Vocalist Hillary Smith and Saxophonist Glenn Kostur have been making music together for nearly 30 years, sharing the stage in groups like Hip Pocket, The GTs, The Brethren, Soul Kitchen, Chill House, and most recently, the Albuquerque Jazz Orchestra. Kostur arranged and played saxophone on Smith’s album, No Easy Way, and he was a featured soloist on Raw Honey, the live album from her group hONEyhoUSe, which was recorded at the Outpost. Their musical connection runs deep, shaped by shared roots in jazz, soul, blues, and R&B. A New Mexico native, Hillary Smith has been a pillar of the local scene since the early 1980’s while Kostur arrived in the mid-’90s to lead the jazz program at UNM and quickly became immersed in the state’s vibrant music culture. There’s a long tradition in jazz of vocalists and saxophonists forming creative partnerships, ie: Billie Holiday and Lester Young. Kostur notes, “I learned early on that Hillary and I share a lot of the same musical tastes, but more than that, we both approach performance as a two-way street. It's about connecting—with audiences, with dancers, with each other. That energy exchange is everything.” For both artists, community is at the heart of what they do—on stage and off. Tonight’s concert focuses on the jazz side of their musical partnership and as Kostur says, “It builds on a show we did at the Outpost a couple of years ago, a tribute to Nancy Wilson and Cannonball Adderley—another vocalist/saxophonist duo that we both draw inspiration from.” They’re joined by John Funkhouser, pianos; Gordy Johnson, bass; and Rich Malloy, drums — three exceptional players who’ve added their voices to New Mexico’s growing jazz landscape in recent years. As Smith put it, “These brethren have been my teachers, and, along with Alex Murzyn, they’ve opened an entire new world with validating instruction and pure love … most grateful to be on stage with each of these masters.”
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