Dark Lake

Performed by Akeem Marable and The Central Focus Trio

Tchaikovsky’s brilliant and timeless ballet Swan Lake needs no introduction. Akeem Marable and the Central Focus Trio’s Dark Lake is a reimagining of this timeless work of art, and The Velvet Note’s kickoff to the 2013 holiday season. The music here is a bare bones reduction of the original. At times, the group is hauntingly sparse in its interpretation. But here lies the magic of the work: each painstakingly small detail from the original is a poignant piece of the whole. Each motif, each idea, each snippet can be decomposed and reformed into a beautiful original. This is Dark Lake.

About the musicians:

Akeem Marable is one of the most outstanding saxophonists in Atlanta, regardless of age. He is equally at home playing tonal or atonal music and looks forward to all musical challenges. His mature composition style belies his age and Akeem is also an accomplished drummer. Marable comes to us from one of America’s great sports towns, Valdosta, GA and is a graduate of the prestigious University of North Florida School of American Music as well as Georgia State University. He plays Kellworth Saxophones and Lagere Reeds.

The Central Focus Trio is a long-standing group that has been lighting up Atlanta for many years. The trio consists of Nick Rosen on piano, Nadav Spiegelman on bass, and Justin Chesarek on drums. These three individuals play with an unmistakable cohesion that reflects the history of jazz whilst illuminating the future.

Justin Chesarek hails from the same place as Jeff “Tain” Watts and Art Blakey, Pittsburgh, PA, and he hits with just as much ferocity and grace as his predecessors.

Nick Rosen is from Miami, FL. His broad skills and diverse musical palette cause him to be equally at home playing the most forward-thinking jazz music, the most demanding classical repertoire or Afro-Cuban music at the highest level.

Nadav Spiegelman can play anything. His mature tone and the solidity of his time reflect the lineage of his influences while his playing is just as capable and confident as that of his elders, Omer Avital and Avishai Cohen.

Tickets: $20 One Show Only: 7:30pm