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Media Contact: Cari Hatcher 612-‐625-‐6003 (W) 763-‐442-‐1756 (C)
[email protected] northrop.umn.edu
Press photos and credits for download at: http://northrop.umn.edu/press/event-‐photos
Performance information, pictures, and video at http://northrop.umn.edu/events/somi-‐and-‐thomasina
Northrop at the University of Minnesota Launches the New Northrop Jazz: Live at the Campus Club
Presenting Somi and Thomasina Minneapolis, MN (October 13, 2010) -‐ Northrop at the University of Minnesota launches the new Northrop Jazz: Live at the Campus Club presenting Somi and Thomasina on Fri, October 22 at 9:00 and 10:15 pm (Doors at 8:00 pm). Northrop Jazz presents the hottest pairing of rising global and local jazz artists in a new intimate and spectacular setting. With one of the best views of the downtown Minneapolis skyline and the Mississippi River, the Campus Club in Coffman Memorial Union on the U of M Campus offers a fresh twist to the local jazz scene.
Full bar and food selections available for purchase before and throughout the performance. General admission, cabaret seating only.
PERFORMANCE Somi and Thomasina Fri, Oct 22, Doors at 8:00 pm Campus Club 4th Floor, Coffman Memorial Union East Bank Campus -‐ U of M $35 Single tickets on sale now at northrop.umn.edu, 612-‐624-‐2345, or in person Monday -‐ Friday, 10:00 am -‐ 5:00 pm, Room 105 Northrop, 84 Church Street SE, Minneapolis
Somi, a multicultural singer/songwriter, seduces the soul with her harmonious blend of jazz and acoustic African grooves in a special set of vocals, guitar, and piano. Defining her music as New African Soul, the acclaimed musician is making waves in the jazz scene with alluring vocals and compelling lyrics of personal empowerment.
Singer, actress, and creator of Thomasina's Cashew Brittle candy – Thomasina Petrus is a woman of many talents. Known for her multifaceted vocal range and uncanny similarity to Billie Holiday, Thomasina has quickly become one of the premier vocalists on both Twin Cities stages and abroad. She performs accompanied by piano. Featuring: Somi – vocals 9:00 pm Accompanied by: Liberty Ellman – guitar Toru Dodo – piano Thomasina – vocals 10:15 pm Accompanied by: Thom West – piano
ABOUT THE ARTISTS Somi | Vocals When Somi was growing up, her mother told her that the rain, ever unpredictable, could be as much a blessing as a challenge. “The blessings might come before the rain, or they could come after—it’s all in the timing,” she said. That notion has stayed with the charismatic singer and songwriter all her life and now provides a metaphorical focus for her third album, If The Rains Come First. The album, which is out now on the ObliqSound label, is a stunning collection of self-‐penned story-‐based songs, a meditation on opening ourselves up to life’s blessings and challenges much in the way that we accept the rain and all that it brings. If the Rains Come First builds upon elements that first surfaced on Somi’s two previous recordings: the electric soul-‐jazz of 2003’s English-‐language Eternal Motive (SanaaHouse) and the acoustic, culture-‐merging elegance of 2007’s multilingual Red Soil in My Eyes (World Village/Harmonia Mundi). But her further evolution becomes immediately apparent as If the Rains Come First unfolds. As The Boston Globe recently put it, Somi’s new album “glistens with the sheen of an almost impossibly perfect cosmopolitanism, but that shouldn’t be held against her." Singing in English and three East African languages, Somi’s vocal delivery is subtle yet the power she exerts is enormous. A true multicultural woman, Somi was born in Illinois to immigrants from Rwanda and Uganda, then spent her early childhood in Zambia. The African cultural legacy, always crucial to her sound, is as vital as ever in her current music, which Somi likes to call New African Soul. But so too is the music she heard upon relocating to New York, with American jazz singers like Nina
Simone and Sarah Vaughan as essential to her artistic development as the legendary African female voices of Miriam Makeba, Cesaria Evora, and Sade. With If the Rains Come First, Somi’s songwriting has taken on a new sophistication and depth. Co-‐produced by ObliqSound founder/president Michele Locatelli and labelmate Michael Olatuja, the percussive thrust at the heart of African music is also a fundamental component of If the Rains Come First. That thrust is brought to bear by an all-‐star African rhythm section of Ivorian percussionist Madou Koné, Senegalese guitarist Herve Samb, and Nigerian bassist Olatuja himself. Somi recorded the album’s 11 songs in Paris in order to take advantage of the city’s sizable African music scene, and finished it in New York to avail herself of the world’s greatest jazz community. Among the exemplary musicians who provide the coloring that fleshes out Somi’s songs are longtime collaborators Toru Dodo on Fender Rhodes and piano, and guitarists Liberty Ellman, David Gilmore, and Locatelli. The album also features the legendary Hugh Masekela, a longtime Somi fan who has become a mentor, guesting on trumpet. From the album’s opening track, “Hot Blue,” Somi’s delicate yet pliant vocalizing is matched by the band’s flair for establishing a potent groove against a sweet melody line. “Rising,” a song about faith and navigating life’s challenges, is all forward motion, a flawless juxtaposition of sizzling rhythm, instantly memorable melody and a vocal style that JazzTimes magazine describes as “the earthy gutsiness of Nina Simone blended with the vocal beauty of Dianne Reeves,” Billboard calls “all elegance and awe…utterly captivating,” and Vogue simply calls “superb.” “Somi has an incredible subtlety and different colors in her voice,” notes Locatelli. “Her music has many different personalities, and she is an amazing songwriter with beautiful ideas. For this album, we wanted to bring out her intimate side, as well as her gift for melodic storytelling.” As her career has taken off, Somi’s talents have been called upon for collaborations and live performances with such greats as John Legend, Cassandra Wilson, Mos Def, and Paul Simon. Most recently, internationally renowned Israeli singer-‐songwriter Idan Raichel featured her vocals on his latest album Within My Walls (Cumbancha), on the track “Maisha,” which Somi also co-‐wrote. In addition to her own works, Somi also aims to bring other important cultural gems to light, and has founded a non-‐profit arts organization, New Africa Live, committed to producing multidisciplinary events that celebrate contemporary African artists. As active as she is, Somi always takes the time necessary to finesse each song she crafts. If the Rains Come First reveals the careful attention she pays to getting the details right. “I never force a song out” she says. “Usually having quiet space for introspection and meditation inspires me deeply. I’ve also begun doing more co-‐writing with the musicians in my band for stronger harmonic arrangements and the opportunity to share the music with them in a more personal way. The songs on this album show where I am emotionally and spiritually today. At the end of the day, I still know who I am and where home is before, during, and after the rain—it’s in the music.”
Liberty Ellman | Guitar Liberty Ellman is a guitarist / composer based in New York City. Ellman was born in London, England, and was raised in New York City and San Francisco. The son of musicians, he was given his first guitar at age five. He was influenced by his mother’s eclectic music collection of Jimi Hendrix, Robert Johnson, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Brecker Brothers, Herbie Mann, Ohio Players, Prince, Rolling Stones, Led Zepplin, Jackson 5, Beethoven, Ravi Shankar, The Police, and more. Ellman went to California State Sonoma University. After college he stayed in the San Francisco area playing in clubs with other musicians. During this time he met pianist Vijay Iyer, who was getting his PhD at UC Berkeley, where drummer Brad Hargreaves also went. At one point Iyer and Ellman were in at least six or seven bands at the same time, and Ellman worked often with saxophonist D'Armous Boone, Iyer, and Hargreaves. Ellman was involved with many other artists, music, and more in the Bay Area: Hip Hop groups Midnight Voices and The Coup, R and B band Anibade led by amazing singer Ledisi, innovative koto artist/composer Miya Masaoka, started his own label Red Giant Records, and released his first CD Orthodoxy. Ellman also played on two of Iyer's albums, Memorophila, and Archetextures, and collaborated and toured with the San Francisco Mime Troupe. During his time in the Bay Area, he had the pleasure of playing with Steve Coleman in a version of the Mystic Rhythm Society. He also wrote music and did sound design for The Magic Theater's 30th anniversary production of Sam Sheppard's True West. In December 1998, Ellman returned to New York. After a year, he got a trio gig at a bar called Ciel Rouge. With Stephan Crump on bass and Derrek Philiips on drums, Ellman played virtually every Tuesday for two years straight. Some of the music that he started working out there later made it onto his second record, Tactiles (Pi Recordings, 2003). In New York Ellman has had the opportunity to play with a great many musicians such as Henry Threadgill, Butch Morris, Greg Osby, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Dafnis Prieto, Horacio "El Negro" Hernandez, Eric Harland, Harold Ousley, Jason Moran, Oliver Lake, Bob Stewart, Marty Erlich, Aaron Stewart, Mark Shim, Steve Lehman, Craig Taborn, and many others. Henry Threadgill has been particularly influential as Ellman has been a member of band ZOOID. Ellman’s newest recording, Ophiuchus Butterfly (Pi Recordings, 2006), features musicians that have very personal approaches to their instruments and towards music in general. Playing on the record are Steve Lehman (alto saxophone), Mark Shim (tenor saxophone), Jose Davila (tuba), Stephan Crump (acoustic bass), and Gerald Cleaver (drums). Toru Dodo| Piano
Toru Dodo, born in Tokyo, started playing classical piano at age four. Shortly after entering the prestigious Meiji University in Tokyo where Dodo majored in Economics, he discovered Jazz music. After graduating Meiji University, he went onto study the Berklee College of Music in Boston (1995), where he graduated as summa cum laude in 1998. Following his graduation from Berklee, Dodo moved to New York. His musical career progressed both as a leader and a sideman with tours taking him throughout the U.S, Japan, Canada, Italy, Africa and South America. Dodo has released to date four solo albums: DODO (2002), 116 West 238 St. (2004) featuring Reuben Rogers on bass and John Lamkin on drums, and DODO 3 (2006) featuring Joseph Lepore on bass and Rodney Green on drums) all produced by legendary guitarist, Yosiaki Masuo for the Japanese label, Jazz City Spirits/Muzak. His fourth and most recent album is entitled Do You Like Cappuccino? released in 2009 from Dodo's do & do label. Dodo has also published his own book, Excellent Jazz Solo Piano for Rittor Music in Japan in 2008. That same year, after performing with his trio at the International Association for Jazz Education (IAJE) in Toronto, he was awarded by the IAJE for his outstanding service to jazz education. He also received the BRIO (Bronx Recognized Its Own) Award for his performance in 2008. Dodo has contributed his playing as a sideman for noted musicians such as Kenny Garret, Benny Golson, Curtis Fuller, Ruth Brown, and Terumasa Hino, among others. Currently, aside from his trio, he works with vocalist Somi, Pete Zimmer, Wayne Escoffery & Carolyn Leonhart, and Satoshi Inoue. Dodo continues to host the Sunday Jam Session at Cleopatra's Needle, a NYC jazz club, since he started in 2002, as well as playing and touring with his own trio and in various group. Thomasina | Vocals Thomasina is excited to be a part of the Twin Cities’ thriving jazz and theatre scenes. Known for her multifaceted range she has quickly become one of the premier vocalists on stages both local and abroad. Thomasina is a 20 year equity actor and a company member at Penumbra Theatre and Mixed Blood Theatre. Having the opportunity to collaborate with great artists like Javetta Steele, T. Mycheal Rambo, Stokley, Walter Chancellor III, and Prince, has encouraged her to continue creating exceptional music and theatre by launching Thomasina Productions. Her signature concert series “Hot Chocolate” runs during the Holiday season and Valentine’s Day. Thomasina is currently appearing in “Gee’s Bend” at Park Square Theatre until November, and
will post all Thomasina’s Hot Chocolate for the Holidays concerts on her website. A successful departure from performing, Thomasina has also created Thomasina’s Cashew Brittle, available online, at all Kowalski’s supermarkets, live theatres, concert halls, and gourmet/specialty food shops throughout the nation. Thom West | Piano Pianist and longtime resident of St. Paul, MN, Thomas West is a household name in the many musical venues of the Twin Cities area. Thomas can be seen performing with T. Mychal Rambo, Dennis Spears, Jay Young, Jamecia Bennett, The West Bros. Duo, and New Hope Baptist Church Choir, to name a few. Thomas is currently in the process of completing his first solo CD entitled All To God's Glory, a composite of gospel hymns in jazz genre, scheduled for release in the fall of 2010.
Presented with support from the U of M Campus Club.
Media Partner: Jazz88
Artists and programs subject to change.