Yoshi`s presents Lua Hadar and her Cosmopolitan Jazz Ensemble

Yoshi’s presents Lua Hadar and her Cosmopolitan Jazz
Ensemble, TWIST, with the Official Release of their Indie
Music Award-nominated DVD, “Like A Bridge”
Live on stage at Yoshi’s Oakland, Monday, Sept. 30 at 8pm
San Francisco, August 22, 2013: Fresh
from a success in Paris, Lua Hadar
brings her cosmopolitan jazz ensemble
Twist back to Yoshi’s Oakland to
celebrate the Official Release of their
DVD, Like A Bridge. A 70-minute Live
Studio Concert directed by Emmy
award-winner Lawrence Jordan, Like
a Bridge was shot at the legendary
Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, and was
nominated in the Long Form Video
Category by the Independent Music
Awards. On September 30, clips from
the DVD will be shown on Yoshi’s new
screen as the band rolls out some fresh
new tunes live on stage. Music Director
Jason Martineau on piano, Dan Feiszli on bass, Celso Alberti on drums, Ian Dogole on Global
Percussion, Larry De La Cruz on reeds, and Hadar on vocals in seven languages.
“Why do I sing such an eclectic song list?” Hadar asks.“I want the audience to get the feeling
that humanity shares common struggles and joys, that we are all united. As a group, these songs
in languages of five continents are bridges from us to our audience. We hope that we can each
be to one another ‘like a bridge.’”
Lua Hadar with Twist, Official DVD Release of Like A Bridge, Monday, Sept. 30 at 8pm. Yoshi’s
Jazz Club and Japanese Restaurant, 510 Embarcadero West, Jack London Square, Oakland CA
94607. Phone 510-238-9200. Tickets $14.
http://www.yoshis.com/oakland/jazzclub/artist/show/3515
Media representatives may obtain a review copy of Like a Bridge CD or DVD by contacting
[email protected].
DVD Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQQmh7j-XRc
Hi res photo downloads: http://www.luahadar.com/downloads.html
Photo Credit for band collage (above): Jack Schow; Graphics: Martineau Arts
Websites: www.luahadar.com; www.likeabridge.net
Press Kit: http://bit.ly/LikeABridgeCDPressKit
Emmy-winning Director Lawrence Jordan: http://bit.ly/LawrenceJordanIMDB
CALENDAR: Yoshi’s presents Lua Hadar and cosmopolitan jazz ensemble TWIST, with the Official
Release of their Indie Music Award-nominated DVD, Like A Bridge. Live on stage at Yoshi’s
Oakland, Monday, Sept. 30 at 8pm. Yoshi’s Jazz Club and Japanese Restaurant
510 Embarcadero West, Jack London Square, Oakland CA 94607 Phone 510-238-9200
Tickets $14. http://yoshis.inticketing.com/evinfo.php?eventid=313056
TWEET: Yoshi’s Oakland presents Lua Hadar with Twist Official DVD Release Sept 30, 8pm, $14
http://www.yoshis.com/oakland/jazzclub/artist/show/3515
MORE INFO
ABOUT LUA HADAR with TWIST and Like A Bridge DVD:
Cosmopolitan jazz ensemble Lua Hadar with Twist performs international standards with a
different 'twist' on style; also presenting original and rarely performed songs in several
languages.
The DVD Like A Bridge includes a full length concert with the 13-piece ensemble directed by
Emmy-winner Lawrence Jordan, plus the new documentary Building Bridges, using the Bridge
as a symbol for the interconnectedness each one of us can develop to foster world harmony.
Songs of hope, courage and our common humanity in seven languages (English, French, Italian,
Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese and Malagasy) weave the theme of world unity throughout this
passionate, fun and eclectic performance by vocalist Lua Hadar and her band of top
international musicians. Music Director Jason Martineau on piano, Dan Feiszli on bass, Celso
Alberti on drums, Ian Dogole on Global Percussion, Larry De La Cruz on reeds, Emil Miland on
cello, Fumiko Ozawa on koto, David Miotke on jazz accordion, and featuring South African
performer Gideon Bendile and members of his Kalahari Experience Zulu Choir.
ABOUT THE INDEPENDENT MUSIC AWARDS:
Cosmopolitan jazz ensemble LUA HADAR with TWIST joined more than 300 exceptional selfreleased and independent label artists, as well as former major label acts named by Music
Resource Group as Nominees in The 12th Independent Music Awards. Representing the broad
spectrum of today’s global independent music scene, the Nominees in over 80 Album, Song,
Music Video and Design categories were culled from thousands of submissions from North
America, South America, Asia, Africa, Australia, Greenland and Europe.
http://www.independentmusicawards.com/ima/Lua-Hadar-with-Twist
BIOS
LUA HADAR, Vocals, Executive Producer
A unique and original vocalist with a soaring range, Lua interprets an eclectic song list with a
charming, swinging delivery, as well as passionate commitment and humor. She has been molded
by cultural exchange experiences in places as diverse as Bali, Russia, Switzerland, Japan,
Thailand, France and Italy. Since its inception in 2007, Hadar’s band TWIST has developed a
reputation for twisting the style of international standards, performing original numbers and
expressing our common humanity through songs in 7 different languages. Lua has charmed
audiences at such noted jazz clubs as Yoshi’s and The Iridium to Bangkok’s Thailand Cultural
Center and the Swan Bar in Paris, where she just appeared in a June return engagement.
www.luahadar.com
JASON MARTINEAU, Musical Direction, Arrangements, Piano
Dr. J is the cornerstone of TWIST, as music director, principal arranger, pianist and bandleader.
He’s also an award-winning composer, instructor and author, holding graduate degrees from the
San Francisco Conservatory and Manhattan School of Music. Jason works in many different idioms
and styles, and since 2005 has recorded three albums with Lua Hadar, performing with her in the
San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, New York, and at the 10th International Festival of Dance
and Music in Bangkok, Thailand. www.jasonmartineau.com
DAN FEISZLI, Bass, Mixing Engineer
Experienced on both upright and electric basses, in styles of music ranging from jazz and Latin
to pop and rock, Dan Feiszli anchors TWIST with versatility and panache. As a recording
engineer, he has mixed albums reaching as high as #4 on the U.S. Top 40 Jazz Radio Charts. Dan
did the mixing for Like A Bridge at his studio in El Cerrito, California, employing both his fine
musicianship and his excellent technical skills. www.studiorhythm.com
CELSO ALBERTI, Drums
Celso was born in Curitiba, Southern Brazil. The driving rhythms of his country's music led him to
develop an early interest in the drums and by the age of 17, he was performing regularly as a
professional. In 1982 he expanded his musical horizons with a move to the U.S., where he has
been living since, working with top performers both as a drummer and as an audio engineer.
Celso’s dynamic drumming style blends traditional Brazilian music with World and Rock
influences, providing TWIST with exciting flair and a rock solid base. www.celsoalberti.com
IAN DOGOLE, Global Percussion
As a major in Ethnomusicology at Brown University, Ian delved deeply into the indigenous music
cultures of the planet, while maintaining his fascination with the evolution of Jazz and began to
crystallize his vision of Global Fusion Music, blending the forms and instruments of Jazz with
those of the non-Western world. Ian has released six audio recordings as a leader/producer and
has recorded and performed widely with artists from Peru to the Sudan with his band
Hemispheres. He brings an authentic world beat to TWIST with percussion including udu, cajon,
shakers and dumbek. His new double CD, Outside the Box, was released in April 2013.
www.iandogole.com
LARRY DE LA CRUZ, Reeds
Recording artist, composer, teacher and reed man extraordinaire, Larry’s energetic style and
musical sensitivity provide TWIST with color and variety whether he solos on tenor, alto, soprano
or flute. His dynamic soloing can range from Coltrane-esque runs on up-tempo tunes to soulful
wails on slower ballads. www.larrydelacruz.com
CANDACE FOREST, Co-Producer-Pianist-Singer-Composer Candace has co-produced three CD’s,
the Like A Bridge live recording project and numerous live concert and educational events with
Lua Hadar. Candace’s own compositions range from works for solo, ensemble and orchestra to
full-length dance and theatre pieces including Viva Concha! Rose of the Presidio and All In This
Together, a symphonic program premiered by the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. Her song,
Come Back To California, dedicated to French bassist Albin Suffys, received it’s U.S. premiere
with Lua Hadar and Twist at Yoshi’s in March 2012 and appears in the Building Bridges
Documentary. www.candaceforest.com
LAWRENCE JORDAN, Video Director
Emmy Award winner Lawrence Jordan is an internationally acclaimed producer/director who has
filmed in every corner of the world with some of the music industry's biggest stars. From Chile to
China, South Africa to North Korea, the Grand Ole Opry to the Palais de Versailles, a rainforest
in South America to an ice floe in the Artic Circle, his 3D film, television specials and live
broadcast events have won Grammy, Emmy, Ace, Telly, and Clio Awards. His work has appeared
on ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, HBO, PBS, TBS, DISNEY, A&E, BBC, MTV, VH-1, and in theaters
worldwide. He has worked with such artists as Sting, Bruce Springsteen, Eddie Izzard, Mariah
Carey, Cristina Aguilera, Santana, Dave Matthews Band, Jay-Z, The Who, Phish, Rush, Elton
John, Chicago, Pink Floyd, The Bee Gees, Vanessa Williams, John Fogerty, Lyle Lovett, Barry
Manilow, BB King, Boz Scaggs, Billy Joel, John Mellencamp, Duran Duran, Rod Stewart, David
Bowie, Neil Diamond, K.D. Lang, Tony Bennett, Shania Twain, Johnny Mathis, Michael Bolton,
James Taylor, and many more. Lawrence directed the long running music series Live By Request,
numerous Farm Aid concerts, 3D concert films, and many live television specials. His upcoming
project is a peace concert with the Dalai Lama, Dave Matthews, and an array of music stars.
http://bit.ly/LawrenceJordanIMDB
GUEST ARTISTS ON THE DVD
DAVID MIOTKE, Jazz Accordion Dave brings his unique jazz accordion sound to the band’s
French songs, such as La Mer, with authentic color and skilled playing. He is a multi-talented
singer, pianist, accordionist and composer, performing solo and with musical groups in styles as
varied as jazz, cabaret, tango, Italian, strolling strings and classical. Dave holds music degrees
with honors from Northwestern University and was a founding member and high lead
singer/keyboardist with the well-known 60’s rock band, H. P. Lovecraft.
FUMIKO OZAWA, Koto Educational collaborations with Japan have introduced Lua to koto player
Fumiko Ozawa, who this past year made her koto orchestra debut at San Francisco’s Herbst
Theater. Fumiko started studying koto in 2004, with Mrs. Masazuka Sato, Head Master of Seiha
Music School of Japan and USA. Fumiko obtained her teaching credential for koto music (JunShihan, associate level) from the Seiha Music School in Tokyo, 2009. She guests with TWIST on
their interpretation of the Japanese 1963 pop classic Ue o muite aruko, honoring the dignity of
the Japanese to “walk with their heads up’” after the devastating earthquake and tsunami of
March 2011.
EMIL MILAND, Cello Emil made his Carnegie Hall debut in 2010 with Frederica von Stade in her
farewell recital. In the same week he made his jazz debut with TWIST at New York’s Cornelia
Street Café, and has contributed to Like A Bridge on the mystical Tom Jobim song, Imagina. A
champion of new works for cello, he has given premieres of music written specifically for him by
such composers as Ernst Bacon, David Carlson, Andrew Imbrie, Lou Harrison, Jake Heggie and
Dwight Okamura. As a member of the San Francisco Opera Orchestra since 1988, he has
collaborated with many famous singers in recital.
GIDEON BENDILE and KALAHARI EXPERIENCE, Zulu Choir Patience James, Ron van Leeuwarde,
Moeketse Gibe Gideon Bendile’s group Kalahari Experience is a South African a cappella
ensemble featuring members of the BAMMY award winning Zulu Spear Band and other talented
artists. They perform African and world music influenced by jazz, Soweto pop, and a wide range
of traditional African styles, carrying the message of forgiveness, freedom, and peace. Gideon
has performed with legendary artists including Sammy Davis Jr., Frank Sinatra, Dave Brubeck,
Redd Foxx and the Neville Brothers. Kalahari Experience joins with TWIST in the Zulu chorus of
the French pop song about immigration rights, Né Quelque Part (Born Somewhere.) Press Kit
THE SONGS ON THE DVD
The songs in the “Like a Bridge” Live Studio Concert DVD begin with Bridge Over Troubled
Water, and continue with:
Ojalá Que Llueva Café (Spanish)
“If only it would rain coffee.” Lua sings this exuberant anthem of the 99% from the Dominican
Republic, backed up by the driving force of Celso Alberti on the drum set, Ian Dogole on cajon,
with Larry De La Cruz wailing on tenor sax.
Beyond the Sea/La Mer (French)
Charles Trenet’s “La Mer” was Americanized and popularized by Bobby Darin. In contrast, Lua’s
rendition is steeped in French nostalgia, quoting the French folk song about dancing on a bridge,
“Sur le Pont D’Avignon” (On the Bridge of Avignon.)
Raha Mbola Misy (Malagasy)
A folk classic from the island of Madagascar, the former French colony off the east coast of
Africa. Sung by Lua in the original Malagasy language and twisted as a samba, the lyrics ask,
encouragingly, “If there is still a smile and time to share happiness, why waste your winter
nights crying, hungry for the light?” Larry De La Cruz solos on flute.
San Francisco (French)
The French pop tribute to the now famous Blue House has recently celebrated its 40th
anniversary, after songwriter Maxine Le Forestier introduced millions to the culture of San
Francisco in 1971
.
Child of Man (English/Hebrew)
A joyous celebration of life and renewal, this world beat anthem is enhanced by global
percussionist Ian Dogole on the udu. The last line is in Hebrew, “I wish I were a flower or a
tree.”
Sukiyaki/Ue o Muite Aruko (Japanese)
“Ue o Muite Aruko” made its debut on the world pop stage in 1963, known then as “Sukiyaki.” A
song of dignity and hope, it was notably reprised after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in
Japan, encouraging the devastated populace to “walk with its head up.” Music Director Jason
Martineau collaborated with koto player Fumiko Ozawa to create a new east-west arrangement
of the pop classic, sung by Lua in Japanese.
Imagina (Portuguese)
A mystical waltz in Portuguese by Antonio Carlos Jobim and Chico Buarque, its wide vocal range
is usually covered with a male-female duet. Lua’s duet is with renowned cellist Emil Miland,
evoking the oneness of man and woman in the cosmos.
Stregata dall’Amor/Ravel’s Bolero (Italian)
Martineau’s arrangement pairs the love theme from Fellini’s “La Strada” and its palpitating
Italian lyrics with the world famous Ravel’s “Bolero.” Hadar sings with passionate intensity: “You
say you do not know how to love, you say you cannot love; but you are bewitched by love!”
Isfahan (Instrumental)
The Far East Suite (1966) was inspired by a world tour undertaken by cultural ambassador Duke
Ellington and his orchestra in 1963.The Khaju Bridge in Isfahan, Iran, is regarded as one of the
most beautiful bridges in the world. Twist’s arrangement of Strayhorn’s “Isfahan” features Jason
Martineau on piano, Dan Feiszli on bass, Larry De La Cruz on alto and Celso Alberti on drums.
In addition, the DVD features three numbers that do not appear on the
Like A Bridge CD:
The Golden Gate Bridge (English)
San Francisco Bay Area comedic songwriter Rita Abrams penned a few extra lyrics for the 75th
anniversary of one of the world’s most iconic bridges. Lua enjoys the romp as she takes on the
persona of the Bridge who’s been through it all.
Né Quelque Part (French, Zulu)
Maxime Le Forestier’s pop song, Born Somewhere, advocates for immigration rights in both
French and in Zulu. The compelling, upbeat performance features Lua’s French vocal, backed by
South African performer Gideon Bendile, with members of his Kalahari Experience Zulu Choir.
Scriabin Etude in D# Minor, Opus 8, No.12 (instrumental)
Mystic, visionary, virtuoso, and composer, Alexander Scriabin dedicated his life to creating
musical works to open the portals of the spiritual world. Music Director Jason Martineau takes
the lead in a unique virtuoso jazz adaptation of the 1894 piano work, with fiery performances by
bassist Dan Feiszli and drummer Celso Alberti.
WHAT THE CRITICS ARE SAYING
An effervescent swing, a dynamite range with passionate phrasing, Hadar is nothing if not the
consummate entertainer…incredibly intriguing hybrid … delightful world flavor … first call band
of international talent with an ability to reinvent tunes without disrespecting the originals … A
breath of fresh air at a time the world in general and music specifically are in dire need. A true
winner! -– Brent Black, Critical Jazz
There is a strong sense of timeliness throughout the album, thanks to the various languages it
feels like one is drifting around the world... quite something to behold. - John M. Peters, The
Borderland, UK
… a wave of sonic bliss… - Jeffrey Siegel, Straight No Chaser Jazz Show
Singing in seven different languages, Lua Hadar's rich voice and strong, commanding presence
and overall musicality transcend language barriers… pure pleasure in listening to her magnetic
power… compelling confident vocals… intriguing instrumental work… great variety and power…
certainly beautiful and often hypnotic. - Rob Lester, Talkin’ Broadway – Sound Advice
ABOUT YOSHI’S JAZZ CLUB
Yoshi's Jazz Club and Japanese Restaurant is one of the world's most respected jazz venues
and has won a reputation as the San Francisco Bay Area's premier location for great food and the
best jazz. Yoshi's has hosted hundreds of legendary jazz greats such as Betty Carter, Max Roach,
Dizzy Gillespie, Joe Williams, Diana Krall, Branford Marsalis, McCoy Tyner, Harry Connick Jr. and
Oscar Peterson, who said, “Yoshi's Oakland is the greatest jazz club in the world.”
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