This just in from Michael Arnowitt:
"Michael Arnowitt and the ImproVisions Jazz Quintet
Saturday, September 14
7 pm
Montpelier Unitarian Church (corner of Main and School streets in Montpelier)
I'll be performing on piano with some of my favorite Vermont jazz musicians from the 30 years I lived in Vermont. I'll be joined on stage by:
Dave Ellis, trumpet
Dan Silverman, trombone
Clyde Stats, bass
Caleb Bronz, drums
The program, which was requested by the arts center in Maine, is 'When Jazz Meets Classical,' and contains a mix of my own original jazz compositions from my 2018 CD Sweet Spontaneous, some excerpts from my Jazz Suite from West Side Story, and some jazz arrangements of mine influenced by classical music of Chopin, Debussy, Stravinsky, and Copland. The last two will be Vermont premieres of work I've done just in the last few months: 'Interlude with Igor' is based on Stravinsky's famous early ballets Petrushka and The Rite of Spring, and 'Coplandscapes' is based on Copland's Appalachian Spring, Fanfare, and Billy the Kid. Should be a pretty creative evening enjoyable by all.
If there can be 50 or so people in the audience, I can break even on this hastily and lightly organized event I'm trying to pull together from a distance. It would be great if you could help me towards this modest goal by attending yourself or suggesting it to your friends who you think might be interested.
Tickets are $20, available at the door only. It's completely optional, but if you'd like to email me to reserve some tickets for me to hold for you at the door, it would give me a sense of how I'm doing for an audience and therefore how much more promotional work I should do later in the week.
I have been living mainly in Toronto since 2017 and it's been going well. The people of Toronto are extremely friendly and supportive, which is a blessing both as I try to establish myself musically in a new city, and also personally - as I travel around Toronto as a blind person, it is remarkable how generous people on the street are in giving assistance to strangers. Plus, I've been able to meet in Toronto some amazing people from all over the world and take in the music and culture of many countries. One can always learn more about the world around us, no matter what one's age - we can always continue to grow.
Speaking of Toronto, one last note - when I left Vermont, a number of you told me about connections you had with family or friends in Toronto, but I forgot to write things down and can't remember now even who told me these things in conversation. I am giving a benefit concert in Toronto on Tuesday, October 15 at the Al Green Theatre, to benefit the charity Balance for Blind Adults. If you have a connection to someone in Toronto, please let me know and I can send you some more information about this event.
Best,
Michael Arnowitt
pianist