Maureen Choi Quartet to play at Terraza 7 on Saturday
BY TAMMY SCILEPPI
Queens is where many jazz
greats rose to fame, and where
“cultural mixology” has
been perfected.
So, you can understand
why a Korean American
violinist with a passion for
jazz, who lives and teaches in
Spain, would get that musical
and emotional tug – pulling
her back here to perform for a
local audience, after traveling
around the world to the tune of
500-plus gigs (just in the last
couple of years).
You could say that Maureen
Choi, 36, and her awardwinning
Spanish Chamber
Jazz quartet – now on tour with
her new album – have turned
traditional jazz on its head.
Always improvising, they
have created an exciting and
unexpected, genre-breaking
sound: Call it a cultural
mix of traditional Spanish
music (think flamenco, but
on violin) and American jazz
improv traditions.
You’ll get a feel for it when
you experience an evening of
refreshing riffs at Terraza 7
in Elmhurst (40-19 Gleane St.)
this Saturday at 9 p.m. ($15
cover charge; FREE admission
for kids 12 and under).
Choi takes the audience on
an amazing emotional journey
through her violin.
The entire quartet has
a very strong classical
background and furthered
their higher education in jazz.
All four have performed all
over Spain (where they all live)
and across the U.S., and will
continue touring in China,
Korea, Japan and Taiwan later
this year.
Choi’s latest album,
“Theia” (her second), came out
in March. “The music that I
compose and perform is really
a reflection of who I am as a
person and all of my interests
musically and personally.
‘Theia’ really displays my
true voice as a musician
and captures the essence
of Maureen Choi Quartet,”
she explained.
The album’s fifth track,
“Dear Paco (Cepa Andaluza),”
is an homage to one of
the greatest musicians in
recent Spanish history,
Paco de Lucia.
“Paco de Lucia is a symbol
Photo courtesy of the artist
of excellence for me. He was
such a perfectionist and
used his artistry to push the
boundaries of flamenco,” Choi
said. “His timing is impeccable
and his technique on the
guitar is unparalleled. He is
a true ‘maestro’ artistically,
musically and technically.”
That tune is structured
around a flamenco rhythm
called bulerias, a complex,
twelve-beat pattern that is
uniquely difficult to master.
Figuring that rhythm out was
a huge challenge, according
to Choi who stated, “I didn’t
have another violinist to look
to – nobody has done this
sort of thing with the violin
before. So, I had to figure it
out myself.”
“Theia” reflects the
violinist’s love for all
things Spain.
“This October marks the
seventh year of me living
in Madrid. I absolutely love
living in Spain. The weather
is amazing, the people are
so kind, and I feel extremely
safe there,” Choi shared.
“The quality of life there in
general is very high and the
Spanish culture teaches me
to take things a bit slower and
to appreciate life, enjoying the
small things.”
The recording artist grew
up in Ann Arbor, Michigan,
playing the violin and piano,
and dancing ballet. “I used to
live in New York. My closest
friends live in New York and
my sister teaches and lives
in Brooklyn,” Choi noted. “I
worked on Broadway, while
performing with my quartet
in Queens, Brooklyn, Harlem
and the Bronx.”
The improv violinist, who
is inspired by jazz musicians
Regina Carter, Rodney
Whitaker, Johnny O’Neal
and Tigran Hamasyan, said,
“What jazz means to me, is
freedom of expression and
evolution. That is what draws
me to the tradition of jazz.
“Jazz is always marking
and reflecting ‘what is going
on’ historically and politically,
and I not only find that
interesting but fundamental
to society and humanity as
a whole.”
The quartet is planning
a return trip to New York in
March 2020.
CATERING MENU
Buffet Menu Sit Down Dinner
Minimum 40 Guests 3 Hour Function
(Mon.-Sat. 12-3pm or 1-4pm)
Assorted Breads & Rolls
All Unlimited
Large Tossed Salad
Fresh Cooked Turkey and Roast Beef Platter
Potato & Macaroni Salad
Choice of Five Main Dishes
Baked Ziti �� Penne a la Vodka �� Chicken Marsala
Sausage & Peppers �� Eggplant Rollatini
Meatballs �� Chicken Francese �� Shepherd’s Pie
Minimum 25 Guests 3 Hour Function
(Mon.-Sun. 5-10pm)
Assorted Breads & Rolls
House Salad
Choice of Three Main Dishes
Served with Potato & Vegetables
Broiled Filet of Sole �� Chicken Marsala
Penne a la Vodka �� Shrimp Scampi
Chicken Francese �� Spinach Ravioli
Shepherd’s Pie �� 16 oz. Black Angus Certifi ed
Shell Steak $4 extra / per person
�� Buff et Only...........................................................$18.95/pp
�� Dinner with Soft Drinks...................................$21.95/pp
�� Dinner w/ Domestic Tap Beer, Wine & Soda...$23.95/pp
�� Dinner w/ Mixed Drinks, Domestic Beer
(Bottle & Tap) Wine & Soda..............................$26.95/pp
�� Dinner w/ Top Shelf Liquors, Imported &
Domestic Beer (Bottle & Tap), Wine & Soda...$37.95/pp
�� Dinner w/ Domestic Tap Beer, Wine & Soda..$24.95/pp
�� Dinner w/ Mixed Drinks, Domestic Beer
(Bottle & Tap) Wine & Soda................................$27.95/pp
�� Dinner w/ Top Shelf Liquors, Imported &
Domestic Beer (Bottle & Tap), Wine & Soda...$37.95/pp
FRESH COFFEE, BREWED DECAF & TEAS
DESSERT
Chocolate Truffl e Cake
214-22 41st Ave., Bayside, NY 11361 �� 718-224-9898 �� maggiemaysbayside.com
30 TIMESLEDGER, JUNE 28, 2019 QNS.COM
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