Thu 6/20 @ 8PM
If you missed Josh Rzepka’s Trumpet Genesis at Tri-C in April, you’ve got another chance to catch the nine-piece jazz project at the Akron Civic Theatre.
The group, which features four of the area’s top trumpeters — Rzepka, Kenny Davis, Jack Schantz and Ian Indorf — performs music associated with Dizzy Gillespie, Freddie Hubbard, Clifford Brown, Woody Shaw, and Stevie Wonder, among others. They’re joined by pianists Jackie Warren and David Thomas on piano, bassist Peter Dominguez, drummer Ron Godale, and percussionist Sammy DeLeon. The live performance is based on an album called Trumpet Genesis that Rzepka released this spring.
Rzepka, at 28 one of the younger players active in the local jazz scene, intended the project to be a tribute to his teachers and mentors.
In his statement about Trumpet Genesis, he said,
“The inspiration for this album came a few years ago when I decided that I wanted to record some tracks with one of my mentors, Kenny Davis. For years I had been going to his gigs and sitting in, calling at all hours to chat or ask advice, and learning from him while I attended Oberlin. It occurred to me that I had very few recordings of him, and that I wanted one with both of us on it so I could document our musical friendship and bond. I approached Tri-C’s Crooked River Groove Records about recording a project that included myself, Kenny, and Jackie, and it kind of took off from there. With Tri-C on board, I thought to myself, who else would I most love to record with? Who else has influenced me in such major ways? The answer was easy, so I contacted all of the trumpeters and rhythm section players who have influenced me the most and who I consider friends and mentors. These are all of the people who have taught me, and continue to teach me every time I hear them or have them on a gig. These are the people who I have admired and continue to admire for their musicianship, spirit, and knowledge.”
Tickets are $25. Seating is limited because the cabaret set-up will be used for this show.
http://www.joshrzepka.com/media/cds/trumpet-genesis/
Photo by Dan Bricklin