It's Getting Hot in Here...
Dave Pietro’s Banda Brazil will transform McGarvey Commons into jazz cabaret
Alto saxophone sensation Dave Pietro will be joined by four Brazilian musicians to present a special evening of Latin jazz at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, on Thursday, April 19.
Taking a busman’s holiday from his career as a solo performer, Pietro formed Banda Brazil to create a seamless fusion of North and South American jazz. In 2003, after six years as lead alto saxophonist for the Toshiko Akiyoshi Jazz Orchestra, Pietro began touring and recording on his own, and with musical greats Woody Herman, Lionel Hampton, Maynard Ferguson, Ray Charles, Rosemary Clooney, Harry Connick Jr., Michael Feinstein, and Liza Minnelli, among others.
Dave Pietro’s Banda Brazil performance is a Music at Night event produced by the college’s Logan Music Series and co-sponsored by JazzErie. It begins at 7:00 p.m. in the McGarvey Commons of the Reed Union Building and tickets are required.
“Dave Pietro is a huge name in sax circles, so it’s a thrill to bring him to Erie’s jazz enthusiasts, and also to introduce him to people who aren’t familiar with his work. They’ll be fans after the first piece,” Daniel Barnard, series director, promised. “This is a special evening. For the first time, we’ll have cabaret seating, a coffee bar, desserts, and even free chocolates, compliments of our friends at Romolos. We’re creating an intimate setting to match the passion and romance of Latin-influenced jazz.”
Pietro has recorded five solo CDs. The fifth, Embrace: Impressions of Brazil, was called “a triumph…one of the most satisfying Brazilian jazz mixes since the first boss nova tsunami” by AllAboutJazz.com critic Judith Schlesinger. His fourth solo collection, Standard Wonder: The Music of Stevie Wonder, was named a top-ten of 2001 by the Boston Globe and received a four-star review from Downbeat magazine.
For his Logan performance, Pietro will be joined by Sao Paulo natives Helio Alves on piano and percussionists Valtinho Anastacio and Adriano Santos. Bassist Leonardo Cioglia hails from Brasilia, Brazil.
Music at Night tickets can be purchased at the door on April 19, in advance at the Reed Union Building main desk, or online at www.behrend.psu.edu/musicatnight. Tickets are $10 for adults, $8.50 for adults over 60, $5 for Penn State Behrend students, and $4 for kids under 16.
In addition to the Music at Night performance, Dave Pietro’s Banda Brazil will perform at noon on Wednesday, April 18, also in McGarvey Commons. This one-hour concert, part of the Music at Noon series, is free and open to the public.
Pietro will be the final performer in the 17th season of the Logan Series at Penn State Behrend. The annual series receives major support from the Kay Logan Trust with additional funding from the Erie Arts Endowment of the Arts Council of Erie, the Pennsylvania Humanities Council, the Penn State Behrend Student Activity Fee, Pennsylvania Partners on the Arts, Wal-Mart, JazzErie, and Romolo Chocolates.
For more information about the series or Dave Pietro’s performance, phone the Penn State Behrend School of Humanities and Social Sciences at 814-898-6108.