UMass Fine Arts Center Presents Zaccai Curtis Afro-Cuban Jazz Quartet Virtual Concert and Artist Q&A

Zaccai Curtis
Zaccai Curtis

The Fine Arts Center is presenting an evening with the Zaccai Curtis Afro-Cuban Jazz Quartet on Saturday, March 27, at 7 p.m. ET. The streaming concert is followed by a live Q&A with Zaccai and the audience. Media sponsors for this event are the Daily Hampshire Gazette and El Sol Latino. Tickets are $7 per household or device and available at fineartscenter.com. For questions regarding tickets, the box office can be reached by phone at 413-545-2511 or 800-999-UMAS, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

Jazz pianist Zaccai Curtis brings the knockout musicians of his Afro-Cuban Jazz Quartet, comprised of his brother, Luques Curtis on bass, Willie Martinez on timbales, and Camilo Molina on congas. The program on the virtual stage ranges from Dizzy Gillespie to Machito. Curtis honors the blues harmonies and swing rhythms of the African-Caribbean-New Orleans music lineage within his genre-bending style, and has earned fans from multiple musical backgrounds and interests. After graduating from New England Conservatory in 2005, Zaccai Curtis moved to New York City where he performs regularly with artists such as: Donald Harrison, Cindy Blackman Santana, Eddie Palmieri, Christian Scott, Ralph Peterson, T.K. Blue, Brian Lynch, Little Johnny Rivero, Ray Vega and Eric Person. Curtis composes and arranges for his own band Cubop, big band Orquesta, The Curtis Brothers as well as Chembo Corniel, Steve Kroon, Mitch Frohman and other bands. In 2003-06, Zaccai was winner of the ASCAP Young Jazz Composer’s competition and his quartet was twice selected by the U.S. State Department to be in the American Music Abroad (Jazz Ambassadors) program. The quartet performed in Bangladesh, Calcutta, Bangalore, Mumbai, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. In 2017 Curtis became a Chamber Music America “New Jazz Works” grant recipient. Curtis currently performs his own music with his group, Curtis Brothers Quartet and released his album, “Syzygy,” after three other successful releases, “A Genesis,” “Blood Spirit Land Water Freedom,” and “Completion of Proof.” Along with his brother Luques, Zaccai has developed TRRcollective, a recording collective of musicians that produce music on their own terms. He is proud to have been a producer for the Grammy-nominated album, “Entre Colegas,” released on this label.

The UMass Fine Arts Center is supported by the New England Foundation for the Arts through the New England Arts Resilience Fund, part of the United States Regional Arts Resilience Fund, an initiative of the U.S. Regional Arts Organizations and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, with major funding from the federal CARES Act from the National Endowment for the Arts. The Fine Arts Center hosts Zaccai Curtis as part of the Reimagine Residency Series, which invites nationally-recognized artists who are dedicated to addressing contemporary social issues to engage through performance, education, and outreach activities. Zaccai's residency includes educational outreach to UMass students in the music department, Five College students and local high schools.