For Immediate Release
Contact: Tamar Fortgang
661-253-7724
fortgang@muse.calarts.edu

Steve Coleman and Five Elements at REDCAT

Tuesday, April 27 and Friday, April 30 at 8:30pm

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Los Angeles, April 12 - The CalArts Musical Exploration series at REDCAT presents Steve Coleman and Five Elements featuring Jonathan Finlayson on trumpet, Craig Taborn on piano, Jen Shyu on vocals, Yunior Terry (CalArts alum) on bass and Dafnis Prieto on drums. The group will play on April 27 and 30 at REDCAT for two dates on a West Coast tour including shows in Seattle, San Francisco, and Portland. Alto saxophonist, composer, and producer Steve Coleman is touring in celebration of his new CD Lucidarium on Label Bleu (France).

Roy and Edna Disney / CalArts Theater (REDCAT) is located in the Walt Disney Concert Hall complex, 631 W. Second St. in Los Angeles. Performances begin at 8:30 pm. Tickets (General $24; Students $12) can be purchased by calling 213-237-2800 or on-line at clicking here. Special Discounts for CalArts alumni and students are available.

An Alpert Award winner, Steve Coleman appears at REDCAT as a part of CalArts' Musical Explorations series, funded by the Herb Alpert Foundation. He and Five Elements will also give a series of three workshops for CalArts students in the context of their world-renowned Jazz Studies Program, celebrating its 20th anniversary this spring.

Known as a creative musician involved in the New York music scene with fellow musicians such as Greg Osby and Cassandra Wilson, Steve Coleman fuses a knowledge of the music of masters such as Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, Von Freeman, with the melodies, rhythms and forms he grew up listening to on the South Side of Chicago and music and philosophical ideas from various cultures around the world (Africa, India, Middle East, Cuba) to create an infectiously lively and powerfully rhythmic musical expression. Coleman's music is often hypnotic and trance-like, as insistent bass lines merge with extended contrapuntal jams. But Steve's music can also be meditative and sublime, exploring ballads with delicacy and nuance. His interest in ancient cultures and rhythms around the world make him a fascinating figure in the future of contemporary music. On composing in phrases that don't conform to meter, he says, "A lot of times I'm imitating nature. I see different levels of cloud movements, and those aren't in 4/4."

REDCAT inaugural season sponsors include Shamrock Holdings, KCRW FM, The L.A. Weekly, and the Standard Hotel, with additional media sponsorship provided by The Downtown News.

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