Streaming Concert_#505: Irene Jalenti, vocals & Alan Blackman, piano
Irene Jalenti & Alan Blackman
Recorded on 6/16/2/2
Irene Jalenti, vocals
Alan Blackman, piano
Irene Jalenti's smokey, cello-like tone, multilingual repertoire, and rich deep tones deliver gripping performances of jazz standards while exploring new layers of emotion and meaning in Latin American music and classic songs.
Vocalist, songwriter, and arranger with a ravishing sound, the Italian-born Irene Jalenti steps to the forefront as an artist whose originals are likely to attract attention from fellow singers.
With her smoky, cello-like tone, multilingual repertoire, and Mediterranean-meets-the-Caribbean sensibility, Jalenti possesses a sound that brings to mind international stars like Maria Bethânia, Mercedes Sosa, and Beth Carvalho as much as Nina Simone and Cassandra Wilson.
Irene Jalenti has for over a decade been an esteemed part of the jazz community in the combined Baltimore and Washington DC areas.
A Peabody Conservatory and Howard University graduate, Jalenti has performed with Afro Blue, Esperanza Spalding, the Count Basie Orchestra, Patti Austin in venues such as the Apollo Theater, the Kennedy Center, and the White House for former President Barack Obama.
Alan Blackman is a Baltimore based pianist and award-winning composer. He and his ensembles have performed at Blues Alley, the Kennedy Center, and many festivals and venues from San Francisco to New York. Recent performances have been with Donny McCaslin, Joe Locke, Ferenc Nemeth, Mike Pope, Warren Wolf, Tim Green, Alex Norris, and Sunna Gunnlaugs among others. He was selected to be part of the Betty Carter Jazz Ahead program at the Kennedy Center, The Banff Centre Residency program and has received grants from the Maryland State Arts Council in jazz composition, performance and world music as well as the Chamber Music of America’s prestigious New Jazz Works multi-year commission. Arrangements and performances of his music have been featured on NBC’s Parenthood, NPR’s Talk of the Nation, and JazzSet with Dee Dee Bridgewater, as well as Stephen King’s movie, 1408.
Turning Point featuring Donny McCaslin was released in 2011, Alone Together: The 2 Piano Project in 2012 and The Coastal Suite, a multimedia work is out now on Top Floor Records. Chapter 3, released in 2018 is the latest recording and features guitarist Gilad Hekselman.
His current practice is long-form music compositions that incorporate multimedia components and deal with social elements such as climate change and racial healing.
Streaming Cost is $15
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