Billy Childs’ Jazz Chamber Ensemble

This event has expired. Please visit the Events Calendar for current listings.
calendar icon
November 11, 2018, 7:30 pm to 10:00 PM
address icon
The Broad Stage
1310 11th St.
Santa Monica, CA 90401
Billy Childs' Jazz Chamber Ensemble

This event has expired. Please visit the Events Calendar for current listings.

The Broad Stage presents Billy Childs and his Jazz Chamber Ensemble on Sunday, November 11 at 7:30pm. One of the foremost American composers of his era, pianist Billy Childs embodies a unique blend of jazz and classical music. The multi-GRAMMY® Award winner’s groundbreaking project merges improvisation and jazz rhythms with the orchestration and instrumentation of a traditional chamber ensemble.
In an interview with NPR, Childs talks about the inspiration behind jazz chamber ensemble, “I did a composition for the Dorian Wind Quintet and saw that in chamber music, you rehearse every minute detail of the composition – we got a sense of breathing together with the music. So I wanted to apply that to a jazz ensemble, where I could write really intricate and detailed music for a jazz situation and have it breathe together.”
Billy Childs is “a seasoned session player, a veteran arranger and producer, a lifelong Los Angeleno” (Rolling Stone) who has pioneered a new genre with his chamber ensemble. All About Jazz says, “Billy Childs fuses elements of jazz and classical music into a convincing, seamless whole. Fusing diverse musical elements in a jazz setting is a risky business [and] Childs succeeds where others have failed.”
Billy Childs’ Jazz Chamber Ensemble has released two recordings: Lyric, Vol. 1 and Autumn: In Moving Pictures, Vol. 2. Combined, these recordings have garnered five GRAMMY® nominations and two wins. The orchestration consists of 10 instruments, 8 of which are string instruments, giving the group a unique and impressionistic sonic palette.
Tickets, starting at $35, are on sale at www.thebroadstage.org or by calling 310-434-3200. Jazz & Blues at The Broad Stage is made possible by a generous gift from Richard and Lisa Kendall.
Spotlight Talk: Following Billy Childs’ Jazz Chamber Ensemble, join Santa Monica College professor and performer, Lesa Terry, for a discussion about the performance.

Billy Childs' Jazz Chamber Ensemble