Eddie Palmieri, Chita Rivera & Tommy Tune to Appear at MPAC

Ten-time Grammy winner Eddie Palmieri, one of the finest jazz pianists of the past 60 years, performs at Mayo Performing Arts Center, Friday, March 23 at 8 pm. Tickets are $29-69.

Eddie Palmieri is a bandleader, arranger and composer of salsa and Latin jazz. His playing skillfully fuses the rhythm of his Puerto Rican heritage with the complexity of his jazz influences: Thelonious Monk, Herbie Hancock, McCoy Tyner as well as his older brother, Charlie Palmieri.

Palmieri's professional career as a pianist took off with various bands in the early 1950s including Eddie Forrester, Johnny Segui's, and the popular Tito Rodriguez Orchestra. In 1961, Palmieri formed his own band, La Perfecta, which featured an unconventional front line of trombones rather than the trumpets customary in Latin orchestras. This created an innovative sound that mixed American jazz into Afro-Caribbean rhythms, surprising critics and fans alike. Palmieri disbanded La Perfecta in 1968 to pursue different musical endeavors, though he would return to the band's music in the 2000s.

Palmieri perfected his arranging skills in the 1970's releasing several impressive recordings that reflected his unorthodox approach to music. His unconventional style would once again surprise critics and fans with the 1970 release entitled "Harlem River Drive." This recording was the first to merge what were categorized as "Black" and "Latin" music into a free-form sound that encompassed elements of salsa, funk, soul and jazz. In 1975, Palmieri won the first-ever Grammy for Best Latin Recording for The Sun of Latin Music (he's won ten Grammys altogether to date), including two for his influential recording with Tito Puente, Obra Maestra/Masterpiece.

Recognizing Palmieri as an American icon, the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History in Washington, DC, recorded two of Palmieri's performances for its archives in 1988. Because of Palmieri's proclivity for creating music in funk Latin style, Little Louie Vega invited him to record on Nuyorican Soul (1997), a release that became very popular in the house and underground music scenes.

In addition to the Grammys, Palmieri has received numerous honors: Eubie Blake Award (1991); Most Exciting Latin Performance, presented by the BBC in London (2002); Yale University's Chubb Fellowship, usually reserved for international heads of state, but given to Palmieri in recognition of his work building communities through music (2002); Harlem Renaissance Award (2005); Jay McShann Lifetime Achievement Award (2008), induction into the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame (2008). A year later, the Library of Congress added Palmieri's composition "Azucar Pa' Ti" to the National Recording Registry, which at the time only included 300 compositions documenting the history of all of recorded music history in the U.S. With his widely popular eight-and-a-half minute "Azucar Pa' Ti" Palmieri changed the format of the recording industry, breaking the three-and-a-half minute barrier imposed by the recording industry.

In 2013, Palmieri was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences. For more information: http://www.latingrammy.com/en/news/2013-latin-recording-academy-special-awards.

Website: http://palmierimusic.com/
You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=FTz694kGahs

Two Theatrical Legends Live on One Stage!
Chita Rivera & Tommy Tune
Just in Time
A Unique Concert Event
Saturday, March 24 at 8 pm

Two theatrical legends. One Stage. Chita Rivera & Tommy Tune are coming to Mayo Performing Arts Center, Saturday, March 24 at 8 pm in CHITA & TUNE: JUST IN TIME, a unique concert event that pairs two of Broadway's most revered legends. Tickets are $59-$89.

Chita Rivera and Tommy Tune collectively have won 12 Tony Awards and this iconic Broadway coupling is guaranteed to razzle dazzle audiences. The stars will showcase the artistry and history that has made them stars of the Great White Way and beyond. The duo will be accompanied by a trio of superb Broadway musicians.

CHITA & TUNE will be directed and choreographed by 10-time Tony Award nominee Graciela Daniele, with music direction by Michael Biagi (for Mr. Tune) and Michael Croiter (for Ms. Rivera) and lighting design by Andrew Fritsch. "I am thrilled to be joining my dear friend, the incomparable Tommy Tune on this concert tour" said Ms. Rivera. "When we performed together in my benefit concert for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS in 2013, we knew then that we had something special."

Tommy Tune says "I love Chita Rivera. This is a dream come true!"

Chita Rivera has won two Tony Awards as Best Leading Actress in a Musical and received eight additional Tony nominations for an exceptional 10 Tony nominations. Her career is highlighted by starring roles in West Side Story, Bye Bye Birdie, The Rink (Tony Award), Chicago, Jerry's Girls, Kiss of the Spider Woman (Tony Award), The Visit and the original Broadway casts of Guys and Dolls, Can-Can, Seventh Heaven and Mr. Wonderful. She was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009 by President Barack Obama. In 2002 she received the coveted Kennedy Center Honor becoming the first Hispanic woman ever chosen to receive this award. In 2015, she headlined at Carnegie Hall in New York.

Tommy Tune has enchanted audiences for decades with his charisma, vision, and innovation. He has been honored with 10 Tony Awards recognizing him as an outstanding performer, choreographer, and director: Best Actor in a Musical for My One and Only, Best Featured Actor in a Musical for Seesaw, Best Choreography for A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine, My One and Only, Grand Hotel and The Will Rogers Follies, and Best Direction of a Musical for Nine, Grand Hotel and The Will Rogers Follies. In 2015 he was the recipient of the Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre.

Come sing along with the incomparable Chita Rivera & Tommy Tune in CHITA & TUNE: JUST IN TIME, Saturday, March 24 at 8 pm at Mayo Performing Arts Center. Box office is 973-539-8008.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/chita_rivera?lang=en
FB: https://www.facebook.com/OfficialChitaRivera/

Website: http://www.tommytune.com/
FB: https://www.facebook.com/tommy.tune.716/about

Mayo Performing Arts Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, presents a wide range of programs that entertain, enrich, and educate the diverse population of the region and enhance the economic vitality of Northern New Jersey. The 2017-2018 season is made possible, in part, by a grant the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as support received from the F.M. Kirby Foundation and numerous corporations, foundations and individuals. The Mayo Performing Arts Center has been designated a Major Presenting Organization by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. Mayo Performing Arts Center was named 2016 Outstanding Historic Theatre by the League of Historic American Theatres, and is ranked in the top 50 mid-sized performing arts centers by Pollstar Magazine.

Mayo Performing Arts Center
100 South St., Morristown, NJ 07960
box office (973) 539-8008
online: www.mayoarts.org
fax (973) 455-1607 / admin (973) 539-0345 ext.6505

Photo Credit: Laura Marie

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