The SUNY Fredonia School of Music announces a rare opportunity to meet legendary Latin jazz trumpeter, Arturo Sandoval, on Sunday, Nov. 10 from 4 to 5 p.m. at the Dunkirk Boys and Girls Club. The meet and greet is free and open to the community, part of the nine-time Grammy artist’s three-day residency at SUNY Fredonia.
This event is made possible thanks to the generous support of Hodgson Russ, LLP of Buffalo. Boys and Girls Club is a United Way Community Partner.
Dunkirk High School Band Director Jenniene Eimers Scarem, organized jazz combos of current students and recent graduates to play at the event. Current Dunkirk students to perform include: Christopher Michalski, drum set; Alex Pryll, bass and guitar; Emily Van Wey, keys, and Julie Paredes, alto saxophone. DHS alumni to perform include: Dylan Leone, guitar; Nick Kobel, tenor saxophone; Christina Aviles, alto and baritone saxophone, and Danielle Dean, tenor saxophone.
The residency with Arturo Sandoval also includes a free master class featuring SUNY Fredonia jazz combos on Monday, Nov. 11 at 1 p.m. in Rosch Recital, and a sold-out concert that evening featuring Mr. Sandoval and the Fredonia Latin Jazz Ensemble with special guests John Bacon (drums), Bruce Johnstone (saxophone), Wendell Rivera (percussion), Bobby Jones (keyboard), and Jeff Campbell (bass). The master class is free, but tickets are required. They are available at the Fredonia Ticket Office in the Williams Center, online at www.fredonia.edu/tickets or by phone at 716-673-3501.
As a special treat for those attending the community meet and greet, the School of Music will raffle-off vouchers redeemable to purchase tickets to the sold-out concert with Sandoval Monday night. Winners will be drawn during the meet and greet hour on Sunday; individuals must be present to win.
“We are delighted to be hosting this music icon,” said Karl Boelter, School of Music director, “and we are thrilled to be partnering with both the Boys and Girls Club and the Dunkirk High School jazz program for this community event. It will be an hour of great music, local food, and one of the greatest jazz trumpeters of all time.” Food from local restaurants will be featured. Sandoval will speak about his Cuban roots, his life and career in music, and will meet with the community in a casual way.
A protégé of the legendary jazz master Dizzy Gillespie, Sandoval has been seen by millions at the Oscars performing with Celine Dion, at the Grammy Awards with Justin Timberlake and in his own right as a leader. He also performed at the Billboard Awards with Alicia Keys. Sandoval has been awarded nine Grammy Awards and was nominated 17 times. He has also received six Billboard Awards and an Emmy Award.
Sandoval was born in Artemisa, a small town in the outskirts of Havana, Cuba, on Nov. 6, 1949, just two years after Gillespie became the first musician to bring Latin influences into American Jazz. He began studying classical trumpet at the age of twelve, but quickly caught the spark of the jazz world and has since evolved into one of the world's most acknowledged guardians of jazz trumpet and flugelhorn, as well as a renowned classical artist, pianist and composer. Sandoval will speak about his Latin roots and music experiences, engaging both young and old alike with anecdotal stories from his intriguing life and groundbreaking career as a Latin jazz musician in the U.S.
