The Clazzical Project
This trio meshes classical music with jazz in a delightful way with commentary and stories along the way.
Unitarian Universalist Church of Annapolis 333 Dubois Rd., Annapolis, Maryland 21401
Event price: $15 per person at the door, free for youth 16 and under
This favorite trio returns to Arts in the Woods with all new works! Led by Don Stapleson on flute, and featuring Peter Fields on guitar and Fred Lieder on cello, The Clazzical Project offers ingenious juxtapositions of iconic classical works and creative jazz renditions of those works.The Clazzical Project group (aptly coined by the group as “outside the ‘Bachs”) crosses over classical music to jazz to appeal to music lovers of all kinds. After the classical rendition you will enjoy “ingenious and beautiful juxtaposition of jazz treatments against iconic classical melodies” according to Jeffrey Silberschlag, Music Director of Chesapeake Orchestra and Italy’s Alba Music Festival. The performance will take you on a journey of mind bending “What ifs”; combining famous classical works with improvisational jazz. Through stories both fictional and funny, commentaries on each piece include an almost believable fantasy allowing you to imagine the possibility of unusual musical classical composer and jazz artist meet ups surprising the listener again and again. The Classical Project trio combines well- known musicians who discovered their mutual love of improvisation, storytelling and their ‘outside the box’ music tastes. Don Stapleson (flute) is director of the St. Mary’s College Jazz Bands and performs with his group, The Don Stapleson Quartet, and has performed with Ray Charles, Wayne Newton, Nancy Wilson, and Martha Reeves. Pete Fields (guitar) has mastered diverse musical styles and unique guitar techniques with performances in the U.S. and Europe. His repertoire ranges from classical guitar, jazz, and Latin music. His release “Stillness of the Heart,” is a collection of compositions for classical guitar and has received airplay throughout the country. Fred Lieder (cello) has been a fixture on the Washington area music scene playing classical, jazz, blues, rock and Celtic. He has arranged rock tunes for solo cello including works by the Beatles, Stevie Wonder, Jimi Hendrix, and Carlos Santana. Lieder released his solo instrumental tunes on “Cello Blues” and his first book My Cello Has the Blues. Guest pianist Brian Ganz known for his mastery of classical music is considered a leading pianist of his generation. He has performed world-wide with major symphonies and won international prizes.