Miller Theatre Opens '23-24 Jazz Series With DEZRON DOUGLAS QUARTET, Featuring A Holiday-Themed World Premiere

Miller Theatre at Columbia University School of the Arts kicks off its 2023-24 Jazz series with Dezron Douglas Quartet In A Holiday Mood. The NY-based bassist and his quartet premierea Miller-commissioned work Saturday, December 2, 8PM, Miller Theatre (2960 Broadway at 116th Street) Tickets starting at $25; Students with valid ID starting at $10.
 

New York-based bassist, composer, bandleader, producer, and educator Dezron Douglas returns to Miller with his acclaimed quartet. A major force in contemporary creative music, “Dezron and his quartet embody poetry, presence, artistic, and emotional clarity in every note they play” (Bass Magazine). Don't miss this incredible performance, featuring the world premiere of an original holiday work, commissioned by Miller Theatre.

Artists:
Dezron Douglas, bass
Emilio Modeste, saxophones
George Burton, piano
Joe Dyson, drums

About the Artists

Dezron Douglas, bass

Bassist, composer, bandleader, and educator Dezron Douglas has established himself as a major force in contemporary creative music. A protégé of the great Jackie McLean, the Downbeat 2019 “Rising Star” is known for his work with Pharoah Sanders, Ravi Coltrane, Cyrus Chestnut, David Murray, Louis Hayes, Enrico Rava, and with piano legends George Cables, Eric Reed, Mulgrew Miller, and Benny Green. In 2021, he joined the Trey Anastasio Band. Douglas has recorded on more than 100 albums, contributing to the artistry of numerous bandleaders and maintaining an integral presence in the sounds of his peers, including Keyon Harrold, Jonathan Blake, Melanie Charles, and Makaya McCraven. He has released six albums as a lead artist and maintains a variety of projects that he uses as platforms for his compositions. In 2020, Force Majeure, the collaborative duo record with harpist Brandee Younger, was released on the International Anthem record label. Meditations on Faith, his solo bass improvisation, was released in 2021. In 2022, Douglas released his long-awaited quartet album Atalaya (International Anthem). He is currently on the Jazz Studies faculty at NYU Steinhardt.

George Burton, piano
georgeburtonmusic.com

Award-winning pianist, composer, and bandleader George Burton has an eclectic approach to music. It reflects his rigorous classical training followed by his experience in the Philadelphia jazz scene that earned him a place on the world stage with some of the most significant practitioners of bop, post-bop, and beyond—from James Carter to Meshell Ndegeocello to the Sun Ra Arkestra. He has performed on some of the most prestigious stages with his own groups as a leader, including the Newport Jazz Festival in 2017. Burton's debut album, The Truth Of What I Am > The Narcissist (2016), was voted #4 top debut album in the NPR Music Jazz Critics Poll that year and was featured on multiple year-end “best of” lists. His sophomore recording Rec·i·proc·i·ty (2020) was a New York Times and NPR Music Critics' Pick, and it was nominated for Outstanding Jazz Instrumental Album by the NAACP Image Awards in 2021.

Joe Dyson, drums
joedyson.com

New Orleans-native Joe Dyson started playing music in his family's church at the age of two. He went on to perform in the Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong Summer Jazz Camp where he was shadowed by the late, great clarinetist Alvin Batiste, and his longtime bandleader and mentor, alto saxophonist Donald Harrison. A graduate of the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA), Dyson earned a presidential scholarship to attend Berklee College of Music. Dyson has performed around the world and shared the stage with such legendaries as Dr. Lonnie Smith, Ellis Marsalis, Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, Jon Batiste, Leo Nocentelli, Sullivan Fortner, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Pedrito Martinez, Grammy Award-winners Nicholas Payton and Pat Metheny, among many others. He has performed on over 30 albums including Dr. Lonnie Smith's All in My Mind, Sullivan Fortner's Aria, and Christian aTunde Adjuah's Grammy nominated Emancipation Procrastination. He appeared on the HBO series Treme, and can be seen performing in the documentary New Orleans: Been in the Storm Too Long hosted by Tavis Smiley. He can also be heard on the movie soundtrack Rachel Getting Married, by the late, Oscar-winning director Jonathan Demme. Dyson has taught throughout the U.S. and Europe, including The New School of Jazz and Contemporary Music, NOCCA Riverfront, and Södra Latin (Sweden). He is currently an adjunct professor at Tulane University.

Emilio Modeste, saxophones
emiliolmodeste.com

Born in Virginia, New York-based tenor saxophonist and composer Emilio Modeste is lead saxophonist in the bands of Stanley Clarke N 4EVER and Cindy Blackman Santana. Modeste has performed with world-renowned musicians including Ron Carter, Jimmy Cobb, Buster Williams, Patrice Rushen, Lenny White, Gary Bartz, Steve Turre, Christian McBride, Rene McLean, Antoine Roney, Donald Harrison, and many others. In 2016, he opened for Jon Batiste at the Celebrate Brooklyn Festival with Kojo Roney. A close friend and mentee of trumpeter Wallace Roney, Modeste traveled the world with Roney's Quintet from 2017 to his passing in March 2020. He has also travelled alongside the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra on the road in the U.S. Modeste can be found performing at Matthew Garrison's Shapeshifter Lab, the Jazz Standard, Ginny's Supperclub, Minton's, the Village Vanguard, Smalls, Fat Cat, Zinc Bar, The Blue Note, the Bronx Beer Hall, and many other venues in New York City. He performs occasionally on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert's house band: Jon Batiste and Stay Human. Modeste appears on Wallace Roney's final studio album Blue Dawn-Blue Nights (2019) and Music From and Inspired by The Film Birth Of The Cool (2020). 

Test and expand your Broadway knowledge with our new game - The Broadway Match-Up! How well do you know your Broadway casting trivia?	Play the Daily Game, explore current shows, and delve into past decades like the 2000s, 80s, and the Golden Age. Challenge your friends and see where you rank!
How well do you know your Tony Awards history? Take our never-ending quiz of nominations and winner history and challenge your friends.	Can you beat your friends? Play today’s daily Broadway word game, featuring a new theatrically inspired word or phrase every day!