ME's Portland Ovations Presents Jazz Trio The Bad Plus at Hannaford Hall Tonight

Portland Ovations brings jazz trio The Bad Plus to Hannaford Hall, USM Portland for an evening concert tonight, February 17 at 7pm.

The Bad Plus comprised of bassist Reid Anderson, pianist Ethan Iverson and drummer David King have spent more than a decade redefining what a piano-bass-drums trio can and should be. Fueled by a deep appreciation for improvisation the trio has long been lauded for deconstructing and putting their signature on others' compositions. The concert program The Bad Plus brings to Portland is titled On Sacred Ground: Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring" a multimedia event that integrates live video into the performance. Their treatment of "Rite of Spring" stands apart, with the group musically attacking the score, distilling it to its primal essence while coaxing from it something new and original. The Bad Plus: On Sacred Ground is the second and most adventurous of a four performance season long series by Portland Ovations celebrating the centennial of Stravinsky's seminal work taking the original composition to its farthest reaches and bringing it in step with the 21st century.

At 6 pm prior to the performance Ovations Offstage offers a pre-performance lecture titled, "Rite of Spring" Listening Session where University of Southern Maine Associate Professor and Resident Composer Dr. Daniel Sonenberg will compare and contrast the harmonic and rhythmic structures found in Stravinsky's landmark composition with selections from The Bad Plus' distinctive arrangement.

On Monday, February 18 from 10am to 12pm at North Yarmouth Academy, The Bad Plus will hold a jazz clinic where they will work with high school age and adult jazz musicians, focusing on improvisation and arranging. Limited space is available. To register, email offstage@portlandovations.org or call 207.773.3150 ext. 3. Cost for the clinic is $8 for students and $10 for adults.

Tickets for The Bad Plus are $25 for Ovations' Members, $28 for the general public and a limited amount of $10 student tickets are also available. The Bad Plus performance is sponsored by The Portland Phoenix and supported by The Maine Humanities Council, New England Foundation for the Arts, Davis Family Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts and The Maine Arts Commission. To purchase tickets, visit www.portlandovations.org, contact PortTix at 207-842-0800 or visit The Box Office window at Merrill Auditorium.

Each year since 1931, Portland Ovations brings a dynamic season of exceptional performing artists from around the world to Maine including classical music, jazz, opera, dance, theater, and Broadway national tours. In addition to live performances, Ovations brings the exhilaration of the performing arts out into our community with season-long educational and outreach activities known as Ovations Offstage. A Maine-based non-profit, Portland Ovations contributes to the cultural, Social and economic well-being of our community by presenting an array of high quality performing artists from around the world and creating diverse educational experiences that bring the enjoyment, energy and enrichment of the arts to all.

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