January 15, 2013. Leave a comment.

The line which separates the popular culture and high art has been blurred a long time ago, but still old habits die hard. For some, the connection between European jazz music and classical music remains an object of suspicion and fascination.

Many points of argument are as old a jazz itself – a music of performers vs a music of composers; attachment to the written notes vs improvisation; swing vs formality. A jazz roots concert targets to put all these argument on rest on Friday at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts.

The event includes music by Copland, Debussy and Bach, but also by US film composer Henry Mancini, trumpeter Terence Blanchard and pianist Dave Grusin. The brilliant cast of performers includes violinist Mark O’Connor, vocalist Bobby McFerrin, pianists Chick Corea, Elizabeth Roe, Shelly Berg as well as Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra of the University of Miami Frost School of Music.
The event, which is actually a collaboration among the Frost School, YoungArts Foundation and the Arsht Center, is a part of the YoungArts Week and it will be shot by PBS for a special which eill be telecasted later this year.

Larry Rosen, the producer, told that for the 5th anniversary season of the Jazz roots, he wanted to do something special – something like whats on your wish list. Rosen integrated works which shows classical music’s influence on pop and jazz music – such as Spanish Suite or excerpt from Blanchard’s Champion.