Wed. August 20 - The debut of ELIXIR's "Jazz Dinner Show & Jam Session" with FRED HAAS & SABRINA BROWN

 

ELIXIR at The Freight House presents

JAZZ DINNER SHOW & JAM SESSION

with FRED HAAS AND SABRINA BROWN

Wednesdays beginning August 20

 

ELIXIR at The Freight House, the Upper Valley’s premier destination for fine dining and live music, will host a Jazz Dinner Show & Jam Session beginning Wednesday, August 20, 2008, and continuing each Wednesday, from 7:00 to 10:00pm. Saxophonist/pianist FRED HAAS and vocalist SABRINA BROWN, along with guitarist JASON ENNIS, will begin each session with a duo set featuring a different theme each week, performing a set by a specific composer, such as Duke Ellington or George Gershwin; or lyricist, such as Johnny Mercer or Lorenz Hart; and tunes associated with a particular vocal artist, such as Ella Fitzgerald or Sarah Vaughan. The dinner show will be followed by a jam session.  

 

Historically, the jazz jam session has been an opportunity for musicians to get together and play in a relaxed environment that fosters the creative spirit and encourages each player to reach beyond what he/she knows. Late night sessions in cities like New York have often provided fertile ground for the growth of new directions in jazz. As co-founders of Interplay Jazz, Fred and Sabrina have, for the past twelve years, provided a supportive environment for musicians to play music, practice yoga and meditation, and enjoy the spirit of learning and performing together. As musicians arrive at ELIXIR to join in the fun, they will be asked to sign in with their name and a couple of tunes that they are interested in playing. These sessions are sponsored by ELIXIR, Interplay Jazz, and two generous, anonymous donors from Hanover. Call ELIXIR at 802-281-7009 for reservations. There is no cover charge for the music.

 

Sabrina Brown, whose father recalls her singing as a baby in her crib, began singing in church for weddings, funerals, and services at age twelve.  Growing up in Seattle, her parents took her to classical, pop, folk, and world music concerts.  She took piano lessons and studied with some of the area’s best classical voice teachers.  At a community college in Seattle, she was a member of the Jazz Choir and studied music performance in a program called Professional Entertainment Training that included dance, music theory, and learning to play several instruments.  Sabrina’s interest in jazz was born when she opened a restaurant and began looking for the right “sound” for the business.  She fell in love with the saxophone listening to Ben Webster (unaware that the saxophone would someday play a very special role in her life!)   Occasionally, she would sit in with the musicians she had hired.  The business, raising four fabulous children, and relocating to New England in 1992 contributed to her putting her singing career on hold for ten years – until she met Fred Haas, first as a pianist, then as a band leader and saxophone player.  Her mentor, inspiration, and teacher for the past 14 years, Fred became her husband last summer.  Twelve years ago the two started Interplay Jazz Camp, bringing together renowned instructors and students for a summer intensive program that is growing and expanding every year.  Sabrina’s studies with such top jazz vocalists as Rebecca Parris, Shelia Jordan, Laurel Masse, and Dena DeRose have helped her develop her own rich, expressive sound and the uncommon ability to tell a story through each song.  Sabrina has performed with Fred for the past 14 years in the U.S. and Europe and has also performed with many other musicians, including Paul Broadnax, Matt Wilson, Jason Ennis, and Dave Clark.

 

Fred Haas, a Dartmouth grad (’73) who teaches saxophone, jazz piano, improvisation, jazz history, and music theory at Dartmouth College, has performed throughout New England and beyond with countless artists, including Oscar Peterson, Ray Charles, Clark Terry, Lena Horne, Dionne Warwick, Joe Morello, Attila Zoller, and Milt Jackson, and Pat Metheny, who calls Fred “a totally world-class saxophone player.”  In 1996, he and Sabrina Brown founded Interplay Jazz Camp in Woodstock, VT, which provides an opportunity every summer for musicians of all ages to participate in a relaxed and supportive learning environment, which includes yoga and meditation, as they focus on the improvisational art of jazz with an experienced, all-star faculty, including renowned musicians such as vocalist Sheila Jordan and pianist Kenny Werner.  Fred has produced several CDs for his own JazzToons label, including Interplay, I Thought About You, Strike Up The Band, Friends and Telling Stories, which is a collection of original compositions featuring Haas on saxophone and piano with Gene Bertoncini on guitar and Michael Moore on bass. It is available on the iTunes store. Fred has also recorded It’s About Time, Here’s To Joe and Live at Indian Hill with his long-time friend and musical compatriot, award-winning pianist/vocalist Paul Broadnax. Visit www.interplayjazz.com for more information about Interplay Jazz Camp and JazzToons.

 

Located at The Freight House, 188 S. Main Street, White River Junction, VT (802-281-7009), ELIXIR Restaurant and Lounge presents eclectic fare and small plates and features special martinis, local beers, an international wine list and live music nightly.  Support live music!