The Cuong Vu Trio Performs Tonight at Meany Hall

"The voracious sweep of postmillennial jazz has plenty of exemplars but few truer than the trumpeter Cuong Vu. Over the last decade he has upheld a dreamlike sound informed by post-bop but just as rooted in noise pop, grunge and ambient minimalism" wrote The New York Times. Joined by bassist Stomu Takeishi and drummer Ted Poor, the Cuong Vu Trio explores sounds and form while embracing the undercurrents of underground rock music along with any other style that may come into their collective impulse. Together, they create a formidable trio that crisscrosses styles and conventional languages in pursuit of a new musical language without boundaries. For this show, the Trio is joined by special guest, Cameron Sharif, keyboard. Cuong Vu is Chair, Jazz Studies, and Ted Poor is Artist-in-Residence at the UW School of Music.

The Cuong Vu Trio will be performing tonight, October 11, 2014 at Meany Studio Theatre on the University of Washington campus at 7:30pm. For, tickets, visit uwworldseries.org or call 206-543-4880.

About the Cuong Vu Trio - Cuong Vu is widely recognized by jazz critics as a leader of a generation of innovative musicians. A truly unique musical voice, Cuong has lent his trumpet playing talents to a wide range of artists including Pat Metheny, Laurie Anderson, David Bowie, Dave Douglas and Myra Melford.

As a youngster, Cuong's intense dedication and love for music led him to a full scholarship at the New England Conservatory of Music where he received his Bachelor of Music in Jazz studies with a distinction in performance. Transitioning from his studies in Boston, he moved to New York in 1994 and began his career actively leading various projects while touring extensively throughout the world. As a leader, Cuong has released eight recordings that were selected onto critics' lists of the 10 best recordings of their respective years. Each record displays how he has carved out a distinctive sonic territory on the trumpet, blurring all stylistic borders while developing his own compositional aesthetic.

Awards and honors that Cuong has garnered include grants from the Royalty Research Foundation, ArtistTrust, 4Culture, CityArts and the Colbert Award for Excellence. As an associate professor and chair of Jazz Studies at the University of Washington, Cuong was awarded the Donald E. Peterson Professorship. He was awarded the University of Washington's prestigious Distinguished Teacher Award in his third year on faculty, and is currently a Donald E. Petersen Endowed Fellow. In 2002 and 2006, Cuong was a recipient of the Grammy for Best Contemporary Jazz Album as a member of the Pat Metheny Group. He's been recognized as one of the top 50 young Jazz Artists in an article called "The New Masters" from the British magazine, "Classic CD" and in 2006 was named the Best International Jazz Artist by the Italian Jazz Critics' Society. Amazon listed Vu's "Come Play With Me" on their "The 100 Greatest Jazz Albums of All Time."

Stomu Takeishi (born 1964, in Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan), an experimental jazz bassist, generally playing fretless five-string electric bass guitar, as well as a Klein five-string acoustic bass guitar. Often using looping or other electronic techniques to enhance the sound of his instrument Stomu has been widely acclaimed for his musical "soundscaping" abilities and foundational yet generative improvisational approach.

Takeishi began as a koto player. He came to the United States in 1983 to attend the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. After completing his degree in 1986, he moved to New York City to continue his studies at The New School.

In the 1990s he began to achieve prominence as an innovative New York jazz bass player, and critics have noted both his adventurous playing and sensitivity to sound and timbre. He has played in many international jazz festivals and often performs at major venues in the U.S. and Europe.

Stomu has performed and/or recorded with Don Cherry, Henry Threadgill, Butch Morris, Dave Liebman, Randy Brecker, Wynton Marsalis, Paul Motian, Myra Melford, Cuong Vu, Badal Roy, David Tronzo, Erik Friedlander, Satoko Fujii, Laszlo Gardony, Ahmad Mansour and Andy Laster.

After graduating from the Eastman School of Music in 2003, drummer Ted Poor moved to New York City, where he has made a deep impression on the jazz and improvised music scene. Modern Drummer describes his playing as "adventurous, truly dynamic, and forward-thinking." Jazz Review writes, "Ted has an uncanny ability to shape the music and a refreshingly unique, organic approach to playing the drums." This unique approach has caught the ears of many of jazz's most established musicians and quickly placed him amongst those drummers most in demand.

Ted has toured the world over and is a regular member of many bands, including those of Grammy award winning trumpeter Cuong Vu, guitarist Ben Monder, Bad Touch, and the Respect Sextet. Ted's most recent project as a leader is called Mt. Varnum. Formed in August of 2011, Mt. Varnum reconciles a life-long love of deep swing with an equally earnest adoration of classic and indie rock. The band's forthcoming debut release "Wounded Caroline" is a powerful and complete manifestation of that union.

As an in-demand sideman, Ted has appeared on dozens of recordings and has shared the stage with many world renowned artists such as Kurt Rosenwinkel, Bill Frisell, Mark Turner, Chris Potter, Kenny Werner, Maria Schneider, Aaron Parks and Ralph Alessi. As a guest soloist and educator, Poor has held residencies at, among others, the Eastman School of Music, Berklee College of Music, Cal Arts, Lawrence University, the University of Oregon, and the HR Big Band of Frankfurt. He is currently an Artist in Residence at the University of Washington in Seattle.

Cameron Sharif has been an active member of Seattle's jazz and improvised music scene since he began studying at the University of Washington in 2007. His abilities as a composer and bandleader are best found in the electro-jazz/rock fusion band Chemical Clock, a band for which he has written three albums of material. Additionally, he leads the playful and exploratory jazz trio Insistent Caterpillars.

About UW World Series - The UW World Series is one of Seattle's leading performing arts organizations, presenting innovative, provocative, and diverse international artists in music, theater and dance. Over 500 visiting artists from around the world have performed as part of the UWWS. The eclectic mix of programming has given Northwest audiences a broad view of the world of performing arts, from sampling unique cultural traditions to experiencing innovative new works that expand the scope and direction of contemporary performing arts. The UW World Series' mission includes supporting the educational goals of the University of Washington by providing extensive arts learning opportunities for UW students and faculty, area school children and teachers, and members of the community at large.

Purchase tickets: Call 206-543-4880, or order online at uwworldseries.org. Tickets may also be purchased in person at the ArtsUW Ticket Office, located at 1313 NE 41st. Or fax your order to the Ticket Office at 206-685-4141. Tickets are subject to availability. Artists, dates, programs and prices are subject to change. Prices: Regular single tickets are $20. Discounts are available for students, seniors (65+), UW Alumni Association members and UW employees. UW student tickets start at $10. Discount tickets are subject to availability.

Meany Studio Theatre is located in Meany Hall on the Seattle campus of the University of Washington, 15th Avenue NE between NE 40th and 41st Streets. Parking for Meany Hall is available in the Central Parking Garage (entrance at 15th Avenue and 41st Street). On-street metered parking is also available.

Accessibility: The University of Washington is committed to providing access, equal opportunity and reasonable accommodation in its services, programs, activities, education and employment for individuals with disabilities. To request disability accommodation contact the Disability Services Office at least ten days in advance at: 206.543.6450/V, 206.543.6452/TTY, 206.685.7264 (FAX), or e-mail at dso@u.washington.edu.

Disability seating with up to three companion seats per disability space is available for all UWWS events. Reservations for disability seating must be made at the time of purchase. Please contact the ArtsUW Ticket Office at 206-543-4880 for specific seating options and availability.

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