Date/Time
Date(s) - 10/15/2016
8:00 PM - 11:00 PM
Location
Clausen Hall, Los Angeles City College
Category(ies)
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Rudresh Mahanthappa’s Bird Calls
- Rudresh Mahanthappa — saxophone
- Adam O’Farrill — trumpet
- Joshua White — piano
- Thomson Kneeland — bass
- Dan Weiss — drums
Through a series of critically acclaimed releases over the past decade, saxophonist and composer Rudresh Mahanthappa has explored the music of his South Indian heritage and translated it through the vocabulary of his own distinctive approach to modern jazz. On his latest release Bird Calls, Mahanthappa trains his anthropological imagination on an equally important cultural influence: the music of Charlie Parker. With a stellar quintet of forward-thinking musicians, which includes some long-time collaborators as well as 20-year-old trumpet prodigy Adam O’Farrill, Mahanthappa offers an inspired examination of Bird’s foundational influence and how it manifests itself in a decidedly 21st-century context.
Joshua White’s Codes
- Joshua White — piano, compositions
- Dean Hulett — bass
- Jonathan Pinson — drums
- Dwight Trible — vocal, spoken word
- Ralph Moore — alto saxophone
Pianist Joshua White (born August 17, 1985) had parallel musical training in both classical and gospel music traditions before encountering the music most commonly referred to as “jazz”. He began formal piano training at the age of seven and was subsequently immersed into the music of Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Rachmaninoff, and others. After competing in several classical piano music competitions and also becoming the organist/pianist at his local Church, Joshua (at the age of 18) chose to focus his musical studies on “jazz” and improvised music traditions, drawing inspiration from its many innovators. He dove into the music head first with the help of world-renowned musicians like composer Anthony Davis, saxophonist David Borgo, flutist Holly Hofmann and piano master Mike Wofford.
In 2011, White entered the prestigious Thelonious Monk International Piano Competition in Washington D.C., ultimately placing second out of 160 competitors from around the world. Herbie Hancock was one the judges. “Joshua has immense talent,” Hancock told music critic George Varga of the San Diego Union Tribune. “I was impressed by his daring and courageous approach to improvisation on the cutting edge of innovation. For the last several years, White has been in demand as one of Southern California’s most creative and technically accomplished pianists.