Frank Pitts & THe Unmeasured Quartet
An Evening of Italian Art Song & Jazz
Saturday, February 26th @ 8:00 PM
This concert is also made possible with support from Kaleidoscope Genre Underwriters:
Greg & Deb Bolino, DG Reimagined.
Our Kaleidoscope Genre events embrace concerts that blur genre lines in compelling and unique ways.
In 2019, The Unmeasured Dectet made their Kerrytown Concert House debut, marrying French Baroque music with jazz. Returning to the lab, Brian DiBlassio has teamed up with esteemed bass opera vocalist Frank Pitts to combine Italian Art Song with jazz! They will be joined by local jazz heroes Pete Siers and Kurt Krahnke as well as Joe Wright, veteran tenor saxophonist from the Flint scene.
Can’t join us inside the House? Click the button below to watch the free livestream of this performance at showtime. (Free livestreams are only available this season during the actual showtime.)
COVID-19 Safety Policy for Indoor Concerts
- Moving forward, all patrons and artists who wish to attend or present performances indoors at KCH must provide a valid, complete COVID-19 vaccination card OR proof of a negative COVID-19 test performed within the previous 72 hours prior to entry. Such proof must be presented at concert check-in, may be displayed on a smartphone OR presented as a physical copy, and must also be accompanied by a matching, valid ID for verification.**
- Additionally, according to current CDC recommendations, masks are required for audiences inside the House and can only be removed when seated with a beverage (when available). When performing, artists may wear a mask, or not, at their own discretion.
**Proof of vaccination exceptions will be made for children under 12 and people with a medical condition or closely held religious beliefs that prevent vaccination. These guests must provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within the previous 72 hours prior to entry.
vocalist (bass)
Frank Pitts is an American bass known for his distinctive, booming voice and consummate musicianship. On the heels of his outstanding success as Simone in Michigan Opera Theater’s 2020 double-bill production of Gianni Schicchi/Buoso’s Ghost, Opera News praised him stating “Frank Pitts’ big, resonant bass lent appropriate gravitas to cousin Simone and anchored the men’s ensemble…”
Previously, Mr. Pitts enjoyed a full and active 2018-2019 season. The predominant focuses were his performances as The Commendatore in Don Giovanni and Reverend Hale in The Crucible, all with the prestigious Berlin Opera Academy in Germany. In May 2019, Mr. Pitts performed as The Peach Checker in Ricky Ian Gordon’s The Grapes of Wrath under the baton of Michael Christie.
Having performed numerous times as featured solo artist with the Flint Symphony Orchestra, Mr. Pitts’ basso profundo was especially noteworthy in Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Serenade to Music with Teatro Colon’s Maestro Enrique Demieck. While participating in the renowned AIMS program in Graz, Austria, Mr. Pitts performed as bass soloist in Rossini’s Stabat Mater. Other favored oratorio works to his credit include the Verdi Requiem, Hayden’s Creation and Handel’s Messiah. Also of note was his outstanding appearance as bass soloist in the beloved Hanukkah Lights for the Flint Symphony Orchestra’s televised “ABC 12 Holiday Pops” in 2017.
Equally successful in both opera and musical theater, Mr. Pitts has performed roles ranging from Don Bartolo in The Barber of Seville and Pooh-Bah in The Mikado to Pulitzer in Newsies and Edna Turnblad in Hairspray. Also in demand for voice-over work, the bass has served in such capacity as God in Monty Python’s Spamalot, The Grinch in The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors, and other deep bass-speaking roles in musical theater.
Also in demand for his excellence and versatility on the piano as well as his fine conducting ability, Frank Pitts predominantly resides in Flint, Michigan and studies voice with Nada Radakovich.
piano
Brian DiBlassio is currently Associate Professor of Music at the University of Michigan – Flint where he was awarded the Rosen Excellence in Teaching Award in 2011. DiBlassio composes and arranges for symphonic, chamber, vocal and jazz ensembles. His work has been performed by the Flint Symphony Orchestra and aired on national television.
DiBlassio performs and records with the Afro-Cuban groups Tumbao Bravo, Los Gatos, and Nuevo Rumbón. He has had the honor of sharing the stage in brief appearances with Arturo Sandoval, Eddie Palmieri, Michael Brecker, Dave Liebman, Jon Hendrix, and Andy Narell. He has also given present ions at the 1st International Clare Fischer Symposium in Graz, Austria as well at the Jazz Education Network Conference.
DiBlassio has previously been a faculty member of Bowling Green State University and the School Performing Arts – Ann Arbor where he founded the Downbeat award-winning SPA-AA Jazz Combo program. He has received degrees in Jazz/Music Media & Industry, and Improvisation from the University of Miami and the University of Michigan.
tenor saxophone
Joseph Wright has been a member of the faculty at the University of Michigan-Flint for the past twenty years. In addition to performing with the UMF Faculty Jazz Quintet and his own group, he has also had the privilege of performing with many musical luminaries over the past fifty years, including The Temptations, The Four Tops, Martha Reeves, Rare Earth, Lou Rawls, Natalie Cole, Andy Narell, and the orchestras of Nelson Riddle, Glenn Miller, and Peter Duchin, among thers. Wright has made many appearances at the Montreux-Detroit Jazz Festival.
When not on campus, you will find Joseph Wright at Sherm’s Musical Instrument Repair, a popular Flint area repair shop that he has owned and operated for the past thirty-five years.
bass
Bassist Kurt Krahnke is a graduate of the Berklee College of Music, but also studied at the New England Conservatory of Music. He toured the East coast with Ron Levy for two years and then returned to Detroit, where he taught with the Summer Music Program under the direction of Wendell Harrison. Since his return to Michigan, Krahnke has played with Phil Lasley, Jimmy Giuffre, Joe Henderson, Sonny Fortune, Pinetop Perkins, Russell Green, and toured and recorded with Leon Thomas. In 1989, Kurt performed as a finalist in the Hennessey Jazz Search in Hollywood, CA, with the Steve Wood/Brad Felt Quintet. Krahnke played and toured with the acclaimed JC Heard Orchestra from 1986-89 and received the Best Jazz Bassist award from the Metro-Times. Kurt has recorded and played with Paul VornHagen for eight years and continues to serve as a mentor for young bassists in the region.
drums
Like Clark Kent, jazz percussionist Pete Siers is soft-spoken and unassuming–but put him behind a drum set, and a hard-swinging, intensely physical, dynamically sensitive drummer emerges. When Pete plays, “straight-ahead, readily apparent musical joy” can be expected, according to the Southeastern Michigan Jazz Association. And Paul Pearce of Bass World magazine writes that “Pete absolutely ‘sings’ with his drum kit.”
A consummate professional, Pete has an international reputation for his “restless curiosity, attention to detail, and mastery of many different styles,” according to Mike Stratton, host of the FM 89.7 radio show, “The Vinyl Side of Midnight.” Siers has played with jazz luminaries such as Russell Malone, Mulgrew Miller, Marian McPartland, Lee Konitz, Benny Golson, James Moody, Kenny Werner, David “Fathead” Newman, Eddie Daniels, Frank Morgan, Scott Hamilton, Bob Wilber, and Barry Harris. In addition to his expansive performance career, Siers has played on over 50 recordings, including Russell Malone’s Black Butterfly on Columbia Records. He recently played Carnegie Hall, has toured Europe several times, and is a long-time favorite at many jazz parties and festivals across the U.S. Pete continues to perform orchestral pops shows such as Dave Bennett’s Salute to Benny Goodman.
In addition to his performance and recording career, Pete has taught percussion and jazz drumming for over 25 years. He teaches privately as well as having taught at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor School for Performing Arts, Emory University, Purdue University and Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp. He was also an artist-in-residence at Interlochen School of the Arts. Despite being a veteran teacher, Pete recognizes the impact of other musicians on his style such as New York pianist and educator Kenny Warner with his concept of “effortless mastery,” Jeff Hamilton’s dynamic showmanship, New York drummer Bill Stewart’s flawless execution and coordination, and Elvin Jones’ primitive, organic drive. But one of Pete’s greatest lessons was from Detroit saxophonist Larry Nozero back in the ’80s when Nozero told him before their show, “Rehearsals are over–it’s time to play.” “This hit my like a shot,” says Pete. “From this, I began to understand what it is to play music at the highest level. When I play, I want to go up there and disappear, to be the sound.” Siers is an authentic risk-taker who serves the music and surrenders to what it calls for.
Siers’ aspirations are as numerous as his accomplishments. Says Siers, “Staying inspired is important, whether it’s practicing, teaching, playing, or just being a husband and father. I feel very lucky to be around positive energy.” Pete resides in Ann Arbor, Michigan, with his wife, Stephanie Hale, and their two children, Charlie and Neva.
