ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y.— Spend Valentine’s Day with one of the hottest jazz bands on the scene. The Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College and Catskill Jazz Factory present Chris Washburne and the SYOTOS Band featuring vocalist Claudette Sierra on Friday, February 14 at 7:30 p.m. in the Fisher Center’s LUMA Theater. Tickets are $20 and are available at the Fisher Center box office at fishercenter.bard.edu or by calling 845-758-7900.

Founded by Washburne in 1992, SYOTOS—an acronym coined by Chris Washburne, meaning See You On The Other Side—boasts stars from the ensembles of Tito Puente, Eddie Palmieri, and Ray Barretto. SYOTOS pushes the genre of Latin Jazz into uncharted waters with a postmodern mix that embraces dissonance, weaving contemporary uptempo beats with a driving sound. This boundary-breaking band exemplifies Latin jazz with a global reach, combining Afro-Cuban, funk, jazz, gospel, and contemporary classical music; Time Out New York calls the group “a Latin jazz institution” as they held the longest running Latin jazz gig in New York, performing weekly for 20 years straight. The New York Times writes that SYOTOS brings “erudition as well as fire to the modern conventions of Latin jazz.”

The program features Washburne on trombone with vocalist Claudette Sierra, Chris Hector Martignon, piano; Leo Traversa, bass; Diego Lopez, drums; and Cristian Rivera, percussion. “We’re pleased bring these remarkable jazz artists to the Fisher Center as part of our expanded spring season, and to partner with Catskill Jazz Factory for the first time to make it possible,” says Bob Bursey, Fisher Center senior producer.

To download high-resolution photography click here: fishercenter.bard.edu/press/photos.php?group_id=42828

About SYOTOS

SYOTOS was founded in 1992 by trombonist Washburne and features some of the best Latin jazz players in New York City. SYOTOS has performed at Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., the Blue Note in New York City, Lincoln Center, BB Kings in New York City, Smoke Jazz club, Zinc Bar, BAM, the Brooklyn Museum of Art, MOMA (Museum of Modern Art), Aaron Davis Hall in Harlem, the World Economic Forum, and many jazz festivals across the United States, including Burlington Discover Jazz Festival and Lake George Jazz Festival. For more information go to chriswashburne.com/groups/syotos/.

About the Catskill Jazz Factory

Founded in 2012 by Lucy and Piers Playfair with Aaron Diehl as artistic director, the Catskill Jazz Factory supports jazz music through intergenerational dialogue, community building, and artistic excellence, offering jazz performances and educational programs within the Hudson Valley. The Catskill Jazz Factory is fast becoming one of the most dynamic jazz organizations in the area. Since its inception less than two years ago it has organized two annual week-long artist residencies, a town parade, year-round master classes and performances at the Kingston City public middle and high schools, and promoted 20 performances in 10 different venues across the Hudson Valley. It has worked with 60 musicians including the legendary pianist Marcus Roberts, 2014 Grammy-nominated vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant, trombonist Wycliffe Gordon, and 2011 Cole Porter Fellow in Jazz of the American Pianists Association, Aaron Diehl. For more information go to catskilljazzfactory.org.

About The Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College

Named for the late Richard B. Fisher, the former chair of Bard’s Board of Trustees, the Fisher Center has become an influential force in performing arts programming, earning critical acclaim for innovative productions of opera, orchestral, chamber, dance, and theater programs. The Center was designed by legendary architect Frank Gehry and distinguished acoustician Yasuhisa Toyota, and has received international praise for its breathtaking architecture and superb sound. Each summer the Fisher Center presents the Bard SummerScape festival, eight weeks of performing arts programs reflecting the life and times of the featured composer of the esteemed Bard Music Festival, now celebrating its 25th year. Fall and spring seasons include original productions, special one-night-only concerts, and touring artists from around the globe. The Fisher Center is home to the Bard College Theater & Performance and Dance Programs, providing students access to exceptional theater facilities and opportunities to work with professional directors and dramaturges on publicly attended productions throughout the year. Live Arts Bard, a residency and commissioning program, is a laboratory for professional artists in theater, dance, and performance to test ideas and develop new projects, many of which premiere at the Fisher Center. The Bard College Conservatory of Music and the Bard College Music Program stage regular orchestral and chamber concerts

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January 21, 2014