Young musicians to offer ‘Jazz for a Saturday Afternoon'

Tuxedo — Identical twins Pascal and Remy Le Boeuf will perform a “Jazz for a Saturday Afternoon” concert at 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 20, at St. Mary’s Church on Fox Hill Road in Tuxedo. With Pascal on piano, and Remy on alto saxophone, the music will range from traditional to progressive jazz. The concert will also feature Marcus Strickland on tenor saxophone, Jennifer Sanon as vocalist, Matt Brewer on acoustic bass, and Marcus Gilmore on drums. A “meet the artists” reception will follow the concert. At age 18, the twin brothers, who were born and raised in the California Bay Area, decided to move to New York to play gigs, and to study with Kenny Barron and Dick Oates. In their short musical career, they have won over twenty national and international awards, including awards from American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers and International Association for Jazz Education, Downbeat Magazine, the National Foundation for the Arts, and the John Coltrane Foundation. Their latest CD “Migration” won the 2006 Independent Music Awards for Best Jazz Album and Best Jazz Song. Sirius Satellite Radio called it “brilliant.” They are currently studying at the Manhattan School of Music. Tenor saxophonist Strickland has released “At Last” and “Brotherhood” on Fresh Sound New Talent Records. Jazz Times remarked that he has “started to turn heads in the most thriving but most competitive jazz scene on the planet … his tone: liquid and luminous, yet forceful and exact.” He has been a member of the Carnegie Hall Big Band and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. Vocalist Sanon was honored as Outstanding Jazz Vocalist at Lincoln Center’s Essentially Ellington Competition in 2003, and has since toured and performed with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra under Wynton Marsalis. She was also named the 2004 Grammy Foundation Honoree. Her voice and style have been described as “shades of Ella Fitzgerald and Billy Holiday.” Acoustic bassist Brewer began playing professionally at age twelve. During his teenage years, he was selected from applicants all across the country to perform on the 2000 Grammy Awards telecast. He is featured on Greg Osby’s current Blue Note release, “Channel Three.” Drummer Gilmore was inspired by the music of his grandfather, legendary jazz drummer Roy Haynes, who gave him his first set of drums at age ten. A member of the Vijay Iyer quartet since 2004, he has also performed with trumpeters Nicholas Payton and Roy Hargrove, saxophonists Steve Coleman, Ravi Coltrane, Jimmy Heath, and Branford Marsalis. The performance is sponsored by the Tuxedo Performing Arts Group, whose mission is to support and promote musical and cultural events within the Tuxedo community. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door, and $10 for students and $15 for seniors over 65. For more information, visit www.tuxedoperformingarts.org or call 351-3473.