Steve Griggs Ensemble plays Seresta: Brazilian Serenade
* Date: Thursday, November 19, 2009
* Time: 8:00pm
* Location: Good Shepherd Center Chapel
* Address: 4649 Sunnyside Avenue N, Seattle WA
* Tickets: $15 advance admission at Brown Paper Tickets, $20 at the door
Seresta is the Portuguese word for Serenade -- music that expresses love by declaring deep personal feelings of longing and hope. Serenades are performed publicly so that the declaration of love is heard not only by the beloved being honored in the song but also by others in the community. The personal becomes universal in the act of musical expression.
The serenade has blossomed from informal to formal music in a variety of world cultures as demonstrated in compositions by Mozart, Brahms, and Stravinsky. In Brazil, Heitor Villa-Lobos wrote serenades that combined improvization from the choro (cry) genre of his Rio de Janeiro home, with his love of native melodies, all with an added influence by the harmony of Chopin and Debussy.
Steve Griggs is a Seattle saxophonist who has spent considerable time in Brazil over the past 20 years. Listening to the sentimental melodies and infectious rhythms of Rio's native music inspired Steve to reinterpret this music for a small jazz chamber ensemble. After reviewing hundreds of Villa-Lobos' pieces, Steve selected 15 to transcribe and arrange. Two of these pieces were premiered at Bumbershoot 2009.
The date of this concert corresponds with the 50th anniversary of Villa-Lobos' death and also the 50th anniversary of a landmark reinterpretation of Latin music by jazz artists -- the Miles Davis/Gil Evans recording "Sketches of Spain."
Ensemble
* Bill Anschell - piano
* Jeff Busch - percussion
* Marco de Carvalho - guitar
* Lori Goldston - cello
* Steve Griggs - saxophone
* Mark Ivester - drums
* Chuck Kistler - bass
* Tom Varner - French Horn
* Preludes for Guitar - Villa-Lobos
o Prelude #4
o Prelude #1
* Cirandas - Villa-Lobos
o Papae Curumiassu (Lullaby for the Coboclo Indians)
o Xo, Xo, Passarinho (Shoo, Shoo, Little Bird)
* Serestas - Villa-Lobos
o Modinha
o Saudades da Minha Vida (Longing of My Life)
o Serenata
* Cry Me a River - Hamilton
* Duas Paysages - Villa-Lobos
o Manha na Praia (Morning at the Beach)
* Magdelena - Villa-Lobos
o Lost
* Remembering - Griggs
* Suite Populaire Brasilienne - Villa-Lobos
o Mazurka
* Forest of the Amazons - Villa-Lobos
o Vocalize 2
o Vocalize 1 (Anticipando Jobim)
* Cancoes Tipicas Brasileiras - Villa-Lobos
o Alma Brasileira (Soul of Brasil)
* Choro #5 - Villa-Lobos
o Saudades Das Selvas Brasileiras (Longing for the Brazilian Forests)
* Bachianas Brasileiras #5 - Villa-Lobos
o Aria
Tickets
Buy tickets online at Brown Paper Tickets or call 1-800-838-3006. Seating is limited so purchasing tickets in advance is recommended.