$10 Cover @ the Door / Start 1:30pm / Doors 1pm / Seated Show
Brian Friedland & Gabriela Martina Duo
The Duo will be performing songs from Brian Friedland’s album Household Items.
Brian Friedland, piano
Composer/pianist Brian Friedland's relentless creative spirit is quickly evident from his frequent participation in Boston’s creative music scene, repertoire from diverse strands of jazz traditions, and prolific output as a composer. Performing and writing for a wide variety of ensembles, his projects reflect his love of many kinds of music and his commitment finding new ways to create. His hundreds of compositions include a large collection of big band charts, an orchestral composition, dozens of chamber works, and music for jazz ensembles of many aesthetics and sizes. Grammy nominated composer, USC faculty member, and musical collaborator Kim Richmond describes Friedland's music as "not only professional quality material, but inspirationally crafted, an excellent and interesting mix of art works.
Friedland has been commissioned by numerous individuals and organizations. Most notably, the American Composer’s Orchestra commissioned him to “Dreamscapes,” in an effort to bring jazz composers and the orchestral world into closer collaboration. The orchestra’s recent performance of “Dreamscapes” displays Friedland’s compositional breadth in a 10-minute work that unites disparate influences such as the blues of Duke Ellington and the adventurous sonic textures of 20th century classical composer Witold Lutoslawski. Other recent commissions have come from the Boston-based Composer’s Sax Quartet and the Longy School of Music’s American Music Ensemble. Friedland also composes for several ensembles of his own, ranging in size from a jazz trio to a 20-piece big band, and has performed at nearly every live music venue in Boston. He has also performed his original music at the Panama JazzFest, Lima Jazz Festival, the American Pianists Association's Cole Porter competition, and in prestigious clubs across the US.
Friedland’s most popular work, “Household Items,” is an ever-expanding collection of songs and videos that utilize texts from every-day items and documents. Between its subject material and finely calibrated performances, Household Items has garnered fans across the United States and received attention from a wide array of sources, including NPR, Boston culture blog BDC wire, and fans of Pirate’s Booty snacks. Household Items has been performed and discussed at elementary schools, house concerts, family concert series, and a Harvard University music class. In 2015, Friedland took his favorite household items songs and rearranged them for a 23-piece orchestra for “Household Items: New and Improved Formula,” a follow-up to his debut 2008 “Household Items” album. Hundreds donated to the production of hilarious music videos, which have been widely distributed online. His two Household Items albums have been praised by pianist Frank Carlberg as "clever, witty, beautifully crafted and brilliantly executed" and by jazz educator Shelly Berg as a collection of "fantastic, funny and poignant voyages."
Friedland’s 2010 album, “Rhombus,” balances intricate compositions and bold collective improvisations, fusing the spontaneity of jazz with classical complexity and rock dynamics. Inspiration for Friedland’s compositions on this album comes from music as diverse as Keith Jarrett, the Bulgarian Women’s Choir, Radiohead, and Gyorgy Ligeti. The distinctive musical personalities of the ensemble’s five other members (guitarist Phil Sargent, vocalist Aubrey Johnson, saxophonist Sean Berry, bassist Greg Loughman, and drummer Mike Connors) demonstrate the precision and expansive palette of sounds that makes them some of the busiest musicians in Boston and New York City. Since its inception, the Rhombus band has performed over 30 new works in venues throughout New England.
Friedland’s skills have also earned him a spot in many Boston bands and touring ensembles. He is currently a member of seven active bands, led by some of Boston’s most talented musicians. Friedland toured extensively in 2007 with the Glenn Miller Orchestra and played in several states with the internationally renowned vocalists of Il Divo. Friedland has also recorded on numerous albums and received critical praise. Regarding saxophonist Alexei Zoubov's 2007 release "Rejuvenation," respected jazz critic and frequent AllAboutJazz.com contributor Scott Yanow wrote, "Friedland contributes lyrical solos that would not be out of place on a Keith Jarrett record."
Friedland holds degrees in jazz composition and performance from the New England Conservatory and the University of Southern California, where he studied under jazz legends Danilo Perez, Jerry Bergonzi, Vince Mendoza, and Allan Pasqua and performed with jazz greats Bobby McFerrin, Wynton Marsalis, Chris Potter, and Nancy Wilson.
Gabriela Martina, vocals
Gabriela Martina is a vocalist, composer and educator. Released in 2016 with a four-star review from DownBeat, her newest album, No White Shoes, represents a major step in the singer’s sojourn as a 21st-century musician. Martina had the opportunity to perform and collaborate with heavyweights like Meshell Ndegeocello, Jack DeJohnette, and Angelique Kidjo. She recorded with veteran drummer J.R. Robinson and was a semi-finalist in the Shure Voice Competition at the 2009 Montreux Jazz Festival, performing with guitarist Lee Ritenour’s band. Martina released a critically hailed EP in 2010, Curiosity, which included her original song “Ain’t Nobody,” a finalist in the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers Foundation Young Jazz Composer Awards in 2012. She sings in four languages (German, English, French, and Spanish) and is currently performing with various groups up and down the East Coast. Martina owns her own booking agency called Red Velvet Sounds and is cofounder and curator of the In Momentum concert series.
Martina is a social activist who is passionate about learning more about other cultures, helping to develop a sense for community, and fighting inequality and racism. She is a strong advocate of causes that promote equal human rights independent of religious or political affiliations. From 2009 to 2010, Martina was the founder and president of the Cultural Leaders Club at Berklee College of Music, where students investigated causes and effects in terms of race, gender, and ethnicity issues. Sonic Relief, which Martina cofounded, was awarded the Berklee Urban Service Award 2016 for using music to aid people in need, such as organizing a humanitarian fundraising concert for Syrian refugees, featuring Simon Shaheen and the Lee Swensen Katz Trio in December 2015.
Gill Aharon Trio
Gill Aharon, Piano
Jef Charland, Bass
Mike Connors, Drums
featuring…
Daniel Ian Smith on Saxophone and Flute!
Daniel Ian Smith is a saxophonist, flutist, educator and composer with over 30 years of experience. He is a Professor at the acclaimed Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA where he has taught for over 24 years. Smith is in demand as a clinician, guest soloist, and lecturer with appearances throughout the United States, Japan, Germany, Canada, Mexico, Israel and England. In 1992, he founded Big and Phat Jazz Productions to serve as the production company for his Jazz in the Sanctuary Concert Series, an independent record label Big and Phat Jazz Productions, and his ensembles and touring projects. The recordings and performances by his ensemble The New World Jazz Composers Octet (NWJCO) have received rave reviews in DownBeat, JazzTimes, Cadence, ArtsFuse and All About Jazz magazines. His groups The New World Jazz Composers Octet, and The Latin Side of Billy Strayhorn have been featured at festivals and concert halls locally and internationally.
Smith has recorded and been featured on over 30 albums. Performances/Recordings with Michael Abene, Sergio Brandao, Jack Walrath, Maria Schneider, Arturo Sandoval, Boston Philharmonic, Rhode Island Philharmonic, Ronen Shmueli, Akikazu Nakamura, Jyoji Sawada, Claudio Roditi, Dave Samuels, Mark Walker, Pablo Ablanedo, The Temptations, Johnny Mathis, Patti Lupone, Michelle Rosewoman, Bill Mobley, Clark Tracey, Steve Berry, The Jazz Composers Alliance Orchestra, Marty Ehrlich, Ron Carter, Herb Pomeroy, Aardvark Jazz Orchestra and many others. Most recently he has been featured on widely acclaimed recordings with: Fernando Brandao, The Pablo Ablanedo Octet, The Jazz Composers Alliance Orchestra, Brian McCarthy and the Better Angels of Our Nature and Ron Reid and Sunsteel. Look for new recordings in 2019 by his New World Jazz Composers Octet, The Latin Side of Billy Strayhorn, and as a featured sideman with The Fernando Huergo Big Band, Pablo Ablanedo, Brian McCarthy and others.