Staples Jazz Takes 2nd Place Nationally; Lindau Named Outstanding Musician
contributed photoPress ReleaseThe Staples High School's Music Department is proud to announce that its Jazz Ensemble, directed by Mr. Phil Giampietro, took second place in the top division at the National Jazz Festival held in Philadelphia on Saturday, April 22nd. The ensemble's drummer, Witt Lindau, was also recognized with one of three Outstanding Musician medals.
The impressive showing at the festival is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the students and their instructors, including Bedford Middle School Band Director and Staples' Assistant Jazz Band Director, Gregg Winters, who played a critical part in the ensemble's development.
The Staples High School Jazz Ensemble's performance at the festival included a repertoire of outstanding pieces including "Cubauza" by Michael Philip Mossman, "Movin’ Uptown" by Benny Carter, edited by David Berger, "Groove Merchant" by Jerome Richardson, arr. Thad Jones, and "Shades On, Roof Down" by Eric Richards.
This marks the second time that the jazz program at Staples has been recognized nationally in recent years. The Staples High School Jazz Combo received first place in Small Ensemble Division 1 Live Performance at the 2021 National Jazz Festival.
Director Giampietro stated, "the Staples music faculty and I are so proud of our students and their hard work. This incredible achievement is a testament to their perseverance during the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic. I am inspired by their continued commitment to making great music.”
For more information about the Staples High School Music Department and its programs, please visit the department website www.staplesmusic.org.
Morning Weather Report
Today
A 20 percent chance of showers after 2pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 60. Light and variable wind becoming southeast 5 to 7 mph in the morning.
Tonight
A 50 percent chance of showers, mainly after 8pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 43. South wind 5 to 7 mph.
Tomorrow
A 30 percent chance of showers before 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 60. Northeast wind 5 to 7 mph becoming south in the afternoon.
Tomorrow Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 43. Southeast wind around 5 mph becoming light and variable in the evening.
Evening Pastels, Spring Blossoms from the Library Steps
Tree blossoms and the pastels of sunset lit the way for Westport Library patrons as they alighted the stairs towards the Saugatuck this evening. WestportLocal.com photo
Center for Contemporary Printmaking Presents artist Ann Chernow for Gallery Talk
Ann Chernow, Eight Silhouettes, Lithograph, 2004The Center for Contemporary Printmaking (CCP) announces an Artist Talk with Ann Chernow in support of CCP’s current exhibition, Collaboration 2020 Encore: Ann Chernow and James Reed. Join us for a talk in our Grace Ross Shanley Gallery on May 16, 2023 from 12:30 - 1:30 to hear Ann discuss her experience in the creation of these prints. This event is free & open to the public.
The prints in this exhibition address the alchemy of printmaking as they relate to the prints of Pablo Picasso. The selection of prints in the show are excerpts from an astounding body of work with an unusual origin story. Ann Chernow and James Reed, an artist and a printmaker respectively, combined their knowledge and experience to produce a complex series of lithographs replicating Picasso’s imagery after having conducted an exhaustive technical exploration to duplicate his undocumented printmaking techniques.
The resulting series of prints are the culmination of this years-long and incredibly unique exploration undertaken by an artist and a printer in close collaboration. Chernow and Reed’s efforts in this project resulted in fifty-three prints that sit squarely within Chernow’s oeuvre using Picasso’s ingenious approach to printmaking, only possible as a result of Reed’s extensive knowledge and skill. “We have worked on this project for five demanding, educational, fun and very satisfying years.” Chernow said. Twenty-five of these prints will be on view at CCP from April 16 through May 21, 2023.
Ann Chernow is an American figurative artist known for her images of women evocative of 1930’s and 1940’s film noir femme fatales, longtime artist collaborator with Reed for various lithography print projects.
James Reed is a highly respected Tamarind Master Printer, artist, collector, and founder of Milestone Graphics, having collaborated with many of the most coveted artists of the 20th century.
Learn more about the exhibition here: https://contemprints.org/exhibition/collaboration-2020-encore-ann-chernow-and-james-reed/
View the online exhibition catalog here: https://issuu.com/ccpminiprintcatalog13/docs/annchernowonlineex
Read about the exhibition in Journal of the Print World
https://contemprints.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Journal-of-Print-World-April-Digital-8-meg-3.pdf