Editor's pick: Jazzin’ with Jaxen

Jazz quartet holds benefit concert at Tusten Theatre

WHEN: Saturday, May 30 at 8:00 p.m.

WHERE: The Tusten Theatre, Narrowsburg, NY.

COST: $15. DVAA members receive $2 discount on advance sales.

CONTACT: ArtsAllianceSite.org or 845/252-7272.

NARROWSBURG, NY — Kazzrie Jaxen has become a familiar figure to residents of the Upper Delaware River Valley, who have seen her in venues ranging from traditional concerts, to a performance with NACL that combined spoken pieces with primordial Qigong forms, to participation in the 2006 outdoors performance-art event “Roebling Resonance.” This weekend at the Tusten Theatre she will return, this time to the (comparatively) traditional stage, with the The Bob Keller-Kazzrie Jaxen Quartet, which will perform “For the Joy of the Line,” a benefit jazz concert presented by Delaware Valley Arts Alliance (DVAA). The quartet features Keller on saxophone, Jaxen on piano, Tom Whaley on drums and Miles Brown on bass.

Keller, born and raised in New York City, has over 50 years of professional experience as a saxophone player. He performed with big bands such as Buddy Rich’s Jazz Band; recorded and performed with Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Ella Fitzgerald and Rosemary Clooney; taught jazz at William Paterson University and Manhattan School of Music; and was an orchestra member for the Broadway theatre’s “Annie” and “The Lion King.”

Jaxen is by no means just a local talent. After studying at Berklee College of Music, she moved to New York City and studied privately with Lennie Tristano, who eventually presented her in a solo performance at Carnegie Hall. Her musical expression ranges from free improvisation to jazz standards, from original songs to vibrational excursions. Classically trained as a child, her performances have included concerts at The Greenwich Village Jazz Festival, The Blue Note and Birdland, as well as her one-woman shows combining original music, artwork, poetry and stories.

Keller and Jaxen will be backed up with a rhythm section made up of Tom Whaley on drums and Miles Brown on bass.

The Bob Keller-Kazzrie Jaxen Quartet concert is a benefit for DVAA, the Arts Council for Sullivan County, and is dedicated to the memory of former DVAA trustee Stan Segal.