STANFORD LIVELY ARTS LAUNCHES 2008–09 SEASON
ON SUNDAY, OCTOBER 5 WITH
BRANFORD MARSALIS AND MARSALIS BRASILIANOS

Concert at Memorial Auditorium features Grammy-winning saxophonist Branford Marsalis and
members of the Philarmonia Brasileira in a celebration of Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos;
Brazilian-themed reception and gala dinner follow the performance

Single tickets go on sale Tuesday, September 2

Stanford, CA, August 22, 2008—Stanford Lively Arts opens its 2008–09 season on Sunday, October 5 with Marsalis Brasilianos, a vibrant musical dialogue across the Americas featuring saxophone virtuoso Branford Marsalis with members of the Philarmonia Brasileira, led by Gil Jardim. The performance takes place at 2:30 p.m., at Memorial Auditorium, and will be followed by a Brazilian-themed gala celebration including live music and a seated gourmet dinner with special guests.

           Commemorating the 50th anniversary of Heitor Villa-Lobos’ death, Marsalis Brasilianos is an innovative new project that brings together the Grammy-winning, New Orleans–born jazz artist and the esteemed Brazilian ensemble, finding a fertile meeting ground in the composer’s music. They perform Villa-Lobos’ Fantasia for Saxophone (Soprano) and Piano or Orchestra (1949), the Suite for Strings (1912), and Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5 (1938). Also on the program are Darius Milhaud’s La création du monde, op. 81 (1923) and Scaramouche for Saxophone (Alto) and Orchestra, op. 165c (1937).

           Immediately following the performance, Lively Arts will usher in the new season with Festa Brasileira, an elegant Brazilian-themed gala amid the fan palms of the Ford Alumni Gardens at Arrillaga Alumni Center, 326 Galvez Street. The event begins with a 5:00 p.m. reception, with cocktails and live music featuring two esteemed Brazilian-born artists: vocalist Claudia Villela and guitarist Ricardo Peixoto. At 6:00 p.m., the Brazilian festa continues with a gourmet seated dinner. Proceeds benefit Lively Arts’ artistic and education programs.

             This presentation is generously supported by Fred and Stephanie Harman and Microsoft Corporation.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Jazz luminary and three-time Grammy Award-winning saxophonist Branford Marsalis was born in New Orleans into one of the city’s most distinguished musical families, which includes patriarch/pianist/educator Ellis and siblings Wynton, Delfeayo, and Jason. Known for his broad musical scope, Marsalis has become increasingly active as a soloist with such acclaimed ensembles as the symphony orchestras of Chicago, Detroit, and Düsseldorf and the Boston Pops. His nearly two-dozen recordings in various styles have received numerous accolades, with his most recent CD, the Grammy-nominated Braggtown, acknowledged as his quartet’s greatest recorded achievement to date. In addition to spending two years touring and recording with Sting and serving as musical director of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Marsalis has collaborated with the Grateful Dead and Bruce Hornsby, acted in films including Throw Mama from the Train and School Daze, provided music for Mo’ Better Blues and other films, and hosted National Public Radio’s syndicated program Jazz Set.

           The Philarmonia Brasileira was founded in 1994 by conductor Gil Jardim, whose work is distinguished by its technique, excellence, and clarity of purpose as well as Jardim’s strong understanding of the fusion between ethnic and erudite Brazilian music elements. In October 2005, Jardim released a CD with Philarmonia Brasileira reconstructing the first concert Villa-Lobos held in Paris, in 1924. Two of the tracks on the CD, the recordings of Pensées d’enfant and Epigramas irônicos e sentimentais, were being released for the first time. The CD, titled Villa-Lobos in Paris, was awarded the Diapason d’Or from the well-known magazine Diapason. In addition, Jardim has appeared with the Brooklyn Orchestra in New York, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London, and the Camerata Mexicana in Mexico.

TICKETS

Tickets for the Marsalis Brasilianos concert, presented by Stanford Lively Arts on Sunday, October 5 at 2:30 p.m. at Memorial Auditorium, are $40/$48/$56; Premium: $76 (adult), $20/$24; Premium: $38 for (Stanford student). Single tickets for this and other Lively Arts events go on sale to the public Tuesday, September 2.

           Half-price tickets are available for young people age 18 and under and discounts are available for groups and non-Stanford students. Contact the Stanford Ticket Office at 650-725-ARTS (2787), or visit Lively Arts online at livelyarts.stanford.edu.

          Individual tickets for Festa Brasileira, Stanford Lively Arts’ Season Opening Gala, are $500 per person and include preferred performance seating. For more information on the gala, including purchase of complete tables, contact Mary Ancell at ancell@stanford.edu or (650) 723-7247.

VENUE INFORMATION

Memorial Auditorium is located on the Stanford campus at 551 Serra Mall at Galvez, across from Hoover Tower. Parking on campus is free of charge after 4:00 p.m. and on weekends at all times. Maps and directions can accessed at http://livelyarts.stanford.edu/Venues/.

and hope to run into some folks from here!

these guys just came across my radar this morning, and while we'll probably eventually do something a bit more formal, I'm posting here for now because they've got gigs coming up next week! 

www.myspace.com/castofclowns

Believe it and Not

Cast of Clowns set up the big top on holy grounds, where they juggle songs, work live with wild jams, and perform high in the air. A converging of talents immersed in reverent irreverence, the Cast of Clowns fun machine consists of psychedelic tricksters who helped create the jamband world as well as emerging voices of what’s to come.

Formed around new original material of short story/song writer, Craig Wright, (Redemption Center), Greg Anton, (Zero), and Robert Hunter, (Grateful Dead), the Cast features Jeff Pevar, (guitarist for Crosby Stills and Nash, Phil and Friends, Jazz is Dead and Ray Charles), as well as Melvin Seals, (famed organist of The Jerry Garcia Band).

Good friends hang out in clown alley as well. Grateful Dead’s Bill Kreutzmann played the entire show at the Clowns’ last performance at Oregon Country Fair. The Clowns keeps new and original material center ring. Surprises thrill and delight. Edges are pushed then blurred. Mysteries are celebrated. Then the warmth of a gentle, or not-so-gentle, ballad begins to billow the circus tent.

all Sept. shows 9 pm

September 19, 2008
Moe's Alley
1535 Commercial Way
Santa Cruz, CA  94107
Cost: $20
http://www.moesalley.com

September 20, 2008
Connecticut Yankee
100 Connecticut St
San Francisco, California 94107
Cost:$20
http://www.theyankee.com

September 21, 2008
Hopmonk Tavern
268 Petaluma Avenue
Sebastopol, California 95472
Cost:$15
http://www.hopmonk.com