GINO SITSON AND JAMES UHART IN "CONVERSATION"
New York-based Cameroonian vocal virtuoso Gino Sitson & rising star
British pianist James Uhart perform tunes from their upcoming album
"Conversation" at THE METROPOLITAN ROOM (34 West 22nd Street, NYC
- 212-206-0440 -
http://www.metropolitanroom.com/
) on Tuesday & Wednesday, March 13th & 14th at 9:30 pm. Award-winning,
New York-based vocal virtuoso Gino Sitson is from the Bamileke region
of Cameroon, Central Africa. He comes from a long line of musicians,
known as Ntontas ("players of horns") and his mother is a vocalist
and choir director.
Gino and his siblings were introduced to blues, jazz
and African traditional music early in life. Before embarking upon
a professional career in music, Gino Sitson divided his time between
music studies and the Sorbonne University in Paris, where he studied
languages and ethnomusicology. He was gradually drawn into the multi-cultural
Paris music scene, initially as a drummer, then as a singer.
Mr Sitson's four-octave voice plus his skills as a
composer and arranger put him in high demand for recording sessions
and for commercials and radio / television jingles (Danone, Peugeot,
Vahine, etc). The versatile young vocalist performed in a musical
and co-composed part of the music (Jeanne et le Gareon Formidable).
He has laid down tracks or shared the stage with Manu Dibango, Ron
Carter, Papa Wemba, Roy Ayers, Wally Badarou, Geri Allen, David
Gilmore, Ray Lema, Craig Harris, James Hurt, Antoine Roney, Jorge
Ben, John William, Mario Canonge, Wallace Roney, Brice Wassy, Oliver
N'Goma, Exile One, Steve Potts, So Why? (featuring Youssou N'Dour,
Papa Wemba, Wally Badarou, Jabu Khanyile & Bayete, Lourdes Van-Dunem,
and Lucky Dube), La Compagnie Creole, among others.
In 2000, Gino fell in love with New York City and
decided to settle there. Since his arrival in the USA, he has been
attracting sell-out audiences at top clubs and great venues (Carnegie
Hall, Blue Note, Jazz Bakery, Zinc Bar, Joe's Pub, SOB's, Sweet
Rhythm, Ashford & Simpson's Sugar Bar, Blues Alley Jazz Club, Lincoln
Center, Schomburg Center, Aaron Davis Hall, Snug Harbor Cultural
Center), museums (Smithsonian, Museum for African Art, Brooklyn
Botanic Garden, Brooklyn Museum of Art, Philadelphia Museum of Art,
Museum for African Art), and festivals (a standing ovation at the
influential SxSW expo in Austin, TX; JVC Jazz Festival ; opening
for Roberta Flack at the Long Island Jazz Festival). He played before
a delighted Mayor Michael Bloomberg and other dignitaries at New
York's Gracie Mansion at the kick-off to the city's Immigrant Week
celebrations.
Sitson's second album, Song Zin' (I Want To Tell You),
was released in April 2002 to rapturous worldwide acclaim. It was
selected by the Los Angeles Times as a "Top Ten Jazz CD of 2002"
and nominated for a Kora award (Africa's equivalent of a Grammy).
His latest release (recorded in New York City), Bamisphere,
features Ron Carter (double bass), Jeff "Tain" Watts (drums), Essiet
Essiet (double bass), and Helio Alves (piano). It is an adventurous
soundscape comprised of a dozen all-new tunes in which ancient memories
and fresh aspirations join forces and are transformed into expressions
of joy, loss and one-world philosophy.
Sitson is part of the ongoing "Carnegie Hall Neighborhood
Concert Series" and leads professional and amateur vocal workshops
for adults and children. He is a member of Chamber Music America.
He is regularly engaged for movie scores and commercials. He made
several TV appearances and has composed music for the noted children's
TV show, Dora The Explorer (Nickelodeon).
Meanwhile, Gino's international career continues apace.
He has received nominations from the WMCE (World Music Chart Europe)
and the RFI Awards. His recent output includes soundtracks to Betrayal
(Kevin Ngooh) and Blue Lotus (Dayo Ayodele); jingles for France
Television and France 3; producing an album for Cilou, a French
singer; an ongoing collaboration with his German-based brother,
vocalist-composer-percussionist-actor Njamy Sitson (www.njamy-sitson.com);
and a remarkably successful 2004 performance at Jazz a Vienne (France),
one of Europe's biggest festivals.
Gino Sitson is the only vocalist who is incorporating
African polyphonic techniques into the improvisational jazz vocalese
tradition. Through his vocal wizardry and 4 octaves, he stunningly
creates an endless range of sounds. Sitson's daring musical project
combines with maturity jazz, gospel, blues and traditional African
rhythms and melodies in a most innovative way. His lyrics are mostly
sung in Medumba, one of the numerous Bamileke languages of Cameroon.
There is a $15 Cover plus a 2 Beverage Minimum
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