Brooklyn Center Sets 2017-18 Jazz Series at LUI Brooklyn's Kumble Theater

Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts at Brooklyn College announces the 2017-18 Jazz Series at the Kumble Theater at LIU Brooklyn as part of its 2017-18 season, celebrating a truly American musical genre with world-class artists that represent both classics from the past and today's more innovative and ever-changing sounds.

The season opens on October 21, 2017 with the Tierney Sutton Band, presenting their 2017 GRAMMY Award-nominated project The Sting Variations. Praised by The New York Times as "a pure jazz spirit," Ms. Sutton and her trio give fresh jazz interpretations to the repertoire of rock icon, Sting. Other jazz performances in the Kumble season include NEA Jazz Master Kenny Barron (February 24, 2018), stepping away from his trio to present an evening of solo piano, and Brooklyn's own Alicia Olatuja (March 10, 2018), who first received national recognition for her soaring solo with the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir at President Obama's second inauguration.

Tickets range from $30-$35 for single performances, or all three concerts can be purchased as a Multibuy package for $85. Tickets and packages can be purchased at BrooklynCenter.org or by calling the box office at 718-951-4500.

"Over the past several years, Brooklyn Center has worked to establish ourselves as one of the premier presenters of jazz in the borough," said Jon Yanofsky, Director of Brooklyn Center of the Performing Arts. "As a member of the Jazz Touring Network, a program of the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, we have hosted incredible artists here at Brooklyn Center, including GRAMMY winners Robert Glasper and Take 6, as well as McArthur fellow Regina Carter and GRAMMY nominee Yosvany Terry. This coming season, we'll continue in this vein with concerts by vocalist Alicia Olatuja. Brooklyn has such a rich historical connection to jazz, and we're proud to be continuing this ongoing cultural narrative."

Other artists who have played Brooklyn Center in the past few season include Ramsey Lewis, John Pizzerelli, Monty Alexander, Freddy Cole, Michael Feinstein, Eddie Palmieri, the Duke Ellington Orchestra, the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra and, most recently, GRAMMY winner Patti Austin, who performed Ella Now and Then: A Centennial Celebration of the First Lady of Song in recognition of Ella Fitzgerald's 100th birthday. They also partnered with WBGO Jazz 88.3FM in 2016 to host one of Felix Hernandez's widely popular Rhythm Revue events, presenting a night of Latin Soul and Boogaloo with headliner Joe Bataan.

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2017-18 Jazz Series:

Tierney Sutton Band: The Sting Variations

Saturday, October 21, 2017 at 8pm, $35

Kumble Theater at LIU Brooklyn

Known for her original and edgy interpretations of the classic jazz songbook, eight-time GRAMMY nominee Tierney Sutton has received seven consecutive nominations for "Best Jazz Vocal Album" - a nomination for every project she has released in the last decade. Having headlined at The Hollywood Bowl, Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, and Jazz at Lincoln Center, she and her trio bring their 2017 GRAMMY-nominated project,

The Sting Variations, to Brooklyn with fresh interpretations of the repertoire of rock icon, Sting.

Kenny Barron (solo piano)

Saturday, February 24, 2018 at 8pm, $35

Kumble Theater at LIU Brooklyn

Praised by the Los Angeles Times as "one of the top jazz pianists in the world," NEA Jazz Master Kenny Barron has an unmatched elegance, melodic sensibility, and rhythmic mastery. He has received eleven GRAMMY nods, most recently in 2017 for Best Jazz Instrumental Album, and is a six-time recipient of Best Pianist by the Jazz Journalists Association. Don't miss this intimate solo performance by a masterful artist who Jazz Weekly calls "the most lyrical piano player of our time."

Alicia Olatuja

Saturday, March 10, 2018 at 8pm, $30

Kumble Theater at LIU Brooklyn

Brooklyn's own Alicia Olatuja first received national recognition for her soaring solo with the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir at President Obama's second inauguration, and has since established herself as one of this generation's most versatile and elegant jazz artists. Her sublime voice has graced the stage of major venues across the country with a combination velvety tone and vibrant confidence. Drawing from a wide range of musical influences-from classical and gospel, to jazz and R&B-she returns home to Brooklyn with her scintillating jazz stylings.

As part of its season at Kumble Theater, Brooklyn Center will also present Afro-Puerto Rican group Los Pleneros de la 21 (December 10, 2017), Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company (February 11, 2018), Daniel Beaty's solo theatrical tour-de-force Emergency(February 17-18, 2018), and Step Afrika! (April 28, 2018). The company plans to announce additional performances in the fall in conjunction with the opening of the new Leonard and Claire Tow Center for the Performing Arts at Brooklyn College.

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Multibuy discounts (three or more shows) save 15% off individual ticket prices. Multibuyers enjoy flexible ticket exchanges and discounted parking for purchased performances at Brooklyn College. A 50% discount for children ages 12 and under is offered for select performances. Discounts are also available for seniors, students, Brooklyn College faculty/staff/alumni, active/retired military personnel, and groups. $10 student rush tickets available day-of-show.

Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts season takes place at the Kumble Theater at LIU Brooklyn, 1 University Plaza, Brooklyn. For online orders, visit BrooklynCenter.org, or call Box Office: 718-951-4500. Groups of 15 or more: 718-951-4600 x3331.

Founded in 1954, Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts at BrooklynCollege presents outstanding performing arts and arts education programs, reflective of Brooklyn's diverse communities, at affordable prices. Each season, Brooklyn Center welcomes over 65,000 people to the 2,400 seat Whitman Theatre, including up to 45,000 schoolchildren from over 300 schools who attend their SchoolTime series, one of the largest arts-in-education programs in the borough.

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