April 4, 2016
John Patitucci Trio will headline April 22-23 event
Internationally renowned bassist John Patitucci and his trio from New York City will headline the 54th annual Fiesta Jazz Festival, April 22-23 at St. Mary’s University.
Enjoy the sounds of great national, regional and local artists this Fiesta season at this free event, one of the oldest jazz festivals in Texas. It is sponsored by the St. Mary’s University Music Department, the Fiesta San Antonio Commission, KRTU 91.7 and the Ruth Lang Charitable Fund of the San Antonio Area Foundation, which awarded a $10,000 grant that helped attract this year’s featured artists.
Patitucci has been at the forefront of the jazz world for the past 30 years, but he’s active in all styles of music. He has won three Grammy Awards, has been nominated more than a dozen times, and has played on many other Grammy-winning recordings. He has worked with jazz giants including Dizzy Gillespie, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Stan Getz and Wynton Marsalis.
Friday’s concerts will begin at 1 p.m. in the Pecan Grove with performances by South Texas university musicians and San Antonio jazz artists.
Schedule of events for Friday, April 22 – St. Mary’s University, Pecan Grove
1-7 p.m.: University Invitational, featuring the musicians from the St. Mary’s University Latin Jazz Combo, UT Rio Grande Valley-Brownsville, the Navy Band Jazz Combo, the University of the Incarnate Word Jazz Ensemble, the UTSA Jazz Ensemble, and the St. Mary’s University Jazz Orchestra
7-8 p.m.: Jazz Orchestra of San Antonio
8:30-10 p.m.: John Patitucci Trio, with Jon Cowherd on piano and Nate Smith on drums
On Saturday, the Fiesta Jazz Band Festival will run from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the University Center on campus. More than 30 Texas middle and high school jazz ensembles will take the stage in front of a panel of jazz educators, who critique the acts and award trophies for outstanding performances.
Patitucci will hold a jazz clinic at noon in the University Center.
All events are free and open to the public. Parking is also free. Food and drink will be available for purchase. Contact jazzfest@stmarytx.edu or 210-436-3421 for more information.
More about John Patitucci
Patitucci has performed as a soloist with the Swedish Chamber Orchestra, the Estonian National Symphony, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, the Trondheim Symphony of Norway, the St. Louis Symphony and the London Symphony Orchestra. He has been active as a composer has been commissioned to write for various chamber music groups.
He is currently a Visiting Scholar at Berklee College of Music’s Global Jazz Institute and also hosts an interactive online bass school through ArtistWorks.com.
Last year, Patitucci released his 14th solo album, “Brooklyn,” with the John Patitucci Electric Guitar Quartet, featuring Adam Rogers and Steve Cardenas on electric guitars and Brian Blade on drums. The documentary “Back in Brooklyn” was filmed during the recording of the album.
In addition to his own groups, he continues to tour with the Wayne Shorter Quartet and a new trio, Children of the Light, featuring Danilo Perez on piano and Blade on drums.