We are thrilled to continue our partnership with ArtsWestchester, The City of White Plains and the White Plains Business Improvement District on White Plains Jazz Fest 2016! Below is a second set of clips from the People & Stories Oral History Project. Each of the clips below includes stories and music from musicians who live locally, but have performed all over the world. Tom Van Buren, of ArtsWestchester, co-produced the interviews. Check out the Jazz Fest 2016 webpage for tickets and more information about all the great music happening September 20-25, 2016 in White Plains. Here's a link to our first Jazz Fest post.
Art Bennett (alto saxophone/flute) was born and raised in White Plains. Art was active in the ‘Loft Jazz' movement in New York City during the 1970's. This subsequently led to appearances at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully and Avery Fisher Halls and other New York venues. Art has performed with many notable musicians such as Lonnie Liston Smith, Rashid Ali, Roy Brooks, James “Blood” Ulmer, William Parker, Marion Meadows and an impressive list of musicians in the Free Jazz art form. He was also a member of the New York Musicians Organization (NYMO), which secured grants to provide musical education programs, recording opportunities and concerts throughout the five boroughs of New York City. He has recorded with the Aboriginal Music Society, and Harold Smith’s “Flight to Sanity.” Art is presently performing with Joe Falcon's CoCo Rico and Hip Hop artist Nena-Blu, and he gives music workshops throughout the New York area Art will perform with Joe Boykin on Mamaroneck Avenue Stage on Sunday, September 25th.
Doug Munro is a master musician and guitar virtuoso and an established veteran of the New York music scene. Since 1987 he has released eleven albums as a leader and has appeared on over 50 recordings as a sideman, producer, and arranger working with a diverse array of artists including Dr. John, Michael Brecker, and Dr. Lonnie Smith. Doug has over 75 original published compositions and over 300 recorded arrangements performed by some of the finest players in the world. He has released recordings in many jazz styles including: Soul-Jazz, Organ Trio, Latin and Gypsy Jazz. His current CD “Alone But Not Alone” is Doug’s first solo recording. Doug received two Grammy nominations and two NAIRD awards. Amazon.com picked Boogaloo to Beck, on which Doug performed, arranged, and co-produced, as one of its Top Ten Jazz CD’s of 2003. Doug also did orchestration work on the Oscar winning documentary When We Were Kings. Doug has written 4 books on jazz improvisation for Alfred Music Publications, including one entitled, From Swing to Bebop, that won the Music and Sound Retailers instructional book of the year award in 2000. As an educator Doug created and was Director of the Jazz Studies Program at The Conservatory of Music at Purchase College from 1993-2002. He continues to teach there as Director Emeritus. This esteemed jazz program boasts a faculty that includes John Abercrombie, Todd Coolman, Jon Faddis, Eric Alexander, John Riley and many other top jazz performers. Doug performed for the White Plains Jazz Fest in 2014 with his gypsy jazz group La Pompe Attack and in 2015 with Big Boss Bossa Nova.
