Wynton Marsalis's Blog, page 32

Jazz At Lincoln Center Salutes World’s Top High School Big Bands With Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Virtual Festival

New York, New York – (May 21, 2020) Due to ongoing concerns surrounding the pandemic, closures have upended Jazz at Lincoln Center‘s 25th Anniversary Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition & Festival — and the opportunity that more than 400 high school students earned this year to perform at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall in New York City.

Today, during the banner 25th anniversary of Essentially Ellington, the nation’s premier jazz education program, Jazz at Lincoln Center announces plans to celebrate these high school students through virtual Essentially Ellington events which will be free and open to the public.

While physically distant, these high school students can utilize the technology that enables them to perform together and socially connect.

From June 8-12, Essentially Ellington events streamed on jazz.org, Jazz at Lincoln Center’s social media platforms and via Zoom will serve as public recognition of the students who have earned their place in what has been called the “Super Bowl of High School Jazz Competitions.”

The first-ever virtual Essentially Ellington Festival affords Jazz at Lincoln Center the opportunity to feature bands from around the world. As Essentially Ellington has grown in 25 years, student bands in more than 55 countries have benefitted from the program. In recognition of the program’s reach, and Duke Ellington’s worldwide influence, Jazz at Lincoln Center has invited five international bands to participate in the virtual festival. These outstanding youth jazz bands represent the thousands of young people throughout the world that study, rehearse, and perform music from Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Essentially Ellington library.

Keeping the integrity of the Essentially Ellington program, these virtual events will include the traditional cheer tunnel honoring each band; a virtual jam session on which students will play with members of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra; and one of the most eagerly anticipated events, a Q&A session with Managing and Artistic Director Wynton Marsalis.

New festival events include a special edition of “Skain’s Domain,” an intimate Zoom conversation with Wynton Marsalis; 25th anniversary retrospective videos; newly recorded musical performances from the homes of notable Essentially Ellington alumni, and more.

In addition to celebrating the top high school jazz bands in the U.S. and guest bands from around the world, Jazz at Lincoln Center will recognize the winner of the 8th Annual Essentially Ellington Dr. J. Douglas White Student Composition and Arranging Contest. This year, out of 26 submissions, the prestigious honor is bestowed upon Leo Steinriede of Lower Merion High School in Ardmore, Pennsylvania. Leo’s composition, “The Rhetorical Situation,” performed by the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, will premiere on June 10. For his winning composition, Leo will receive a $1,000 cash prize, and a public composition and arranging lesson with GRAMMY award-winning musician and longtime Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra member, Ted Nash.

See the full schedule of Essentially Ellington virtual events below, and visit jazz.org/ee25 for complete information and to join the mailing list.

“This year we are even more committed to recognizing our high school student musicians. We applaud the dedication, spirit and commitment of the students, band directors, parents and schools,” said Wynton Marsalis, Managing and Artistic Director, Jazz at Lincoln Center. “Essentially Ellington has always served as a celebration of our young people’s achievements, and an encouragement to embrace a future of creativity, productivity and innovation in the spirit of Duke Ellington. It has become a life changing program for a worldwide community of jazz players, teachers, lovers and participants, all baptized in the fire and fundamentals of swing. Congratulations to you all!”

“We may be isolated from one another in this time, but together, we are connecting and expanding our extended family through the deeply human and liberating feeling of jazz,” he continued. “Your talent, optimism, and energy continue to inspire and elevate what we do (and wish to do) at Jazz at Lincoln Center.”

The following bands were selected from a competitive pool of 106 that submitted recordings of three tunes from Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Essentially Ellington Library:

Agoura High School (Agoura Hills, CA), directed by Chad Bloom
Beloit Memorial High School (Beloit, WI), directed by Chris Behrens
Byron Center High School (Byron Center, MI), directed by Marc Townley
Carroll Senior High School (Southlake, TX), directed by David Lown
Celia Cruz Bronx High School of Music (Bronx, NY), directed by Penelope Smetters-Jacono
Denver School of the Arts (Denver, CO), directed by Dave Hammond
Dillard Center for the Arts (Fort Lauderdale, FL), directed by Christopher Dorsey
Garfield High School (Seattle, WA), directed by Jared Sessink
Memphis Central High School (Memphis, TN), directed by Ollie Liddell
Mountlake Terrace High School (Mountlake Terrace, WA), directed by Darin Faul
Mount Si High School (Snoqualmie, WA), directed by William Leather
New World School of the Arts (Miami, FL), directed by Jim Gasior
Plano West Senior High School (Plano, TX), directed by Preston Pierce
Rio Americano High School (Sacramento, CA), directed by Josh Murray
Roosevelt High School (Seattle, WA), directed by Scott Brown
Seattle JazzED Ellington Ensemble (Seattle, WA), directed by Kelly Clingan
Tarpon Springs High School (Tarpon Springs, FL), directed by Christopher M. De León
Triangle Youth Jazz Ensemble (Raleigh, NC), directed by Dr. Gregg Gelb

The following bands from around the world will also participate in the Essentially Ellington virtual festival:


Blackburn High School Senior Jazz Orchestra (Melbourne, Australia), directed by Andrew O’Connell
La Jazz Band del Amadeo Roldán de la Habana (Havana, Cuba), directed by Enrique Rodriguez
Sant Andreu Jazz Band (Barcelona, Spain), directed by Joan Chamorro
Tomisato High School (Tokyo, Japan), directed by Masaki Shinohara
Tommy Smith Youth Jazz Orchestra (Edinburgh, Scotland), directed by Tommy Smith

2020 VIRTUAL ESSENTIALLY ELLINGTON FESTIVAL

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Monday, June 8

9:00 p.m. ET

Skain’s Domain with EE Alumni special guests

A group of esteemed Essentially Ellington alumnus will join Wynton Marsalis for a special edition of Skain’s Domain — a weekly, interactive Q&A and story sharing session with Wynton Marsalis. Live on Zoom and Facebook Live, the musicians will broadcast an intimate conversation about Essentially Ellington and beyond. After their conversation will be a Q&A, and Zoom viewers from around the world can ask whatever questions they have for Wynton and the Essential Ellington alumni. The to-be-announced special guests will span Essentially Ellington’s entire history, representing 25 years of music education and artistic achievement!

Tuesday, June 9

2:00 p.m. ET

25 Solos, 25 Years

During every Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Festival & Competition, standout soloists receive an Outstanding Soloist award. In this special video premiere, to commemorate the milestone anniversary, we’ll revisit some of the greatest student solos from throughout the program’s 25-year history.

9:00 p.m. ET

At Home with Essentially Ellington Alumni

Enjoy newly recorded musical performances from the homes of notable Essentially Ellington alumnus. Modeled after Jazz at Lincoln Center’s virtual Gala, the Worldwide Concert for our Culture, this video will compile footage submitted by a diverse range of artists into a professionally produced virtual concert, complete with the musicians offering an inside scoop on their Essentially Ellington experiences.

Wednesday, June 10

2:00 p.m. ET

Student Composition Masterclass with Ted Nash

Experience a virtual composition masterclass between the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra’s master saxophonist and composer Ted Nash, and this year’s winner of the Student Composition and Arranging Contest, Leo Steinriede. Viewers will hear the world premiere of Leo’s winning piece, The Rhetorical Situation, and Ted Nash will review the composition and highlight important takeaways from that he recently shared with Leo in a private composition lesson. Ted will then use the piece as the basis for a broader composition masterclass relevant to all interested students and composers.

Thursday, June 11

12:00 p.m. ET

Q&A with Wynton and EE Alumna Alexa Tarantino

Modeled after the traditional Essentially Ellington Luncheon, Wynton Marsalis and saxophonist, composer, educator, and Essentially Ellington alumna Alexa Tarantino will engage in a live discussion on Zoom. They’ll talk about the Essentially Ellington program, its impact on Alexa and other students around the country, and a vision for the future of Essentially Ellington. After the conversation, select viewers will have the opportunity to engage in a short Q&A with Wynton and Alexa, giving direct access to these extraordinarily thoughtful and ambitious educators.

3:15 p.m. ET

Cheer Tunnel

The famous cheer tunnel! Every Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition & Festival kicks off with Jazz at Lincoln Center staff, volunteers, and musicians cheering on each finalist band as they make their way through our halls and into Rose Theater for the first time. This year, we’re taking the celebration online. Be a part of the festivities and cheer on your fellow finalist bands!

3:30 p.m. ET

Q&A with Wynton Marsalis

After the cheer tunnel, the next event for students is always a Q&A with Wynton Marsalis. This year’s Essentially Ellington is no different. Join finalist bands from around the country, as students pick Wynton’s brain. This session will be open for public viewing live on Facebook, while the finalist students will directly participate and interact with Wynton on Zoom.

5:00 p.m. ET

Virtual Jam Session

Another tradition we’ve made sure to maintain is the Jam Session. Select students from each finalist band will perform alongside the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra rhythm section, whose members recorded from home via Zoom. The JLCO rhythm section’s playing will serve as a soulful and swinging foundation for students to play and solo with the band. Hear what some of the finest high school musicians sound like with this world-class rhythm section!

Friday, June 12

Festival Performances

Part I 2:00 p.m. ET

Part II 6:00 p.m. ET

It’s time to hear the bands in action! After each director introduces their band and song selections, the audience, judges, and fellow students get to enjoy the culmination of all of the band’s hard work preparing for the festival. After each performance, Todd Stoll will conduct live interviews with band directors and select students. Every finalist band is deeply dedicated and full of first-class musicians, and now is when the world gets to hear what they can do!

8:30 p.m. ET

Judges Announcement

The judges will provide closing remarks, reflect on what they heard throughout the performances!

9:00 p.m. ET

Awards Ceremony

Wynton Marsalis will share his closing remarks and announce the names of each individual student and band section to receive an award, accompanied by images of the award winners. The awards announced in this ceremony — including Outstanding Soloist and Outstanding Section — represent extraordinary individual and group achievements.

Essentially Ellington is the nation’s premier jazz education program which has helped foster the talent and appreciation for jazz music to over 890,000 young musicians throughout its history. The annual festival marks the culmination of the annual Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Program, which includes non- competitive regional festivals around the country, free transcriptions of original Duke Ellington recordings, additional teaching resources, free adjudication, and more.

The Essentially Ellington program has reached over 6,600 schools and independent bands in 55 countries. This important work is made possible by contributions of individuals and institutions who support the mission. Please support Jazz at Lincoln Center in this challenging time to ensure the organization is able to continue to entertain, enrich and expand a global community for jazz through online learning and social media platforms.

For more information, including background, history, photos, and audio recordings of the Essentially Ellington repertoire, visit: jazz.org/ee.

The Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Festival is media-accessible via Jazz at Lincoln Center social media on Facebook: www.facebook.com/EssentiallyEllington, Twitter: @EssEllington, Instagram: @jazzdotorg.

Jazz at Lincoln Center thanks all of the supporters of Essentially Ellington who give us the tools to remain flexible and to continue to serve our mission.

We are eternally grateful for our $25,000 donors and their generosity: Jody and John Arnhold, Peggy and Gordon Davis, Jeanette Davis-Loeb, Jennie and Richard DeScherer, The Emiko Terasaki Foundation, Gail and Alfred Engelberg, Sandra and Eric Krasnoff, Eleanor and Howard Morgan, Fiona and Eric Rudin, Susan Rudin and Barry Schwartz.

Founding leadership support for Essentially Ellington is provided by The Jack and Susan Rudin Educational and Scholarship Fund and Gail and Alfred Engelberg.

Major support is provided by Helen and Robert Appel, Augustine Foundation, Charles Evans Hughes Memorial Fund, Con Edison, Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation, Entergy and The Hearst Foundations.

Additional information may be found at jazz.org | Facebook: facebook.com/jazzatlincolncenter | Twitter: @jazzdotorg | Instagram: @jazzdotorg | YouTube: youtube.com/jalc | Livestream: jazz.org/live

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Press Inquiries:

Zooey Tidal Jones

Director, Public Relations and External Communications

Jazz at Lincoln Center

zjones@jazz.org

212-258-9821

Jazz competition for high school students goes virtual

The coronavirus pandemic has altered the annual Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition & Festival, but it will still go on, giving students the chance to show their talents virtually.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the program.

High school bands from around the country traditionally head to Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City for a multi-day competition.

Given the COVID-19 crisis that has led to shutdowns across the nation, there will be no travel; instead, the event will take place from June 8-12 on Jazz at Lincoln Center’s website, social media accounts and also through Zoom.

“This year we are even more committed to recognizing our high school student musicians. We applaud the dedication, spirit and commitment of the students, band directors, parents and schools,” said Wynton Marsalis, who is JALC’s managing and artistic director. “We may be isolated from one another in this time, but together, we are connecting and expanding our extended family through the deeply human and liberating feeling of jazz.”

For the first time, the event will also include several international bands. The celebration will end with the crowning of the first-place band, outstanding soloists and outstanding sections.

Essentially Ellington, named after jazz great Duke Ellington, is a free educational program that provides instruction and resources to jazz students nationwide. The competition was originally scheduled to be held this month.

The Brian Lehrer Show - Wynton Marsalis With Music in Lockdown

Wynton Marsalis, trumpeter, composer, and artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center, talks about this year’s virtual Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition & Festival, which is celebrating 25 years.

Source: Brian Lehrer Show

BBC Outlook - Wynton Marsalis: the making of a jazzman

Wynton Marsalis grew up in New Orleans in what’s been called America’s ‘first family of jazz’. His pianist father Ellis gave him a trumpet when he was six years old, but there was a slight issue – he didn’t like playing and he didn’t like jazz. But when Wynton started listening to his dad’s records, he had a musical epiphany. Mentored by his father, Wynton began a ground-breaking career. He’s sold millions of records worldwide, hosted jazz clinics on Sesame Street and at the White House, and made history by becoming the first jazz musician to win a Pulitzer Prize. After Ellis died last month from coronavirus, Wynton led a virtual jazz parade in memory of his beloved father.

Listen: Play

Presenter: Emily Webb

Producer: Maryam Maruf

Source: BBC Outlook

Lincoln Center Launches Weekly Community Remembrance MEMORIAL FOR US ALL

To honor and celebrate those lost to COVID-19, interfaith leaders have enlisted musicians and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts to create a weekly community remembrance, Memorial For Us All. In the midst of this unprecedented pandemic, while many rituals we hold dear are no longer possible, Memorial For Us All offers unity, comfort, and healing through music, an art form intertwined with so many of our most beloved rituals around the world.

These weekly memorials begin Sunday, May 3 at 6:00 pm ET on social media and will be available online any time at the Lincoln Center website, here. Wynton Marsalis will inaugurate the series, with additional artists to be announced in the coming days.

Memorial For Us All is a secular community remembrance, welcoming all to celebrate the lives of those who have left us too soon. Community members are invited to submit the names of a neighbor, friend, or loved one to honor HERE.

“I’m proud to inaugurate the Memorial For Us All series. These performances are intended to reach across generations, nations, class, race, and religions to unite us with the healing power of music. It is needed now, more than ever,” said Wynton Marsalis, Managing and Artistic Director, Jazz at Lincoln Center. “On Sunday, we’ll perform the New Orleans Function, two traditional songs that exemplify the mood and progression of a funeral/parade as is our way down in the Big Easy. The slow mournful dirge “Flee as A Bird” is played, some well chosen words are spoken (in this case a roll call of the deceased), and the joyous, celebratory, irreverent “Didn’t He Ramble” allows us to transition from death to everlasting life. I am honored to play with great musicians in the New Orleans tradition: Herlin Riley, Jason Marsalis, Shannon Powell, Vince Giordano, Wycliffe Gordon, Don Vappie, Maurice Trosclair, Chris Crenshaw, Marcus Printup, Jon-Erik Kellso, Camille Thurman, Ted Nash, Victor Goines, Dr. Michael White and Gregory Agid. In the sweet by and by.”

Memorial For Us All All tributes will be available on Lincoln Center’s Facebook and YouTube pages, and on-demand at Lincoln Center’s website, here.

Tributes begin this Sunday, May 3 at 6:00 pm ET with Wynton Marsalis and will continue each Sunday. New artists to be announced in the coming days.

Organizational Partners: The Interfaith Center of New York

New York Disaster Interfaith Services

Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn

The Center for Faith and Community Partnerships, NYC Office of the Mayor

The New York Board of Rabbis

Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York

Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts Jazz at Lincoln Center

REVIEW: Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra’s (JLCO) Christopher Crenshaw Composed and Arranged ‘The Fifties: A Prism’

Should you be counting, this is the fourth review in this weird year of 2020 for the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra (JLCO) and their label, Blue Engine Records, which like all but the Wayne Shorter album, are being delivered only digitally. While leader and spokesman Wynton Marsalis deservedly receives most of the accolades and press, the members are supremely talented and, in some cases, take the reins. We saw that with Sherman Irby’s Inferno and now with young trombonist, arranger, and composer Christopher Crenshaw who serves up The Fifties: A Prism, perhaps the most diverse of their four offerings to date this year.

This, like the others, is a live recording and is taken from a February 2017 performance at the JLCO’s home. It’s not a stretch to think that the fifties were the most fertile and maybe the most foundational decade of jazz that we’ve seen. The bebop of the late forties transformed into hard bop, modal, third stream, and we had the beginnings of soul jazz and free jazz as well. This is the era of Miles, Ellington, Mingus, and Ornette Coleman to name a few. Okay, arguably the sixties rival it for diversity and creativity but there’s no doubt that jazz music of the fifties is vital. Consider that 1958’s Kind of Blue by Miles is still the largest selling jazz album by a wide margin. 1956’s Ellington at Newport will also be considered one of Duke’s best. Ornette Coleman’s 1959 The Shape of Jazz to Come and Mingus’ 1956 Pithecanthropus Erectus are considered iconic. We could go on and on.

Here is Crenshaw’s take – “When I was presented with the idea of coming up with a suite dealing with the 1950s, I immediately realized this going to cover the genres of jazz, from bebop to freedom music. The 50s had a mix of the well-established and the up-and-coming musicians and composer to bless this music; if most of them got along, so can we.” Of the six pieces, the three standouts appear in the back half, beginning with the Latin “Cha-Cha Toda la Noche,” in the style of Latin jazz that was popularized by Tito Puente, Tito Rodríguez, and Machito with hints of Ellington in the outstanding solos from Victor Goines (clarinet), Vincent Gardner (trombone), and Carlos Henriquez (bass).

That’s followed by a Gil Evans styled “Unorthodox Sketches,” four statements in the style of Third Stream jazz, a term coined by composer Gunther Schuller to describe a fusion of jazz improvisation and classical music. According to Ted Nash’s liner notes, Crenshaw’s orchestrations utilize a flugelhorn as the lead voice-over bucket-muted trombones sounding much like a French horn section. Harmon-muted trumpets trade-off with the reed section on poignant phrases with Goines leading on the clarinet. Christopher then chooses four woodwinds typically found in the symphonic orchestra to improvise over a modal chord progression, reminiscent of Miles Davis’s Kind of Blue. Goines’s expressive clarinet, *Sherman Irby*’s poetic, soulful alto flute, *Ted Nash*’s piccolo, and *Paul Nedzela*’s clear and confident bass clarinet achieve a fusion of jazz and classical vocabulary.

By far, though (especially for those who think the JLCO just relegates jazz to “the museum) is the concluding ten minute plus “Pursuit of the New Thing,” addressing Ornette Coleman. Below is an account of a live performance of this piece performed in Chicago during that same year, with alto saxophonist Ted Nash taking the voice of Coleman and Wynton Marsalis taking Don Cherry, Coleman’s front line partner.

This is from the Chicago Tribune: “Yes, you could hear the longing blues sensibility that coursed through many of Coleman’s melodic lines and the nonchordal, profoundly linear way of structuring music that defined Coleman’s “harmolodic” methods (a self-styled idiom that was as widely reviled at the time as it is broadly revered today). But Crenshaw extended that philosophy across an orchestral palette, at the same time handing considerable musical responsibility to alto saxophonist Ted Nash and trumpeter Marsalis.

… Nash and Marsalis captured the freewheeling sense of melody-making and stop-start rhythmic elasticity of Coleman’s syntax. The orchestral interruptions and interlocutions added to the elements of surprise, which were ample. So much so that some in the audience applauded more than once for what they understandably believed to be the end of a composition/improvisation that was not yet finished… Perhaps only two musicians who have worked together as long as Marsalis and Nash could have played this cat-and-mouse game so nimbly.” Nash adds in his liner notes, “Wynton and I hold out the last note for what seems like an eternity. We didn’t want to let this performance come to an end, and hopefully neither will you.”

The first three pieces on the album are in the five-six minute range with “Flipped His Lid,” very much influenced by the energetic bebop that emanated from the end of the 1940s yet colored by the cool, linear harmonic movement of Lennie Tristano and Warne Marsh. It features solos from Sherman Irby (alto saxophone), Stantawn Kendrick (tenor) and Dan Nimmer (piano). “Just A-Slidin,’” is in the vein of the hard-bop bands led by Horace Silver, J.J. Johnson and Kai Winding, and Art Blakey, while also being reminiscent of the song “Wabash” from the classic recording Cannonball and Coltrane. It spotlights Crenshaw’s trombone buddies with solos from Gardner and Elliot Mason as well as Ali Jackson on drums. “Conglomerate” features solos from Nedzela (baritone sax), Marsalis (trumpet) Kendrick (tenor), and Carlos Henriquez on bass.

Nash’s notes offer these insights on “Conglomerate.” Crenshaw conjures up the cool West Coast style of Gerry Mulligan and Chet Baker with impeccable contrapuntal writing. He uses the title both as a noun—different parts grouped together without losing their distinct identities—and as a verb: to bring together into a collective. The piano serves the function of a horn in the ensemble passages. Paul Nedzela and Marsalis give us a wonderful taste of the Mulligan/Baker style, improvising in thematically inspired counterpoint. Shantawn Kendrick plays a very relaxed and mature chorus, effectively mixing short melodic statements with longer, flowing eighth-note lines. Bassist Carlos Henriquez ends his playful turn with a whole note rich with anticipation, handing it back to the horns to weave an intricate call-and-response. After a quick reprise of the melody, the piece concludes with a collective, unapologetic smile, rather than the expected fanfare.

Crenshaw has been a JLCO member since 2006. Here’s what Marsalis said about him in 2014, “Crenshaw is sprinkled with magic dust. What is it that he cannot do? First of all, he is thoroughly, absolutely cool at every level. He occupies a very small space with his ego. He has perfect pitch. He can write an unbelievable arrangement in one night. His arrangements and compositions are always so intelligent, pointed, and so well-crafted.” ( taken from the program notes)

Spirited throughout, this is yet another testament to the talents of the ensemble but mostly to Crenshaw for his highly creative compositions and arrangements.

by Jim Hynes

Source: Glide Magazine

New Orleans Music Documentary ‘Up From The Streets’ Gets Virtual Cinema Release

A new documentary, Up From The Streets, on New Orleans music arrives via virtual cinema on May 15. The film features interviews with NOLA musicians Branford Marsalis, Wynton Marsalis, Harry Connick Jr. and more as well commentary from Keith Richards, Robert Plant, Sting and Bonnie Raitt, among others.

“Up From The Streets: New Orelans: The City Of Music” explores the unparalleled, historical musical heritage of New Orleans,” as per a statement. The film originally premiered in October 2019 at the 30th Annual New Orleans Film Festival. The doc features archival performances from New Orleans legends including Louis Armstrong, Allen Toussaint, The Neville Brothers, Fats Domino, Dr. John, The Preservation Hall Jazz Band *and more. Michael Murphy produced and directed the film presented by Eagle Rock Entertainment and Michael Murphy Productions. Six-time Grammy-winning and Oscar-nominated jazz trumpeter and composer *Terence Blanchard hosts the documentary.

“Anyone interested in the culture and music of New Orleans will love this film,” Blanchard said. “The resilience of the people of New Orleans reflects the story of America.”

A portion of the proceeds from the film will benefit The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation’s Jazz & Heritage Music Relief Fund. Watch the trailer below and head here for info on how to rent from your local theater:

Additional support is provided by the City of New Orleans “Embrace The Culture” series utilizing resources to activate art through virtual experiences.

Wynton Marsalis On KU Basketball, Jazz And The State Of Things

A new jazz album is celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Lied Center of Kansas by honoring the Kansas Jayhawks.

Listen to the podcast. Play

Each of the Rock Chalk Suite’s 15 movements takes inspiration from a different University of Kansas hoops legend. It was written and recorded by the musicians of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis.

Source: KCUR 89.3

Louis Armstrong Foundation Sets Up Fund For NYC Jazz Musicians

The Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation has launched a $1 million emergency fund to support freelance New York City-area jazz musicians during the coronavirus pandemic.

The organization’s board of directors on Thursday announced The Louis Armstrong Emergency Fund for Jazz Musicians. It is aimed at providing financial support to jazz vocalists and instrumentalists who have lost income because of the coronavirus, which has forced performers to cancel concerts, tours and performances.

The fund will give one-time grants of $1,000 to jazz musicians that live in the New York City region and work regularly in the five boroughs of New York City.

“The entire jazz ecosystem has been shut down, and the jazz community is devastated. To mitigate some of the loss, this fund will award an unprecedented $1 million to assist qualifying musicians in need,” aid Wynton Marsalis, the Grammy-winning jazz icon who is also president of The Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation as well as managing and artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center.

Although this is a very large fund for an institution of our size, we are doing what we know ‘Pops’ would do; and we welcome individual, foundations and other organizations to join us in supporting this underserved community.”

Musicians can currently submit an application at www.louisarmstrongfoundation.org the deadline is Monday evening.

The foundation was founded by Louis and Lucille Armstrong in 1969 and supports jazz musicians, educators and students. Louis Armstrong, whose revered career spanned five decades, died in 1971.

Jazz at Lincoln Center Gala 2020: Worldwide Concert for our Culture

Worldwide Concert for our Culture: 2020 Jazz at Lincoln Center Gala

Premiering on jazz.org Wednesday, April 15, 2020, 7:30PM ET

Click these links to watch: Youtube , Facebook, Livestream

Honorees

Clarence Otis and Jacqueline L. Bradley

Ed Bradley Award for Leadership in Jazz

Phil Schaap

Jazz at Lincoln Center Award for Artistic Excellence

Featuring

Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis

with special performances by:

Baqir Abbas | Brussels Jazz Orchestra | Cécile McLorin Salvant and Sullivan Fortner | Chano Dominguez | Chucho Valdés | Dianne Reeves | Hamilton de Holanda | Igor Butman | Makoto Ozone | Nduduzo Makhathini | Richard Galliano | Stefano DiBattista | WDR Big Band

Like all of the public-facing arts, we are challenged to serve our community beyond the reach of this pandemic and its wake of cancelled performances, shutdown of gathering places, and restrictions on travel.

In responding to this crisis and the new world we now find ourselves inhabiting, Jazz at Lincoln Center’s annual Spring Gala on April 15th will now be freely broadcast digitally to audiences around the world on this page, as well as on Youtube and Facebook.

Culture-defining artists from Japan, Brazil, Russia, Pakistan, South Africa, Germany, Belgium, Spain, Italy, and the United States will join the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis for a “first of its kind” high-quality global experience.

This concert will bring us all together to uplift and encourage us with the wisdom and insights of major artists who have represented and elevated their respective cultures for decades. Each will play the song that made them fall in love with jazz, and we are sure it will lift us from the isolation of this moment to the collective memory of a greater future.

We ask you to support this concert with a donation as you are able. Our entire ecosystem has sustained devastating losses, but this concert is a very important way to stay alive and sustain our ability to fulfill and further our mission. The hundreds of artists that perform in Rose Theater, The Appel Room, Dizzy’s Club and our dedicated JALC staff humbly thank you for your consideration and your generosity in this trying time for all.

About our Honorees:

We are proud to present the Ed Bradley Award for Leadership in Jazz to Jazz at Lincoln Center Board Member Clarence Otis and Jacqueline L. Bradley, who are leaders in both business and philanthropy. Clarence and Jacqueline have been staunch supporters of JALC and our youth education programs, particularly Let Freedom Swing, that bring live jazz and lessons in democracy to low-income students, and Clarence has served in a number of leadership capacities, including his current role as chair of JALC’s Finance Committee. Clarence also sits on the boards of Verizon and VF Corporation.

We could not be more excited to present this year’s Jazz at Lincoln Center Award for Artistic Excellence to Jazz at Lincoln Center’s own Phil Schaap, a true inspiration to all of us working to keep jazz alive. Through a career of broadcasting jazz on the radio for over 44 years, winning him Grammy Awards for Historical Writing, Producing, and Audio Engineering, Schaap is one of our most passionate and dedicated scholars and a staple in the world of jazz preservation.

Proceeds from this evening help make possible the thousands of unique performances, education programs, and resources produced annually by Jazz at Lincoln Center, which reach more than two million people all over the world.

Donations:

$25,000

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