English trumpet and flugelhorn player Dave Defries, along with Spaniard Jesus Hernandez on piano, will perform the music of the iconic South African bandleader Chris McGregor this Wednesday night at An die Musik in what one might call an international jazz affair.
“I saw [Defries] in the early 1990s, when he was playing with the group Brotherhood of Breath,” An die Musik Booking Manager Bernard Lyons said. “He’s a superb flugelhorn player.”
South African music requires strong brass for rhythm and beat, Lyons said, adding that Defries fits that need perfectly.
Defries, who lives in Spain?s Granada, notes that during the 1970s he belonged to six bands simultaneously. He admits he no longer has the stamina required to work that hard.
“We are extremely fortunate to have the Andalusia [Spain] Provincial Government funding our performances here,” he said.
He and former student Hernandez are working their way east from the West Coast, where they played extensively.
Since the late 1970s, Defries has remained at the forefront of new and exciting developments in jazz. It was during this time that he met Chris McGregor, a pianist who had organized a South African mixed-race group in 1964 called the Blue Notes. McGregor?s exile to Britain resulted in the formation of the big band, Brotherhood of Breath. This group blended the swing styles of Duke Ellington with ethnic rhythms, jazz-rock and free jazz.
“McGregor taught me how to look inside the music of Ellington, to see its depth, coloring and perspective,” Defries said.
Hernandez, also from Granada, has known Defries for nine years. Not only did he study with him, but the two also toured Andalusia together.
A composer himself, Hernandez attributes his inspiration to Theolonius Monk and the classical Impressionists.
“I am also very influenced by the rhythm of flamenco,” he said.
Defries includes several of Hernandez?s pieces in the program, noting that the energy in the work is very much like the energy of flamenco.
If you go
Dave Defries and Jesus Hernandez
» Venue: An die Musik LIVE! 409 N. Charles St., Baltimore
» Time: 8 p.m. Wednesday
» Tickets: $12, $10 for students and seniors
» More info: 410-385-2638
