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Where Jazz and Classical Meet
Eclectic mix of musicians to perform at Howland
Of the 14 saxophones, from tenor to contrabass, Brad Hubbard gravitated to the baritone.
"It's my voice and just a different animal for me," he says. The instrument facilitates honking - the twisted mouthpiece resembles a gooseneck.
Hubbard plays several woodwind instruments, but when the New York City Ballet orchestra selected a piece from West Side Story with a baritone sax part, or if Woodstock-based Americana mainstay Professor Louie & the Crowmatix wants that low-end presence, he's a go-to.
Though he graduated from a classical music conservancy that eschewed jazz, Hubbard enjoys bending genres and playing unlikely styles.
"When I first came to New York, I got hired by a country guitarist because I knew all the old songs, though I can't sing a lick," says the North Carolina native, whose voice still resonates with a faint twang. "I'm grateful for my education, but it's taken my entire professional career to recover from it in some ways."
On Sunday (June 8), Hubbard will perform at the Howland Cultural Center in Beacon at Composers Concordance, an annual confluence of eclectic musicians. Nine composers, five of the players and conductor Gene Pritsker created works specifically for the concert. (They call themselves the CompCord Ensemble.)
"This is about as 'winging it' as classical music gets," says Hubbard. The instrumentation (including members of the B3+ brass trio) consists of horn, trumpet, piano, clarinet, bass trombone and, of course, baritone sax. Roger Aplon, one of the three poet narrators, and pianist Debra Kaye live in Beacon.
The concert is an offshoot of the New York City-based collaborative Composers Concordance, which presents a packed schedule of performances. Hubbard has participated in all six of its concerts at the Howland Center.
Though classical music and the jazz-oriented sax make strange bedfellows, he points to famous crossover musicians who fused classical training with other forms, including cellist Yo-Yo Ma and bass player Edgar Meyer, who jumped from Beethoven to country.
Bluegrass banjo player Bela Fleck and jazzman Wynton Marsalis, who recorded three trumpet concertos by Haydn, Hummel and Mozart in 1983, arrived at classical from other genres. Hubbard also recalls the Kronos Quartet's stirring string arrangement of "Purple Haze," by Jimi Hendrix, in 1986.
Like jazz, "there's plenty of space for improvisation in Baroque music," a precursor to the classical period, along with "many compositions called 'theme' and 'variation,'" he says. "The continuo [underpinning bass or cello lines] are also open to alteration and interpretation."
Hubbard got his start in the 1990s with the New Century Saxophone Quartet before branching out. In addition to teaching at the Beacon Music Factory, he honks with the Funk Junkies and Hot Wrk Ensemble, which plays original music along with Beatles and Dolly Parton covers.
On Saturday (June 7), the Hot Wrk crew will perform at the Kingston Public Library with Beacon violinist Gwen Laster. Blame Google (or human nature) for the creative spelling. According to Hubbard, "people are weird - so weird that all kinds of crazy stuff comes up [when searching for 'hot work'], none of which has to do with music."
The Howland Cultural Center is located at 477 Main St. in Beacon. Tickets for the show, which begins at 5 p.m., are $20 at dub.sh/CompCord2025 or $30 at the door. Tickets for seniors and students are $10.
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By Highlands CurrentEclectic mix of musicians to perform at Howland
Of the 14 saxophones, from tenor to contrabass, Brad Hubbard gravitated to the baritone.
"It's my voice and just a different animal for me," he says. The instrument facilitates honking - the twisted mouthpiece resembles a gooseneck.
Hubbard plays several woodwind instruments, but when the New York City Ballet orchestra selected a piece from West Side Story with a baritone sax part, or if Woodstock-based Americana mainstay Professor Louie & the Crowmatix wants that low-end presence, he's a go-to.
Though he graduated from a classical music conservancy that eschewed jazz, Hubbard enjoys bending genres and playing unlikely styles.
"When I first came to New York, I got hired by a country guitarist because I knew all the old songs, though I can't sing a lick," says the North Carolina native, whose voice still resonates with a faint twang. "I'm grateful for my education, but it's taken my entire professional career to recover from it in some ways."
On Sunday (June 8), Hubbard will perform at the Howland Cultural Center in Beacon at Composers Concordance, an annual confluence of eclectic musicians. Nine composers, five of the players and conductor Gene Pritsker created works specifically for the concert. (They call themselves the CompCord Ensemble.)
"This is about as 'winging it' as classical music gets," says Hubbard. The instrumentation (including members of the B3+ brass trio) consists of horn, trumpet, piano, clarinet, bass trombone and, of course, baritone sax. Roger Aplon, one of the three poet narrators, and pianist Debra Kaye live in Beacon.
The concert is an offshoot of the New York City-based collaborative Composers Concordance, which presents a packed schedule of performances. Hubbard has participated in all six of its concerts at the Howland Center.
Though classical music and the jazz-oriented sax make strange bedfellows, he points to famous crossover musicians who fused classical training with other forms, including cellist Yo-Yo Ma and bass player Edgar Meyer, who jumped from Beethoven to country.
Bluegrass banjo player Bela Fleck and jazzman Wynton Marsalis, who recorded three trumpet concertos by Haydn, Hummel and Mozart in 1983, arrived at classical from other genres. Hubbard also recalls the Kronos Quartet's stirring string arrangement of "Purple Haze," by Jimi Hendrix, in 1986.
Like jazz, "there's plenty of space for improvisation in Baroque music," a precursor to the classical period, along with "many compositions called 'theme' and 'variation,'" he says. "The continuo [underpinning bass or cello lines] are also open to alteration and interpretation."
Hubbard got his start in the 1990s with the New Century Saxophone Quartet before branching out. In addition to teaching at the Beacon Music Factory, he honks with the Funk Junkies and Hot Wrk Ensemble, which plays original music along with Beatles and Dolly Parton covers.
On Saturday (June 7), the Hot Wrk crew will perform at the Kingston Public Library with Beacon violinist Gwen Laster. Blame Google (or human nature) for the creative spelling. According to Hubbard, "people are weird - so weird that all kinds of crazy stuff comes up [when searching for 'hot work'], none of which has to do with music."
The Howland Cultural Center is located at 477 Main St. in Beacon. Tickets for the show, which begins at 5 p.m., are $20 at dub.sh/CompCord2025 or $30 at the door. Tickets for seniors and students are $10.