Music
Press
'THANK Q,' an October 1 World Music Tribute To the Humanitarian Works Of Quincy
Jones, Will Feature U.S. Premiere of 'The Return Of Nuwa' From World Music Group
Pilgrim
LOS ANGELES, Sept. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- The concert
and benefit "THANK Q -- A World Music Tribute To the
Humanitarian Works Of Quincy Jones," will take place
at the Wilshire Theatre Beverly Hills on Wednesday,
October 1 at 8PM. The event will feature the U.S.
premiere of the multimedia work "The Return Of Nuwa"
and other pieces by world music group Pilgrim. The
legendary "Q," Quincy Jones, will be presented with
the "Unity Through Music Award," and the evening will
close with a multicultural performance -- featuring
Pilgrim with special surprise guest artists -- of "We Are
The World," the GRAMMY-winning, Jones-produced
1985 anthem.
In keeping with the spirit of "We Are The World" and its assemblage of superstar performers who banded
together as USA For Africa, net proceeds from "THANK Q" will benefit two non-profit organizations
making a difference of the lives of people inAfrica: Malaria No More, dedicated to ending deaths caused
by the disease, and Millennium Promise, whose flagship program, Millennium Villages comprehensively
addresses extreme poverty throughout sub-Saharan Africa.
The event is produced by Dreamscape Studios, Gema Productions, Alexandra Guarnieri and Tulsi
Checa and music supervised by John Wilson. "Quincy Jones has touched the hearts and lives of
countless people worldwide," said Dreamscape Studios founder and owner Alexander Vickers, who
conceived "THANK Q," adding, "his artistic genius has been recognized many times, and we felt the time
was right to honor his service to humanity and outreach to people in developing nations," Event producer
Alexandra Guarnieri said, "I am so excited to embark on this wonderful and visionary musical journey,
and to be saluting the remarkable humanitarian work of Quincy Jones." The Unity Through Music Award
is a special tapestry commissioned by Vickers representing the concept of the world being held together
not by boundaries and divisions, but by music and rhythms that unite people everywhere.
The principals of thePeru-based world music group Pilgrim are award-winning Azerbaijani musician,
composer and producer Gennady and Afro-Peruvian performance artist, percussionist and project
designer Silmah. For the U.S. debut of their multimedia masterwork "The Return Of Nuwa," they'll be
joined by an international collective of world music artists and dancers in addition to a gospel choir. An
evolving, collaborative piece, "The Return Of Nuwa" is powered by heavy grooves and a sound that's
been described as "tribal funk" and "ancestral ambient." This unique musical and visual journey tells the
story of Nuwa -- the creator of humanity, according to Chinese mythology -- and seeks to connect
audiences to an ancient, primal past and the balanced, unifying "Sacred Feminine" that lives inside all
men and women.
During "THANK Q," Pilgrim will also premiere other works, including selections from their forthcoming
album The Women Who Walked The Sky. The album is performed in the vanishing oral tradition of
Quechua, an ancient language spoken in the Andes mountains ofPeru. Quechuan is one of many global
dialects that will be represented in the evening's climactic performance of "We Are The World" in tribute
to Quincy Jones.
General admission tickets for this event are $25 through Ticketmaster (http://www.ticketmaster.com). A
limited number of $1,000 VIP tickets are also available, and include a post-event reception hosted by
Pilgrim and Gema Productions at the newHollywood club 24K Lounge. Contact 310.392.7327 or
events@dreamscapestudiosla.com for reservations and information.
For more information, log on to http://www.Q-Concert.org
- News Blaze
Discography
As a performer and producer Year 2000 Label Gema Productions Gennady -- A Russian with Latin Taste includes Latin Jazz and Bolero
Year 2005 Label Gema Productions Gennady -- Gennady includes Funk, Hip Hop, Elk Fusion
As a producer - Year 2006 Label Gema Productions -- The Return Of NuWa -- Includes World, Ethno, Electronic
As a producer - Year 2007 Label Gema Productions -- Ines Cook -- No Lies -- Pop Fusion
As a performer & porducer - Year 2008 Concerts with Pilgrim World Fusion Band with collaboration of Quincy Jones , Millennium Promise , Malaria No More.
Photos
Bio
GENNADY
BIO
Gennady was born in Baku 1970, the capital of Azerbaijan, which at that time was part of the USSR, and now is an independent country. His first musical experience was Gregorian chanting in a choir in the Orthodox Church. He also enjoyed and studied the music of the native Azerbaijans-- the Mugam, and its percussion and rhythms along with wind instruments such as the Duduk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
At a very early age he began to nourish his passion for music with American Pop, R&B, Funk and Soul artists such as Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Aretha Franklin, Nina Simone, Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, Marvin Gaye, and James Brown, as well as British and American Rock Pop like The Police, Peter Gabriel, Pink Floyd, Brian Eno, and Jimmy Hendrix . Jazz was his next discovery with instrumental legends like John Coltrane, Miles Davis, The Brecker Brothers, Weather Report and Vagif Mustafa Zadeh and his amazing fusion between Arab traditional music and jazz . The jazz gene was tapped! Determined to become a musician, by 17 he was playing in the Jazz Big Band of the National Conservatory of Kara Karaiev in Baku, Azerbaijan and he graduated with his solo Tenor Jazz Funk Solo of Cole Porter’s composition “Love For Sale”. . . . . . . .
From 1988 until 1990 he formed and played in a Jazz Big Band at the Soviet Military Forces in Ulan Ude Siberia where he collaborated as a performer and an arranger. . . . .
In 1992, in the midst of war and ethnical conflicts and the separation of the USSR, Gennady was forced to leave his country persecuted by rebel Azerbaijani military regime as a human rights activist and for his disagreeing to participate in civil war against Armenia
.. . . . . . . . . . . . .
Gennady abandoned his country and traveled to Cuba, where he started studying and exploring Afro-Cuban and Latin Jazz forms. In 1994, he moved to Lima, Peru, where he decided to stay and began a new period in his life. He discovered and mastered Afro-Peruvian music and rhythms from singer, teacher, and World Music Grammy Nominee Susana Baca and the well-known Afro-Peruvian percussionist Julio “Chocolate” Algendones. He then integrated those newly learned styles such as Festejo, Lando and Zamacueca with Jazz and Arabic music. . . . . . . . . . .
Along with his musical experiences during his stay and travels in Latin America Gennady also dedicated his life and musical experience to support education in arts and music for children and teenagers by helping connect sponsors like Yamaha Musical Instruments and the National Institute of Culture with government schools in Peru.
Here is a brief resume’ representing Gennady’s eclectic musical works as a saxophone player and producer in the genres of World Music, Jazz Fusion and Latin. . . . . . . .
1995 Gennady recorded an album with special guest Chocolate Julio Algendones. The album was dedicated to Afro-Peruvian styles of music as well a fusion with Contemporary Jazz. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1997 Gennady performed and collaborated with Latin Pop Grammy Nominee Gian Marco Zignago who is presently working with the famous Miami-based producer and musician Emilio Estefan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1998 Gennady recorded a Latin Jazz Big Band album dedicated to The Kings of Mambo-- Perez Prado and Benny More-- in collaboration with Jean Pierre Magnet a well-known producer and also one of the leading saxophone players in Latin America. . . . . . . . . . .
1999 Gennady goes back to the roots of Latin music and records an album of traditional Latin boleros with some subtle elements of contemporary music. The CD is called “A Russian with Latin Taste”. . . . . . . . .
2004 Gennady produced, presented and launched the tour of the Latin jazz band called ESE&ENE that included musicians from all over the world including Russia, Cuba, Peru, and the USA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2005 Gennady produced another Latin jazz project called “Son de C” or Son de Cuba, which included the participation of almost 20 musicians from Cuba, Peru and the USA with the renowned and award-winning Cuban singer Isabel Inigo on lead vocals. . . . . . .
2007 He recorded and produced an album that landed in the Top 100 European charts as one of the best contemporary instrumental albums performing as a saxophone. This album is a fusion of jazz, funk and R&B with subtle Arabian influences. He collaborated with Sammy Peralta, a NYC-based producer and composer who also collaborates with artists such as Tito Puente, Ray Vega, Ron Carter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2008 Gennady absolutely submerged and dedicated himself to producing integrating different ethnic elements with ethno-tribal and groundbreaking electronic music. This project became the world music band Pilgrim and the first record released was called “The Return Of NuWa”. It gathered musicians, dancers and multimedia artists from all over the world. The main concept behin
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