Chris Bakriges and Stanley Chepaitis

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In 1941 the artist Henri Matisse found himself ill, bedridden, and unable to pick up a paint brush. He found, however, that he could maneuver scissors through prepared sheets of brightly colored paper. He referred to this technique as “painting with scissors.” Among his first adventures with paper cutouts was a book called Jazz, which Matisse prepared in 1942 and published in 1947. The book containing twenty color plates as well as his written thoughts was initially only printed in a hundred copies. Matisse viewed jazz as a “chromatic and rhythmic improvisation.” The title Jazz evoked for Matisse the idea of a structure of rhythm and repetition broken by the unexpected action of improvisations. He wrote, “There are wonderful things in real jazz, the talent for improvisation, the liveliness, the being at one with the audience.” Both the text and the cut outs inspired Chris and Stanley to make what they refer to as musical reflections on Matisse’s work. Matisse used the energy of a still young musical idiom called jazz in enticing the art world to “teach the eye to hear.” ARTIST BIOGRAPHIES Christopher Bakriges (piano, composer) is resident artist at Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Boston and Elms College in Chicopee, Massachusetts. His doctorate in ethnomusicology/musicology afforded him the opportunity to study with the legendary Oscar Peterson. His work traverses jazz, chamber, and world music. Bakriges is a founding member of Critical Theory Ensemble, Q’TET, Quartet ‘Til the End of Time, and the Oikos Ensemble, Bakriges has both lectured and performed throughout the United States and internationally in India, Pakistan, Turkey, The Czech Republic, United Kingdom, and France. Stanley Chepaitis (violin) is Chair of the String Department at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Stanley is a founding member of the Litton Quartet and the Gorell Trio. He organizes regular performances of jazz, baroque, and classical music, often combining these genres in unusual new works. With presenting youth events a specialty, he has conducted youth concerts with the Arkansas Symphony, numerous college orchestras, and district and regional orchestras in the Mid Atlantic, Mid-West, and North West regions of the country. Additionally, he has conducted operas by Mozart (The Impressario), Menotti (The Telephone), Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker, and Mikado by Gilbert & Sullivan. His international performances include engagements at the Academy of Music in Zagreb, Croatia, the Academy of Music in Ljubljana, Slovenia, and a special jazz program for an audience of German music teachers at the Hoechschule in Hanover, Germany. In the states, Stanley has presented concerts at the Eastman School's Kilbourne Hall, Carnegie Mellon University, and the Krannert Center, in Champagne, Illinois.

Uploaded: 2014-09-29
Size: 400 x 598 pixels

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