The Classic Jazz Quartet Presents:

While the name of this program certainly conjures up an anomalous musical situation, The Classic Jazz Quartet and vocalist Cheryl Victor imbue the immortal compositions of Chopin, Tchaikovsky and other great musical masters, with modern jazz sounds of the swinging variety! Enjoy these demos from the Classic Jazz Quartet. Stranger In Paradise The music of Russian composer Borodin inspired the 1953 Broadway musical, Kismet. Stranger in Paradise is based upon the Polovetzian Dances from the 1888 opera, Prince Igor. Click the link at left to hear a demo of Stranger in Paradise, as played by the Classic Jazz Quartet, featuring Cheryl Victor. How Insensitive Chopin composed the Prelude in E Minor in 1836. 130 years later, it was transformed by Brazilian songwriter Antonio Carlos Jobim into How Insensitive. Click the link at left to hear a demo of How Insensitive, with the vocal stylings of Cheryl Victor, as played by the Classic Jazz Quartet. You Are There You Are There is a 1947 pop tune based upon a theme from Brahms' Third Symphony, composed in 1883. Click the link at left to hear a demo of You Are There, featuring Cheryl Victor, as played by the Classic Jazz Quartet. Toreador Song Oscar Hammerstein II's version of Bizet's opera Carmen. Carmen Jones featured an all-black cast, changing the setting to the southern U.S. during World War II. Carmen Jones works at a parachute factory and falls under the spell of prize-fighter Husky Miller. The well-known Toreador Song became Stand Up and Fight. Click the link at left to hear a demo of the Toreador Song as played by the Classic Jazz Quartet. The Lamp Is Low The Lamp is Low takes a theme from Ravel's Pavane Pour Une Infante Defunte. It was a hit for Larry Clinton and Tommy Dorsey in 1939. It's been recorded by many jazz musicians and vocalists including Chet Baker and Carmen McRae. Click the link at left to hear a demo of the The Lamp is Low as played by the Classic Jazz Quartet. Flight of the Bumblebee Harry James, a well-known Swing Era trumpeter, recorded Rimsky-Korsakov's Flight of the Bumblebee in 1940. Six years later, it became a huge hit for Freddie Martin under the name Bumble Boogie. Walter Murphy even recorded a disco version in the '70s! Click the link at left to hear a demo of the Flight of the Bumblebee as played by the Classic Jazz Quartet. Moon Love Two themes from Tchaikovsky's 5th Symphony (The "Pathetique"), composed in 1888, inspired Andre Kostelanetz to compose Moon Love in 1939. It was a #1 hit for Glenn Miller and subsequent recordings by Mildred Bailey, Nat King Cole and Al Donahue have also been very popular. Click the link at left to hear a demo of Moon Love as played by the Classic Jazz Quartet, featuring Cheryl Victor. From the 1915 hit, I'm Always Chasing Rainbows (based on Chopin's Fantasie Impromptu) to the 1960 hit, Night (based on Saint-Saens' Mon Couer S'Ouvre a Ta Voix from Samson and Delilah), the rich history and fascinating link between the world of 19th century romantic/serious music and the world of 20th century pop/jazz is vividly explored by The Classic Jazz Quartet. Lawrence is not the first to notice the timeless and universal appeal of classical melodies. In the 1940s, bandleader Les Brown wrote about this phenomenon, in his hit tune Everybody's making Money But Tchaikovsky. And in 1950, Spike Jones recorded PAL-YAT-CHEE, his tribute to the opera, and especially Pagliacci, from the point of view of the non-fan. Then in 1983, Billy Joel borrowed Beethoven's Pathetique Sonata to create his Innocent Man album. Bizet was not the first Romantic Era composer to have his music in a Broadway show, but may be one of the most well-known. The hit of the 1943 stage season was Oscar Hammerstein II's version of Bizet's opera Carmen. Carmen Jones featured an all-black cast, changing the setting to the southern U.S. during World War II. Carmen Jones works at a parachute factory and falls under the spell of prize-fighter Husky Miller. The well-known Toreador Song became Stand Up and Fight. Harry James, a well-known Swing Era trumpeter, recorded Rimsky-Korsakov's Flight of the Bumble Bee in 1940. Six years later, it became a huge hit for Freddie Martin under the name Bumble Boogie. Walter Murphy even recorded a disco version in the '70s! Probably the earliest adaptation of a Romantic Era melody occured in 1917, when songwriter Harry Carrol decided to incorporate part of Chopin's Fantasie Impromptu into his song, I'm Always Chasing Rainbows. It was introduced on Broadway by the Dolly Sisters and has been performed in movies by Judy Garland, Betty Grable and Donald O'Connor. Consisting of Gary Lawrence (piano), Phil Flanigan (bass), and Mike Harvey (drums), the quartet has enjoyed worldwide popularity through frequent tours and recordings. A never-to-be-forgotten musical treat, Chopin, Tchaikovsky... and All That Jazz! manages to impart solid historical information, while remaining thoroughly exciting and entertaining. Is jazzing the classics an aesthetic violation or true musical ecumenism? Let the audience be the judge, as The Classic Jazz Quartet and Cheryl Victor create unique interpretations of beautiful tunes, based on the timeless melodies of the great romantic composers. The Classic Jazz Quartet is available for special events and concerts. Contact Gary Lawrence at (954) 346-TUNE or 346-8863. Or go to GLPmusic.com.