‘Jazzing It Up’ concert set in Kent

KENT — Thanksgiving is full of annual traditions — and a favorite tradition for the Sherman Chamber Ensemble and audiences is its annual “Jazzing It Up” concerts.

Pianist Ted Rosenthal returns this year — and is joined by Eddie Barbash on alto saxaphone. They join a group of accomplished New York musicians, including Thomson Kneeland (double bass), Chris Parker (drums), Susan Rotholz, (flute) and Bailen (cello), in a program featuring excerpts from Rosenthal’s jazz opera “Dear Erich,” which was commissioned by the New York City Opera.

Jazz-inspired renditions of works by Harold Arlen and Astor Piazolla, along with original compositions by Parker and Kneeland, will also be showcased.

“The combination of Rosenthal, one of the leading jazz pianists of his generation, and Barbash, an exciting, young virtuoso, will have audiences jumping in their seats,” said Liba Furhman, executive director of the Sherman Chamber Ensemble.

Leonard Feather of the Los Angeles Times said, “Rosenthal is a pianist of rarest skill, weaving rapid single note lines that span out into rich chordal patterns, parallel octaves and hints of the blues.” And Nate Chinen of the New York Times said, “There aren’t many modern jazz pianists more dexterous than Mr. Rosenthal.”

Barbash, named by Vanity Fair as one of the “millennials shaking up the jazz world,” was a founding member of the Jon Batiste and Stay Human band, of “Late Night with Stephen Colbert” fame. This will be his third appearance with the Sherman Chamber Ensemble. He received rave reviews and standing ovations, playing diverse styles of music from Debussy to Mozart, Rossini to bluegrass and Roy Orbison tunes, leading music reviewer Kevin T. McEneaney to write, “Barbash is simply the greatest alto sax player I’ve ever heard.”

Also featured is drummer Chris Parker, who has been called an “unsung hero of the music biz.” The shows will feature several of his original compositions.

The concerts will take place on Nov. 24 at 4 p.m. at Christ Church on Quaker Hill, 7 Church Road, Pawling, N.Y., and on Nov. 25 at 4 p.m. at St. Andrew’s Church, 1 North Main Street, Kent.

Each performance will be followed by a reception featuring light refreshments and a chance to meet the performers.

General admission tickets are $30; senior and student tickets are $25, and children ages 15 and under are admitted free with the purchase of a paid ticket. Tickets may be purchased online at www.ShermanChamberEnsemble.org or at the door. For more information, call 860-355-5930.

Contributed photo Saxophonist Eddie Barbash, who plays with Jon Batiste’s band on “Late Night with Stephen Colbert,” will perform with the Sherman Chamber Ensemble Nov. 24 and 25.