BILLY HARPER QUINTET @ THE ELDORADO BALLROOM
Schedule
Fri Jun 14 2024 at 05:00 pm
Location
Eldorado Ballroom at Project Row Houses | Houston, TX
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GET TICKETS HERE: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/billy-harper-quintet-at-the-eldorado-ballroom-tickets-905776661377ABOUT THE SHOW:
BILLY HARPER QUINTET @ THE ELDORADO BALLROOM
"ONE NIGHT ONLY: A Special Juneteenth Jazz Celebration with Houston's very own "Texas tenor" Saxophone Legend Billy Harper at Houston's Historic Eldorado Ballroom"
EVENT TIME:
FRIDAY, 14 JUNE 2024
Pre-show: 6pm (for VIP ticket holders ONLY)
Main Show: 8.30pm
EVENT LOCATION:
2310 Elgin St, Houston, TX 77004
TICKETS:
General Tickets: $35
VIP Tickets (dinner and pre-show): $95
GENERAL TICKETS
- main show starting at 8.30pm
- doors open at 8pm
- first come first served seating
VIP TICKETS PERKS
- exclusive access to the pre-show starting at 6pm
- "meet & greet" time for autographs and photos with Billy Harper and his group
- buffet style dinner
- preferred seating for the main 8.30pm show
- main show starting at 8.30pm
ABOUT THE PRE-SHOW
The pre-show is a special Q&A style discussion with the members of the Billy Harper Quintet. Interactive audience participation is highly welcomed.
Imagine if you had a chance to sit down over a casual buffet style dinner with the greatest living Texas tenor Billy Harper inside Houston's gorgeous historic landmark the Eldorado Ballroom where the man himself used to perform in 60+ years ago and ask him anything you ever wanted to know?
Like how was it playing with Art Blakey? Or travel the world Max Roach? What was Lee Morgan like off stage? Or ask his drummer Aaron Scott about the 14 years he spent playing with McCoy Tyner? Or ask his trumpeter Freddie Hendrix what it was like to play 105 shows in 30 countries with Alicia Keys? Or ask Dezron Douglas how he ended up being featured in Beyonce's documentary? Or ask Francesca Tanksley about being Billy Harper's only pianist for more than 40 years?
ABOUT THE BAND:
In his early recordings and performances with leaders such as Art Blakey, Lee Morgan, Max Roach, Thad Jones/Mel Lewis, Randy Weston and Gil Evans, during the 60s and 70s, Billy Harper already had a massive sound on the tenor saxophone, combining John Coltrane’s spiraling intensity with a bluesy brawn that pointed back to his Texas origins.
Harper’s authority has only grown with age: a half-century on, he stands as one of the most commanding horn men on the planet, a pillar of stirring post-bop jazz whose robust back catalog seems long overdue for rediscovery.
For half a century he has been performing his original music with the renowned Billy Harper Quintet all over the globe, and recording over a dozen albums as a leader and prolific composer.
After a pandemic induced hiatus, the Quintet sprang back into action, beginning in 2023 with a series of #CapraBlackIsBack performances, that marked a year-long celebration of Billy Harper's 80th birthday. Along with this milestone, an additional cause for celebratiom was the 50th anniversary of the Billy Harper Quintet's official inception and the release of the group's historic debut album, Capra Black, the impact of which still lingers among jazz listeners worldwide.
Francesca Tanksley has been the pianist in this group for more than 40 years – a clear attestation of the wide ranging concensus that her extraordinary musicality cannot be matched nor replaced when it comes to Billy Harper’s opus.
Renowned master drummer Aaron Scott, a longtime member of McCoy Tyner’s band, has also performed with the group for decades. A rare find among jazz drummers, Scott meets and surpasses the challenge of doing Harper’s music justice.
Freddie Hendrix, one of the most in-demand jazz trumpeters of today, coveted for his uniquely soulful and exciting improvisations is also a longstanding member.
Finally, a more recently but nevertheless perfectly matched addition to the group is the award-winning bassist Dezron Douglas, whose artistry on the acoustic bass brings Harper’s compositions to a whole new level.
Billy Harper Quintet acknowledges the extraordinary efforts by all who made this event possible, and in particular:
Bob Morgan
Nameless Sound
David Dove
Christopher Williams
Christopher Knight
Morana Mesic
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Where is it happening?
Eldorado Ballroom at Project Row Houses, 2310 Elgin Street,Houston,TX,United StatesEvent Location & Nearby Stays: