PUTNEY — Dartmouth College's Coast Jazz Orchestra will perform on Thursday, Oct. 28, at 7 p.m., in Next Stage's theater on Kimball Hill. The double bill includes the sextet led by Mali Obomsawin, a bassist, singer, composer, and songwriter from the Odanak W8banaki Nation.
“Mali's distinctive fusion of indigenous culture and jazz, and her journey from the folk traditions of her youth to avant-garde jazz, place her in a unique position among her generation of artists. We couldn't be more excited to bring her to Next Stage,” Keith Marks, executive director of Next Stage, said in a news release.
“Bringing Dartmouth College to Windham County is just the beginning of building a relationship which will allow us to bring more dynamic arts programming to the area,” Marks said.
The Coast Jazz Orchestra at Dartmouth is a musical collective that is centered around bringing jazz, Black American music, and creative music to the Upper Valley and beyond. Working with a wide variety of artists, styles, and periods in the jazz tradition, the Coast strives to be a community dedicated to the cultivation of joy and sonic expression.
Whether playing classic big band pieces or more contemporary creations, the band - with over 100 years of history, likely the world's longest continuously-running college jazz ensemble - consistently blends past and present traditions.
Under the direction of Taylor Ho Bynum, the Coast has recently explored repertoire ranging from Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn, Carla Bley, and Charles Mingus, to new works and world premieres by Bynum and his contemporaries like Mary Halvorson and Kris Davis.
The concert also marks the band's celebration of its pandemic-era release Lookin' Forward ..., a collection of highlights from the previous four years.
Known for her extensive work in the American folk scene as a bassist and with her trio Lula Wiles (Smithsonian Folkways Recordings), Obomsawin draws her influences from a wide range of North-American traditional musics.
She is an internationally known artist, having performed and taught across the United States, Canada, and Europe, and her three releases on the Smithsonian label have garnered much acclaim.
In 2020, she joined the Indigenous Performance Production Welcome to Indian Country, a show featuring the original content of six Native artists from across the nation.
Proof of vaccination or negative Covid test within 48 hours is required for entry to indoor shows at Next Stage. Masks will be required inside the venue.
For ticket information and updates, visit nextstagearts.org.