The world has changed a bit since Jamie Baum first brought her adventurous Septet+ to HSU’s Kate Buchanan Room, back in the Before Times (i.e., the fall of 2018). But the global vision of her band and its music hasn’t changed, and neither has its timeliness. The flagship ensemble’s unique instrumentation, not to mention the protean skills of its multi-talented members, allows Baum a broad composer’s palette. “I’m fortunate to get to play with such great players who can play anything,” she says. “I can really let my imagination fly.” Music journalist Richard Ginell called the group’s set at the 2018 Monterey Jazz Festival “the most extraordinary music of the festival.” As Baum bridges sounds and traditions of South Asia and the Middle East with those of Europe and the Americas, her lodestars are empathy, curiosity, and sensitivity; as Michelle Mercer wrote in DownBeat magazine, she is “always a traveler, never a tourist . . . Everything connects here: concept and execution, soloists and ensemble, Nepal and New York, spirit and flesh.”
Jamie Baum, flutes & compositions; Jonathan Finlayson, trumpet; Aaron Irwin, alto sax, bass clarinet; Chris Komer, french horn; Brad Shepik, guitar, singing bowls; John Escreet, piano; Ricky Rodriguez, bass, singing bowls; Jeff Hirschfield, drums
In-person tickets are $15 General Admission, $10 Students and Seniors. (Livestream tickets are $5, and livestream ticket-buyers will be emailed a private YouTube link approximately one half-hour before showtime.) PLEASE NOTE: Advance Tickets are required for in-person admission to this show. The Arcata Playhouse will also adhere to strict protocols: no ticket holder will be admitted without a mask and proof of COVID-19 vaccination, and the venue will be limited to half capacity (60 people).
Sponsors
Our return to live, in-person performances is happening above all because of the steadfast support of RJA members and sponsors past and present, and because of the creativity and determination of our venue partner, the Arcata Playhouse.
Jamie Baum’s tour is made possible with the support of Jazz Road, a national initiative of South Arts, which is funded by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation with additional support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The tour is also made possible with the support of a grant awarded by Chamber Music America’s Presenter Consortium for Jazz, a component of the Doris Duke Jazz Ensembles Project funded by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.
