Lunar Sextet

About

Chris Aschman | Trumpet Steve Hiltner | Alto Greg Sankovich | Piano Jeff Dalton | Bass Jon Krosnick | Drums Aron Kaufman | Congas The Lunar Sextet is a reduced version of the Lunar Octet, which is celebrating their 41 st year of playing original Latin Jazz from their base in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The band plays original and eclectic music drawing on Cuban and Puerto Rican salsa, rock, African high-life music, and Brazilian sambas to forge a new sound enriched by these traditions. The group’s music is exciting, dynamic, and powerful, including fiery Latin grooves, driving funk rhythms, swinging bop tunes, and romantic ballads. In 2021, The Lunar Octet released a new CD: “Convergence” (Summit Records). The record has gotten airplay on more than 325 radio stations world-wide and has gotten rave reviews, including: “14 sizzling tracks” (Jazziz Magazine); “Convergence bursts with joy and authority. The group sounds fresh, and the compositions spur the impulse to dance and encourage intellectual engagement at the same time” (Downbeat Magazine); “Great stuff. The very best of arranging and instrumental art. Not just adrenaline-soaked music but also many fine nuances” (JAZZthing Magazine). They have received praise for their live performances as well: “The “sultans of salsa”, the Lunars feature three fine horns up front and three percussionists. Add the laser beam guitar work of Sam Clark, and it simmers just right.” (The Michigan Daily) “Lunar Octet definitely eclipses with its exhilarating big sound.” (Jazz and Blues Report) “Tight arrangements in which the percussionist is as studied a mathematician (and as big a ham) as the horn players, and impeccable musical quotes from the classics vying for space with the musical imaginations coming up with their own memorable phrases. They’re great live.” (Ann Arbor News) “One of the most inspiring nights of music I’ve experienced”. (Linda Yohn, WEMU) “A great concert!” (Len Lehmann, Proprietor, Portola Vineyards Summer Jazz Concert Series) “A real crowd pleaser.” (Kathleen Slater, Washtenaw Council for the Arts) The group’s hundreds of performances include the Montreux-Detroit Jazz Festival, the Michigan Jazz Festival, the Scarborough Jazz Festival, the Columbus Jazz & Rib Fest, the Flint Jazz Festival, the Thunder Bay Jazz Festival, the Ann Arbor Blues and Jazz Festival, the Lancaster Festival, the Ann Arbor Summer Festival, the Portola Vineyards Jazz Concert Series, The Ark, Rusty’s Jazz Café, the Blue Llama Jazz Club, the Dirty Dog Jazz Club, Shain Park, Cadillac Pavilion for the Arts, The Ohio State University, the University of Michigan, Denison University, and more.