Using music to inspire art

Warwick — Combining color and music is not a new theory. Back in 1895, Alexander Wallace Rimington published a paper about it. Kandinsky took it to another level in his book “Concerning The Spiritual In Art.” The workshop “Music Inspires Art: An Interactive Art and Music Experience” will feature saxophonist Tom Colao from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 2, in the Senior Room of Warwick Town Hall at 132 Kings Highway. As part of the Warwick Art League’s Visiting Artist Series, Colao will present a unique experience in creativity. The experimental workshop is intended to help participants be creative and give their color “mobility.” Colao started his music studies at the age of 11 years, and has performed professionally from the age of 15. His private studies included time with Piage Brooke, formerly with the New York Philharmonic, jazz great Hubert Laws, and David Schnitter. During formal studies at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, he studied with Joe Viola. When he moved to the San Francisco area, he performed in his own quartet, and various jazz orchestras and rhythm and blues bands. He also performed an extended engagement at the New Varsity Theater with the Foothill Trio, a flute, violin and cello classical music group. Currently a freelance musician in the Metro area, he leads the Tom Colao Quartet, co-leads the New World Quintet, and is an active member in the Erick Storckman Band and the Diane Moser’s Composers Big Band. His playing and recording experience includes performances with Chuck Mangione, Slide Hampton, Victor Jones, Calvin Hill, and Yoron Isreal. He has also performed with the Temptations and Duprees. A member of the American Federation of Musicians and the International Association of Jazz Educators, he has been teaching privately for the past 15 years, as well as participating in clinics and educational programs. Mark Porter, in The Montclair Times, 2001, wrote, “One of the most moving pieces was the rendition of ‘Dear Lord,’ by John Coltrane, delivered by pianist Diane Moser and saxophonist Tom Colao.” “Colao can also make a ballad like ‘We’ll Be Alone Together’ sing as lyrically as a vocalist can,” wrote George Kanzler in The Star Ledger, 1999. In 1995, Kanzler wrote of the New World Quintet, “Co-led by trombonist Bob Ferrell and alto saxophonist Tom Colao, the quintet is a polished neo-bop ensemble that works enough to have developed a challenging original repertoire.” The event is free, and participants should bring their own media, although some paint, paper, and easels will be available. For further information, call 987-8507.