American Masterpieces Current Tours

Since the inception of jazz at the turn of the 20th century, the United States has produced generations of gifted jazz musicians. The 2011-2012 Past Midnight tour highlights some of the leading jazz artists of the current generation.

All schedules are subject to change.  Please check with the performance venue for times and ticket information.

The 2011-2012 American Masterpieces Tour:  Past Midnight

Presenters: Link to American Masterpieces Tour:  Past Midnight Media Kit


Gerald Clayton (New York)

The dynamic talents of rising star pianist Gerald Clayton have been praised by critics worldwide. The 26-year old son of noted bassist and orchestra leader John Clayton has performed nationally and internationally with some of the most established names in jazz, including Kenny Barron, Al Foster, Benny Green, Hank Jones, Mulgrew Miller, Lewis Nash, Terrell Stafford, Roy Hargrove, Tamir Hendelman and Clark Terry.  With his trio comprised of bassist Joe Sanders and drummer Justin Brown, he draws on a variety of musical genres for inspiration, referencing jazz standards, bebop, the Euro-classical canon all the way through new-soul and hip-hop.  As a composer, his work has been commissioned by the Jazz Gallery in New York City and performed overseas by the BBC Orchestra.http://www.geraldclayton.com

Anat Cohen (New York, NY)

An established bandleader and prolific composer, Anat Cohen moves easily between jazz, classical music, Brazilian choro, Argentine tango, and multiple Afro-Cuban styles. Her versatile, original talent has made her one of the primary voices of her generation on both the tenor saxophone and clarinet since arriving in New York in 1999.  Cohen topped the Rising Star-Clarinet category in DownBeat Magazine’s critic’s poll in both 2007 and 2008, and placed prominently in a total of four categories including Rising Star Jazz Artist. The Jazz Journalists Association named her Clarinetist of the Year from 2007 through 2010.  Cohen has performed for audiences in New York’s Village Vanguard, Jazz Standard, Iridium, and The Jazz Gallery, and San Francisco’s Yoshi’s.  Appearances also include the Chicago, JVC, North Sea, Monterey, and Montreal jazz festivals.
http://www.anatcohen.com/

Ravi Coltrane (New York)

Ravi Coltrane is a critically acclaimed and Grammy-nominated saxophonist, bandleader, and composer. Since 1991, he has worked as a sideman with a number of jazz luminaries, recorded noteworthy albums for himself and others, overseen important jazz reissues, and founded the prominent independent record label RKM. The son of legendary saxophonist John Coltrane and singer Alice Coltrane, he has worked alongside jazz and pop icons, including McCoy Tyner, Carlos Santana, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, and Stanley Clarke, as well as contemporaries Jeff “Tain” Watts, Branford Marsalis, Geri Allen, Kenny Barron, Graham Haynes, Joe Lovano and others. As a band leader, Coltrane has garnered critical acclaim. He has five albums to his credit, including the 2005 release, In Flux, which was voted the #3 top album in The New York Times' prestigious year-end list. Coltrane is the newest addition to the roster of Blue Note Records, with released his new album in spring 2011.
http://www.tedkurland.com/artists/ravi-coltrane

Gretchen Parlato

Gretchen Parlato´s voice has been called a thing of wonder. Striking the balance between precision and flexibility, the young vocalist is never predictable, blurring the lines between singer and instrumentalist. The first vocalist to be accepted into the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance, where Wayne Shorter, Terence Blanchard and Herbie Hancock served as the selecting judges, the gifted Parlato went on to win the 2004 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Vocals Competition. She has toured internationally with her own band (Aaron Parks on piano, and Fender Rhodes, Derrick Hodge on acoustic and electric bass and drummer Kendrick Scott), and as a guest of top artists including Wayne Shorter, Oscar Castro-Neves, Ivan Lins, Diane Reeves, Terence Blanchard, Kenny Barron and Esperanza Spalding.  She was recently featured in The Documentary Channel’s series “Icons Among Us: Jazz in the Present Tense.”  Her release, In a Dream, has been called “the most alluring jazz vocal album of 2009” by Billboard Magazine.
 http://www.gretchenparlato.com

David Sánchez (New York)

Critically acclaimed saxophonist David Sánchez fuses a straight ahead jazz sound with African, Afro-Cuban and Caribbean influences.  From his early New York musical experiences with piano giant Eddie Palmieri, Hilton Ruiz and trumpeter Claudio Roditi, Sánchez has performed and recorded with Dizzy Gillespie, Kenny Barron, Roy Haynes, Charlie Haden, Lalo Schifrin, and Tom Harrell.  Whether with these and other jazz mentors, or under his own name, Sánchez has continued to tour extensively, bringing his mix of mainstream jazz with Afro-Latin influences to audiences throughout the globe.  Considered one of the finest saxophonists of his generation, Sánchez continues to be in demand for workshops and masterclasses and has a passion for teaching and sharing his art with up and coming musicians.  The multiple Grammy Award-winner recently released his eighth album, Cultural Survival, to heralded reviews.
http://www.davidsanchezmusic.com

Funding for American Masterpieces in 2011-2012 is made possible through generous support from the National Endowment for the Arts’ Regional Touring Program, and additional support from the Delaware Division of the Arts, the Maryland State Arts Council, and the West Virginia Division of Culture and History.