Event
Amina Figarova - Magical Swing from a Stunning Pianist
Pianist Amina Figarova is a pianist with a stunning, pristine style that manages to swing grandly while exploring emotional depths renders each performance joyous and exhilarating. It seems that she's able to reach out and touch each audience member individually.
Figarova now lives in Rotterdam, the Netherlands and was born in Baku, Azerbaijan. That combination alone is intriguing enough. But her most recent recording springs from a topic that transcends all national borders to describe instead the very core of the human experience. Her new work, September Song, is a song cycle based on her experiences as a witness to the September 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center in New York City.
Chuck Graham of the Tuscon Citizen, says of this CD, "[It's] 61.5 minutes of thoughtful music that is uplifting without feeling religious, encouraging without ever becoming sticky sweet. Neither are there tons of dissonance and anger. If the blues can make you feel better about life, so can listening to September Suite. It begins with such titles as "Numb" and "Emptiness" but ends optimistically with "Dawn" and "For Laura," a child who survived the destruction and represents the natural optimism of America's next generation."
This concert is made possible by the Consulate General of the Netherlands in New York.
September Suite is, in fact, one of two CDs Figarova has released over the past year or so. Reviewing her 2005 release, Come Escapre with Me, Don Williamson, of jazzreview.com, said, "Figarova is solidly in the jazz tradition as it developed through the legendary piano trios and hard bop recordings of the last half century. And the members of her group as just as talented and consumed by the genre as Figarova. . . . Come Escape With Me is an outstanding CD featuring an artist who normally would not achieve as much recognition for her talent without it. It certainly deserves a listen, for Figarova not only is an unselfish and spirited piano player, but she's also an effective leader and composer respectful of jazz tradition even as she personalizes it."
The band Figarova brings into Pearl's will include flutist Bart Platteau, trumpeter Ernie Hammes, tenor saxophonist Dave Ellis, bassist Ruth Davies and drummer Chris "Buckshot" Strik
Amina Figarova started playing piano and composing at a very early age. She studied as a classical concert pianist at the Baku Conservatory, jazz performance at the Rotterdam Conservatory and the Berklee College of Music in Boston.
Amina Figarova performs with her own group at many jazz festivals and jazz clubs around the world, such as The North Sea Jazz Festival, New Orleans Jazz Festival, Capetown International Jazzfestival, Salvador Bahia Jazz Festival, Brasil, JakArt Festival, Indonesia, Yoshi´s in Oakland, CA, Blue Note jazz club New York, and has given concerts in Israel, Europe, United Arabs Emirates, Mexico, USA, Azerbaijan, and many others.
She recorded her first CD, Attraction. in 1994. In 1998 she
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LocationJazz at Pearl's
256 Columbus Ave
San Francisco, CA 94133
United States
Categories
| Kid Friendly: No |
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Non-Smoking: No |
| Wheelchair Accessible: No |
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