Next Stage Arts project presents an evening of music by Trio Mambo and Caribbean food by the Putney Food Co-op at The Next Stage Café on Friday, November 22. Dinner and cash bar start at 6:00 pm and music hits at 7:00 pm.
Trio Mambo is a Latin jazz trio of piano, bass and congas featuring three veterans of New England jazz: Dan DeWalt on piano and trombone; Wes Brown on bass; and Julian Gerstin on percussion. Deep grooves, intricate rhythms, deliver an infectious, high energy evening of mambo magic in the casual, downstairs setting of the Next Stage Café.
Classics like “Mambo Influenciado” and “Come Candela” mingle with brash originals such as “Soukw soukw ” (“Shake it, shake it!” in Creole), romantic boleros, and 1950s soul bop grooves. If you’ve ever dug Ray Baretto’s congas on a Hank Mobley tune, this band is for you.
Before Trio Mambo, the three bandmates had worked together for many years in various combinations, notably as the rhythm section of Cuban singer/percussionist William Rodriguez’ De Lomas y Sones. Their kindred spirits and delight in each other’s musicality led to the formation of Trio Mambo, and make their performances both lively and intimate.
DeWalt has led the jazz group Green Mountain Mambo, is a founding member of the world beat ensemble Simba, and is a trombonist with Latin big band Joe Velez y Creaci n and the Vermont Jazz Center Big Band. His live, original piano accompaniments for Charlie Chaplin’s “Modern Times” and other classic silent films have become must-see events in southern Vermont.
Brown cut his professional teeth at age 18 with two years on the road with legendary pianist Earl “Fatha” Hines. He went on to perform and record with Wadada Leo Smith, Marilyn Crispell, Anthony Davis, Fred Ho and many others.
Gerstin has worked with a variety of musicians from experimental jazz composer Joel Harrison to afrobeat legends Orlando Julius and Baba Ken Okulolo, Cuban folkloric ensemble Iroko Nuevo and Puerto Rican folklore ensemble Bomba de Aqu. He currently leads his own jazz group, the Julian Gerstin Sextet, which includes Wes on bass.
Tickets are $12/Online or Day of Show (Music Only) | $30/Online or Day of Show (Music + Dinner). For tickets and more information, visit www.nextstagearts.org.
