A Jazzy Christmas at Saint Rose

“It’s a Jazzy Christmas” Featuring Music of Vince Guaraldi Returns to Saint Rose

ALBANY (November 11, 2015) — The College of Saint Rose presents the fifth annual “It’s a Jazzy Christmas! A Celebration of Vince Guaraldi’s Holiday Jazz Music,” a “high smileage,” family-friendly evening of Guaraldi’s signature style of jazz made famous in the “Peanuts” holiday specials.

The holiday concert for the whole family will be Friday, December 4, at 6 p.m. on the D’Arcy-Brady Stage in the Kathleen McManus Picotte Recital Hall, Massry Center for the Arts, 1002 Madison Ave., Albany, New York.

The Peanut Gallery Jazz Band will take concertgoers on an interactive musical journey reminiscent of 1940s radio serials, evoking images and emotions from an innocent childhood and days gone by. Guaraldi’s music from the “Peanuts” specials makes this concert perfect for the jazz lover and the entire family, just in time for the holidays. A milk-and-cookies reception underwritten by Liberty Mutual Insurance will follow the concert.

This charming evening, part of the James A. Clark Jr. Jazz Concert Series at Saint Rose, is sponsored by Liberty Mutual and presented by the College’s Premiere Performances.

ABOUT THE PEANUT GALLERY JAZZ BAND

David Gleason is a Capital Region pianist, composer and music educator. As an ethnomusicologist, he researched Caribbean folk and popular music in Puerto Rico and Cuba. As a jazz and Latin pianist, he has performed with ensembles such as RumbaNaMa, The Boston Latin Band, The Either/Orchestra, Altiplano, The Empire Jazz Orchestra, Big Soul Ensemble, Soul Session, Mojive and the Kinewe African Drum Ensemble. He has performed with such renowned musicians as Lee Konitz, Laurel Masse, Fred Wesley, Danilo Perez and John Fedchock. He currently leads the acclaimed Latin jazz ensemble Sensemaya. Gleason also authored The Total Blues Keyboardist (Alfred Publishing, 2010).

A 2003 graduate of The College of Saint Rose, Mike Lawrence is in his 13th year of teaching strings in the Schenectady City School District. Recent music projects include Bopitude, whose debut recording received national radio airplay with a second album released in 2012, Keith Pray’s “Soul Jazz Revival” and Mike Benedict’s “Jazz Vibes.” Lawrence can often be seen performing in clubs and restaurants around the region collaborating with a variety of musicians.

Pete Sweeney is a drummer, author and educator who performs in every genre of music. He has performed, recorded and toured with such outstanding artists as Pat Metheny, Lee Ritenour, Robben Ford, Frank Gambale, Ronnie Earl, “Dangerous” Dan Toler, Ed Mann (Frank Zappa), Andy Summers (The Police), Malcolm Cecil, Jay and the Americans, Johnny “Clyde” Copel and Ray Vega. In addition, Sweeney has written 18 drum instructional books as well as three DVDs and has numerous instructional lessons online with Workshoplive. Sweeney is on the faculty of the National Guitar Workshop, Berkshire Music School, Bard College at Simon’s Rock and the Crown of the Continent Guitar Foundation.

ABOUT THE MASSRY CENTER FOR THE ARTS

Opened in 2008, the critically acclaimed Massry Center for the Arts features the 400-seat Kathleen McManus Picotte Recital Hall, Esther Massry Gallery, choral and instrument rehearsal rooms, teaching studios, piano labs and classrooms. Past performing artists have included B.B. King, Chick Corea, Dave Brubeck, Toad the Wet Sprocket, Doc Severinson, Ramsey Lewis, Maceo Parker, Mary Lambert, Tim Reynolds, Stefon Harris, John Pizzarelli, the Boston Symphony Orchestra Strings, Yuja Wang, Paula Cole and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. The 46,000 square-foot gem is certified LEED Gold, ranking it among the Capital Region’s most energy-efficient and Earth-friendly buildings.

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The College of Saint Rose (www.strose.edu) is a dynamic, progressive college in the heart of New York’s capital city where teaching is the first priority. With 59 undergraduate programs, nine undergraduate certificates, 37 master’s degrees and 26 graduate certificates, and a mission of service to the urban community, the Saint Rose experience empowers students to improve themselves and the world around them.

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