Virtuoso saxophonist Greg Banaszak continues to concertize around the world and record exciting repertoire. After being the first saxophone concerto soloist to perform with orchestras in the Middle East and Korea, during the month of August Banaszak toured India, appearing with the Mumbai Symphony Orchestra. In addition to works for sax and orchestra by Ibert, Glazunov and Dubois, Banaszak also presented some of Charlie Parker’s music arranged for saxophone and string orchestra.
Banaszak’s first concert of this twelve-day tour of India was attended by India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. The Mumbai Symphony Orchestra was led by a fellow Pole, Piotr Borkowski, who was recently appointed conductor of the Mumbai orchestra. The reviewer for the Times of India noted that, “If the spirit of the concert was measured and graceful in the first half, with Glazunov’s Saxophone Concerto as its highlight, it was carefree and personal in the second, which featured Charlie Parker’s sax-and-string ensemble versions of jazz standards, like Just Friends, Laura, and East of Sun.”
[Source: press release]