Metro Tang opens Jazzfest at Tusten

NARROWSBURG - Metro Tang brings a unique angle to jazz as the sixteenth annual JazzFest at Tusten opener at Tusten Theatre, 210 Bridge Street, Narrowsburg, N.Y., on Saturday, May 13, at 8 p.m. The group uses standard jazz forms, with some tunes sounding more Latin than African, others keeping the blues in mind. Traditional jazz fans will hear new twists to familiar tunes. Combining African drumming rhythms with funky bass lines and long flowing melodies, the music has something for everybody. Based in New York City, the outstanding musicians who comprise Metro Tang got there from Israel, Ecuador, New Jersey, Ohio, and the Caribbean, and together they have recorded and toured throughout the world. Bandleader Chacho Ramirez, is a composer and percussionist specializing in Afro-Caribbean, Latin music and jazz. He performs throughout the metropolitan area, and has worked with such artists as Ahmad Jamal, Olatunji (Drums of Passion), Bo Diddley, and Orquesta Universal, which has just released its CD, “New York Salsa.” Ramirez also works regularly as a Teaching Artist in New York area public schools and has a written study guide on the history of music in the Caribbean. Jazzfest continues on Saturday, May 27, with Big Band Swing Machine, a 16-member orchestra returning to the Catskills from gigs held at the Concord, Grossingers, Granit and Kutchers. Specializing in swing and jazz, the Swing Machine travels throughout the Connecticut, New York and New Jersey. The sixteenth Annual Jazzfest is presented by Delaware Valley Arts Alliance, the Arts Council for Sullivan County, New York, now celebrating its 30th year of providing cultural services to the Sullivan County-Upper Delaware Valley Region. Corporate supporters are the First National Bank of Jeffersonville, Kohler Lumber, Jill’s Kitchen Catering, Woodstock Stage and Screen and The River Reporter. Admission to Metro Tang is $15, $13 for DVAA members. For reservations and information call 845-252-7576 or visit www.ArtsAllianceSite.org.