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The Stanford Jazz Workshop has commissioned a new work of World Music by Cuban composer and saxophonist Yosvany Terry. The suite of music will explore the enduring legacy of the Arará culture that came from West Africa and continues to thrive in Cuba and throughout the Caribbean. These influences can also be felt in the United States, as its folkloric traditions trickled into the early music of New Orleans, which eventually developed into jazz. The piece will look at the common rhythms and other animating aspects of Arará cultural traditions and develop a musical language to express them as a contemporary sound. “It is important to preserve the roots and tradition of today's music and help the new generations understand our cultural heritage,” says Mr. Terry. He believes that “awareness of our heritage allows us to erase barriers of continents and races, thus sending a unifying message to our communities.” Through a series of workshops and concerts, our hope is to engage audiences in thinking about and understanding the shared traditions found in today’s music. Mr. Terry will be joined by some of today’s brightest stars of Afro-Carribbean, West African, and jazz music including Roman Diaz (drums), Dominic Kanza (guitar), Pedro Martinez (percussion), Osmany Paredes (piano), Justin Brown (drums), and Yunior Terry (bass). This project is made possible by a generous grant from The New York State Music Fund established by the New York State Attorney General at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors. |