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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 13, 2016
Tickets & Information: 212/854-7799
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“Olatuja possesses a special instrument: a full-bodied tone, precise pitch and
personal engagement at the lowest whisper or highest wail.” – Downbeat
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Miller Theatre at Columbia University School of the Arts
continues its Jazz series with the
Alicia Olatuja Sextet
featuring
Alicia Olatuja, vocals
Rasul A-Salaam, vocals
Jon Cowherd, piano
David Rosenthal, guitar
Eric Wheeler, bass
John Davis, drums
Saturday, November 12, 2016, 8:00 p.m.
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From Miller Theatre Executive Director Melissa Smey:
“I am thrilled to welcome powerhouse vocalist Alicia Olatuja for her debut on Miller Theatre’s Jazz series. Alicia has an uncommon ability to blend many musical traditions into her own signature style which has made her a tour de force in the jazz world and beyond.”
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Jazz
Saturday, November 12, 2016, 8:00 p.m.
Miller Theatre (2960 Broadway at 116th Street)
Called “one of the most thrilling vocalists of today” (JazzTimes), Alicia Olatuja has an incredible range, fueled by her fluency in multiple world music styles, classical studies at Manhattan School of Music, and an undeniable, ingrained musicality. She wowed audiences when she sang at Barack Obama’s 2013 inauguration, and her powerful vocals have received unanimous acclaim. Her Miller debut is not to be missed.
ARTISTS:
Alicia Olatuja, vocals
Rasul A-Salaam, vocals
Jon Cowherd, piano
David Rosenthal, guitar
Eric Wheeler, bass
John Davis, drums
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Alicia Olatuja amazed everyone at the 2013 presidential inauguration with her solo during the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir’s performance of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.” She has earned raves from the New York Daily News and The View. Olatuja’s reputation has been growing since her arrival in New York in 2005. The New York Times praised her performance with her husband, bassist Michael Olatuja, in their band The Olatuja Project, lauding her “strong, lustrous tone.” The Olatuja Project, where she sings in various African dialects such as Yoruba and Shona, recently released their debut album, The Promise. Olatuja has sung with the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir since 2007, performed as a soloist with the Juilliard Jazz ensemble, and performed with various recording artists including Christian McBride, Chaka Khan, and Bebe Winans. She recently released her solo debut album, Timeless.
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Native New Yorker Rasul A-Salaam began his career in 2005, touring the world singing background and sharing stages with artists including Shirley Caesar, Lyle Lovett, and Fantasia Barrino. In 2013, he was a featured soloist in “Abyssinian Mass - A Gospel Celebration” conceived by Wynton Marsalis. A-Salaam is the CEO of BGV Music, Inc. a small business he founded in 2007 where he provides services with a focus on arranging, producing, and singing background vocals as well as contracting and managing background vocalists and solo artists alike.
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The Kentucky-born, New Orleans-schooled, New York-based Jon Cowherd is best known for his long-running partnership with drummer/bandleader Brian Blade, with whom he co-founded the Brian Blade Fellowship. Cowherd has worked extensively with a broad array of players and singers from the jazz, pop, and rock worlds. He’s currently a member of Cassandra Wilson’s band, and his instrumental work has been featured on albums by Rosanne Cash, Lizz Wright, Iggy Pop, Marc Cohn, Mark Olson, and Victoria Williams, and he’s recorded alongside musicians including Daniel Lanois, Joni Mitchell, John Leventhal, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Dave Easley, Jeff Parker, Marcus Strickland, and Jack Wilkins.
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David Rosenthal is a guitarist/artist/producer/instructor based in New York. He has worked and recorded with Anthony Hamilton, Ledisi, Sevyn Streeter, Tori Kelly, Chuck Harmony, Claude Kelly, Marvin Winans, Christian McBride, and Alicia Olatuja. He is a multi-instrumentalist and plays a variety of styles including R&B, jazz, funk, and blues. He just released his new album Family.
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Eric Wheeler is a Washington, D.C. native and has been studying string bass for 20 years. At age thirteen he was accepted into the Duke Ellington School for the Arts, where he began to study jazz music. While attending Howard University, Wheeler worked professionally in the D.C. metro area as a jazz and classical musician playing at venues including Bohemian Caverns, Blues Alley, and The Kennedy Center. Since then he has toured the world and performed with notable jazz artists Stefon Harris, Tim Warfield, Benny Golson, Curtis Fuller, Delfeayo Marsalis, Russell Malone, Pharaoh Sanders, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Terell Stafford, and Cyrus Chestnut.
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Born in Lake Charles, Louisiana, John Davis attended the University of North Florida (UNF) in Jacksonville, Florida. In 2004, he received scholarships to attend the Manhattan School of Music. Since moving to New York, he’s performed at many prominent venues, including the Zinc Bar, the Jazz Standard, The Blue Note, and Dizzy’s Coca-Cola. Davis has performed in Atlanta, Georgia, with jazz pianist Eric Reed and traveled to Europe to perform at the United Colors of Benetton’s 20th Anniversary. Since graduating in 2006, Davis has recorded with Medeiros Brothers (Sony Latin, release 2008), and performed with piano phenomenon Eric Lewis.
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Columbia University’s Miller Theatre is located north of the Main Campus Gate
at 116th St. & Broadway on the ground floor of Dodge Hall.
Directions and information are available online at www.millertheatre.com
or via the Miller Theatre Box Office, at 212.854.7799.
For photos, please contact Eric Gewirtz at
212/854-2380 or eg2893@columbia.edu
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For further information, press tickets, photos, and to arrange interviews,
please contact Aleba & Co. at 212/206-1450 or aleba@alebaco.com. |
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