Christopher Bonnier Pitts

I’m thrilled to announce a rare performance by my group, Chris Pitts EMX. Mark your calendars for Noon, on Saturday, October 26th! If it’s a beautiful day, we’ll perform outdoors on Bram Way between Starbucks and Cafe Nero in Newtonville (Austin St and Walnut st). If the weather has other plans, we’ll move inside to the New Art Center, 61 Washington Park, Newton, MA 02460.

I’m especially excited because we’ve been crafting new music for years now. A while back, my mentor, the legendary Detroit saxophonist Sam Sanders, told me to always play with musicians better than myself. I’m happy to say I’ve taken his advice to heart. I’m honored to perform with Harold Charon, Wes Wirth, and Kenwood Dennard—truly some of the finest musicians on the planet. Here’s a romantic teaser.

He performed at the 2022 Newton Piano Summit and just blew the house down. His talent can only be described as genius. He was among the “bring back” artists for 2023. He performs regularly with the Timba Messengers. Originally from Havana, he began piano lessons at 5 years old. Exuding musicianship decades beyond his years, he went on tours and received training from Fred Hersh, Taylor Eigsty, Billy Childs and the late Chick Corea. Crossing genres, Harold has worked with a variety of artists including Leo Vera, La Cruzada, and Los Clasicos. His music features influences from Latin, Salsa, Jazz and Timba

Wes Wirth – bass
“Wewh! That Bass player is great” said Carlos Santana with a smile as he listened to a recording of Wes who regularly performs, teaches, and records in the Boston area. Fluent in many styles including jazz, gospel, reggae, calypso, and Afro-pop, Wes has recorded or toured with legends such as Chuck Mangione and King Sunny Ade and George Russell, Hal Crook, and Yazhi Guo, Rakalam Bob Moses, Kenwood Dennard, Stanley Jordan, Vernon Reid, and David Fiuczynski. Wes is truly a Renaissance man, a recent sculpture was documented in this video. He has performed twice at the Newton Piano Summit and multiple times at the Newton Festival of the Arts.

Kenwood Denard – drums
Kenwood enjoys a multifaceted, star-studded career as a performer, recording artist, and educator, and has toured the world with Herbie Hancock, George Clinton, Chick Corea, Dizzy Gillespie, Jaco Pastorius, Whitney Houston, and Joe Zawinul. His numerous recordings include Sting’s Nothing Like the Sun, Vanessa Williams’s The Sweetest Days, and Live at Montreux with Miles Davis and Quincy Jones. He also has performed with Pat Martino, The Manhattan Transfer, Dianne Reeves, Lew Soloff, Bob Moses, Stanley Jordan, Maceo Parker, Victor Bailey, Dave Bargeron, Hiram Bullock, and Marcus Miller.

OK, I’m going to include my bio too so you know what’s what:
Chris Pitts – sax
“A saxophonist deeply immersed in the total jazz tradition.” JazzTimes
“It was the kind of music that makes one feel confident about the future of jazz.” The Detroit News
Detroit saxophonist Chris Pitts has called Manhattan, San Francisco, and Paris home before settling in Newton. He has performed at major jazz festivals and renowned clubs across North America and Europe, sharing the stage with jazz legends like Thad Jones, Dizzy Gillespie, Frank Foster, Clark Terry, Phil Woods, Regina Carter, James Carter, Betty Carter, Bob Hurst, Kenny Garrett, John Handy, and J.C. Heard. He’s also had the honor of opening for Ornette Coleman and Art Blakey.
In addition to his jazz credentials, Pitts has performed or recorded with iconic entertainers such as Aretha Franklin, Natalie Cole, Gladys Knight, The Four Tops, The Temptations, Martha Reeves, Lou Rawls, and even President Bill Clinton (ask me about the funny story behind that!). Pitts is also a producer, curating concert series like the Newton Piano Summit and the Linda Plaut Newton Festival of the Arts. A passionate advocate for arts and culture, he has served as co-chair of the Newton Cultural Council.

I also lead a session every 2nd and 4th Tuesday at Moldova in Nonantum, and it just keeps evolving in exciting ways. Each session is a unique with surprises that make every performance different from the last. The house band consists of myself, Alexei Tsiganov, Richard Shaw, and Gillian Delear, and together we create something real—full of drama, suspense, humor, and energy. The clip below is from our last session.

You can book a seat on Eventbrite or just show up. Hope to see you soon.

BTW, the Concert on the 26th is supported in part by a grant from the Newton Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency, and Newton Community Pride.