DESCRIPTION:
The Eco-Music Big Band members are:

Fred Ho (Concept/Composer)
Marie Incontrera (Composer/Conductor)

Adam Fisher (Cello)
Adam O'Farrill (Trumpet)
Albert Marques (Piano)
Amanda Ruzza (Bass)
Benjamin Barson (Baritone Saxophone)
Earl McIntyre (Bass Trombone)
Ernesto Villalobos (Violin)
Jay Rodriguez (Alto Saxophone)
Jon Mark McGowan (Trumpet)
Livio Almeida (Tenor Saxophone)
Nabate Isles (Trumpet)
Richard Harper (Trombone)
Salim Washington (Tenor Saxophone)
Winston Byrd (Trumpet)
Zack O'Farrill (Drums)

The Red, Black and Green Revolutionary Eco-Music Tour performed the music of two legendary and influential big band jazz composers: Calvin Massey, a leading 1960s African-American composer whose long-lost magnum opus "The Black Liberation Movement Suite" is one of the 20th century's great undiscovered long-form works; alongside famed composer, political activist, ecosocialist and "Best baritone saxophonist of all time" (The New Yorker) Fred Ho, who showcased the world premiere of his newest work, co-written by conductor Marie Incontrera: "The Revolutionary Gardens of Harlem Suite: A Tribute to Clifford Thornton".

Legendary Civil Rights Movement veteran Colia Clark and activist Ayanna Jones (political prisoner Russell Maroon Shoatz's fiancée) joined the tour as guests speakers, and Clare Dolan, director of the Museum of Everyday Life, presented a new Cantastoria work on the life and work of Cal Massey, the legacy of the Civil Rights and Black Power Movements, and their relevance and resonance in Vermont.

The tour collaborated with Vermont's premier performing Arts institutions, across a diverse spectrum of urban and rural locales, including the University of Vermont's Lane Series, BARNArts in Barnard, Johnson State College's Art and Music program, the Goddard College Concert Series, and the Governor's Institute in Vermont. It was sponsored by the Canaday Foundation and Goddard College.

The 16-piece Eco-Music Big Band included some of the nation's most acclaimed jazz musicians, including bass trombonist Earl McIntyre (Duke Ellington, Mel Lewis/Thad Jones), trumpeter Winston Byrd (Paquito D' Rivera, Clark Terry), and Fred Ho's saxophone protégé Ben Barson (Arturo O'Farrill, Craig Harris). Tenor saxophonist and distinguished jazz scholar Salim Washington (Pharoah Sanders, Randy Weston) accompanied the tour as performer and speaker, having worked with the music of Calvin Massey for decades.

The tour also launched the release of Truth And Dare: A Comic Book Curriculum for the End and the Beginning of the World, a graphic novel written by the environmental and social justice advocacy non-profit Ecosocialist Horizons, and featuring artwork from the internationally renowned comic collective World War Three Illustrated. Both a comic book and a teaching tool, this affordable comic book for all ages will promote a popular understanding of the ecological and social challenges humanity faces, and the political and economic strategies to find solutions.

Tour Dates & Locations:

Tuesday, 2/18: 7-9pm
Baruch College Performing Arts Center

Wednesday, 2/19, 7pm
Dibden Center for the Arts
Johnson State College

Thursday, 2/20, 7:30pm
Southwick Recital Hall, University of Vermont

Friday, 2/21, 7pm
BARNArts
First Universalist Church and Society of Barnard

Saturday, 2/22, 8pm
Haybarn Theatre at Goddard College

Sunday, 2/23, 6pm
The National Black Theatre

About the Producers and Sponsors:

This tour is organized by Scientific Soul Sessions, a multi-generational group united by the drive to pre-figure a new society, celebrating the unity of culture and politics. More information is available at: http://scientificsoulsessions.com

Truth And Dare is produced by Ecosocialist Horizons, an organization dedicated to building a united front for social and environmental justice. More information is available at: http://ecosocialisthorizons.com

Goddard College, a cosponsor of this tour, was founded in 1863 in Barre, VT, and moved to its current Plainfield campus in 1938. Goddard College's mission is "to advance cultures of rigorous inquiry, collaboration, and lifelong learning, where individuals take imaginative and responsible action in the world." More information is available at: http://www.goddard.edu/