| Long Wharf Theatre News Release Steven Scarpa, Public Relations Manager 203-772-8224 / steven.scarpa@longwharf.org Date: Jan. 3, 2008 MATT WILSON QUARTET PERFORMS NEW HAVEN, CT - The Matt Wilson Quartet will bring its unique brand of "garage jazz" to Long Wharf Theatre in January as part of the theatre's popular Jazz on the Wharf concert series. Jazz on the Wharf is programmed in association with Jazz Haven. The band will perform Friday, Jan. 18, at 9 p.m. on Stage II. The Matt Wilson Quartet has been described by the New York Times as "one of the best working bands in New York City" and the group has also been praised by prestigious publications like Atlantic Monthly and the Boston Globe. "We are hard to classify," Wilson said. "We respect jazz, but we are not afraid to take jazz for a ride a little bit. Everyone dives in with such passion. "We can be one of the most raucous bands. But when we do ballads, it is a moving moment. You get all of that in one evening." In Wilson's mind, the great thing about the decade-old band is its collective energy, a vibe palpable to audience members. "There is a unity at work no other young band can match," according to the Village Voice. There is nothing pro forma about Wilson's art. Often he and his band members are as surprised by what is going on with their music as audience members are. "What they will experience is that they are definitely invited into the moment with us," Wilson said. "They'll realize that they are sharing the experience with us, that we are not just folks going through the motions. We are celebrating the moment." General admission tickets are $22 for performances and are available online; by phone at 203-787-4282; or in person at the Box Office, located at 222 Sargent Drive, New Haven, Connecticut. ABOUT JAZZ HAVEN Jazz Haven is committed to the creation of year-round jazz performances anchored in New Haven, through encouragement and support of jazz musicians and audiences at all levels of experience, recognition and exposure. Jazz Haven uses jazz as a community-building vehicle to preserve, present and advance the culture of jazz. The New Haven region is a hub for educational institutions, theatre, arts and cultural festivals, media outlets and entertainment venues that offer a variety of jazz events. Jazz Haven, both as a presenter and facilitator, welcomes collaboration with other non-profit groups, civic organizations and businesses in the community, thus maximizing the potential and public awareness of this truly American art form. # # # LONG WHARF THEATRE, founded in 1965, is recognized as a leader in American theater, producing fresh and imaginative revivals of classics and modern plays, rediscoveries of neglected works and a variety of world and American premieres. More than 30 Long Wharf productions have transferred virtually intact to Broadway or off-Broadway, including the 2005 production of BFE by Julia Cho, and the Pulitzer Prize-winning plays Wit by Margaret Edson, The Shadow Box by Michael Cristofer, and The Gin Game by D.L. Coburn. Long Wharf has received New York Drama Critics Awards, Obie Awards, the Margo Jefferson Award for Production of New Works, a Special Citation from the Outer Critics Circle, and the Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre. ~ End of Release ~ Steven Scarpa Close window Long Wharf News Home
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