Saturday, July 15, 7:30 p.m.—BRANDON—Inspired by traditional jazz, the John LaRouche Trio has added their own unique voice with Turkish influences to familiar tunes and their own compositions. The trio draws from a wide range of jazz styles, playing jazz tinged with Latin, swing and tango beats. LaRouche, on harmonica, is joined by Levent Unal on guitar and Ellen Powell on standup bass. Their large repertoire includes jazz tunes from the 40s through the 60s written by Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, Johnny Mercer, plus Antonio Carolos Jobim and Pat Metheny. The trio performs at Brandon Music on July 15 at 7:30 p.m.
The group has played at various venues in Vermont, including The Flynn Space, The Inn at Essex, The Green Mountain Inn, and the Discover Jazz Festival.
John LaRouche’s influences include Toots Thielemans, Larry Adler and Stevie Wonder. His performances—in places such as California, Arizona, Italy, New Zealand and Poland—have garnered acclaim with praise such as “Jazz as good as it get” (Hardwick Gazette). LaRouche studied jazz at Pasadena City College with noted cornet player Bobby Bradford and harmonica with the late Cham-Ber Huang, who was a world renowned classical harmonica virtuoso.
Having played the guitar for 20 years, Levent Unal’s sound is very lyrical and harmonically rich. He has mastered the style of the great jazz guitarists including Joe Pass and Jim Hall, adding his own voice and developing his own style.
Jazz Radio News, Hartford, Conn., said “To hear Ellen’s playing is to experience the power of her convictions: heartfelt music devoid of facades, a woman at one with her instrument.” Ellen Powell has played in several jazz groups, opening for Geri Allen, Abdullah Ibrahim and Dorothy Donegan. She has been heard on Vermont Public Television, Vermont Public Radio, and New York State’s Mountain Lake Public Radio. She teaches at SUNY College, Plattsburgh.
Concert tickets are $20. A pre-concert dinner is available for $25. Reservations are required for dinner and recommended for the show. Venue is BYOB. Call (802) 247-4295 for reservations. For more information or visit www.brandon-music.net. Brandon Music is located at 62 Country Club Road in. Brandon.
Submitted photo
Jonh LaRouche jazz trio
