Director of Jazz Activities, David Bixler will be performing at Jazz@Lincoln Center in New York City this Friday and Saturday, April 13th and 14th with the Toshiko Akiyoshi Jazz Orchestra. Led by pianist and composer Toshiko Akiyoshi who came to prominence in the 1970s when the big band was an anomaly. Influenced by the sounds of her native Japan and big band leaders before her (namely Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus, and Bud Powell), Akiyoshi embraced the big band style and rose to success by pumping power into the reed section. Anchored by her long-time partner, saxophonist Lew Tabackin, and Japanese taiko drummer Eitetsu Hayashi, the Toshiko Akiyoshi Jazz Orchestra will perform Akiyoshi’s award-winning compositions.
