Arts + Literature Laboratory presents Manhattan Vibes featuring Christos Rafalides (NYC jazz vibraphonist) and Michael Spiro (SF Latin percussion specialist) on Friday, May 19, 2017 at 8pm (doors at 7:30pm). Tickets are $20 online in advance at http://manhattanvibes.bpt.me or $25 at the door. Advance purchase highly recommended for this rare joint performance by Rafalides and Spiro, who are sure to amaze the audience with their virtuosity. This concert is part of a short series Rafalides and Spiro are performing with Lawrence University Conservatory of Music faculty Dane Richeson and Mark Urness. The performance will include selections from the Christos Rafalides Trio's new CD, Near and Dear, as well as original songs by bassist Urness and some jazz standards.
Manhattan Vibes featuring Christos Rafalides and Michael Spiro
Born in Kozani, Greece, Christos Rafalides can't remember a time when he wasn't surrounded by music. The influence of his older brother led him to the piano at the age of seven. He began his studies in classical percussion at the age of fourteen, and by the time he was twenty he was working with some of the best known orchestras in Greece. Christos believed he would continue his career as a classical percussionist, until one evening when he heard pianist George Cables with the group of Billy Cobham, “here was this guy, playing with his shoes off, conveying so much feeling through his instrument... I knew I wanted to be able to express myself like that." From that moment forward, Christos knew he would be a jazz musician.
Upon receiving a scholarship to the Berklee College of Music, he moved to Boston, where he completed his Bachelor of Arts degree, studying with Ed Saindon. His desire to flourish brought him to New York City to study with acclaimed jazz vibraphonist Joe... Read More
Michael Spiro is a world-renowned percussionist, recording artist, and educator, known specifically for his work in the Latin music field.
Spiro's formal education includes a bachelor's degree with honors in Latin American Studies from the University of California, and three and a half years of graduate work in ethnomusicology at the University of Washington. His practical education consists of a seven- year apprenticeship with Francisco Aguabella (a relationship which continues today) and extensive study throughout Latin America. He has studied annually in Cuba since 1984 with musicians such as Jose Luis Quintana ("Changuito"), Esteban Vega Bacallao ("Cha-Cha"), Daniel Diaz and Juan "Claro" Blanco of Orquesta Ritmo Oriental, Regino Jimenez, Los Muñequitos de Matanzas and Grupo Afro-Cuba de Matanzas. In addition, in 1986, he spent two months training at G.R.E.S. Portela, the famous Escola de Samba in Rio de Janeiro.
Spiro currently resides in San Francisco, Calif.,... Read More
Dane Richeson is Professor of Music at Lawrence University Conservatory of Music in Appleton, Wisconsin, where he has been Director of Percussion Studies since 1984. He is recognized as one of the most versatile performers in the percussive arts. Throughout the world he has been featured in such diverse roles as solo marimbist, contemporary chamber music percussionist, world percussion specialist and jazz drummer. Performances have been with such diverse artists as Bobby McFerrin, Gordon Stout, Nancy Zeltsman, Gunther Schuller, Geoffrey Keezer, Joe Lovano, NDR Big Band of Germany, Roscoe Mitchell, Medeski-Martin-Woods, Kenny Wheeler , Danilo Perez, and Lyle Mays. He has performed extensively with a variety of contemporary chamber ensembles and has been a featured marimba artist/teacher at several of the Zeltsman Marimba Festivals, the Ivana Bilic Marimba/Percussion Week in Croatia, and the Central Conservatory Chamber Music Festival in Beijing. Moreover, he has performed at... Read More
Mark Urness is a versatile bassist, composer, and educator. His diverse performance experience encompasses orchestral, chamber, solo, jazz playing. He was awarded first prize in the International Society of Bassists Jazz Competition. His unaccompanied jazz CD, Foreground, was released in 2009. Bass World magazine described his playing as “completely in command of the instrument and the tunes, rife with good ideas, melodic instinct, and groove, not to mention killer intonation on the double stops and chords.” Recent performances include chamber music broadcasts on Wisconsin Public Radio, and jazz performances with Bill Carrothers, Danilo Perez, Peter Erskine, and Joe Locke.
Prior to his appointment to the faculty of Lawrence University, Mr. Urness taught at the University of Iowa, Coe College, and the University of Northern Iowa. He received a Master of Music in double bass performance from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, a Bachelor of Arts in... Read More
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