is published in Spain by MTeditores, Barcelona. In 1999, and in celebration of its 500 year history, the Universidad de Alcalá de Henares presented Paquito with a special award recognizing his contribution to the arts, his humane qualities, and his defense of rights and liberties of artists around the world.

“Kurt is a man of many musical virtues. His technique is prodigious. His ears are huge. His time is solid. His groove is ferocious. His articulation is precise. His tone is penetrating yet warm. His narrative flow is relaxed yet dynamic. His ideas are often surprising, sometimes shocking, but always compelling and inevitably satisfying. He is an adventurous soloist, an emphatic accompanist, and a poetic composer. He creates soaring, enchanting melodies. He approaches harmony with sophistication, embraces it with sensitivity, and commands it with bold authority. He phrases comfortably and freely in even the most challenging rhythmic and metric settings. He navigates the complex jazz idiom … with fluidity and grace….His music is remarkably interesting to be sure; but it is genuinely, profoundly moving as well.”
-- Joshua Redman

Directions and Map
From Springfield and Points North:
Take I-91 South to Capitol Area Exit 29A (left exit). Take the second exit from the ramp, marked Prospect Street. Turn right onto Prospect. The back of the museum is on the left, one block up.

From New Haven and Points South:
Take I-91 North to Capitol Area Exit 29A (left exit). Take the second exit from the ramp, marked Prospect Street. Turn right onto Prospect. The back of the museum is on the left, one block up.

From New York and Points West:
Take I-84 East to Capitol Avenue Exit 48B. Turn left onto Capitol Avenue, and when it ends, turn left onto Main Street. The museum is on the right, two blocks up.

From Boston and Points East:
Take I-84 West to Downtown Hartford Exit 54 (left exit). Immediately after crossing the Founders Bridge, turn left onto Columbus Blvd. Turn right onto Arch Street, then right onto Prospect Street. The back of the museum is on the left, one block up.

From Route 4 and Northwestern Connecticut:
Follow Route 4 (Farmington Avenue) until it joins Asylum Street in Hartford. Follow Asylum as far as you can, then bear right onto Ford Street (by Bushnell Park). Go one block and turn left onto Pearl Street. Go four blocks and turn right onto Main Street. The museum is one block up, on the left.

From Route 2 and Southeastern Connecticut:
Take the Downtown Hartford Exit 54. Follow directions from I-84 westbound.

Free Parking:
Park on the street - all parking is free on weekends.

Barbara Morrison's master class is being hosted by the Hartford Conservatory and will be held at Asylum Hill Congregational Church (Music Room, 2nd floor) on Friday, October 12, 2007 from 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM. The Church is located at 814 Asylum Avenue in Hartford. Directions with map are available by clicking HERE. Free parking is available in the parking lot adjacent to the Church (enter from Asylum Avenue).

Geri Allen's master class will take place at The Artists Collective from 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM on Saturday, November 17, 2007. The Artists Collective is located at 1200 Albany Avenue at the corner of Woodland Street and Albany Avenue in Hartford. There is ample free and attended parking in the parking lot at the rear of the building. Enter the parking lot from Woodland Street.

Paquito D’Rivera’s master class will be held at the Wadsworth Atheneum Aetna Theater on Saturday, April 5, 2008 from 5:45 PM - 7:15 PM. See above for directions and parking.

Kurt Rosenwinkel’s master class will take place on Saturday, May 31, 2008 from 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM. It is being hosted by the Hartford Conservatory and will be held at Asylum Hill Congregational Church (Music Room, 2nd floor) which is located at 814 Asylum Avenue in Hartford. Directions with map are available by clicking HERE. Free parking is available in the parking lot adjacent to the Church (enter from Asylum Avenue).

Student participants will be seated closest to the instructor; observers will be seated behind them. If you are a student, or a teacher who wants to enroll one or more students, please register early so that we can assure sufficient preferred student seating. Register through the HJS office at 860-242-6688, or by e-mail to: hartjazzsocinc@aol.com and provide your name, address, phone number, e-mail address, school and grade. Observers are welcome if enough seats are available.

"I was pretty young when I realized that music involves more than playing an instrument. It’s really about cohesiveness and sharing. All my life, I’ve felt obliged to try and teach anyone who would listen. I’ve always believed you don’t truly know something yourself until you can take it from your mind and put it in someone else’s". ­Milt Hinton, from his autobiography, Bass Lines

"There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open." ­ Martha Graham as quoted in Agnes de Mille. Martha: The Life and Work of Martha Graham.

"The easiest instrument to learn is the one you want to play. The hardest instrument to learn is the one you don't want to play."
-- James Moody, 1/26/07

"Sonny [Rollins] and I still practice. All the older guys – Benny Golson, all of us – we still practice. Because nobody knows all of the music, and nobody has a monopoly on it. That’s why we’re in this field of music, creative music, because it’s such a wide-open field - Ornette Coleman or anybody will tell you - it’s open to the sky."
-- Jimmy Heath from an interview in “Like Sonny: The Story of Sonny Rollins and John Coltrane” - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KckpQYnrozQ

The Hartford Jazz Society would like to thank the following organizations whose financial support made this concert series and the master classes possible:

National Endowment for the Arts The Lincoln Financial Foundation The Edward C. and Ann T. Roberts Foundation Maximilian & Marian Hoffman Foundation D'Addario Foundation for the Performing Arts Greater Hartford Arts Council The Aetna Foundation Mortensen Foundation The Fisher Foundation, Inc. CIGNA Foundation New England Foundation for the Arts/Meet the Composer The Knox Foundation The Hartford Advocate