Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN)- The acclaimed American jazz group, The Ari Roland Jazz Quartet will arrive in the capital Dhaka on Wednesday as part of a three-day visit to Bangladesh, jointly sponsored by the U.S. Embassy and Nrityadhara, one of the country’s leading promoters of Bengali music and dance.
During their visit the Quartet will conduct workshops with students and local musicians, take part in a live radio show, and present a free performance on December 10 at Shilpakala Academy in Dhaka.
Hailed by Jazz Times as “among the most accomplished, genuinely innovative and consistently exciting young players in jazz,” The Ari Roland Jazz Quartet is inspired by the music of Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, and other jazz masters. Their performances earn praise from critics and fans, featuring classics from the golden age of jazz as well as their own compositions.
In addition to touring the globe, the Quartet directs international jazz programs that bring young musicians together.
The highlight of the group’s visit to Bangladesh will be a free performance at the Shilpakala Academy on Friday at 7:00 pm.
Tickets are available to the public at various venues: Alliance Francaise, Goethe Institute, Pizza Hut (Gulshan and Dhanmondi), KFC (Bailey Road), the Bangladesh Short Film Forum, and the American Center, located at House 110 on Road 27 in Banani.
A complete schedule of the group’s activities in Dhaka—along with details about how one lucky concert attendee will win an iPod Shuffle—is available on the U.S. Embassy’s Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/bangladesh.usembassy.
The members of The Ari Roland Jazz Quartet have been performing together for two decades. Members of the Quartet are Ari Roland, playing the contra bass; Chris Byars, known from The Glen Miller Band, playing the tenor saxophone; composer and “bebop” pianist Zaid Nasser; and Keith Bella, among the best of his generation, playing the drums.
In addition to a nine-year run at the New York City jazz club Smalls, they have toured internationally and have recorded extensively for Smalls Records. The Ari Roland Quartet continues to perform frequently in New York City. This is their first trip to Bangladesh.
BBN/SI/AD-08Dec10-11:23 am (BST)