BRATTLEBORO — The Vermont Jazz Center will receive an Acclaim Award from Chamber Music America on Saturday, Oct. 18, at 8 p.m., during a concert offered by Cuban drum virtuoso Dafnis Prieto.
The concert and award ceremony are at the Vermont Jazz Center, 72 Cotton Mill Hill.
The CMA Acclaim Award recognizes “extraordinary cultural contributions in a locality or region.” It is offered by Chamber Music America (www.chamber-music.org), an institution serving thousands of members through grants, commissions, networking opportunities, a monthly magazine, and an annual conference in New York City.
CMA says it defines chamber music as encompassing “myriad forms, including contemporary and traditional jazz, classical and world genres.” Its membership includes musicians, presenters, educators, patrons, managers, and producers.
The CMA Acclaim Award honors two arts organizations nationally each year that have served their community by providing access to art and culture.
Brattleboro's Vermont Jazz Center is a jazz education and performance-based institution serving a much larger community through a monthly concert series, an annual summer jazz workshop, classes, a community big band, an emerging artist series, weekly jam sessions, and outreach to local schools.
VJC's policy is that jazz should be accessible to all, regardless of one's financial situation. Concertgoers are given the opportunity to volunteer in exchange for entry. Students from area schools are given free entry.
CMA says its Acclaim Award “recognizes the accomplishments of organizations that are generally 'off the radar.'”
“The VJC fits that criteria perfectly; it provides services and access to art for those living in a rural area with limited connections to live art and music education,” the announcement reads.
Si o Si (Sí, por favor)
Chamber Music America CEO Margaret Lioi will visit Brattleboro to deliver the award. Dafnis Prieto's Si o Si Quartet will perform.
“Prieto is a Cuban drum set virtuoso who can play over a tumbao with the best of them (as he did for many years with Eddie Palmieri). His performances reach beyond Latin jazz and incorporate elements of classical music, spoken word, electronics and swing as well as exploratory and spontaneous forms,” the announcement reads.
Prieto was lauded by the Library of Congress, which said he is “unquestionably one of the important leaders of the New Latin Jazz movement.” He also is the recipient of a MacArthur “genius” grant and has been recognized by CMA: In 2005, he recieved a Commissioning Grant from the CMA's New Jazz Works Program.
Prierto will appear at the VJC with longtime collaborators Peter Afelbaum on saxophone, Manuel Valera on piano, and Johannes Weidenmueller on bass.