OCTOBER 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Lexington, VA -- Famed trumpeter Dave Douglas brings his quintet to Lexington to open the 2009-10 SonoKlect season on Saturday night, October 24th in WLU’s Wilson Hall. The 8:00pm concert is free and no tickets are required. Call the Lenfest Box Office at 540.458.8000 for information. A reception will follow the performance. In addition, Douglas will offer a masterclass in Wilson Hall at 3:00pm on the day of the concert.

“Tapping a vein that spans centuries and continents, Douglas and his merry band channeled the street musics of New Orleans and Central Europe, mixing intricate improvisation with the brash exuberance of kids jamming in the Times Square subway station. This is a group that should be heard.” These words of praise come from “The Jazz Observer” in a review of a recent performance at Yoshi’s in Oakland.

Trumpet, French Horn, Trombone, Tuba, and Drums. Born out of the Festival of New Trumpet Music in 2005, Brass Ecstasy nods to the ever-evolving spirit of brass music through soul inflected compositions. On the band’s debut recording, Spirit Moves, Dave is joined by Vincent Chancey on French horn, Luis Bonilla on trombone, Marcus Rojas on tuba, and Nasheet Waits on drums. It was released on Greenleaf Music last June and has been garnering high acclaim from jazz critics world-wide.

Although Brass Ecstasy is new, Douglas is far from being a new kid on the block. This two-time Grammy-nominated jazz musician is the most prolific and original trumpeter/composer of his generation. From his New York base, where he’s lived since the mid 1980s, Douglas has continued to earn lavish national and international acclaim including trumpeter, composer, and jazz “Artist of the Year” by such organizations as the New York Jazz Awards, DownBeat, JazzTimes, Jazziz, and the Italian Jazz Critics’ Society. His solo recording career began in 1993 with Parallel Worlds on Soul Note and he has since released over twenty-eight recordings.

The Lexington concert caps off the US part of the band’s fall tour, following concerts in New York and Philadelphia. Three days after the performance at Washington and Lee the band will begin their European tour in Belgium. So don’t miss what is sure to be a great night of music.





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