Symphony will have global sounds
Sat, Apr 19, 2008
By CODY TRAWICK
The Brunswick News
There are few things in this world with such potential to bring people together as music.
Just ask jazz artist Keith Williams, or vocalist, Kaori Yamada.
You could, in fact, ask any member of the World Unity Jazz Ensemble, a group of seven musicians whose ethnic backgrounds range from American to Chinese to Japanese to Puerto Rican to Filipino.
Led by Williams and Phil Morrison, yet another accomplished musician, the group will transcend unity into a whole new spectrum when it takes the stage with the Coastal Symphony of Georgia at 8 p.m. Monday at Glynn Academy Memorial Auditorium.
"We had actually been wanting to do this for several years," said Williams, adding that Rhonda Hambright, a frequent vocalist with the symphony, had been instrumental in putting him and Morrison in touch with Vernon Humbert, its conductor.
"After we spoke with the symphony's artistic board, it became the type of thing where we were all in agreement, we want to do this! And we're so excited."
Monday's performance will feature original compositions by Morrison, all backed by the symphony and orchestrated by Williams, as well as guest artist Ma Xiao Hui ? a virtuoso erhu player from Shanghai, China.
Hui was introduced to Morrison and Williams by a member of the Swedish government during one of the duo's trips to China.
"The erhu is a traditional Chinese stringed instrument," said Morrison, noting that some might recognize Hui from her role in the film "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon."
"She played that exact same instrument in the movie."
Joining Hui on a rendition of the popular jazz standard, "Skylark," will be Williams' wife, Kaori Yamada, another talented artist.
She agrees that while life in the States is certainly different from that in Japan, it's the music to which everyone can relate.
"Japanese people love jazz music, too," she said. "Even though there may be a (language barrier), if it's a great song, one that we all know, we can all play."
Details
Phil Morrison and Keith Williams' World Unity Jazz Ensemble will perform with the Coastal Symphony of Georgia at 8 p.m. Monday at Glynn Academy
The Brunswick News http://www.thebrunswicknews.com/
