Chicago Symphony and Lyric Opera orchestras play at Millennium ...

CHECK OUT THE OPENINGPARAGRAPH OF WHO, WHERE,WHEN!Then here is James Sanders! “I am aclassically trained violinist,” Jameswrote, “Lane Tech, Congress of Strings,Interlochen, Masters degree from YaleSchool of Music. I started playingjazz when I met (Johnny) Frigo in theearly 90’s. Back in those days therewas a lot of strolling work and I wasable to develop improvising skills byharmonizing and then learning chords,etc. I have been fortunate to haveworked regularly with the best freelanceorchestras in Chicago and I am currentlyin the 1st violin section of the ChicagoSinfonietta.”Indeed, his tenure with Sinfonietta beganin 1994; he has been with the ChicagoPhilharmonic Ravinia Festival Orchestrafrom 1993 to 2005, and the New BlackMusic Repertory Ensemble since 2000. “Iwas drawn to both jazz improvising andthe Latin music I absorbed growing upas the son of a Dominican mother in adiverse urban environment.His current band, Conjunto, “is perhapsthe most adventurous jazz latinoband in the country. It is my ongoingproject to unite rigorous classicaltraining and theory with the freedom ofimprovisation, all grounded in the livelyrhythms of Latin America: Afro-Cuban,bomba y plena (Puerto Rican folk musicand song style), cumbia, meringue.The result is performances that moveaudiences figuratively and literally,where moments of hushed intimacy arefollowed by joyous dancing.”By Ruth Marion TobiasThat was certainly evidenced in anoutdoor August concert in Plaza DelLago, Wilmette. As the crowd gatheredand grew in the evening’s pleasanttemperature, the music certainlymoved the audience. James’ violinalong with the flute and saxophonesof Steve Eisen, both men soaring to thepulsating rhythms of the percussionsection, washed the night in excitement,sentiment and just plain elegantentertainment. This core lineup hasdozens of years of constant playing,both mainstream jazz and salsa, withArturo Sandoval, Dave Valentin, Dr.John, Chicago Afro-Latin Jazz Ensemble,Nancy Wilson, Louis Bellson, JimmyMcGriff, Andy Montanez, Kurt Elling, theNew Black Music Repertory Ensembleand Chévere, for starters. Sanders oftenexpands the band of seven, as he didfor Conjunto’s 2010 Millennium Parkaudience of 10,000, with a half-dozenadded musicians and members ofthe Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre—“additional collaborators in a quest todiscover fresh texture and sounds.”Sanders, too, “has collaborated with awide array of jazz luminaries includingJohnny Frigo, Orbert Davis, FredAnderson, Ernest Dawkins and LarryGray.” He continued, “I was hired in2007 by the legendary Fania Recordsarranger Larry Harlow for a Puerto Ricanfestival appearance. I have toured Europeand South America with Dee Alexander’sEvolution Ensemble and as a member ofAlfonso Ponticelli’s Swing Gitan. I haverecorded with Nicole Mitchell, DeeAlexander, Harrison Bankhead, AvreeaylRa, Ed Wilkerson, Mars Williams, DougLofstrom, Alfonso Ponticelli and JeffParker.”We also must not neglect his own twoCDs: Live in Little Village 2002, andChicago Sessions (2005) with Conjunto“stretching out (with) new sounds andtextures in a set of scorching originals.”The bilingual (Spanish/English) Sandersteaches and coordinates a MiddleSchool String Program, directs a StringOrchestra and teaches group classes forthe Arlington Heights School District25 “Music for Youth” program since1995, was a faculty member of De PaulUniversity and part of the Merit MusicProgram of Chicago, as well as theAmerican Conservatory of Music.You may have heard him perform atthe Chicago, Hyde Park or ElkhartJazz festivals, at Cerqua Rivera DanceTheatre, the Velvet Lounge or JazzShowcase, usually with Conjunto. Or,if you like to travel, maybe Sardinia,Italy; Paris or Poznan, Poland with DeeAlexander . And then there was theUmbria (Italy) Jazz Festival last year withEvolution Ensemble.** * ** **And here is Rick Wunder: A truemusician at heart, Rick has been “a parttimemusician all my life.” However,even with his musical background—hebegan piano lessons with Tom Scott atage 8 and studied trombone at age 12—he ultimately went to Purdue Universityto major in engineering instead of music.“I felt I could make a better living.”However, he played as much as ormore than any of his friends who weremusic majors. “I reached a point in mylife where, to an extent, I regretted mydecision. That is when I decided to takemy trombone playing to a higher leveland started studying with Ed Kocher atDePaul University, and had lessons fromFrank Crisafulli, Charlie Vernon, MichaelMulcahy and Bill Porter.”Until retiring in 2009, he made hisprimary living as a systems analyst forPackaging Corporation of America inLake Forest.“Up until the mid-1980s, I was a‘weekend warrior’ and around thattime I joined the Evanston SymphonyOrchestra where I played for 23seasons. I also played in Frank Winkler’sHarper Symphony Orchestra and in theSymphonic Pops Orchestra of Chicagoconducted by Frank. (There were) acouple of brass quintets which involvedweddings, holiday church services, etc. Iplayed in some local big bands includingRob Parton’s and also in AnthonyKowalski’s wedding band. I have donesome private teaching in the Evanstonarea.“When I received an e-mail thatDr. Kraus’ people (the AuditoryNeuroscience Laboratory atNorthwestern University) sent tothe Evanston Symphony looking forvolunteers for her study, I was intriguedand volunteered. The original testingtook a total of eight hours and consistedof hearing tests, memory tests, and theelectrodes (to measure his nervoussystem’s response to the sounds heheard.) I sat in a recliner for about twohours, watching a movie with no sound,just to keep me occupied. During thattime, they played a series of soundsthrough earpieces in my ears. Theirequipment measures what comes backfrom the ear, which I found to be quiteinteresting. Afterward, I participatedin another program in which they sentme home with a memory and listeningimprovement course which was about 32hour total. I did that over several weeks,after which I went back for more testingto see if there was an improvement—andthere was!”After Dr. Kraus’ first study was published,Rick gave his permission to beinterviewed by NBC for their Channel5, 10 o’clock news and by the ChicagoTribune after Dr. Kraus’ second paperwas published.Rick wrote, “I am currently makingthe transition to life in west centralIndiana—a little town called Waveland.I am playing this summer in the LafayetteCitizens Band and in the fall I plan toplay with the Hendricks SymphonyOrchestra. I have a gig with a SwingBand in Lafayette and expect more ofthose in the future. I hope to take onsome students and would like to becomeinvolved with the Lafayette SymphonyOrchestra, if possible. Time will tellwhat I get involved in, here in Indiana.“I love music and it will continue to bemy passion. One of the reasons I retiredat age 60 from my day gig was so that Icould devote more time to my musicalendeavors and I haven’t regretted itfor a second.” Rick, bless yourmusician’s heart!6 Intermezzo September 2012September 2012 Intermezzo 7