Shades of Jazz with Pedrito Martinez

The Katonah Museum of Art (www.katonahmuseum.org) is tuning up for another summer filled with sunshine, art, and jazz as Shades of Jazz returns for its fifth season. As curator for the series, legendary guitarist John Scofield presents some of the brightest talents in jazz today and jams with them at the end of each performance in the Museum's Sculpture Garden.

The series will kick off on Wednesday, June 16 when Scofield welcomes Cuban percussionist Pedro Pablo "Pedrito" Martinez. The intimate concert begins at 6:30pm. Admission is $10 for members, $20 for nonmembers, and includes complimentary beer and wine. Along with chairs and blankets, guests are invited to pack a picnic dinner to enjoy during the show.  Willy Nick's in Katonah is offering special gourmet picnic baskets that may be reserved by calling (914) 232-8030. Reservations for Shades of Jazz are strongly suggested and may be made by calling (914) 232-9555, ext. 0. The Katonah Museum of Art is located at 134 Jay Street (Route 22) in Katonah, NY. 

Havana native Pedro Pablo "Pedrito" Martínez hit the Afro-Cuban music scene as a vocalist and percussionist at the tender age of 11. He settled in New York following his North American debut in 1998 performing with Canadian saxophonist Jane Bunnett's Spirits of Havana ensemble. In 2000 Pedrito won first prize in the Thelonious Monk Institute's Afro-Latin Hand Drumming competition held at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., leading to work with some of today's top jazz maestros including Nelson Gonzalez, Robby Ameen, Paquito D'Rivera, Giovanni Hidalgo, Patato, and Candido Camero.