5:00pm at Origins Cafe, 558 Beaver Meadow Road, Cooperstown, NY
Tickets are available online and may be available at the door the evening of the show.
Cooperstown Concert Series, in collaboration with Origins Cafe, presents HEART.
HEART gathers the warm, brilliant tones of Melissa Stylianou, Godwin Louis, Chris Dingman and Ike Sturm in an enveloping and powerful quartet. Their collective sounds, rooted in Jazz and symphonic harmonies, have been described as “dazzling” (NY Times) and “undeniably beautiful,” (DownBeat) bound by raw emotion and incandescent stillness. Click here to view a video of the ensemble.
Ike Sturm
Bassist and composer Ike Sturm was raised in a musical home in Wisconsin, learning from his father, renowned composer and arranger, Fred Sturm. Ike has performed with Gene Bertoncini, Theo Bleckmann, Ingrid Jensen, Donny McCaslin, Bobby McFerrin, Ben Monder, Maria Schneider and Kenny Wheeler. He has played on four Downbeat award-winning recordings, as well as several Steve Reich releases on Canteloupe and Nonesuch Records. He has performed with Alarm Will Sound and the International Contemporary Ensemble, along with numerous creative ensembles in New York.
Melissa Stylianou has been turning heads and capturing hearts since the turn of this century, from her native Toronto to her adopted home of New York City, from intimate club residencies to top festival stages. Across her five solo albums (including No Regrets, which JazzTimes called “Smart. Seamless. Stunning.”), Melissa has maintained a focus on storytelling, whether through her original compositions and lyrics, interpreting the music of songwriters like Paul Simon, James Taylor, and Björk, or finding a unique and personal way to present oft-sung jazz standards. From top stages and clubs in NYC (Jazz Standard, Birdland, Carnegie Hall, Dizzy’s at Jazz at Lincoln Center) to jazz festivals all over Canada, the U.S., and Europe, to her world-wide appearances with the NY-based vocal harmony trio “Duchess”, Melissa continues to endear audiences far and wide with her heartfelt singing and intimate performance style. Recently Duchess was awarded the prestigious Jazz Journalists Award for Best Vocal Jazz Group in 2021. Her newest endeavor is a trio album of jazz standards with Ike Sturm on bass and guitar legend Gene Bertoncini. DownBeat has called her a “sophisticated storyteller” and an “original”, while Grammy-nominated pianist Fred Hersch says: “Melissa has it all – a gorgeous instrument, superb musicianship and great taste.”
Godwin Louis, alto saxophonist, was born in Harlem, New York and began playing saxophone at age nine. Godwin grew up in Bridgeport, Connecticut and Port au Prince, Haiti. Godwin was a finalist in the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Saxophone Competition. He has performed around the globe including: Mali, Senegal, Togo, France, Finland, Spain, United Kingdom, Italy, Russia, Azerbaijan, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Venezuela, Colombia, South Korea, Indonesia and Australia. Godwin is a graduate of Berklee College of Music and the prestigious Thelonious Monk Institute for Jazz Performance. Godwin has studied and performed with Herbie Hancock, Clark Terry, Roger Dickerson, Ron Carter, Al Foster, Jack Dejohnette, Jimmy Heath, Billy Preston, Patti Labelle, Toni Braxton, Babyface, Madonna, Gloria Estefan, Barry Harris, Howard Shore, David Baker, Mulatu Astakte, Mahmoud Ahmed, Wynton Marsalis, and Terence Blanchard just to name a few.
Chris Dingman is a vibraphonist and composer known for his distinctive approach to the instrument: sonically rich and conceptually expansive, bringing listeners on a journey to a beautiful, transcendent place. He has been profiled by NPR, the New York Times, DRUM magazine and many other publications, and has received fellowships and grants from the Chamber Music America, the Doris Duke Foundation, New Music USA, and the Herbie Hancock Institute (formerly the Thelonious Monk Institute). Dingman has done significant work with legendary artists Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter as well as next generation visionaries such as Jen Shyu, Ambrose Akinmusire, Steve Lehman, and many others, performing around the world including India, Vietnam, and extensively in Europe and North America. Hailed by the New York Times as a “dazzling” soloist and a composer with a “fondness for airtight logic and burnished lyricism,” the fluidity of his musical approach has earned him praise as “an extremely gifted composer, bandleader, and recording artist.” (Jon Weber, NPR).
Website: https://www.ikesturm.com/
Guest Soloists:
Donny McCaslin
Michael Mayo
Jesse Lewis
Sunday, September 18, 2022
5:00pm at
Origins Cafe
558 Beaver Meadow Road
Cooperstown, NY
Map and Website
Tickets are available online and may be available at the door the evening of the show.
Preview the ensemble!
