Omar Sosa Quarteto Americanos
Bill Frisell Trio; photo credit: Monica Frisell
Ben Wendel; photo credit: Dave Stapleton
We are pleased to announce the return of the Athenaeum Jazz series to the Scripps Research Auditorium (10620 John Jay Hopkins Drive, north of Genesee Avenue in Torrey Pines Mesa) for two out of three concerts in our annual spring series. Seating is limited for all three evenings, so early reservations are advised. Please join us for these three special performances featuring internationally acclaimed jazz artists Omar Sosa, Bill Frisell, and Ben Wendel.
The spring series opens on Thursday, March 27, at Scripps Research with a long-anticipated local debut as a leader of acclaimed Cuban composer-pianist-bandleader Omar Sosa and his Quarteto Americanos, featuring Josh Jones on drums, Ernesto Mazar Kindelán on bass, and Sheldon Brown on sax, clarinet, and flute. Sosa is widely celebrated as one of the most versatile jazz artists on the scene today. His musical trajectory traces the African diaspora from Cuba to Brazil; from Central America to Ecuador’s African-descent communities; from San Francisco and New York to his current home base in Barcelona. True to his Afro-Cuban origins, Sosa fashions a spirited vision of uncompromising artistic generosity that embraces humanity at large. Nominated for seven Grammy awards and twice for the BBC World Music Awards, Sosa received a lifetime achievement award from the Smithsonian Associates in Washington, D.C., for his contribution to the development of Latin jazz in the United States. The New York Times wrote, “Sosa's music is the unifying sort, yoking together Africa and jazz and Latin America and hip-hop. He makes it work, being one of those rare birds whose keyboard skills are near those of Chick Corea and Chucho Valdes.” Billboard commented, “Sosa is one of the truly illuminated minds of world jazz. He is shaping a new synthesis of Latin and American jazz.”
The series continues on Wednesday, April 9, at Scripps Research with the Bill Frisell Trio, featuring Frisell on guitar, Thomas Morgan on bass, and Rudy Royston on drums. Frisell’s career as a guitarist and composer has spanned more than 40 years and many celebrated recordings. Recognized as one of America’s most vital and productive performing artists, Frisell has contributed to the work of a staggering array of collaborators, including Paul Motian, John Zorn, Elvis Costello, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Rickie Lee Jones, Vinicius Cantuária, Marianne Faithfull, John Scofield, Bono, and Brian Eno, to name only a few. This work has established Frisell as one of the most sought-after guitar voices in contemporary music. Stereophile wrote, “Bill Frisell has quietly been the most brilliant and unique voice to come along in jazz guitar since Wes Montgomery.” The New Yorker noted, “Bill Frisell plays the guitar like Miles Davis played the trumpet: in the hands of such radical thinkers, their instruments simply become different animals.” His 2020 Blue Note Records release, Valentine, featuring his trio with Morgan and Royston, has been hailed as “a masterpiece” by DownBeat. “They consistently and strikingly play as one, voices intertwined, completing phrases as if sharing a single thought … the performances represent jazz playing at its most sublime.”
The series concludes on Thursday, April 24, at the Athenaeum with the Ben Wendel Quartet, featuring Wendel on saxophone with an all-star rhythm section of Gerald Clayton on piano, Luca Alemanno on bass, and Jonathan Pinson on drums. Grammy-nominated saxophonist Ben Wendel was born in Vancouver and raised in Los Angeles. Currently living in Brooklyn, he has enjoyed a varied career as a performer, composer, and producer. Highlights include tours, performances, and/or recordings with artists such as Terence Blanchard, Bill Frisell, Cécile McLorin Salvant, Tigran Hamasyan, Antonio Sanchez, Eric Harland, Taylor Eigsti, Linda May Han Oh, Moonchild, Louis Cole, Daedelus, Snoop Dogg, and Prince. Wendel is a founding member of the Grammy-nominated group Kneebody. His 2023 record, All One, was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Contemporary Instrumental Album category. His latest release, Understory: Live at the Village Vanguard (October 2024), features his longtime colleague, Gerald Clayton. The New York Times wrote, “Innovator Ben Wendel Redefines the Musical Encounter ... [he is] a naturally inquisitive musician whose credentials branch out beyond jazz.” DownBeat recognized his “keen ability to balance intellectual curiosity with emotional and melodic impact,” celebrating his “gigantic sound generating visceral energy and controlled chaos.”
The first two concerts will be in person at the Scripps Research Auditorium (10620 John Jay Hopkins Drive, San Diego, CA 92121, north of Genesee Avenue in Torrey Pines Mesa). The last concert will be in person at the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library. There are no physical tickets for these events. Your name will be on an attendee list at the front door. Doors open at 7 p.m. Seating is first-come; first-served. Priority seating will be given to Donor level members and above.
Ticket Confirmation Notice:
Your reservation is not complete until you receive an email confirmation. If you do not receive a confirmation email, your tickets have not been reserved. Please check your inbox and spam/junk folder or contact us at info@ljathenaeum.org or (858) 454-5872 to ensure your booking is finalized.
Thank you!