Ravinia 2022, Issue 6

MEHDI HASSINE (ZOOZ); PASHA RIGER (KELLY) CAROUSEL STAGE 7:30 PM FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2022 TOO MANY ZOOZ † with special guest GRACE KELLY # † Ravinia debut # Ravinia Steans Music Institute alum TOO MANY ZOOZ The curious thing about being a fan of brass- house is that it could also be stated as being a fan of a single band, the amusingly moni- kered Too Many Zooz. The style of music was coined by drummer King of Sludge, who recognized that there was no worthy exist- ing classification for the New York–based trio, whose other members are the equally unclassifiable Leo P (saxophone) and Matt Doe (trumpet). It’s this rejection of con- vention that has garnered Too Many Zooz a wide-ranging fanbase—including one Be- yoncé Knowles, who invited them to perform with her at the Billboard Music Awards. After two years, four EPs, and more live perfor- mances than could accurately be counted, in 2016 the trio cut their first full-length album, Subway Gawdz —an unsubtle reference to their gestation in the underground stations of New York City—and received enthusias- tic acclaim. Its 15 tracks combine inescapable grooves that take in dub, soul, funk, and ska with utterly exhilarating horn blasts and an equal dose of attitude. Following a deal with Ministry of Sound, Too Many Zooz’ single “Warriors” racked up major play on Radio One, followed by high-profile remixes from the likes of Armand Van Helden and KDA. Then UK sensation Jess Glynne penned lyrics and added vocals to morph the song into “So Real (Warriors),” which has been climbing Eu- ropean charts while the music video for “Car Alarm” racked up more than 500,000 views in one week alone. Another sign of arrival was KFC syncing one of the trio’s songs to a commercial in the Canadian market. Leo P was even invited to play at the BBC Proms in a 2017 tribute to Charles Mingus. Yet Too Many Zooz’ future plans have changed little, including, as ever, extensive road shows from coast to coast—Seattle to Houston to Phil- adelphia—and across Europe to the likes of Krakow, Strasbourg, and Marseille. Too Many Zooz is making its Ravinia debut. GRACE KELLY Singer-saxophonist-songwriter-composer and bandleader Grace Kelly has rocked the jazz world with 13 acclaimed albums, a concert résumé that includes sellout dates and per- forming at the Hollywood Bowl, and regular appearances on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert as part of the house band—all before reaching her mid-20s. Kelly’s early career fea- tured performances as a soloist with the Bos- ton Pops playing an original composition (age 14) and at Barack Obama’s 2009 inauguration (age 16); she has since tallied over 900 shows as a bandleader, playing in 35 countries at such venues as the Kennedy Center, Moscow’s Symphony Hall, and the Montreal, Newport, and Montreux Jazz Festivals. All the while, Kelly has contributed instrumentals and vo- cals to live gigs and recordings with Lin-Man- uel Miranda, Dave Brubeck, Lee Konitz, Phil Woods, Huey Lewis, Harry Connick Jr., Glo- ria Estefan, Questlove, and Wynton Marsalis, among other artists, and she has played on screen in the documentary Sound of Redemp- tion: The Frank Morgan Story , the Amazon series Bosch , and the 2017 Emmy-winning Yamaha production “The Right Note.” She earned Song of the Year honors in the 2018 John Lennon Songwriting Contest with her single “Feels Like Home,” and nine times consecutively was named a Rising Star Alto Saxophone in the DownBeat Magazine Critics Poll, from 2009 (the youngest ever honoree, at age 17) to 2017 (when she won the poll). Kelly has also been featured in Vanity Fair for her state-of-the-art brand of electro jazz-pop and digital content, heralded among fusion pioneers like Snarky Puppy, Jacob Collier, Jon Batiste, and Too Many Zooz. Her most recent album, GO TiME: Live in LA , is the third in a series of video albums that incorporate spe- cial guests and inventive dance moves while playing. Amaster clinician specializing in jazz improvisation and stage performance, Kelly has taught thousands of students online and in person, including a residency at the Berklee College of Music. A 2017 Ravinia Steans Mu- sic Institute fellow, Grace Kelly is making her first return to the festival. RAVINIA MAGAZINE • AUGUST 29 – SEPTEMBER 18, 2022 36