Friday Evening, February 13, 2015, at 8:30

Talib KweliJohn Cave, GuitarBrady Watt, BassAkinlawon Bernstine, DrumsMasayuki Hirano, KeyboardsDJ Spintelect (Hussain Abubekr), DJ

This evening’s program is approximately 75 minutes long and will beperformed without intermission.

Major support for Lincoln Center’s American Songbook is provided by Amy & Joseph Perella.

Wine generously donated by William Hill Estate Winery, Official Wine of Lincoln Center.

This performance is made possible in part by the Josie Robertson Fund for Lincoln Center.

The Program

Sponsored by Prudential Investment Management

Please make certain all your electronic devices are switched off.

The Appel RoomJazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall

American Songbook

We would like to remind you that the sound of coughing and rustling paper mightdistract the performers and your fellow audience members.

In consideration of the performing artists and members of the audience, those who mustleave before the end of the performance are asked to do so between pieces. The takingof photographs and the use of recording equipment are not allowed in the building.

Additional support for Lincoln Center’s American Songbook is provided by The BrownFoundation, Inc., of Houston, The DuBose and Dorothy Heyward Memorial Fund, TheShubert Foundation, Jill and Irwin B. Cohen, The G & A Foundation, Inc., Great PerformersCircle, Chairman’s Council, and Friends of Lincoln Center.

Endowment support is provided by Bank of America.

Public support is provided by the New York State Council on the Arts.

Artist catering is provided by Zabar’s and zabars.com.

MetLife is the National Sponsor of Lincoln Center.

Movado is an Official Sponsor of Lincoln Center.

United Airlines is the Official Airline of Lincoln Center.

WABC-TV is the Official Broadcast Partner of Lincoln Center.

William Hill Estate Winery is the Official Wine of Lincoln Center.

UPCOMING AMERICAN SONGBOOK EVENTS IN THE APPEL ROOM:

Saturday Evening, February 14, at 8:30Dawn Landes

Wednesday Evening, February 25, at 8:30Joey Arias: A Centennial Tribute to Billie Holiday

Thursday Evening, February 26, at 8:30Shovels & Rope

Friday Evening, February 27, at 8:30People Get Ready’s Steven Reker

Saturday Evening, February 28, at 8:30Barbara Cook

The Appel Room is located in Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall.

For tickets, call (212) 721-6500 or visit AmericanSongbook.org. Call the Lincoln Center InfoRequest Line at (212) 875-5766 or visit AmericanSongbook.org for complete program information.

Join the conversation: #LCSongbook

American Songbook I Note on the Program

Turntables, Microphones, Culture, and SongBy Douglas Singleton

Though hip-hop has its genesis in DJ Kool Herc’s mid-’70s Bronx streetparties (or DJ Hollywood at Manhattan disco parties, or GrandmasterFlowers in Brooklyn—these debates rage on), and maybe as far back asthe Jamaican sound systems, Herc grew up listening to it in Kingston,Jamaica, in the 1960s. For many the genre begins with 1979’s “Rapper’sDelight” by the Sugarhill Gang, with its roving bass line and recognizablemusic sample from a song embedded in the public consciousness. Cutup, pasted, and manipulated, “Rapper’s Delight” extracted the funky“good parts.” The blueprint for the hip-hop song was set: a big beat, amusical break, and an enthralling hook combined to form deep, hypnoticgrooves, with MCs rapping street knowledge over the top. A musicalmovement was born.

Much of contemporary pop music is built on this song structure—min-ing existing musical elements, sampling disparate parts to build elegantwholes. Everyone from Taylor Swift to experimental jazz musicians havemade use of this template one way or another. Admittedly others, likeMiles Davis with Gil Evans and Teo Macero, and even Schoenberg,employed similar techniques as far back as the 1920s, but rarely to asfunky an effect. Whereas hip-hop culture was said to comprise four ele-ments—MC’ing (rapping), b-boying (breakdancing), graffiti writing, andDJ-ing—hip-hop music was born of two: the word and the beat.

Talib Kweli came of age in 1980s Brooklyn, the dawn of hip-hop’s goldenage. Marley Marl, Run DMC, Busy Bee, Eric B. & Rakim, Boogie DownProductions, the Native Tongues—these were just some of the influ-ences that inspired Kweli, the son of a sociology and English professor,to aspire to become a hip-hop MC. As shouted in the spoken intro toKweli’s 2014 album P.O.C. Live!,

He was raised in crack-era Brooklyn! Can I kick it?! I am talking to y’allthat know who Afrika Bambaataa is. Rock Steady Crew. You seen BeatStreet more than one time!

Kweli cares about the trajectory of African American music, and theAfrican American community at large. He has been called many things,famously a “conscious rapper,” not because he’s soft, but because hecares about hip-hop, its community, and its artistic legacy a whole lot.

In high school Kweli met Dante Jones, aka Mos Def and Yasiin Bey, andby 1997 they had formed the duo Black Star and released a seminaleponymous record. The album’s sparse, clean beats, with a hungry

Note on the Program

American Songbook I Note on the Program

Afrocentric intensity, were a breath of fresh air. This was a new golden age, ofRawkus Records and lyrical cypher battles: Pharoahe Monch, Canibus, BlackThought, Pumpkinhead, Jean Grae. By 2002 Kweli was crafting songs with wun-derkind beat producer J Dilla (James Yancey) to beautiful effect. When themuch-lauded Dilla died, Kweli helped honor his legacy—in many ways honoringthe idea of the hip-hop DJ/producer itself—during the Suite for Ma Dukes ses-sions, an orchestration of Yancey’s music by Miguel Atwood-Ferguson andCarlos Nino, along with a 60-piece orchestra. (I look forward to a time whenvisionaries of hip-hop—Rakim, KRS-One, Missy Elliot, Q-Tip, are as celebratedas the elders of other contemporary music genres.)

Hip-hop is a part of the American songbook—everyone’s rapping, even countrymusic’s Brad Paisley, with LL Cool J on “Accidental Racist.” But maybe we wererappin’ long ago—John Lee Hooker, James Brown, Lenny Bruce, Johnny Cash,Malcolm X. Say it, rhyme it, tell it. At its most elemental, hip-hop’s electronicsoundscapes owe much to jazz, building aural elements to craft songs, sound.It’s an art form and spirit-through-song: 1960s street gangs to 1980s hip-hopcrews, to contemporary lyrical and (the plan at least) melodic enlightenment.

D’Angelo’s game-pushing Black Messiah (2014) exemplifies the stripped down,live instrumentation of analog production—seemingly the opposite of hip-hop’slayered, digital production—but he and Questlove’s approach to song construc-tion mirrors hip-hop more than anything. It’s a harmonious meshing of deepR&B grooves and layers upon layers of sound. It’s easy to forget that when itbegan and in its purest state, rap music is a live performance medium, intendedfor audiences. Many of the genre’s pioneers—Grandmaster Flash especially—initially refused to attempt to transform the essence of their live shows torecord, feeling it a bastardization of the musical experience they crafted.

Kweli has accomplished something his contemporaries often attempted, tovarying degrees of success: the formation of an organic, live, hip-hop experi-ence, melding MCs, live instrumentation, and R&B crooning. After decades inthe game, he’s mastered many elements—the cypher’s lyrical prophesying, theincorporation of live instrumentation, and elegiac hip-hop song structure. Listento his lyrical flow. Throw hands in the air (like you just don’t care). We’re all stillsearching perfect beats—yes, yes, y’all, and you don’t stop. And we don’t quit.Can’t, won’t, indeed.

Douglas Singleton has written for The Brooklyn Rail and L Magazine, and givenon-air reviews for WNYC and WBAI radio.

—Copyright © 2015 by Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Inc.

American Songbook I Meet the Artist

Brooklyn-based Talib Kweli earned his stripes as one of the most lyricallygifted, socially aware, and politically insightful rappers to emerge in thelast 20 years. His 2013 album, Prisoner of Conscious, involved a three-yearjourney that found Mr. Kweli exploring new vibes, joining in some unlikelycollaborations, and taking him to foreign lands. It signaled the start of thenext chapter of his multifaceted career.

Produced by Symbolyc One (Kanye West, Ghostface), the title track’s alter-natively rap and rock-based beat provides a distinctive platform for Mr.Kweli to deliver rhymes that detail his artistic awakening. Producers Sean Cand LV (Jay Z, Raekwon) created a Marvin Gaye-esque vibe for “Come,” acut featuring Miguel that showcases Mr. Kweli trying to convince a seriesof women to do things his way. “Before He Walked” features a verse fromthe St. Louis rapper Nelly that grew out of conversations about music andlife that he and Mr. Kweli shared at Mr. Kweli’s Los Angeles residence.

Whether working with Mos Def as one half of Black Star, partnering withproducer Hi-Tek for Reflection Eternal, releasing landmark solo material orcollaborating with Kanye West or Madlib, Mr. Kweli commands attentionby delivering top-tier lyricism, stories, and rhymes over virtually any typeof beat. In particular, he showed his artistic reach with Idle Warship, a part-nership with longtime collaborator Res. With the duo’s 2009 mixtape PartyRobot and its debut album, Habits of the Heart (2011), Mr. Kweli startedgetting out of his sonic and creative comfort zone.

Additional projects include the mixtape Attack the Block with DJ Z-Trip andexpanding his Javotti Media (which released his 2011 album, GutterRainbows, and is named after Mr. Kweli’s paternal grandmother) into amedia company that releases music, films, and books.

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American Songbook

American Songbook

In 1998, Lincoln Center launched American Songbook, dedicated to the cele-bration of popular American song. Designed to highlight and affirm the cre-ative mastery of America’s songwriters from their emergence at the turn ofthe 19th century up through the present, American Songbook spans all stylesand genres, from the form’s early roots in Tin Pan Alley and Broadway to theeclecticism of today’s singer-songwriters. American Songbook also show-cases the outstanding interpreters of popular song, including established andemerging concert, cabaret, theater, and songwriter performers.

Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Inc.

Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (LCPA) serves three primary roles: pre-senter of artistic programming, national leader in arts and education and com-munity relations, and manager of the Lincoln Center campus. A presenter of more than 3,000 free and ticketed events, performances, tours, and edu-cational activities annually, LCPA offers 15 programs, series, and festivalsincluding American Songbook, Great Performers, Lincoln Center Festival,Lincoln Center Out of Doors, Midsummer Night Swing, the Mostly MozartFestival, and the White Light Festival, as well as the Emmy Award–winningLive From Lincoln Center, which airs nationally on PBS. As manager of theLincoln Center campus, LCPA provides support and services for the LincolnCenter complex and the 11 resident organizations. In addition, LCPA led a $1.2billion campus renovation, completed in October 2012.

Lincoln Center Programming DepartmentJane Moss, Ehrenkranz Artistic DirectorHanako Yamaguchi, Director, Music ProgrammingJon Nakagawa, Director, Contemporary ProgrammingJill Sternheimer, Acting Director, Public ProgrammingLisa Takemoto, Production ManagerCharles Cermele, Producer, Contemporary ProgrammingKate Monaghan, Associate Director, ProgrammingClaudia Norman, Producer, Public ProgrammingMauricio Lomelin, Associate Producer, Contemporary ProgrammingJulia Lin, Associate ProducerNicole Cotton, Production CoordinatorRegina Grande, Assistant to the Artistic DirectorLuna Shyr, Programming Publications EditorOlivia Fortunato, House Seat Coordinator

For American SongbookMatt Berman, Lighting DesignScott Stauffer, Sound DesignSara Sessions, Production Assistant

American Songbook

Matt Berman

Matt Berman is the resident lighting designer for Lincoln Center’s AmericanSongbook. He continues his design work for Kristin Chenoweth, Liza Minnelli,Kaye Ballard, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Lea Salonga, and Elaine Paige on the road.Through his work with the American Society of Composers, Authors andPublishers (ASCAP) and several U.S.-based charities, Mr. Berman hasdesigned for a starry roster that includes Bernadette Peters, Barbra Streisand,Reba McEntire, Melissa Errico, Deborah Voigt, Michael Urie, Stevie Wonder,India Arie, Garth Brooks, Billy Joel, and Sting. His international touring sched-ule has allowed him to design for iconic venues such as Royal Albert Hall, theParis Opera, the Olympia Theater in Paris, Royal Carré Theater in Amsterdam,the Sporting Club in Monte Carlo, the Acropolis, the Taormina Amphitheater inSicily, Luna Park in Buenos Aires, the Sydney Opera House, and, closer tohome, the Hollywood Bowl, Alice Tully Hall, and Carnegie Hall. Mr. Berman’stelevision work includes Chenoweth’s recently released special ComingHome, as well as seven Live From Lincoln Center broadcasts and the TonyAward–winning Liza’s at the Palace, which he also designed for Broadway.Other Broadway credits include Bea Arthur on Broadway, Nancy LaMott’s Justin Time for Christmas, and Kathy Griffin Wants a Tony at the Belasco Theater.

Scott Stauffer

Scott Stauffer has been the sound designer for Lincoln Center’s AmericanSongbook (1999–2015); the Actors Fund concerts of Frank Loesser, Broadway101, Hair, and On the Twentieth Century; and Brian Stokes Mitchell at CarnegieHall. His Broadway credits include A Free Man of Color, The Rivals, Contact(also in London and Tokyo), Marie Christine, Twelfth Night, and Jekyll & Hyde.Off-Broadway Mr. Stauffer has worked on Hereafter, A Minister’s Wife,Bernarda Alba, Third, Belle Epoque, Big Bill, Elegies, Hello Again, The SpitfireGrill, Pageant, and Hedwig and the Angry Inch. His regional credits include pro-ductions at the Hanger Theatre, Berkshire Theatre Festival, ChicagoShakespeare Theater, and Alley Theatre. As a sound engineer, Mr. Stauffer hasworked on The Lion King, Juan Darién, Chronicle of a Death Foretold, Carousel,Once on This Island, and Little Shop of Horrors (Off-Broadway).

UPCOMING EVENTSJazz at Lincoln Center’sFrederick P. Rose Hall

February 2015

THE APPEL ROOM

Sherman Irby’s Journey Through SwingFebruary 20 at 7pmFebruary 21 at 9:30pmJazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra saxophonistSherman Irby debuts an ensemble made up of the“swinging-est” musicians on the East Coast toexplore the migration, development, and evolution ofjazz through the lens of swing. Irby first performedwith the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra in 1995,making his mark with Roy Hargrove and Elvin Jonesalong the way. In this performance highlightingimportant and differing regions of jazz, Irby will coverChicago (Gene Ammons and Johnny Griffin), KansasCity (Count Basie and Charlie Parker), West Coastcool jazz (Chet Baker and Dave Brubeck), NewOrleans (Buddy Bolden and Jelly Roll Morton), NewYork City (Art Blakey, Horace Silver, and FreddieHubbard), and more. Joining Irby will be saxophonistand clarinetist Victor Goines, trumpeter Bruce Harris,trombonist Vincent Gardner, violinist Eli Bishop, gui-tarist James Chirillo, pianist Charles Craig, Sr., bassistGerald Cannon, and drummer Alvester Garnett.Free pre-concert discussions at 6pm (2/20) and8:30pm (2/21).

Elio Villafranca’s Music of the CaribbeanFeaturing Jon Faddis and Leyla McCallaFebruary 20 at 9:30pmFebruary 21 at 7pmAn artist who incorporates elements of Bebo Valdés,Perez Prado, and Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Elio Villafrancais a leading voice of music today and part of an extra-ordinary lineage of Cuban pianists. Villafranca pos-

sesses a unique gift of conceptualizing projects thatfuse the jazz idiom with his extensive knowledge ofpercussion and Latin rhythms. Along with his bandthe Jass Syncopators and special guests trumpeterand Dizzy Gillespie protégé Jon Faddis and singer, cel-list, and banjo player Leyla McCalla, Villafranca willpresent Cinqué- Suite of the Caribbean, a debut workfocusing on the influences of the Congolese traditionsof rhythms, melodies, and dances through the musicof Puerto Rico, Santo Domingo, Haiti, Jamaica, andCuba. Via this six-movement work with Congolesedrumming and costumed dancers, Villafranca willshowcase unifying elements of these islands, whichshare similar cultures despite their diverse histories.Free pre-concert discussions at 8:30pm (2/20) & 6pm (2/21).

ROSE THEATER

New Orleans SongbookFebruary 20-21 at 8pmPianist Aaron Diehl and vocalists Cyrille Aimée andMilton Suggs kick off the evening by celebrating thecomposers and inspired songs of New Orleans, the his-toric epicenter of jazz. The prodigious Diehl, who has re-imagined the music of masters like New Orleans’ ownJelly Roll Morton, serves as Music Director. DownBeatcalls Suggs, “A commanding singer... steeped in tradi-tion... but with modern sensibilities." The WashingtonPost describes Thelonious Monk International VocalCompetition finalist Aimée as possessing “a voice likefine whiskey – oaky and smooth, with a hint of smoki-ness.” The evening continues with The New OrleansJazz Orchestra’s premiere of founding Artistic DirectorIrvin Mayfield’s “New Orleans Jazz Market,” a compo-sition celebrating the orchestra’s soon-to-be-built per-manent home of the same name. Free pre-concert discussion nightly, 7pm.

Except where noted, all venues are located in Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall, Time Warner Center, 5th floor

Tickets starting at $10

To purchase tickets call CenterCharge: 212-721-6500 or visit: jazz.org. The Jazz at Lincoln Center Box Officeis located on Broadway at 60th Street, Ground Floor. Hours: Monday-Saturday, 10am-6pm; Sunday, 12pm-6pm.

For groups of 15 or more: 212-258-9875 or jazz.org/groups.

For more information about our education programs, visit academy.jazz.org.

For Swing University and WeBop enrollment: 212-258-9922.

Find us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Jazz at Lincoln Center’sFrederick P. Rose Hall

In deference to the artists, patrons of Dizzy’s Club Coca-Colaare encouraged to keep conversations to a whisper during the performance.

Artists and schedule subject to change.

Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola is located in Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall, Time Warner Center, 5th floor New York.

Reservations: 212-258-9595 or jazz.org/dizzys; Group Reservations: 212-258-9595 or jazz.org/dizzys-reservationsNightly Artist sets at 7:30pm & 9:30pm.

Late Night Session sets Tuesday through Saturday. Doors open at 11:15pm

Cover Charge: $20–45. Special rates for students with valid student ID. Full dinner available at each artist set.

Rose Theater and The Appel Room concert attendees, present your ticket stub to get 50% off the late-night cover charge at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola Fridays and Saturdays.

Jazz at Lincoln Center merchandise is now available at the concession stands during performances in Rose Theaterand The Appel Room. Items also available in Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola during evening operating hours.

Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola gift cards now available.

Find us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.

February 2015Kim Nalley Sings Songs of Lovewith Tammy Hall, Greg Skaff, Ray Drummond, andAlvin AtkinsonFebruary 12–157:30pm & 9:30pmSpecial pricing and set times apply on Saturdayevening.

Terry Waldo Gotham City Band: From Ragtime to Jazzwith Jon Erik-Kellso, Mike Davis, Jim Fryer, Evan Arntzen, Howard Alden, Brian Nalepka, andRob GarciaFebruary 167:30pm & 9:30pm

Mardi Gras Stompwith Joe Saylor and Alphonso HorneFebruary 177:30pm & 9:30pm

T.S. Monk Sextetwith Helen Sung, Willie Williams, Kenny Davis, JoshEvans, and Patience HigginsFebruary 18–197:30pm & 9:30pm

Sounds of Brazil: Mario Adnetwith Duduka Da Fonseca, Eduardo Belo, VitorGonçalves, and Billy DrewesFebruary 20–227:30pm & 9:30pm

MONDAY NIGHTS WITH WBGOJimmy Greene Quartet: Beautiful Lifewith David Bryant, Luke Sellick, and JimmyMacBrideFebruary 237:30pm & 9:30pm

William Paterson University Jazz Ensembles &OrchestraFebruary 247:30pm & 9:30pm

The Amigos and Ken Peplowskiwith Justin Poindexter, Sam Reider, NoahGarabedian, and Will ClarkFebruary 25 7:30pm & 9:30pm

The Music of Dexter Gordon: A CelebrationThe Dexter Gordon Legacy Ensemblewith George Cables, Gerald Cannon, Lewis Nash,Joe Locke, Abraham Burton, and Craig HandyFebruary 26–March 1 7:30pm & 9:30pm

March 2015Eastman Jazz Ensemble with Dave GlasserTribute to Billy StrayhornMarch 27:30pm & 9:30pm

Cyrus Chestnut TrioMarch 3–57:30pm & 9:30pm

The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes MontgomeryMarch 6–8Featuring Calvin Keys & Yotam Silbersteinwith Andrew Renfroe, Adam Moezing, and Brian Charette

Chihiro Yamanaka Triowith Yasushi Nakamura and Kush AbadeyMarch 97:30pm & 9:30pm

jazz at lincoln center

jazz.org

Frederick P. Rose Hall Broadway at 60th StreetBox O�ce: Ground Floor CenterCharge: 212-721-6500

family concert: who is billie holiday?FEB 7 • 1PM, 3PM • JAZZ FOR YOUNG PEOPLE SERIESWith Aaron Diehl and Charenee Wade

dianne reevesFEB 13–14 • 8PMVocalist Dianne Reeves returns for Valentine’s Day. Join us for a special pre-concert Valentine’s Day dinner (2/14 only).

sherman irby’s journey through swingFEB 20 • 7PM | FEB 21 • 9:30PMSherman Irby and friends explore the music of Charlie Parker,Freddie Hubbard, and more

elio villafranca’s music of the caribbeanFEB 20 • 9:30PM | FEB 21 • 7PMWith Elio Villafranca, Jon Faddis, Leyla McCalla, and the Jass Syncopators

new orleans songbookFEB 20–21 • 8PMCyrille Aimée, Milton Suggs, Aaron Diehl, and The New Orleans Jazz Orchestra with Irvin Mayfield

jazz across the americasFEB 27–28 • 8PMJazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis

february

Lead Corporate Supporter of Jazz Across the Americas

The Jazz for Young People Family Concert is funded through the generosity of Mica and Ahmet Ertegun.

swinguniversitysign up now for jazz courses curated by legendary instructor phil schaap, including jazz 101, charlie parker, and sidney bechet. enroll today!

jazz.org/swingu212-258-9922

Jazz at Lincoln Center gratefully acknowledges The Irene Diamond Fund for its leadership support of programming in the Irene Diamond Education Center.

Lead Corporate Sponsor

jazz at lincoln center broadway at 60th street, 5th floor

Photo by Marylene Mey and Whit Lane

7:30pm & 9:30pm sets

late night session 11:30pm, tuesday–saturday

212-258-9595

jazz.org/dizzys

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