Eric Mintel Quartet at Chandler

The Eric Mintel Quartet will usher in the winter season at Chandler Thursday, Dec. 6 at 7:30 p.m. with their program, "A Jazz Holiday," featuring the jazz music of Vince Guaraldi from "A Charlie Brown Christmas."

This popular concert series is quickly becoming a staple of the holiday season. Families have come to hear these timeless songs they grew up with and are now introducing them to their children in a fresh new interpretation. The concerts are not only entertaining, but introduce children to jazz in a live concert setting. Songs include the classic Linus and Lucy theme, "Christmas Time Is Here," "Skating," "Christmas Is Coming" and many more. Mintel’s original music will also be performed, as will classic holiday standards like "Winter Wonderland," "Silent Night," "Christmas Tree," "The Christmas Song" and many others.

"The music from ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’ was my first introduction to jazz," said Mintel. Music, especially classical and jazz, were always part of his household growing up. In 1993 he formed the quartet and began performing original jazz compositions and new interpretations of the American songbook. The group today includes Mintel on piano, Nelson Hill on alto sax, Dave Antonow on bass and Dave Mohn on drums.

Critics have hailed Mintel’s "passionate piano style," his attention to melody, his catchy original compositions and his use of classical elements within a performance.

In June 2005 Mintel was the featured guest on Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz on NPR. The Eric Mintel Quartet entertained at the White House in 1998 by special invitation of President Bill Clinton, and they have performed more than 10 concerts at the Kennedy Center in Washington. They recently opened for Dave Brubeck at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, after which Brubeck said, "As long as the music attracts dedicated young musicians like Eric Mintel, jazz will continue to thrive and progress as a voice of freedom. The world needs their voices."

It’s been eight years since the Eric Mintel Quartet performed at Chandler Music Hall but to Mintel it seems like yesterday.

"I remember our concert there back in 1999,"said Mintel from his home in Bucks County, Penna. "I had a ball and I remember the audience, the piano and the acoustics of the hall were incredible. I’m looking forward to performing there again."

A pre-concert talk at 6:30 p.m. will feature a discussion by members of the group about improvisation, the role of each instrument in the quartet, the communications between the four musicians, and the various approaches they bring to jazz as individuals and as a unit.

Reserved tickets are available at tickets@chandler-arts.org or by calling the box office at 728-6464 weekdays between the hours of 3-6 p.m., and from 11 a.m. until one hour before the show on the day of the performance.

This performance is presented by Chandler Center for the Arts and is sponsored by Randolph National Bank and the RUHS Music Boosters. Chandler Music Hall is wheelchair accessible.

____________