Ben Sollee

Old Forester’s Paristown Hall will open with great fanfare to signify a new beginning for The Kentucky Center as well as the Paristown neighborhood. The event will feature contemporary dance phenomenon Pilobolus to the sounds of musician Ben Sollee, Mucca Pazza and the night’s headliner Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue. Trombone Shorty, also known as Troy Andrews, hails from the famed New Orleans Tremé neighborhood and has played the trombone since age 4. He has played for legends like the Neville Brothers and Lenny Kravitz’ band, at the White House and also backed performers like Macklemore and Madonna at the Grammy Awards. He’s also played on albums by Mark Ronson, Dierks Bentley and Zac Brown and opened tours for Daryl Hall and John Oates and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. He has released four studio albums, including his most recent, “Parking Lot Symphony” in 2017. The evening will begin with a special performance by local cellist, songwriter and storyteller Ben Sollee, who will provide music for the world renowned contemporary dance troupe Pilobolus in a customized piece reflecting the city of Louisville. Pilobolus was founded in 1971 and has performed on Broadway, at the Oscar Awards ceremony and the Olympic Games, also appearing in numerous television, film and advertisements during its emergence as one of America’s most well-known dance troupes. Sollee has composed music for stage, screen and virtual reality – earning an Emmy Award in 2018 for his Base Ballet score. Mucca Pazza is an intrepid interdisciplinary instrumental music ensemble from Chicago, known for playing alarmingly danceable music composed and arranged especially for their implausible instrumentation by band members. Their original music defies classification but has bloomed out of manifold influences, from surf to Stravinsky, from Bartok to Zappa, from Esquivel to Ellington.