Litchfield Jazz Presents Zaccai Curtis Afro-Cuban Quartet with Zaccai Curtis on piano, Luques Curtis on bass, Willie Martinez on Timbales and Camilo Molina on Congas.
Curtis is a composer and pianist and an important force in creating a fusion of African, Caribbean and New Orleans styles of jazz. He has expanded upon what has been called the CUBOP era with a mix of new compositions and classics from Dizzy Gillespie and Kenny Dorham to Machito and Mario Bauzá.
Zaccai Curtis earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from New England Conservatory of Music and is the recipient of the prestigious New Works Grant awarded by Chamber Music America with funding from the Doris Duke Foundation. He first became affiliated with Litchfield Jazz when he and his brother won the honor of opening for a band led by the great bassist Reggie Workman in an educational project mounted by the non profit Litchfield Performing Arts. He and his bandmates, ranging in age from 12 to 14, also received scholarships to attend Litchfield Jazz Camp where they have served on the faculty for more than a decade.
The Afro-Cuban Quartet appears at 7:30 PM, October 28th, in a live stream from Telefunken Soundstage in South Windsor, CT. The concert is made available for free thanks to generous donors of Litchfield Jazz and can be accessed through Litchfield Jazz Festival’s YouTube Page and its Facebook Page. Both can be accessed at www.litchfieldjazzfest.com.