The World Premieres of Ted Nash’s Portrait In Seven Shades
The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis will premiere saxophonist Ted Nash’s musical composition Portrait in Seven Shades in a concert entitled Jazz and Art on February 22, 23, 24 at Rose Theater in Frederick P. Rose Hall in New York City, depicting the influence of one art form on another.
Jazz and Art will feature the world renowned Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra performing Portrait in Seven Shades, inspired by works from the permanent collection at The Museum of Modern Art, as well as other music from the history of jazz inspired by great works of art including Duke Ellington’s Degas Suite, Coleman Hawkins’ Picasso, Jim McNeeley’s Cockiness and Maria Schneiders’ Some Circles.
Ted Nash’s Portrait in Seven Shades is in seven movements, inspired by modern artists Marc Chagall, Salvador Dali, Henri Matisse, Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso, Jackson Pollock, Vincent Van Gogh. As part of the performance, audience members will hear the new piece while gazing upon selected projections of works from the MoMA collection, displayed on stage. Very special guest violinist Mark O’Connor will perform on the premiere composition, as well as Wycliffe Gordon on trombone, Bill Schimmel on accordion and vocalist Yola Nash.
In collaboration with Parsons The New School for Design and The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, Jazz at Lincoln Center will also produce a live pre-performance and intermission event featuring student artists painting to jazz music on each night. These events will be held in the Atrium of Frederick P. Rose Hall.
Jazz at Lincoln Center and MoMA have been collaborating on MoMA’s Summergarden program, a series of summer concerts in The Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden at the museum featuring progressive, original music.
The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra personnel for Jazz and Art includes: Music Director and Saxophones, Ted Nash; Trumpets: Wynton Marsalis, Ryan Kisor, Sean Jones, Marcus Printup; Trombones: Chris Crenshaw, Vincent Gardner, Elliot Mason; Reeds: Walter Blanding, Victor Goines, Sherman Irby, Ted Nash, Joe Temperley; Piano: Dan Nimmer; Bass: Carlos Henriquez; Drums: Ali Jackson.
More info about tickets on Jazz at Lincoln Center web site.
Read an interview-article by Ted about the new composition on All About Jazz
Marshall Fant said
on February 10, 2007 @ 2:41 pm
Kind of neat, if you ask me… I mean, to think that years ago Dave Brubeck (if I understand this correctly) made a break through with the connection between the arts by putting a modern art piece on the cover to his TIME OUT album. What a cool connection–modern art with jazz seems to fit well.
I’m no scholar in the subject, but I can’t wait to hear the performance.
Sonalii said
on February 11, 2007 @ 12:34 pm
Picasso reds, Matisse blues, the vibrancy of the modern art color spectrum set to jazz. The connection between painting and jazz is both beautiful and complex because the interpretations can be so varied. One does not have to be a scholar on the subject of art to appreciate the connection with jazz. Look at the paintings and envision the colors and brushstrokes as the beautiful notes played by a saxophone or trumpet.
gloria said
on February 26, 2007 @ 12:12 pm
A recent review of this JLCO performance highlighting Ted Nash’s Portrait in Seven Shades: http://www.nysun.com/article/49304.
The critic has a good idea suggesting a cd rom of Nash’s work accompanied by paintings.
Luigi Beverelli said
on February 26, 2007 @ 1:23 pm
thank you Gloria
Toni Mayer said
on August 15, 2007 @ 12:35 am
I heard Portrait in Seven Shades tonight on the JALC broadcast on KCSM-FM, 91.1 in the San Francisco Bay Area. It was an interesting, complex and exciting piece. If a CD is made of this performance I would buy it. The idea of a CD ROM is even better.
PJ Adler said
on September 30, 2007 @ 11:15 am
Wynton Marsalis performed with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra at the Stamfor Center for the Arts on Friday, September 28, 2007. The second half of the concert consisted of four of the Portrait in Seven Shades, specifically Monet, Dali, Matisse and Picasso. It was such fun. I had a four-year old sitting in front of me. I couldn’t help hoping that the father of the child would take him t MOMA to see if he could put the music together with some of the paintings. The selections were marvelous, and you could really discern the the character of the paintings in the music. The Monet was warm, the Dali was quirky, the Matisse was cheery and whimsical, and the Picasso was complicated. I loved Wynton’s Guernica. I haven’t heard too many horses over the years except in the Boston Pops version of “Sleigh Ride”. It was great. Ted Nash must have enjoyed this challenge, and it was obvious that the Marsalis group enjoyed performing these compositions.
Jim Eckes said
on February 11, 2010 @ 6:56 pm
Had the opportunity to visit the Rose Hall a few months ago. Perfect venue for this suite. Wish I could be there to hear it.