LATIN MUSIC MASTERCLASS with ZACCAI CURTIS
Zaccai Curtis will be doing a masterclass on Latin Music for May 13th. Afro-Cuban Jazz. How it fits into American Classical Music(jazz) history and what to practice in order to feel comfortable in a “Latin Jazz” setting. Key points and terms: Montuno, Mambo, Cubop, Machito, Mario Bauza, Dizzy Gillespie/ Charlie Parker, Clave, Rhythm, New Orleans, the Caribbean, African roots.
ABOUT ZACCAI CURTIS
In 2005, Zaccai Curtis moved to New York City where he performs regularly with artists including Donald Harrison, Cindy Blackman Santana, Eddie Palmieri, Christian Scott, Ralph Peterson, T.K. Blue, Brian Lynch, Ray Vega and Eric Person, among others. Curtis composes and arranges for his own quartet, trio, big band and more. He won the ASCAP Young Jazz Composer’s Competition in 2003 and each year consecutively through 2006. Zaccai and his quartet were selected by the US State Department for the American Music Abroad (Jazz Ambassadors) program twice in 2006, performing in Bangladesh, Calcutta, Bangalore, Mumbai, Sri Lanka and Maldives. In 2007, Zaccai was awarded the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism’s Artist Fellowship for Original Composition. In 2017 he became a Chamber Music America New Jazz Works grant recipient. Zaccai currently performs his own music with his group, the Curtis Brothers Quartet, and recently released his latest album, Syzygy. Zaccai and his brother Luques developed a recording collective of musicians (TRR Collective), producing music on their own terms, including the Grammy-nominated Entre Colegas. This year, Zaccai created The Riff, the first-ever record industry music news app.
