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Jazz saxophonist Azar Lawrence and his quintet perform at SAC on February 17 as part of Hamptons Jazz Fest. COURTESY THE ARTIST
Jazz saxophonist Azar Lawrence and his quintet perform at the Southampton Arts Center on February 17 as part of Hamptons Jazz Fest. COURTESY THE ARTIST
On Saturday, February 17, Southampton Arts Center will host a special performance by the renowned Azar Lawrence Quintet to start the 2024 Hamptons Jazz Fest series at SAC.
The doors will open early, at 6:30 p.m., for a community social hour before the concert at 8 p.m., with complimentary beverages included in the price of admission. Stadium and cabaret seating enhance the mood and allow for spontaneous dancing should the audience feel so inclined.
Jazz saxophonist Azar Lawrence is a spiritual and musical disciple of John Coltrane with a healthy mix of soul, funk and music which is beyond category. Lawrence is a well-respected musician who has recorded and written for luminaries such as Freddie Hubbard, Busta Rhymes, Roberta Flack and Phyllis Hyman. His collaborations of the period included writing and performing on Earth Wind & Fire’s highly acclaimed platinum album, “Powerlight,” and on Marvin Gaye’s Grammy award-winning album “Hear My Dear.” His band, The Azar Lawrence Experience (TALE), appears with as many as eight musicians who sizzle to the sounds of Lawrence’s powerful original compositions and a Coltrane standard here and there. In 2019, Concord’s vinyl reissue of Azar’s stunning 1976 album, “Summer Solstice,” was timed perfectly as it helped people survive the global pandemic.
“We are thrilled to be collaborating with Hamptons Jazz Fest and to be able to open the 2024 Jazz season at Southampton Art Center with such a fabulous performer,” notes Christina Strassfield, executive director of Southampton Arts Center.
“We at Hamptons Jazz Fest are delighted to be working with our friends at the Southampton Arts Center to once again be bringing an excellent live Jazz experience to the East End,” added Claes Brondal, executive director and co-founder of Hamptons Jazz Fest. “Azar Lawrence is a Grammy award-winning legendary saxophone player, who has played with the likes of McCoy Tyner, Miles Davis, Marvin Gaye, Earth Wind and Fire, Frank Zappa, and Busta Rhymes. This promises to be a great evening of live music.”
The next SAC performance in the series will be “Music in Film” on March 1, featuring drummer Richard Baratta’s Gotham City Latin/Jazz Quintet.
Tickets for Azar Lawrence are $30 ($25 members) at southamptonartscenter.org/live or 631-283-0967. The Southampton Arts Center is at 25 Jobs Lane, Southampton.
Staff Writer on Feb 5, 2024