Renee Fleming is among the world’s leading operatic sopranos, yet has also maintained a career-long interest in jazz. In a special encore broadcast, Fleming is joined in the WNYC studio by tenor saxophonist Illinois Jacquet and pianist Larry Ham to perform a selection of jazz standards. This is the first time that these major American artists have come together to perform (despite long-gestated plans for a recording project), although it's hardly their first meeting. While attending the State University of New York at Potsdam, Fleming and Ham performed a regular weekend gig with a jazz trio in a local, off-campus pub. When Jacquet, one of the giants in American jazz, was invited to conduct an on-campus master class, he was won over by Fleming’s performance.
Additional Resources:
Among the selections that will be featured on Soundcheck are Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Quiet Nights,"George Gershwin's "They Can't Take that Away from Me," Carey/Fischer's "You've Changed," and two Duke Ellington standards: "In a Sentimental Mood" and "Caravan."
Additional Resources:
Among the selections that will be featured on Soundcheck are Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Quiet Nights,"George Gershwin's "They Can't Take that Away from Me," Carey/Fischer's "You've Changed," and two Duke Ellington standards: "In a Sentimental Mood" and "Caravan."
Connect with Soundcheck: