Up Close with Jazz Artist Nicki Mathis

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Thursday, March 31, 2011

GoLocalProv Arts Team

As part of FirstWorks' Celebrating Ailey program this season, jazz artist Nicki Mathis will both perform in Providence and conduct workshops with Rhode Island students at local schools and at the John Hope Community Center, on jazz and the dance that sprang from it.

The effervescent Mathis performs throughout the country as well as producing an annual concert in her hometown of Hartford that focuses on celebrating jazz women. She'll be singing with her combo at Roots Cafe on April 8, and took time from preparing her songlist to chat with GoLocal about youth, music, and the eternal power of jazz.

What kind of repertoire are you bringing to your workshops?

I've been asked to talk about the history of jazz, and so I've been doing research and put together that jazz has evolved from spirituals and blues into jazz, then up into Dizzy, Bebop, and progressive. And with this being in the middle of the celebration of Alvin Ailey, I've looked to associate pieces with dance.

People used to dance to jazz in the beginning. It wasn't the sitting thing that we enjoy. I picked some of those pieces: Duke Ellington's "Satin Doll," "Take the A Train."

Alvin Ailey was also greatly influenced by his spiritual background, in the churches. We'll do "When the Saints Go Marching In," "Wade in the Water," which Louis Armstrong made so popular. Then we'll go into Dizzy and "Night in Tunisia."

What will we hear from you at Roots Cafe?

I'm putting together a medley of tunes that includes some blues, some Brazilian, a piece by Coltrane that Abbey Lincoln put words to, called "Africa." I'm working on other pieces as well

With hip hop dominating youth listening, do you feel that young people can be drawn, still, to jazz?

Well, I think when we go out with our combo: I have a young drummer, her name is Shirazette Tinnin, and she's

inspiring. Once they see her and hear her, they'll want to come. (laughs). Our bass player is the legendary Avery Sharpe... he's so talented, and the pianist that's coming with me, Alexander Nahkimowsky, he's from Russia. Once they hear these young people and see the diversity in age and culture, they're gonna be inspired.

Music is so powerful. It's such a powerful communication tool and it draws people together all the time. I'm counting on music to do it thing. It always does.

Nicki Mathis will be performing Friday, April 8, at 8pm as part of FirstWorks' Celebrating Ailey at Roots Cafe, 276 Westminster St, Providence. Tickets are $8 in advance through ArtTix, $15 at the door, $25 VIP, which includes reserved seating and two drink vouchers. For more information about Celebrating Ailey, go here.

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