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The Brubecks have produced some fine music over the decades, from father Dave’s chart-busting single, “Take Five,” to son Chris’s new-music and orchestral compositions. The younger Brubeck’s most recent work is “Interplay for 3 Violins and Orchestra,” which the Boston Pops commissioned Chris to write.
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Angelique Kidjo melds funk, salsa, jazz, rumba, souk, and makossa to create a tantalizing musical stew. On Black Ivory Soul, her seventh solo album, the Paris- and Brooklyn-based singer explores her mixed heritage (West African and Brazilian), specifically her Beninese homeland and the city of Bahia.
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Sometimes commissioned, sometimes not, Joan Tower’s unconventional compositions have evolved into full-scale choreographed works and pieces that showcase the talents of such solo performers as percussionist Evelyn Glennie. Renaissance-man Melvin Chen completed a doctorate in chemistry from Harvard and a double master’s degree from Juilliard in piano and violin, and spent two years as a member of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. The two take Woodstock at the Maverick Concerts festival on August 10.
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