Bagels and Bongos
Septeto Rodriguez with special guest Irving Fields
Saturday, March 11, 8 pm
First Congregational Church, Oakland
2501 Harrison St.
Part of the 21st Annual Jewish Music Festival: March 4-26, 2006
Roberto Juan Rodriguez: www.robertojuanrodriguez.com
Irving Fields: www.irvingfields.com
Bagels and Bongos—Septeto Rodriguez and special guest Irving Fields explode in a riotous fusion of Havana, Harlem and the Catskills. This will be a night of exhilarating Latin percussion, energizing piano playing and familiar Jewish tunes.
“This music swings, sweeps, swirls, weeps, moans, and laughs until the tears fall. The secret is in neither Latin nor Jewish music but rather in the groove.”
---Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
Roberto Juan Rodriguez is a bona fide innovator whose creative vision synthesizes Cuban and Jewish sounds into an entirely new music. Before leaving Cuba at age 9, Rodriguez studied violin, piano, drums and trumpet in Havana. In Miami, he immersed himself in the culture of its large Jewish population—taking keen notice of their fascination with the cha-cha, guijara, danzon and related Cuban music. Now in New York, Rodriguez is a first-call drummer playing with names such as Paul Simon, Rufus Wainwright and John Zorn. His original compositions overflow with a passion and depth that is Latin, klezmer and beyond.
Special Guest Irving Fields, 90 years young, is a piano playing, music fusion pioneer. He is known for his album Bagels and Bongos released in 1950 and re-released this year. The album combines the feel of Cuban music with Jewish melodies that anyone can recognize. Today, Irving Fields has partnered with one of New York City's most successful restauranteurs to perform six nights a week.
Roberto Rodriguez and Irving Fields have been performing together all over New York. The audience reception is remarkable and the transgenerational musical dialogue is not to be missed.
High Resolution photos for these artists are available immediately upon request or will be available on the festival website www.jewishmusicfestival.org/press. For further information, please call Ellie Shapiro, (510) 848-0237 x126 orThe Jewish Music Festival is a program of the Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center