Concert View: Alexa Tarantino Quartet

Next up in the Rockport Music Concert View series is award-winning jazz saxophonist Alexa Tarantino and her quartet for an evening featuring inspiring works from her new album, Clarity. Tarantino-called "a one-woman wrecking crew" by Wynton Marsalis-is no stranger to Rockport since she has been heading the acclaimed Rockport Jazz Workshop for several years.
PROGRAM
:12 A Race Against Yourself
7:20 A Unified Front
16:07 Breaking Cycles by Levi Saelua
22:35 Thank You for Your Silence
30:18 Through
37:21 La Puerta by Luis Demetrio
45:50 Karma by Steven Feifke
Unless indicated otherwise, all works are written by Alexa Tarantino.
Rockport Music-Shalin Liu Performance Center
Rockport, MA
www.rockportmusic.org
ABOUT ALEXA
Alexa Tarantino is an award-winning, vibrant, young jazz saxophonist, woodwind doubler, composer, and educator. Alexa’s “lovely, ardent way of improvising,” and “sharply plotted but gracefully unencumbered straight-ahead jazz [compositions]” (Giovanni Russonello, The New York Times) establish her individual voice which shines through as a dynamic performer and educator. Tarantino was recently named one of the “Top 5 Alto Saxophonists of 2019” by the JazzTimes Critics’ Poll. Her debut album, Winds of Change, peaked at #15 on the JazzWeek Charts and landed at #79 for JazzWeek’s Top 100 records of 2019.
She has performed regularly as a leader and sidewoman in a wide variety of ensembles and genres including the Cecile McLorin Salvant Quintet, Cecile McLorin Salvant’s OGRESSE Ensemble, Ulysses Owens Jr.’s Generation Y, LSAT (quintet co-led with baritone saxophonist Lauren Sevian), Arturo O’Farrill & The Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, Sherrie Maricle & the DIVA Jazz Orchestra, the Alexa Tarantino Quartet. Tarantino is an artist on the Posi-Tone Records label. Her debut quartet record on PosiTone, Winds of Change, released late-May 2019 featuring Christian Sands (piano), Joe Martin (bass), and Rudy Royston (drums), with Nick Finzer (trombone). Her next quartet album will be released in May 2020.
Tarantino is currently on faculty for Jazz at Lincoln Center's Youth Programs (High School Jazz Academy, Let Freedom Swing/Jazz for Young People) and represents the organization as a Clinician and Educator for various schools, festivals, and workshops. She holds a Master’s degree in Jazz Studies from The Juilliard School and Bachelor’s degrees in Jazz Saxophone Performance and Music Education from the Eastman School of Music. Alexa is Founder and Director of the Rockport Jazz Workshop in Rockport, Massachusetts. Alexa Tarantino is a Vandoren Artist and Yamaha Performing Artist.
- “[Alexa is] a one-woman wrecking crew, […] an indomitable force for expression, education, and for absolute excellence.” - Wynton Marsalis, Managing and Artistic Director, Jazz at Lincoln Center
- Named Top 5 Alto Saxophonists of 2019 by JazzTimes Magazine
- Named a Rising Star in Downbeat Magazine's 2020 Critics' Poll
Website: www.alexatarantino.com

[@pablodevadderclarinete]

One of the best alto sax sounds on jazz for my taste....super swinging and nice band too!

[@staffanolofsson8201]

Yes Alexa is stunning!

[@jamescronin1486]

Alexa your playing is beautiful in tone and execution. It is an inspiration to me as a fellow sax player.

[@samepstein]

I clapped for each musician! Killing band

[@jazzi40]

This lady knows what she is doing. Amazing stuff.

[@paulgentile1024]

Alexa really gets a really beautiful bright tone on that horn..

[@juliolamas1399]

Great music BRAVO LOVE THE JAZZ

[@ChuckyC156]

Oh my!!

[@kurttoy5035]

What a sensational saxophonist! Love you.

[@WolfeLienhardt]

drummer is wild

[@taychinnn]

32:30 🔥

[@martindalmasi5340]

Hardly ever does an instrumentalist grab you on the first run of notes- Alexa did just that for me. 🎷🎷🎷🎷🎷🎷🎷

[@staffanolofsson8201]

Alexa is a jazz angel coming down to earth to liberate us

[@ginnamac2008]

Wow. That was phenomenal! Thank you.

[@user-vi5ll5wu9o]

Alexa, you sound amazing. Thank you)

[@priscilagrados3930]

Oh por Dios, que buena presentación

[@luislopes4535]

What a great group of musicians!! Congratulations

[@rudinsymsyam5636]

Alexa Tarantino & Chick COREA My favorit jazz I love you to

[@BobDoherty]

Such nice tone.......Tone is everything!

[@staffanolofsson8201]

Alexa is a jazz angel that has come down to earth to liberate us.

[@saxofonspelaren]

A Great performamce Thank you and welcome to Sweden🎷

[@staffanolofsson8201]

Jag säger detsamma. Välkommen till Sverige när helst det behagar.

[@bryanwest9216]

Great band with beautiful saxophone bringing such musicality and expression.

[@paradiddleJazz]

Great music and what a venue!

[@Bobbert153]

Stunning throughout. Thank you.

[@dieterammann4]

Good job!

[@JohnNyerges]

Great playing by the entire band playing great compositions. Saw this much earlier but watching it again (& didn't leave a comment?!). Was honored to have Alexis play with my college band (the students loved her) before she left the Rochester area and guest on one of my CDs on a tune I wrote for her.

[@Willco5114]

Sounding great!

[@lennmendoza5130]

Awesome melodic lyrical vocabulary and tone and performance, thanks for sharing

[@rbsprods3200]

Excellent jazz and great band. Superb tune, hard-driving solos. Nice to meet you, Alexa and band,. Great Royston drive.

[@soundlimit300]

A very enjoyable performance.

[@hernanhernandezrodriguez6171]

Excelente muchas felicidades

[@georgecorrea8491]

Phenomenal ❤️.

[@Ezequiel_Trompeta]

UAUUUUUUUU Zarpado. LA rompen toda. Tremendo estilo. Como suena ese caño. GRacias por la muscia.

[@KonstaSedneff]

Great perfomance, great sound of sax. 🎷🎷🎷Many thanks for this video.

[@chriswright2553]

Alexa, your sound reminds me of Peter King. Love it.

[@romualdbetencourt216]

❤

[@romualdbetencourt216]

Great musicians and marvelous personality creativity ❤ peace and love ❤

[@anfiorsceal]

great altoist, great band - cool compositions.

[@antoniocrea6058]

Hi, Alexa! I just discovered now the tube of this performance. Everything is great: your compositions (as well as Karma of Steven Feifke); your new look, the location... I guess that in my next interview (if any) you could have a lot of news for me! I still hope that you'll have a concert in Milan, sooner or later!. My congrats to you and to the rest of your "gang" :-) Antonio Crea

[@felipevitorino6766]

Muito lokoo

[@antoniovann8529]

New fan here.

[@markyuells7175]

Bop to the 3rd power. !!!

[@SightNSoundBand]

Yes...

[@wpgtriniman]

Terrific! Who is in the band?

[@wpgtriniman]

Alexa Tarantino - alto & sop sax, flute & alto flute Steven Feifke - piano Joe Martin - bass Rudy Royston - drums

[@danielyeabsley1698]

Who's in the band?

[@staffanolofsson8201]

Alexa Tarantino - alto & sop sax, flute & alto flute Steven Feifke - piano Joe Martin - bass Rudy Royston - drums

[@saxman14214]

Is she reading her solos???????

[@pionito9328]

Musician names please?

[@staffanolofsson8201]

Maybe Steven Feifke (piano), Joe Martin (bass), Rudy Royston (drums). And of course Alexandra Tarantino. But I am not sure. This is only the people that normally play in her Quartet.

[@staffanolofsson8201]

Yes, now Im sure!

[@MrChangeTout]

the least she could do is wear a mask.. just joking loved this

[@CharlieHoliday369]

We gotta have a talk to these recent Jazz cats ..play more or at least s o m e standards!Most of the ‘originals’ are quite catchy and I’m sure took at least half an hour to write but they seem to me to be basically jingles / jazz jingle s! if you’re gonna do a set of all originals at least put a bit of elbow grease into it^_^ some good old fashioned intervals in the melody would be nice as would more tension and release ^_^

[@staffanolofsson8201]

Oh my dear...that´s a hope/question about jazz always staying at the same place where it always have been. Turning this question over and over I still am happy jazz is moving forward/another direction to maintain the image of moving, not standing still. And Im happy these people are playing in a good tradition.

[@VictorSheyanov]

The music is wonderful, but it's so weird seeing musicians on stage in masks...

[@staffanolofsson8201]

You never heard of Covid-19?

[@uthamanco]

I KNOW this was recorded 2 years ago, but...hard to watch now because of the hideous despicable masks. What a stain on an otherwise phenomenal performance! I'm watching 1/2 of the screen to block the masked faces. Too cringeworthy to have to see during such beautiful music.