The Banjo & Great Gatsby Jazz
VIEW EVENT DETAILSEvening concert by Cynthia Sayer & Her Joyride Band
Drinks Reception 6:30pm
Concert 7:00pm
Close 8:30pm
Cynthia Sayer & Her Joyride Band presents “The Banjo & Great Gatsby Jazz” – the swinging sounds of Hot Jazz during the Great Gatsby Era, and the banjo stylings which were a quintessential part of it all. The songs selected for the evening include traditional jazz favorites of the Roaring 20’s along with other musical influences of the 1920’s & 30’s, including popular vaudeville, virtuoso classics, and much more. Cynthia Sayer & Her Joyride band is comprised of All-Star artists who have the unique ability to present early jazz with a contemporary sensibility. A 90-minute fun, swinging Great Gatsby experience, featuring America’s joyful native instrument, the banjo!
Cynthia Sayer – banjo, vocals, bandleader
Award-winning instrumentalist, vocalist and bandleader Cynthia Sayer breaks all the banjo player stereotypes as she single-handedly re-popularizes the 4-string banjo in jazz. Celebrated as one of the top 4-string jazz banjoist in the world today -- soulful, edgy, both contemporary and classic, and playing a style that is all her own. Sayer rose to prominence as a founding member of Woody Allen's New Orleans Jazz Band, with whom she played and toured for over 10 years, all the while exploring her wider musical interests and playing with many legendary jazz, popular and roots music artists. Cynthia’s extensive career includes performances in New York City's Carnegie Hall, the Metropolitan Opera House for the American Ballet Theater, playing for two U.S. Presidents (once at the White House), appearing with The New York Philharmonic, and playing banjo, ukulele and piano on feature film and TV soundtracks, most recently in Woody Allen’s 2014 release, “Magic In The Moonlight.”
Cynthia is also an avid educator, with a long track record of school and university programs. Her newest educational project, her “Authentic Classic Jazz Play-Along CD + Booklet: You’re IN The Band” will be released this year.
Charlie Giordano – accordion, piano
Charlie performs with Bruce Springsteen and the East Street Band and Bruce Springsteen and the Seeger Sessions Band.
Charlie has played on numerous recordings, Broadway and Off-Broadway shows, films, and concerts. He has performed and/or recorded with Sam Moore, Odetta, Donovan, Joe Cocker, Cyndi Lauper, Hall & Oates, Solomon Burke, Otis Rush, Julie Andrews, Chuck Berry, Percy Sledge, Linda Eder, k.d. lang, Suzanne Vega, Roseanne Cash, Pat Benatar, Buster Poindexter, The Long Island Philharmonic, the Boston Pops, and Orpheus Orchestra. Shows include The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Johnny Carson, The Arsenio Hall Show, the Grammy Awards etc. Films include Ed Wood, Cradle Will Rock, The Red Violin, Rugrats in Paris, The Producers, and Everything is Illuminated. Broadway shows include Victor/Victoria and Wonderful Tennessee and Off-Broadway, The Spitfire Grill, True Love, They Wrote That?, My Life With Albertine, and My Life as a Fairy Tale.
Dennis Lichtman – clarinet, violin
Dennis Lichtman is a 35-year-old multi-instrumentalist (clarinet, violin, and mandolin) who is deeply entrenched in early-to-mid-1900’s American music, ranging from traditional jazz and swing to western swing and bluegrass. Dennis can be seen in concert as a bandleader with his band, The Brain Cloud, as well appearing with a variety of top artists as a side musician. Since 2007, he has been the leader and clarinetist of the famed Tuesday night traditional jazz jam sessions at Mona’s in New York City. As an educator, Dennis is on the faculty of the Welbourne Traditional Jazz Music Camp in Virginia. He has been involved with Lincoln Center’s Meet The Artist series, has given countless workshops in New York City public schools through the Midori Foundation, and college-level master classes. Lichtman also maintains a small studio of private students, ages 9 through 75.
Mauro Battisti – string bass
Born in Rome in 1963, Mauro Battisti studied guitar, piano and graduated in Double Bass at Conservatory “G. Rossini” of Pesaro, Italy. His professional career has led him to play in all of the most important jazz clubs and theaters in Italy, as well as top international jazz festivals in the USA, Denmark, Sweden (Kristianstad jazz festival), Switzerland, Luxembourg, England, Germany, Poland, Lebanon (Heineken Jazz Festival), Pristina (Concert for Kosovo), Israel, Turkey, Australia (Manly Jazz Festival-Sydney), Scotland (Fringe Festival), and France. Mauro Battisti has, among his credits, a number of collaborations with important jazz musicians such as: Lee Konitz, Benny Golson, Eddie Lockjaw Davis, Vincent Herring, and much more. Mauro has performed on Radio and TV shows as well as on film soundtracks. He is also a composer and teaches Double Bass and modern harmony in on-going courses and workshops.
Larry Eagle – drums
Drummer and percussionist Larry Eagle keeps his musical portfolio diversified. He's a founding member of Bruce Springsteen's Sessions Band (which won a Grammy for traditional folk music), and played on R&B/Soul artist John Legend's Grammy-winning second album. He's played on a Blues Grammy nominee (with Odetta), a Country & Western Grammy nominee (with Andy Statman) and recorded albums with bluegrass superstar Ricky Skaggs and powerful jazz/soul singer Lizz Wright. Larry continues to work with a variety of top artists, and is also a longtime member of the acclaimed group, The Andy Statman Trio. He has performed on television shows including The Tonight Show, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Good Morning America, PBS TV, England’s BBC TV, and an ice-breaking Baltic Sea ferry out of Naantali, Finland.
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Event Details
Asia Society Hong Kong Center, 9 Justice Drive, Admiralty