Pat Philips
A native New Yorker, Pat Philips continues to produce original concert events, highly acclaimed by the critics. Most recently, she produced THE SPIRIT OF DJANGO REINHARDT at Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall, a sold-out event for the 3rd year with major gypsy jazz stars from Europe including DORADO SCHMITT (a legend) and including, this year PAQUITO D'RIVERA. This event is part of her successful DJANGO REINHARDT FESTIVAL at Birdland, going into its 6th year again with top stars from Europe such as BIRELI LAGRENE, ANGELO DEBARRE, BABIK REINHARDT, JIMMY ROSENBERG, . along with some of America's finest Jazzman – PAQUITO D’RIVERA, KEN PEPLOWSKI, ROGER KELLAWAY, LEW TABAKIN, HARRY ALLEN, and more…
This past January, along with partner Ettore Stratta, she produced The Tribute to Latin Jazz superstar, PAQUITO D’RIVERA at Carnegie Hall, ANOTHER SOLD-OUT EVENT with BEBO VALDES, CACHAO, CANDIDO,YO-YO MA, ROSA PASSOS, MICHEL CAMILLO, DAVE SAMUELS, ANDY NAREL and more. This was truly and amazing night !
In October of 2005, she produced at Carnegie Hall “A Tribute to Jobim and Stan Getz” with GAL COSTS and an ‘all-star’ Brazilian Band, M2k (Jacques Morelenbaum/Paul, Sakamoto) and top saxist TOM SCOTT…again a full house.
At The Kennedy Center, Philips produced BILLY TAYLOR’S 80TH with NANCY WILSON, THE FRNAK WESS BIG BAND, CYRUS CHESTNUT, STEFON HARRIS, MARIAN McPARTLAND, DEE DEE BRIDGEWATER, ARTURO SANDOVAL,......Billy took ill, but the concert was piped through NPR right into his hospital room. The concert was a triumph.
She has proudced over 100 important concert events including, most at Carnegie Hall, including "The 80th Birthday of STEPANE GRAPPELLI " with YO –YO MA, MICHEL LEGRAND, TOOTS THIELEMANS, and others… This was one of the first times YO-YO MA performed in an important jazz concert! She also produced Grappelli's 83rd and 85th with Nigel Kennedy which was recorded live by Angel/EMI.
Then there was Absolut Vocalese celebrating JON HENDRICKS’ 70th with AL JARREAU, THE MANHATTAN TRANSFER, and THE COUNT BASIE ORCHESTRA.
ILLINOIS JACQUET’S 70th “50 Years of Flying Home” with RAY CHARLES & LIONEL HAMPTON as Special guests along with ETTA JAMES and HARRY SWEETS EDISON, ROY HAYNES, JOSHUA REDMAN, and others. The place went wild...Illinois didn't know what hit him. i
"From Harlem to Hollywood" , A Tribute to THE NICHOLAS BROTHERS" was one of the highlights of her career. She paid tribute to them when they were almost forgotten. On the program was BILL COSBY, LENA HORNE, BEN VEREEN MAURICE HINES, SAVION GLOVER and the dancers from “Bring in Da Noise”, ..the Danny Holgate Big Band...and many others. There was pandamonium in Carnegie Hall.
.More - ."40 Years of Bossa Nova" at Carnegie Hall starring GAL COSTS, DORI CAYMMI FILHO MACHADOK JANE MONHEIR, CESAR CAMARGO MARIANO, ROMERO LUBAMBO, AND PAULA ROBISON…and more.
Prior to that, she and her partner, Ettore Stratta produced "Tango, Passion and Swing" at CARNEGIE HALL as part of the JVC Jazz Festival . The San Franciso Examiner called the concert "brilliant"! It combined top artists from Buenos Aires such as PABLO ZIEGLER with JULIA ZENKO with Top Jazz Artists in America, JOE LOVANO, GARY BURTON, .and included Star Dancers from "Forever Tango" on Broadway. Another of their Tango Shows "Tango Magic" was televised as a Public TV pledge program, co-produced with Automatic Productions.
Philips produced TANGO MEETS JAZZ each year at the Jazz Standard in December with th PABLO ZIEGLER Band along with guests such as JAMES CARTER, STEFON HARRIS, DAVID SANCHEZ, RANDY BRECKER…
Philips also produced, about 5 years ago, an evening at Carnegie Hall honoring legendary Jazz Pianist GEORGE SHEARING upon his 80th Birthday with DAVE BRUBECK, BILLY TAYLOR, JOHN PIZZARELLI, TITO PUENTE (his last major appearance before his passing), and NANCY STEPHANE GRAPPELLI , after his passing, withJACQUES-LUC-PONTY, MARK O’CONNOR, NADJA SALERNO SONNENBERG, and more…She had special music written for this occasion.
Other successful concert projects were "Bach At the Beacon" starring JACQUES LOUSSIER from Paris and WENDY CARLOS of "Switched On Bach" ...and "35 Years of Merchant Ivory" at Carnegie Hall with the St. Luke's Symphony Orchestra starring SHARON STONE, BARBARA HENDRICKS, HUGH GRANT, CHRISTOPHER REEVE, JOANNE WOODWARD, and otherscelebrating Ismail Merchant and James Ivory's 35 year relationship in developing brilliant films. This concert paid tribute to the music of their films.
Every two years, Stratta/Philips produce their ongoing "All Jobim and More" series, the Music of Antonio Carlos Jobim. These concerts have includeIVAN LINS, AL JARREAU, BRANFORD MARSALIS, GILBERTO GIL, JOE LOVANO, HERBIE MANN, ELIANE ELIAS, CESAR CAMARGO MARIANO, ROMERO LUBAMBO….and more. They produced ANTONIO CARLOS JOBIM’s last major concert in which he starred here in NY at Carnegie HalIN 1989.. In the Jobim concert where they had The Orpheus Orchestra, the NY Times reviewer, Bernard Holland, wrote” this concert and the music of Antonio Carlos Jobim give me hope for the future of music”.
"Le Swing" at the South Street Seaport celebrated The French Bicentennial with the CLAUDE BOLLING BIG BAND from Paris and JON HENDRICKS & CO.. ABSOLUT PAQUITO was produced in Miami with a host of Latin/Jazz stars at the Guzman Center for the Arts.
Over the years, Philips has produced other concerts with TONY BENNETT, TAKE 6, MARUEEN McGOVERN GERRY MULLIGAN CHUCK MANGIONE, DICK HYMAN BUDDY RICH, TITO PUENTE, TOOTS THIELEMANS, BENNY GOODMAN JAMES MODDY, ODION POPE, SLIDE HAMPTON, and DIANE SCHURR to name a few. She created years of concerts with top jazz and Latin artists on the pier at the South Street Seaport…including "Salsa at the Seaport'" which ran for several years with all the great Latin Bands on the ships such as TITO PUENTE and EDDIT PALMEIRI.
And she has served as manager for Grammy-Award winning pianist/composer ROGER KELLAWAY for over eight years. They worked on hundreds of projects together including commissions with The New York Philharmonic, The New York Pops, The National Symphony..many reocording and appearances, too many to name. All commissions were to bring ‘jazz’ to the symphony !
With parter, Ettore Stratta, she produced projects with THE JOFFREY BALLET and for five years, "ABSOLUT CONCERTO", an important symphonic series staged at Avery Fisher Hall presenting newly commissioned works by such well-known American composers as John Adams, William Bolcom, Pulitzer prize-winning composer, Aaron J. Kernis, Lukas Foss, and Christopher Rouse, another Pulitzer Prize winner.
She produced Opera Star, SUMI JO , at CARNEGIE HALL in her first-ever concert performing the music of Broadway...to a sold-out house,with orhcestra.
Philips also produced a night of JOSE FELICIANO with PAUL SIMON at CARNEGIE HALL as well as the Music of IVAN LINS with ED MOTTA and LEILA PINHEIRO form Brazil, VANESSA WILIAMS, CHAKA KAHN, FREDDIE COLE, BRENDA REUSSELL, DAVE KOZ, PETER WHITE, and more...
They also produced THE SONGWRITERS HALL OF FAME music industry event for 10 years working with everyone from TONY BENNETT to LIZA MINELLI, to WHITNEY HOUSTON, to LENA HORNE, to JAMES BROWN, to BILLY JOEL......hundreds of top stars where they introduced 'JAZZ ‘ into the program where and whenever they could with such artists as CURTIS STIGERS, KURT ELLING, FREDDIE COLE, HAROLD NICHOLAS…and so many other of their favorite artists/ friends in the world of jazz. They even stuck tap dancing into it !
In her early years of the business (around 1981), she created the 'first--ever' jazz series at the 92nd Street Y called "Jazz Alive at the Y" with GERRY MULLIGAN, JAMES MOODY, BENNY GOODMAN, LIONEL HAMPTON, HONI COLES, SIR ROLAND HANNA, ..One of her first projects brought together MILT JACKSON and HANK JONES. She has also worked with many of the great jazz pianists such as KENNY BARON, HAROLD MAYBERN, DICK HYMAN..MULGREW MILLER, to name a few…Pat Philips.put on jazz concerts at just about every park, atrium, or club that existed in NYC (or she created a venue) as she was getting her feet wet in a business and world, 'JAZZ ,that she fell in love with.
Right now she is working on an "The Magic Jazz with AL JARREAU and Friends" in San Francisco February 16th and an important Celebration of TOOTS THIELEMENS at Carnegie Hall on March 16th.
Her DJANGO REINHARDT FESTIVAL goes on tour this April to The Kennedy Center, The Napa Opera House, Jazz Alley in Seattle, her Festival in Bridland Nov. 8 - 13 and then the Disney Concert Hall Nov. 16 Other tours are in the making as well. |
Ettore Stratta
Born in Cuneo, Italy, multi-talented Ettore Stratta travels throughout the world as conductor / composer / arranger and producer. His work touches many musical bases -- classical, pop and jazz and sometimes combines these in unique recording and concert projects. Stratta's record productions include Tony Bennett's "The Art of Excellence,", Eddie Daniels' "Break-through", ""Stephane Grappelli Plays Kern", and Cleo Laine's "Jazz". He also was conductor/music coordinator for Maureen McGovern's "State of the Heart". Lena Horne's album "The Men In My Life", which he produced in l988, received three Grammy nominations. He also produced Diahann Carroll's most recent CD "The Time Of My Life".
His additional record productions include the Sony Classical "Los Tangueros" with Emanuel Ax and Pablo Ziegler performing on two pianos the music of Astor Piazzoilla --and the l997-released CD by Maureen McGovern "The Music Never Ends", featuring the lyrics of Marilyn & Alan Bergman. Recently, he recorded Pablo Ziegler and the Orpheus Orchestra in "Tango Romance" for BMG Classics.
As conductor/recording artist for Teldec Records, Ettore Stratta has to his credit five best-selling CD's: "Symphonic Tango", "Symphonic Bossa Nova", "Symphonic Boleros", and"Symphonic Evita", recorded with The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. "Symphonic Elvis", recorded with The Memphis Symphony and several original members of Presley's band, was on the charts for over 30 weeks.
Stratta has conducted and recorded with The London Symphony, The English Chamber Orchestra, The Baroque Chamber Orchestra, The Royal Philharmonic and The London Studio Orchestra, with such artists as: Arturo Sandoval, Samuel Ramey, Placido Domingo, Chanticleer, Maureen McGovern, Al Jarreau, Dori Caymmi, Tom Scott and Gary Burton, among others.
He also conducted Goerge Duke's "Muir Woods Suite", recorded live at Montreux, and recently, at The Belleayre Music Festival, The St. Luke's Orchestra, in a program of music by Mozart and Copland.
As a Producer, Stratta has gold and platinum albums with Barbra Streisand and Wendy Carlos of "Switched on Bach". In l98l, he won first prize at the Castlebar International Music Festival for his instrumental composition. "Tempus Fugit".
Together with Pat Philips of the partnership, Stratta/Philips Productions, he has staged over 50 major concerts of pop, jazz and classical music at such venues as Carnegie Hall and Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center in New York and the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles as well as in other cities of the United States and Europe.
Stratta/Philips also recently produced highly acclaimed "Tribute to the Nicholas Brothers - From Harlem to Hollywood" at Carnegie Hall with Lena Horne, Bill Cosby, Savion Glover, Maurice Hines, Ben Vereen and others.
Other concert events have included Stephane Grappelli's 80th Birthday at Carnegie Hall with Yo-Yo Ma and Michel Legrand as well as "All Jobim - the music of Antonio Carlos Jobim", with Al Jarrreau, Ivan LIns, and Joe Lovano and an earlier Jobim concert with Gilberto Gil, Branford Marsalis, Herbie Mann and Eliane Elias. Stratta/Philips produced projects with The Joffrey Ballet as well as the classic symphonic series "Absolut Concerto" for five years at Lincoln Center.
This year, Stratta has produced a new recording with soprano, Sumi Jo, for Erato Records. He is also working on productions for BMG Classics and Jazz as well as a forthcoming Teldec/Atlantic Classics project, as both producer and conductor.
In l998, Stratta was honored with the NARAS Legendary Producer's Award, presented during an industry luncheon in New York. Since then, he has recorded and produced a new CD with Pablo Ziegler and his Quintet for New Tango for RCA Records... and his own CD "As Time Goes By" as conductor/producer for Teldec/Atlantic Classics.
Last September, Stratta conducted three sold-out concerts in Sao Paulo with The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra of London in programs of Symphonic Tangos and Bossa Novas...in celebration of "500 Years of the Discovery of Brazil."
Currently, Stratta is completing a new recording for Warner Classics with Star Tenor Jose Cura in a program of "Latin Love Songs". Ettore Stratta will conduct the symphonic orchestra and co-produce the CD. He is also working on a new "crossover" project with operatic mezzo soprano Denyce Graves for RCA Records to be released in 2002.
Stratta just Produced and Conducted the new CD for DECCA of the fabulous artist SISSEL from Norway which already has become #1 in several European countries and soon to be released in America. Arrangements for the CD were done by famed Arranger, JORGE CALANDRELLI.
The DJANGO FESTIVAL is scheduled for November 16-21, 2004 at BIRDLAND......Look for the feature article in DOWNBEAT MAGAZINE in the Spring (March-April) issue. Recording projects are in the works. |
