2007 Wine Press Concert Series Schedule Announced

Riverhead, NY– Summer evenings not to be forgotten begin with a concert surrounded by the picturesque vineyards of the east end. The East End Arts Council is pleased to announce the 2007 Wine Press Concert Series schedule. Sponsored through the generosity of Bridgehampton National Bank, Times-Review Newspapers, and Corcoran Group, in association with the Long Island Wine Council, the concerts take place at east end vineyards during sunset hours. All concerts begin at 6:00 PM and are held rain or shine under a tent. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at the East End Arts Council or at the gate. Concertgoers are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets, as seating is not usually provided. Picnic dinners are welcome, but no outside alcohol is permitted. 

This year’s schedule includes:

Sat. July 7               
Vineyard 48, Route 48, Cutchogue

Swingtime Big Band

Dedicated to the performance of America’s greatest popular standards, SWINGTIME BIG BAND is a 20-piece authentic swing band comprised of master interpreters of music from the Swing Era (mid-1930’s through early 1950’s). The ensemble specializes in performing original arrangements of Big Band classics from the Great American Songbook, bringing to life both the style and the spirit of this music for 21st century audiences to experience in living color. Highlights of the many prestigious venues at which SWINGTIME members have performed include: Lincoln Center’s Midsummer Night Swing, the Plaza Hotel, the Waldorf Astoria, Tavern on the Green and the Rainbow Room. Leading the band is saxophonist and artistic director Steve Shaiman, a passionate advocate of Big Band swing for his entire musical life, and with the support of his SWINGTIME brethren, he continues his efforts to keep this important music alive.

Sat. July 21    
Paumanok Vineyards, Main Road (Rt. 25) in Aquebogue

Caroline Doctorow

Singer-songwriter Caroline Doctorow’s style of music falls into the folk-pop genre. She has released four records on the Narrow Lane Records label. Other credits include the performance of a song on the PBS series, Freedom - The History of Us, narrated by Katie Couric, which aired on public television in 2003. Her compositions appear on many compilation disks, including The Best of The Eclectic Café, and on an Ars Nova Productions release, featuring independent folk performers. 

For years Doctorow has been one of the foremost interpreters of Dylan songs, and on her new CD she covers One Too Many Mornings, which also appears on the Bob Dylan Uncovered disc from Long Island-based Paradiddle Records. During our chat, Doctorow admitted that someday she might do an entire album of Dylan covers. Whatever her next project is, Doctorow says it will be “even more stripped down.” She clarifies, “You want to just play and get the spontaneity.”
Sat. July 28      
Castello di Borghese, Rt. 48, Cutchogue

Hugh Prestwood & Friends

Hugh Prestwood, an award winning singer, songwriter and member of the Nashville Songwriters’ Hall of Fame, has been bringing Nashville to the North Fork to the delight of the Wine Press Concert Series audiences for 10 years.  He has penned songs for Judy Collins, Randy Travis, Trisha Yearwood, Crystal Gayle, Michael Johnson and many more. He and his friends will be sharing their songs for a night to remember. In an intimate setting, these fine musicians will remind you of the best things in life.
 

Sat. August 4   
Pindar Vineyards, Main Road (Rt. 25), Peconic

Papo Vasquez Pirates Troubadours  

For some 30 years a key performer on trombone and composer in the Latin Jazz genre, Papo Vasquez has performed and recorded with most of its giants, and helped found major ensembles such as the Jerry Gonzalez Fort Apache Band, Batacumbele in Puerto Rico, and the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra at Lincoln Center.

Vazquez’ ability to fuse Afro-Caribbean rhythms, specifically those from Puerto Rico and Cuba, with freer melodic and harmonic elements of progressive Jazz has insured his popularity on many fronts. As a composer, Papo Vazquez showcased his talents on the soundtrack for the movie “Free Enterprise,” a Star Trek spoof. Papo has also shared his compositions on recordings for Ruben Blades’ “Antecedente,” Hilton Ruiz’ “Manhattan Mambo,” Dave Valentin’s “Tropic Heat,” and Batacumbele’s “En Aquellos Tiempos” among others. He also performed on the soundtrack to Spike Lee’s “Mo’ Better Blues,” “The Mambo Kings,” Wayne Shorter’s [grammy winner] “Alegria” and Bebo Valdes’ [grammy winner] “Bebo de Cuba,” among others.

In recent years his Papo Vazquez Pirates Troubadours has thrilled audiences and been widely hailed in the media as “a total triumph for Papo Vazquez” and “one of the fiercest bands on the planet,” playing music which “eclipses barriers and captivates” and which “demands attention … for the thrill it generates,” with “inventive updates of spicy bomba and plena rhythms [that] are joyous, combining virtuosic touches with earthy directness.”  His fellow musicians have put into perspective Papo’s vital role in the Latin jazz scene:  “Papo combines the best of jazz and Latin music to create a genre that is unique and wild.  He’s redefined Latin jazz!” (Michael Brecker)  “The Latin music genre is no longer a ‘tinge’ in American culture.  In the next 10 to 20 years … Papo Vazquez will be performing a new form of Latin music.  Papo is a pivot point in this new music for America and for the rest of the world.” (Eric Figueroa)

For further information contact East End Arts Council at 631-727-0900.

The East End Arts Council is a not-for-profit 501c3 organization with a mission to support the arts and artists of the five east end towns of Long Island. Events and programs are made possible in part with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a State agency.

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East End Arts Council
contact: Laura Helms
631-727-0900