Quarteto Nuevo performs in Ronan, Condon, Missoula and Billings.
Quarteto Nuevo, an innovative group that deftly merges classical, eastern European folk, Latin and jazz, performs across Montana this month, beginning Sept. 24 with a concert in Ronan.
“With an organic feel that packs a wallop, the ensemble’s razor-sharp precision is enhanced by jazzy interludes, lightly rumbling percussion motifs and mesmerizing rhythms,” writes All About Jazz. “They effectively meld the music of ancient worlds and faraway places with a contemporary groove that enchants audiences of all ages.”
Winners of the Beverly Hills National Auditions, Quarteto’s master musicians create emotionally charged soundscapes with instruments and sensibilities that represent very different world cultures. Their unique instrumentation features soprano saxophone/alto flute (Damon Zick), cello (Jacob Szekely), guitar (Kenton Youngstrom) and hand percussion (Felipe Fraga). The group’s wide-ranging repertoire ranges from Heitor Villa-Lobos’ “Bachianas Brasileiras” and Chick Corea’s “Children’s Song No. 6″ to traditional Macedonian “Gadjarsko” and original works “Hector, Desmond and Titus,” “Rain Song” and “Dizer O Que.”
Members of Quarteto have individually played or recorded with an assortment of illustrious groups including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, LA Opera, Boston Symphony Orchestra, The Moscow Symphony, New World Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic Pops Orchestra, Dave Brubeck, Rush, John Tesh, and Jay Z, among others. Their nine performances on their CD “are atmospheric, full of subtle surprises and unlike anything else heard in the jazz world,” writes the LA Jazz Scene.
The LA Weekly also chimes in: “Quarteto Nuevo’s music is complex in its structure and sophisticated time signatures but always melodic, accessible, and deeply communicative.”
Catch them across Montana:
Ronan: 7 p.m. Sept. 24 at Ronan Performing Arts Center for the opening concert of the Mission Valley Live! series; tickets available online
Condon: 3 p.m. Sept. 26 at the Swan Valley Community Hall for the first concert in Alpine Artisans’ 2 Valley Stage series; learn more at www.alpineartisans.org
Missoula: 7 p.m. Sept. 27 at Stave and Hoop Speakeasy; find tickets online.
Billings: 7:30 p.m. Oct. 1 in the recently remodeled Alberta Bair Theater; learn more online.