On June 6th at 8:00 PM, the Vermont Jazz Center presents The Convergence Project. Pianist, Eugene Uman has chosen an eclectic group of extraordinary musicians, representing a wide range of styles to interpret his original compositions. The rhythm section of this project is propelled by two brothers who Uman performed with in NYC in the early 90s - Stomu and Sato Takeishi are now significant forces in New York’s cutting edge and world-music scene. Cellist Eugene Friesen and saxophonist, Michael Zsoldos will round out the core of the ensemble. For the second set, the ensemble will be expanded by percussionists Todd Roach and Julian Gerstin, and possibly a few other musical guests. The members of this band’s personal histories embrace a myriad of styles, many of which have influenced Uman’s compositional approach. The music itself uses the language of jazz as glue, but it is the wealth of musical ideas and the collective wisdom of the participants that converge to form a unique sound that defies categorization.
Uman’s music incorporates Latin influences (especially Colombian and Cuban) and has lately been shaped by projects he has shared with musicologist and percussionist, Julian Gerstin. Together they perform in several settings including the The Latin Rhythm Project, Zabap and the most collective, the As Yet Quintet (with Todd Roach, Anna Patton and Miamon Miller). Explorations of odd meters and inclusion of elements from Eastern Europe, North Africa and India have added additional colors to Uman’s palette, but swinging jazz, bebop, rock and free jazz run as an undercurrent and are the fundamental building blocks of his overall concept.
The “frontline,” or, in lay terms, the melodic, lead musicians of this ensemble, include Eugene Friesen on cello and Michael Zsolodos on reeds. Friesen, although a Brattleboro neighbor, is a world-renowned musician best known for his work with the Paul Winter Consort. A graduate of the Yale School of Music, Friesen is active internationally as a concert artist, composer, conductor and teacher. In 1995, 2006 and 2008 Eugene won Grammy Awards for musical contributions to three Paul Winter Consort albums. He has worked and recorded with such diverse artists as Dave Brubeck, Toots Thielemans, Betty Buckley, Will Ackerman, Joe Lovano and Dream Theater. He has performed as a soloist at the International Cello Festival in Manchester, England; Rencontres d'Ensembles de Violoncelles in Beauvais, France; the World Cello Congress in Baltimore, Maryland; and the Rio International Cello Encounter in Rio de Janeiro. Recording credits include five albums of original music: New Friend, Arms Around You, The Song of Rivers, In the Shade of Angels and Sono Miho.
Saxophonist, Michael Zsoldos has performed with Paquito D’Rivera, Sheila Jordan, Ernie Watts, Matt Wilson, Rebecca Parris, and Jerry Bergonzi and has opened for piano legend McCoy Tyner. Since 2004, Michael has arranged for and performed with the horn section of the Dartmouth Gospel Choir and Chicago’s One Accord. They performed at the New Orleans Jazz Festival, completed a two-week tour through Umbria, Napoli, and Rome in 2007; Chicago House of Blues and Jazz at Lincoln Center in 2008; and in January 2009, they performed as part of the Obama Inauguration. Zsoldos plays with the Discover Jazz Festival Big Band in Burlington, VT and the Vermont Jazz Center Big Band in Brattleboro, VT. For six years, Michael was the Band Director at Woodstock Union High School and Middle School and is currently on the teaching faculties of Castleton State College and Interplay Jazz Camp.
The bassist for the Convergence Project is Stomu Takieshi. An article by renowned Jazz Writer Bill Milkowski describes Takeishi beautifully:
Prized for his combination of forceful execution, high sensitivity, and sense of daring, Stomu has been tapped by forward-thinking bandleaders such as saxophonist Henry Threadgill, conductor Butch Morris, drummer Paul Motian, slide guitarist David Tronzo, and trumpeter Cuong Vu. All have come to rely on him to deliver much more than just covering the root and walking on the low end. “I approach it as if I’m the one who composed the music,” says Takeishi. “I try to understand the compositions from the inside out, how they work, and what I can do with them. One thing I learned from Henry Threadgill was to come up with a game plan of how you’re going to deal with those harmonies and rhythms. But you also have to go by ear, so that whenever you hear something that intrigues you, even if it’s against your game plan, you go for it. Don’t trust your plan—trust what you hear in the moment.”
Stomu has appeard on over 45 recordings including those with Paul Motian’s Electric Bebop Band, Lazlo Gardony, Dave Tronzo, Henry Threadgill & Make a Move, Badal Roy, Erik Friedlander, Cuong Vu , Myra Melford's Crush, Steve Gorn, John Zorn and many others.
Stomi’s brother, drummer, Sato Takeishi attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. He later moved to Colombia, South America to study Latin-American music and worked with Francisco Zumaque and the Bogota Symphony Orchestra. Presently in New York City he began his sideman career working as a drummer and percussionist. He continues to explore multi-cultural and improvisational music as a member of New York’s flourishing Downtown scene. One of the reasons why Sato is such a good fit for this ensemble is that, like Uman, he too found his experience living in Colombia, South America affected him to his inner core. In an interview in Cadence Magazine, Sato reflected on this period, stating that living in Colombia was “ the single most important event of my life, both musically and emotionally. Myth, wonder, magic, mountains and rivers, dusty village street, humbleness and innocence, drama and comedy, humanity and tragedy and all colors and smells from flowers to food to people. These are the core of my sound. And all these things stays with me and they keep me alive in their myth.”
Sato has appeared on over 75 recordings including those by Latin giants Nestor Torres, Ray Barretto, Hector Martignon and Eliane Elias (in the film “Calle 54”). He has also performed with Laszlo Gardony, Badal Roy, Erik Friedlander, Cantor, Sasha Argov, Colombian saxophonist, Antonio Arnedo, Paul Winter, Anthony Braxton, Theo Bleckmann/Ben Monder, Joel Harrison and Rob Brown. But his roots are deep and he can also be found working with Marc Johnson, Eddie Gomez, Randy Brecker, Dave Liebman, Mark Murphy, Herbie Mann, and the Toshiko Akiyoshi Big Band. His unique style incorporates percussion and electronics with his traditional drum set.
In the second set, Uman will welcome to the stage fellow local musicians, percussionists Julian Gerstin and Todd Roach, as well as jazz center president, Howard Brofsky. Their presence has enriched Uman’s concept of music greatly – working together, they have investigated shared interests in disparate rhythmical ideas and musical concepts.
Please join us on June 6th and listen to the grooving sounds of this intriguing ensemble. The Vermont Jazz Center thanks the Colonial Inn, and the Brattleboro Food Co-op for their continued generous contributions of goods and services. This concert is made possible thanks in part to a generous grant from the Vermont Council of the Arts. Tickets are $20 general admission, $15 for students with valid ID. using a credit card, using the secure server. Tickets can also be purchased at In the Moment in downtown Brattleboro, or can be reserved by calling the VJC ticket-line at (802) 254 9088 (ext.1). A surcharge of $1 per ticket will be added to all tickets purchased with a credit card, online, or by phone.Buy tickets Online
