Tuesday, July 7, 8 pm - American Jazz

On Tuesday July 7 at 8 pm in Washington Square, The Washington Square Music Festival offers New York Jazzharmonic, a 17 piece band playing original music, big band favorites, and surprises.  Ron Wasserman is founder and conductor, JP Joffre, bandoneon, and Elvy Yost, vocalist,   Included in the offerings are a new arrangement of The Star Spangled Banner, He Beeped When He should Have Bopped by Dizzy Gillespie, and April in Paris.  The Festival is under the auspices of the Washington Square Association, Inc.  Seating is on a first-come, first served basis.  Rainspace: NYU’s Frederick Lowe Theatre, 35 West 4th Street.   Festival info line: 212-252- 3621,                 www.washingtonsquaremusicfestival.org

New York Jazzharmonic

Tuesday, July 7

Main Stage in Washington Square

Rainspace: NYU’s Frederick Loewe Theatre, 35 West 4th Street

The New York Jazzharmonic 

Ron Wasserman, artistic director and conductor 

Miho Hazama, associate director and conductor 

JP Jofre, bandoneon 

Elvy Yost, vocalist 

Original Music, Big Band Favorites, and Surprises

The Star Spangled Banner, arranged by Ron Wasserman

From the Duke Ellington Book: 

Take the A Train, Billy Strayhorn (1915-1967) 

From the Woody Herman book: 

Four Brothers, Jimmy Giuffre (1921-2008) 

From the Dizzy Gillespie Big Band Book: 

He Beeped When He Should Have Bopped, Dizzy Gillespie (1917-1993) 

Spiral Steps, Miho Hazama (b. 1986) 

Universe, 

Taranguino, 

Milongon, JP Jofre (b. 1983) 

From the Count Basie Book: 

April in Paris, Vernon Duke and Yip Harburg, arr: Wild Bill Davis. 

Bethena, 

Ragtime Dance, 

The Easy Winners, Scott Joplin (c.1867-1917) arr: Ron Wasserman 

Oscar Peterson tribute, arr: Miho Hazama 

From the Peggy Lee songbook: 

Kansas City, Jerry Leiber (1933-2011) and Mike Stoller (b. 1933) 

Fantastic Lights, Ron Wasserman 

From the Benny Goodman book: 

Sing, Sing, Sing, Louis Prima, (1910-1978) arr: Jimmy Mundy (1907-1983) 

a recreation of the historic 1938 Carnegie Hall Concert, reconstructed by Ron Wasserman 

 This innovative 17-piece orchestra was founded by Ron Wasserman, artistic director, prolific composer-orchestrator, and veteran Principal Bassist with the New York City Ballet orchestra since 1988.  A graduate of Juilliard, Mr. Wasserman's works have been performed by the New York Philharmonic Ensembles, the New York City Ballet, and in other venues in the USA, Italy, Scotland, and the Dominican Republic.  He has produced three CDs of his original compositions.

"I've long dreamed of creating a multi-genre large group to perform original new works by notable composers in the jazz idiom expanded with elements of classical and world music,” says Wasserman. "This will be ‘crossover,' or 'Third Stream,' in the most creative and swinging sense, and The New York Jazzharmonic will play lots of pure creative jazz."

The Washington Square Music Festival is made possible with public funding through Councilmember Margaret Chin & The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, and New York State Council on the Arts, a State Agency.  Generous grants from The Earle K. & Katherine F. Moore Foundation, The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, The Washington Square Association, Music Performance Trust Fund, The Margaret Neubart Foundation Trust, New York University Community Affairs & NYU Community Fund, Salamon-Abrams Family Fund, Three Sheets/Off the Wagon/Down the Hatch, Con Edison, the Washington Square Park Conservancy and The Alec Baldwin Foundation, are deeply appreciated, as is invaluable help from NYC Parks & Recreation.