Trumpeter Sandoval at Megaron
One of the Latin jazz scene’s more accomplished artists, the trumpet virtuoso Arturo Sandoval will perform one show at the Athens Concert Hall (the Megaron) tomorrow night as part of the venues Bridges (Gefyres) series, aimed at bringing artists together. Sandoval will be accompanied by the Volos Symphony Orchestra with Semyon Kogan at the podium. Often referred to as a living legend, Sandoval, an exiled Cuban and former pupil of Dizzy Gillespie, has displayed remarkable prowess as a trumpeter, delivered a remarkably eclectic body of work in a variety of styles, and rendered a seamless blend of jazz with classical and Latin rhythms. Besides his performing and compositional skills, Sandoval is a musical academic who has taught at renowned schools in Paris and Moscow, and has lectured in the USA. At present, three American music schools that focus on trumpet playing are named in his honor. For tomorrow night’s performance, Sandoval, 51, will perform Latin melodies for trumpet and orchestra, Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No.5 in E minor, Opus 64, Dimitris Marangopoulos’s East of Aeolia: Ephesus, and Concert for Trumpet and Orchestra in A flat major by Alexander Arutiunian. Reflecting on the artist’s excellence, a music critic writing for the Los Angeles Times once noted, If Arturo Sandoval were paid for every note or for the quantity of energy he pours into every performance, he would be one of the world’s richest people. Shedding light on his devotion, Sandoval remarked in an older interview: If you want to be a musician you must listen to and try to learn everything. I did that for 38 years. I listened to everything. I’m a trumpetist, but I am able to play baroque, classical, mambo, bee-bop, or direct a quintet. One day I may need to play at a club or jazz festival, and Haydn the next. That’s a huge step. Since the legendary group’s breakup in 1986, Strummer has remained active with a variety of projects including acting (Straight to Hell, Mystery Train), film soundtracks (Permanent Record, Grosse Pointe Blank), as well as a solo record, 1989’s Earthquake Weather. He also briefly joined The Pogues in 1990 as a rhythm guitarist and vocalist.
