Marty Ehrlich Rites Quartet Comes To The Miller Theater 10/24

MILLER THEATRE AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY continues its Jazz series in October with Marty Ehrlich Rites Quartet The acclaimed and formidable saxophonist brings his group uptown Saturday, October 24, 8:00PM

Tickets: $25 · Students $15 with valid ID

From Miller Theatre Director and curator of the 2009-10 Jazz series, Melissa Smey:

"Marty Ehrlich has proven himself to be one of the most versatile jazz talents Miller is presenting this season. He is renowned for his playing (not only on saxophones, but also on clarinets and flutes), compositions, and collaborations-particularly his work with Julius Hemphill's legendary Saxophone Sextet. This performance with his quartet at Miller Theatre is sure to be a knock out night to remember. "

Saturday, October 24, 8:00PM

Marty Ehrlich Rites Quartet

Last seen at Miller Theatre in the Julius Hemphill Composer Portrait he organized, Marty Ehrlich's virtuosic and unmatched technical command on saxophone and clarinet mark him as one of the best in modern jazz. He brings his Rites Quartet to Miller in a concert celebrating the release of their newest album. His equally inventive sidemen include James Zollar on trumpet, cellist Erik Friedlander, and Pheeroan akLaff on drums.

ARTISTS: Marty Ehrlich Rites Quartet

Marty Ehrlich, saxophone and leader

James Zollar, trumpet

Erik Friedlander, cello

Pheeroan akLaff, percussion

BIOS: Marty Ehrlich is celebrating 30 years in the nexus of creative music centered in New York City. He began his career in St. Louis while in high school, performing and recording with the Human Arts Ensemble. He graduated from the New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) in 1977. Since then, he has made 25 recordings of his compositions for ensembles ranging in size from duo to jazz orchestra. As a multi-instrumentalist, passionate about improvisation and interpretation, he has performed with a many contemporary composers including MuhAl Richard Abrams, Ray Anderson, Anthony Braxton, John Carter, Jack DeJohnette, Anthony Davis, Mark Dresser, Don Grolnick, Chico Hamilton, Julius Hemphill, Andrew Hill, Wayne Horvitz, Robin Holcomb, and John Zorn. He appears on close to 100 recordings with these and other composers. Recent projects include tours and recordings with his quartet and sextet, and with the Marty Ehrlich/Myra Melford Duo. His honors include a Guggenheim Fellowship in composition, the Peter Ivers Visiting Artist Residency at Harvard University, Clarinetist of the Year from the Jazz Journalist Association, and a distinguished alumni award from NEC. He is an associate professor of music at Hampshire College.

James Zollar began his musical career at age nine, playing bugle in his hometown of Kansas City, Missouri. At 12, he shifted to the trumpet where he began to discover his musical voice and focus. After high school he studied at San Diego City College and then at the University of California at San Diego; at the same time he honed his chops with various funk and jazz bands and led his own straight-ahead quintet. In 1972, Zollar moved to San Francisco and studied with the great jazz trumpet player Woody Shaw. In 1984 he moved to New York City and played with the Cecil McBee Quintet for five years and then recorded with Tom Harrell, Weldon Erving, and Sam Rivers. Zollar was featured in Robert Altman's motion picture Kansas City, in Madonna's music video My Baby's Got a Secret, and in Malcolm Lee's film The Best Man. He was also a featured soloist with Jon Faddis and the Carnegie Hall Jazz Orchestra, as well as with Wynton Marsalis and The Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. Today, he collaborates with The Duke Ellington Orchestra, several of Don Byron's bands, and NYC Blues Devil.

Erik Friedlander is a composer and an improviser, a classical musician and a jazzbo. Whether it's solo playing or performing with one of his bands, Friedlander blends his vision of what the cello can be pushed to do while maintaining a firm grasp on traditions. Friedlander was born in New York City in 1960 and grew up in suburban Rockland County, son of the noted visual artist Lee Friedlander, whose passion for R&B and jazz greatly influenced his son. Erik Friedlander's earliest memories are of a household filled with the sounds of his father's subjects including Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, McCoy Tyner, Ornette Coleman, and John Coltrane. Friedlander began formal lessons at age 12 and continued his musical studies at Columbia University in 1978. Upon graduation, he spent the next decade refining his cello technique, supporting himself by playing in orchestras and Broadway shows, recording music for jingles and movies, and doing session work with artists like Laurie Anderson, Courtney Love's Hole, and Dar Williams. Friedlander came into his own in the 1990s as he became an integral part of New York's downtown scene, receiving notices in publications like The Boston Globe, The Wire, and Billboard.

Pheeroan akLaff has great memories of his childhood in Detroit, Michigan. He enjoyed the sounds of his older brother, Eric, practicing to be a concert pianist, the jazz legends in concerts halls, and the live performances of the many artists of Motown. His speech and drama studies at Eastern Michigan University were followed by independent study of drums and his relocation to New Haven, Connecticut. He honed his skills with ensembles that included Dwight Andrews, Nat Adderly Jr., Jay Hoggard, Mark Helias, Ed Cherry, Mark Dresser, Wayne Boyd, and the Rozie Brothers. It was akLaff's work with Wadada Leo Smith and subsequently with Oliver Lake, Anthony Davis, Michael Gregory, Henry Threadgill, and others that paired him with the New York avant-garde of the late 1970s. He soon moved to New York and established recognition for his ability to articulate a wide range of musical genres. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s akLaff performed and recorded his compositions for quartet, quintet, and solo oratorio. In 2000 was a recipient of the New York Foundation for the Arts award for music composition. His teaching affiliations include Wesleyan University, Elisabeth Irwin High School, and New School University.

Columbia University's Miller Theatre is located north of the Main Campus Gate at 116th St. & Broadway on the ground floor of Dodge Hall.

For tickets, the public should call the Miller Theatre Box Office at 212/854-7799, M-F, 12-6PM.

Tickets can also be purchased online at www.millertheatre.com.

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