Event
Howard Wiley and The Angola Project-Work Song: Sounds and Stories from a Louisiana Prison
Jazz at Pearl's Black History Month Series 2007 is proud to present: The Angola Project.
Howard Wiley has long been a daring, breath-taking saxophonist, a musician of power and passion who holds nothing back in his quest to draw the meaning and emotion out of every note he plays.
In his current, fascinating, Angola Project Wiley investigates the roots and legacies of African American prison spirituals, encompassing folk, blues, and gospel, with a focus on the songs and stories from the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola, Louisiana, from the 1950s onward.
Wileyâs band will feature his saxophone playing (tenor and soprano), trumpeter Geechi Taylor, Trombonist Andrew Webb, bassists David Ewell and Devin Hoff, violinists Yuri Cesar and Vivian McBride drums and vocalists Jeannine Anderson and Lorin Benedict.
âOne opera, one scat,â Wiley explains regarding the two vocalist setup, and the instrumentation in general. âItâs very odd instrumentation with a very unique sound, reflecting the influences weâll bring to it, to add our experience and interpretation."
Howard Wiley is the type of person who exemplifies the word âcharacterâ from both sides of the spectrumâ¦by having it, and by being one. Always willing to take the music or the conversation to the next level, itâs rare to end the music, or the conversation, without a smile on your face.
Born in Berkeley, California, Howard Wiley displayed the seeds of his musical talent at a very young age. Wiley found himself playing in the most nurturing of all environments for young African American musicians; the church. Throughout the history of jazz, the church has been root and center of the community, giving musicians, worshipers, and preachers alike the freedom and comfort to express themselves in the celebration of life. Wileyâs music is a direct reflection of his youth which gives his music a level of simplicity, honesty and integrity. He has developed into a very complete artist in the sense that he possesses a great awareness of the past while he continues to make statements and ask questions into the future.
Wiley has recorded and performed with the likes of Clarence âGatemouthâ Brown, Dayna Sean Stephens, Lavay Smith, and Norman Brown as well as receiving numerous awards and accolades from the Thelonious Monk Institute, including MVP honors for the Grammy All-American Jazz Band and the Berklee College of Music Scholarship Award. At the age of 15, Wiley released his first c.d. as a leader, signaling the arrival of the San Francisco Bay Areaâs newest diamond in the rough. Wiley has since released his second c.d. titled âTwenty First Century Negroâ, and is currently in the studio working on his third outing.
On experiencing Wiley in a live setting, journalist Drew Foxman writes, âWith a debonair, untailored stroll, Howard Wiley stepped on stage, donning a freshly pressed peach suit. He befitted this dignified presence by displaying his deep reverence f
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LocationJazz at Pearl's
256 Columbus Ave
San Francisco, CA 94133
United States
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