Named by Wynton Marsalis as one of the top five jazz musicians under 30 to watch, pianist Chris Pattishall will lead an octet in this debut night dedicated to the writings of Argentinian author Jorge Luis Borges and the rich history of tango.

Borges, a monumental magical realist and master of the short story, described the tango, the lifeblood of Argentine culture, as invoking “an apocryphal past, simultaneously stoic and orgiastic, in which I have challenged and fought, in the end to fall silently in an obscure knife-fight.”

Inspired by the short stories of Jorge Luis Borges, an acknowledged literary master of the 20th century, FICTIONS is a set of musical miniatures that blends an imaginative chamber music sensibility with elements of tango, chacacera, candombe and zamba (music and dance forms of Argentina and Uruguay), performed by a virtuosic improvising octet led by Pattishall. FICTIONS aspires towards the conciseness and dense referentiality that are trademarks of Borges' style, utilizing an eclectic range of music – anchored by the golden age of Argentine tango.

Pattishall's compositions will draw on classic tango such as Angel Villoldo's “El Choclo,” the symphonic tone poems of Rimsky-Korsakov and Richard Strauss, and the works of Astor Piazzolla. Join the Catskill Jazz Factory for this musical tribute to Borges' fictions within the romance, flair, and mythical violence of tango.

ADMISSION: $25 / General Admission by reservation or cash at door