Pink Martini
Great Performers Series Artist
Performance(s):
Saturday, February 18, 2006: 8:00 p.m.
Somewhere between a 1930s Cuban dance orchestra, a classical chamber music ensemble, a Brasilian marching street
band and Japanese film noir is the 12-piece Pink Martini.
This ensemble from Portland, Oregon, wowed the fabulous on the Cannes party circuit last year (Sharon Stone danced onstage while they played), but that
accomplishment hardly addresses the beautiful and sophisticated music of Pink Martini. Led by Harvard graduate and classically trained pianist
Thomas M. Lauderdale, the band moves gracefully between such genres as Cuban rumbas and French cafe tunes. Vocalist China Forbes is captivating,
and Lauderdale's piano keeps the passionate rhythm section in line.
While you may not recognize their name, their music has been used in films such as Josie & the Pussycats, Nurse Betty and Tortilla Soup
as well as on the televisions shows The Sopranos, The West Wing and Felicity among others. Equally at home performing
its multi-lingual repertoire on concert stages and smoky bars, Pink Martini draws a wildly diverse crowd. They have
performed with the symphony orchestras of Oregon, Seattle, Nashville, New Jersey, Charlotte, San Antonio, Kansas City and
Jacksonville, among others. The group performed for three nights with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra in 2000 and two nights
with the Los Angeles Philharmonic on a co-bill with Sergio Mendes at the Hollywood Bowl in 2002. In October 2003, Pink Martini
performed at the grand opening of the Los Angeles Philharmonic's new Walt Disney Concert Hall. They were invited back to play
two sold-out performances for the hall's first New Year's Eve celebration in 2003. Other appearances include the Kennedy Center,
the opening of the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas and the William Morris Agency's 100th birthday celebration with soul legend, Al Green.
Pink Martini's debut album, Sympathique, was released independently on the band's own label, Heinz Records
(after Lauderdale's dog, Heinz) and has sold over 650,000 copies worldwide. Nominated for "Song of the Year"
and "Best New Artist" in France's Victoires de la Musique awards, Sympathique has gone Platinum in France and
Gold in Greece. The band's highly-anticipated second album, Hang on Little Tomato, was released in October, 2004 on
Heinz Records in the United States, and on Naive Records across Europe. The album features mostly original songs
written by the band and its extended family. Drawing on themes articulated in its first album, Hang on Little Tomato is the
result of the group's diverse collaborations and inspirations. From an advertisement for Hunt's Ketchup from a 1964 issue of
LIFE magazine to a dance sequence in the 1950 Italian film Anna, Hang on Little Tomato includes
songs in French, Italian, Japanese, Croatian, Spanish and English.
"My hope is that we're creating exquisite musical wallpaper which can be turned up or down, and played on almost
any occasion, from background music to a love affair to vacuuming around the house," Lauderdale says. "I think
our music allows people to dance and sing again with its beautiful melodies and beautiful lyrics.”
Tickets on sale now. For more information about Pink Martini, check out
their website at www.pinkmartini.com
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Cost:
$28
Seniors: $25
Buffalo State faculty/staff: $25
Buffalo State Student Rush: $15 (cash only), available one hour prior to show only.
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By Phone:
716-878-3005
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