Gettysburg, PA (February 1, 2024) – The Sunderman Conservatory of Music at Gettysburg College welcomes Blue Note recording artists the Joshua Redman Group featuring vocalist Gabrielle Cavassa to perform at Gettysburg College’s Paul Recital Hall in Schmucker Memorial Hall on Saturday, February 10 at 8:00 p.m. The group will perform as part of their “where are we” tour. The free concert is open to the public and is funded by the Sunderman Chamber Music Foundation.
From its inception, the Blue Note label has stood for “The Finest In Jazz.” The same can be said for Joshua Redman. Over the past three decades, the saxophonist, composer, and bandleader has consistently demonstrated how to honor the music’s verities while expanding its reach in contemporary settings. On where are we, Redman’s first recording as a Blue Note artist, he delivers one of his most challenging and compelling albums to date, in a program featuring typically brilliant supporting partners and (in a first for Redman) built around a dynamic vocalist, Gabrielle Cavassa.
“where are we is…a meditation on the power and importance of place,” says Redman. “The unique human beauty created when we locate ourselves in shared physical spaces together with others; the loss, anomie, and angst suffered when we divide ourselves unnaturally and unjustly apart.”
In the spirit of Woody Guthrie, Bruce Springsteen, and the other troubadours whose music comprises the program, where are we tours the U.S.A. (past, present, and perhaps even future), with shadings and alternative visions provided through mash-ups from different genres and generations. “The mash-ups were a secondary concept that first emerged while I was considering an arrangement of ‘I Left My Heart in San Francisco,’ and then Monk’s ‘San Francisco Holiday’ just sort of popped unannounced into my head,” Redman acknowledges. “When I saw that this sort of thing might work, I kept rolling with it.” In addition to Redman on saxophone and Cavassa on vocals, the Gettysburg performance will feature Paul Cornish on piano, Philip Norris on bass, and Nazir Ebo on drums.
“Having the Joshua Redman Group and Gabrielle Cavassa in such an intimate setting as Paul Recital Hall, which only seats 200 people, is an extraordinary opportunity. where are we takes us on a musical journey, a reflection on people, places, and histories, the pain of isolation and the joy of being reunited,” observed Dr. James Day, Director of the Sunderman Conservatory of Music at Gettysburg College. “We are thrilled to welcome this ensemble to Gettysburg to perform for the benefit of the campus and surrounding community. This is certain to be an unforgettable evening.”
Admission to Joshua Redman Group featuring Gabrielle Cavassa is free and seating will be available on a first-come-first-served basis. Community members interested in attending are encouraged to contact the Sunderman Conservatory for more information at (717) 337-6815. Paul Recital Hall is located on the second floor or Schmucker Memorial Hall on the Gettysburg College campus, 210 North Washington Street, Gettysburg. Free parking for the performance is available in Gettysburg College’s Constitution Parking Lot.
The Sunderman Conservatory of Music at Gettysburg College devotes itself to the development of the art of music in the lives of the campus and broader community by blending excellent, comprehensive musical training with Gettysburg College's strengths as one of the nation's leading liberal arts colleges. The Sunderman Chamber Music Foundation was established at Gettysburg College in 1983 by F. William Sunderman for the purpose of building community through great music. The foundation fully funds several concerts each year that are free and open to the public.