Christos Rafalides And The Manhattan Vibes Perform At WCT's Jazz Masters Series

On Saturday, February 16, the Jazz Masters Series of Westchester Collaborative Theater (WCT) will feature internationally known vibraphonist Christos Rafalides and his group, the Manhattan Vibes. Rafalides has appeared at such venues as Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall and has been featured with numerous notable artists including Wynton Marsalis and Chaka Khan. In 2002, a Manhattan Vibes CD was named one of the year's top ten jazz recordings by Jazz Times.

Rafalides and his trio will perform work from their new CD, "Near and Dear," inspired by the American Songbook. His Latin, Greek and Middle Eastern infused jazz style and unique rhythms contribute to a very special sound. The cabaret-style performance begins at 7:30 pm at WCT's black box performance space at 23 Water Street in Ossining. Tickets are $20; cash bar and refreshments available. Purchase tickets online at https://jmscrafalideswct19.brownpapertickets.com/.

Christos was born and raised in Greece, where he completed his studies in classical percussion. After receiving a scholarship from Berklee College of Music, he moved to Boston, attaining a BA in Jazz Vibraphone Performance and later moved to New York, where he graduated from Manhattan School of Music earning his MA in Jazz Vibraphone Performance.

Christos found his personal voice when he established 'Manhattan Vibes', a band that has appeared at numerous New York's cutting edge venues including the Blue Note, the Jazz Standard, Smoke Jazz Club and Dizzy's Club Coca Cola. Highlights of his career include performances with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra and Wynton Marsalis; a US tour with the Charles Mingus 'Epitaph' Band featuring bassist Christian McBride and conductor Gunther Schuller; a recording with the Harmony Ensemble of NY of Henry Mancini's 'Peter Gunn' featuring Lew Soloff, Ronnie Cuber and Victor Lewis; recordings with vocalist Chaka Khan and a duo performance at Carnegie Hall with pianist Sergio Salvatore.

Westchester Collaborative Theater is a multicultural, cooperative theater company located in Ossining, NY, dedicated to developing new work for the stage and bringing live theater to the community. It is comprised of local playwrights, actors, and directors who employ a Lab approach in which new stage works are nurtured through an iterative process of readings, critiques, and rewrites. When work is ready for production, it is presented to the public at its new theater space.
WCT is committed to furthering theater arts in our community. It is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation and a recipient of production grants from ArtsWestchester and New York State Council on the Arts.