Wynton Marsalis's Blog, page 78

Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Swinging with the Big Bands

Jazz at Lincoln Center concludes a milestone 25th anniversary concert season with Swinging With The Big Bands, special concert events in The Allen Room on June 12 at 7pm and June 13 at 7pm & 9pm. Swinging With The Big Bands celebrates the 1930s, an era when singers like Frank Sinatra, Billy Eckstine, Ivie Anderson, Dan Grissom, and Dick Powell inflamed hearts around the globe.

World-class vocalist and pianist, Michael Feinstein, hosts these special Swinging With the Big Bands concerts in the iconic Allen Room and against a breathtaking view of the New York City skyline. Wynton Marsalis and Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks – who are regularly featured on HBO’s Boardwalk Empire – will be joined by a collective of modern day vocalists including Nellie McKay, Connie Evingson and Sachal Vasandani to highlight the history and the music of one of the most exciting and crucial crossover movements in the mix of jazz and American popular song.

Tickets start at $55 and can be purchased online through jalc.org, by phone through CenterCharge at 212-721-6500 (open daily from 10:00am to 9:00pm), or in person at the Jazz at Lincoln Center Box Office, located on Broadway at 60th Street on the ground floor. The JALC box office is open Monday through Saturday from 10:00am to 6:00pm (or 30 minutes past curtain) and Sunday from noon to 6:00pm (or 30 minutes past curtain).

Full video report: Essentially Ellington Competition 2013

Video footage from the JLCO’s musical welcome to Essentially Ellington finalists, followed by Wynton Marsalis’ one-on-one discussion with the students!

JLCO Welcome and One-on-One with Wynton Marsalis

Part 1,2,3 of this year’s Essentially Ellington competition is online and will be up for a week – have a look!

Essentially Ellington Competition 2013 (Part I)

Essentially Ellington Competition 2013 (Part II)

Essentially Ellington Competition 2013 (Part III)

Wynton Marsalis and the JLCO ran an open rehearsal of next year’s Essentially Ellington charts. Listen to the music, and hear what they have to say about it!

Open Rehearsal with the JLCO

Wynton Marsalis, Ron Carter, and all EE judges discuss what they heard in the bands this year, and announce the Top 3 bands. Have a look!

Essentially Ellington 2013 – Announcement of Top 3 Bands

Essentially Ellington 2013 – Full photo report

Essentially Ellington Welcome and Cheer Tunnel

Essentially Ellington Competition Part 1

Essentially Ellington Competition Part 2

Essentially Ellington Jam Session and Competition

Essentially Ellington Competition, Final Concert, and Awards

Transcript and video of Wynton’s Speech at University of Vermont’s Commencement 2013

Wynton delivered the University of Vermont 2013 commencement address with a heartfelt talk that was wise, wry, musical, and throughout—appropriately enough for his son Simeon Marsalis, UVM Class of 2013—fatherly.

Download a complete transcript (PDF) of Wynton’s Speech at University of Vermont’s Commencement 2013

Video: University of Vermont’s Commencement 2013

Live Webcast: Wynton speaking at University of Vermont’s commencement ceremony

Acclaimed jazz and classical musician Wynton Marsalis will be the featured speaker at the University of Vermont’s commencement ceremony on May 19, 2013.

The main ceremony, with Wynton as commencement speaker, will begin at 8:20 a.m. on the University Green. Wynton will start speaking at 9am EDT.

Watch him live on http://live.vpt.org/uvm/uvm-main.html

Kareem Adbul-Jabbar, Wynton Marsalis and More Set for Up2Us Inaugural Gala

Up2Us (up2us.org), a New York based not-for-profit organization, will be holding its inaugural gala dinner at Tribeca Rooftop in New York City on June 4. The event will benefit the organization’s mission to advance sports as the solution to the obesity, youth violence and educational challenges facing America’s youth today. Internationally acclaimed musician and composer Wynton Marsalis will present Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with the Legacy Award, recognizing the NBA hall of famer for his 20-plus years of contribution to sport, education, and humanitarian efforts. The evening will bring professional athletes, Hollywood celebrities and other VIPs together as they celebrate Up2Us’ work. Some of the stars lending their support for this event include Sandra Bernhard (emcee), Kristin Davis, Laird Hamilton, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jonny Lee Miller, Sienna Miller, Gretchen Mol, Gabrielle Reece, Meg Ryan and Naomi Watts.

“We are honored by the generous support we’ve received from our corporate sponsors and individual donors since establishing this movement four years ago, but we still have a long way to go,” said Paul Caccamo, founder and executive director for Up2Us. “Our gala is an opportunity for those who believe in the power of sports to inspire the next generation of youth to come together and make a difference in the lives of millions of kids.”

Individual tickets start at $500 and tables of ten begin at $10,000 and are available for purchase at www.up2us.org

The event will begin at 6:30 p.m. with a VIP reception; followed by dinner and the program at 7:30 p.m. Up2Us will also honor three coaches from its Coach Across America program. These coaches will be acknowledged for their exceptional service and dedication to counseling and supporting at-risk youth. After the formal program, the event will continue with desserts, cocktails and dancing.

Read more about Kareem Adbul-Jabbar, Wynton Marsalis and More Set for Up2Us Inaugural Gala by broadwayworld.com

Jazz at Lincoln Center honors the music of Chick Corea

Jazz at Lincoln Center honors one of music’s most timeless innovators, the fusion pioneer and social humanitarian Chick Corea, with the Chick Corea Festival.

Corea will be celebrated during JALC’s 25th anniversary season with concerts and events in each performance space throughout JALC’s home, Frederick P. Rose Hall.

The Chick Corea Festival includes a command performance by Corea himself and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis in Rose Theater on May 16, 17 and 18.

What:

Chick Corea and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis

When:

May 16, 17 and 18 at 8pm

Where:

Rose Theater

LIVE webcast on:

http://wyntonmarsalis.org/live

Free Pre-Concert Discussion at 7:00pm nightly

Chick Corea reconnects with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis in a reprise of their highly acclaimed collaborations in 2011, performing deeply original arrangements by JLCO members of Corea’s masterful songbook. This interplay showcases Corea’s singular abilities as a musical storyteller, with vocabulary that contain a global range of references. Bach and bebop, Bartok and the blues, Mozart and montunos, Ravel and rumba, Stravinsky and samba, all tempered with the language of swing and the Spanish Tinge.

Winners of 18th Essentially Ellington Competition 2013

Jazz at Lincoln Center Announces Winning High School Jazz Bands In The 18Th Annual Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition and Festival





First Place: Tucson Jazz Institute, Tucson, AZ


Second Place: Jazz House Kids, Montclair, NJ


Third Place: Roosevelt High School, Seattle, WA


Honorable Mention: Dillard Center for the Arts, Fort Lauderdale, FL

New York, NY (May 12, 2013) Tonight, Jazz at Lincoln Center proudly announced the high school jazz bands in the nation who took the highest honors at the prestigious 18th Annual Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition & Festival (EE) at Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center.

After a packed three days of mentoring, jam sessions, and workshops, EE culminated with tonight’s final concert, where the top-placing bands each performed with a Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra (JLCO) member. The second half of the final concert featured the world renowned JLCO with Wynton Marsalis – whose members served as mentors for the finalist bands throughout the weekend – performing a repertoire of tunes made famous by Duke Ellington.

Each band was chosen by a panel of judges composed of distinguished jazz musicians and historians: Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Artistic and Managing Director Wynton Marsalis; composer, conductor, and Ellington authority David Berger; composer and arranger Rich DeRosa; educator and Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra member Victor Goines; and bassist extraordinaire and educator Ron Carter.

At the awards ceremony, Wynton Marsalis presented awards to each of the 15 finalist high school jazz bands. Doug Tidaback, director of Tucson Jazz Institute, accepted the 1st place trophy and an award of $5,000. Julius Tolentino, director of Jazz House Kids, accepted the 2nd place trophy and an award of $2,500. Scott Brown, director of Roosevelt High School, accepted the 3rd place trophy and an award of $1,000. Dillard Center for the Arts, directed by Christopher Dorsey, received honorable mention and an award of $750. The remaining eleven bands were each awarded certificates of merit and cash awards of $500. All monetary awards are to be used for improving the jazz education programs of each respective high school.

Jazz at Lincoln Center’s 18th Annual


Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition & Festival Awards

First Place


Tucson Jazz Institute, Tucson, AZ

Second Place


Jazz House Kids, Montclair, NJ

Third Place


Roosevelt High School, Seattle, WA

Honorable Mention


Dillard Center for the Arts, Fort Lauderdale, FL

SECTION AWARDS


Outstanding Sections


Rhythm


Jazz House Kids

Reeds


Outstanding Saxophone Section


Beloit Memorial High School


Garfield High School


Community Arts Program


Rio Americano High School


Roosevelt High School


Dillard Center for the Arts


Lexington High School


Honorable Mention


New World School of the Arts

Clarinet


Edmonds-Woodway High School

Brass


Outstanding Trombone Section


Roosevelt High School


Tucson Jazz Institute

Trumpet


Garfield High School


Badger High School


Roosevelt High School


Tucson Jazz Institute

Brass


Rio Americano High School

SOLOIST AWARDS


Piano


Outstanding Soloist


Kyra Silbernagel, Sun Prairie High School


Jack Swiggett, Garfield High School


Isaiah Thompson, Jazz House Kids


Franchesca Romera, New World School of the Arts


Evan Tarrh, Lexington High School


Alex Olsen, Foxboro High School


Joey Cozza, Rio Americano


Daniel Arthur, Roosevelt High School

Bass


Outstanding Soloist


Sam Olson, Sun Prairie High School


Alex Warshawsky, Jazz House Kids

Guitar


Outstanding Soloist


David Zyto, Jazz House Kids


Josh Bermudez, New World School of the Arts


Henry Lunetta, Rio Americano High School


Honorable Mention


Kevin Scollins, Foxboro High School

Drums


Outstanding Soloist


Aaron Crawford, Beloit Memorial High School


Luke Woodle, Roosevelt High School


Honorable Mention


Nick Adair, Foxboro High School


Paul Slater, Rio Americano High School

Clarinet


Outstanding Soloist


Kyle Brooks, Edmonds-Woodway High School


Dexter Callender III, Community Arts Program


Honorable Mention


Laura Kidder, Badger High School


Crissy Cavallaro, Foxboro High School

Alto Saxophone


Outstanding Soloist


Tim Leslie, Beloit Memorial High School


Aaron Reihs, American Music Program


Nathan Altman, Sun Prairie High School


Zoe Obadia, Jazz House Kids


Julian Lee, Jazz House Kids


Sarah Clausen, Badger High School


Emery Mesich, Rio Americano High School


Anna Dolde, Roosevelt High School


Alan Acosta, Tuscon Jazz Institute


Honorable Mention


Ariel Loud, Garfield High School


Markus Howell, Dillard Center for the Arts


Kira Daglio-Fine, Lexington High School

Tenor Saxophone


Outstanding Soloist


Rony Gimenez, Beloit Memorial High School


Jack Ferguson, Jazz House Kids


Nathan Rice, Jazz House Kids


Lucas Bere, Rio Americano High School

Doubler


Outstanding Doubler


Isak Washburn-Gaines, Garfield High School, on Clarinet and Tenor


Honorable Mention


Angie Jepsen, Foxboro High School, on Flute and Alto

Tripler


Outstanding Tripler


Robbie Lee, Tucson Jazz Institute, on Piano, Vocal, and Saxophone

Trombone


Outstanding Soloist


Charlie Sommers, Badger High School


David Ayala, Badger High School


Taylor Young, Dillard Center for the Arts


Sam Chess, Tucson Jazz Institute


Honorable Mention


Connor Hargus, Garfield High School


John Colan Bukowski, Community Arts Program

Trumpet


Outstanding Soloist


Noah Conrad, American Music Program


Wallace Roney, Jazz House Kids


Anthony Hervey, Dillard Center for the Arts


Fernando Ferrarone, Community Arts Program


Andrew Stephens, Rio Americano High School


John Otten, Roosevelt High School


Noah Halpern, Roosevelt High School


Jeffrey Gustaveson, Roosevelt High School


Alex Melnychuk, Tucson Jazz Institute


Honorable Mention


Carter Hall, New World School of the Arts

Vocal


Honorable Mention


Isabella Yanke, Badger High School

The Ella Fitzgerald Outstanding Soloist Award


Coleman Hughes, Jazz House Kids

In the spirit of creativity and continuing the jazz legacy, Jazz at Lincoln Center also recognized Devon Gillingham, of Winnipeg, Manitoba, as the winner of the first Essentially Ellington Gerhard W. Vosshall Student Composition/Arranging Contest. Each submission was critiqued by composer, arranger, and Ellington authority David Berger, and the winning selection was recorded by the JLCO at their annual Essentially Ellington recording session on May 9, 2013. In addition, the winning composer received a cash prize, a composition lesson with David Berger, and a trip to New York City to observe the JLCO recording session and the 2013 Essentially Ellington Competition & Festival. The Contest was made possible through a generous gift from the Vosshall family in honor of their father Gerhard W. Vosshall.

The three-day festival began on Friday, May 10, with the finalist bands’ arrival at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s home, Frederick P. Rose Hall. The students made their way to Rose Theater for a “One on One with Wynton Marsalis” through a congratulatory “cheer tunnel” of staff members, musicians, and press. Friday events included section workshops, rehearsals, a banquet dinner, and jam sessions with members of the JLCO. Saturday, May 11, kicked off with a JLCO open rehearsal, followed by Competition Part I. Competition Part II and Competition Part III took place on Sunday morning, May 12. On Sunday night, at the Concert and Awards Ceremony in Rose Theater, the three top-placing bands performed two tunes, with their choice of a JLCO member as guest soloist. The JLCO then performed the 2013-14 Essentially Ellington repertoire: the music of Duke Ellington and Gerald Wilson. The concert culminated with the awards ceremony honoring outstanding soloists and sections, and the top-placing bands.

In celebration of Jazz at Lincoln Center’s 25th anniversary, the 18th annual Essentially Ellington repertoire honored the music made famous by Duke Ellington. The 2012-13 Essentially Ellington repertoire included Billy Strayhorn’s “Blood Count,” Clarence and Spencer Williams’ “Royal Garden Blues,” and Duke Ellington’s “Bonga,” “Echoes of Harlem,” “Lightnin’,” and “Second Line.”

The 2013 Essentially Ellington Finalists: American Music Program, Portland, OR; Badger High School, Lake Geneva, WI; Beloit Memorial High School, Beloit, WI; Community Arts Program, Coral Gables, FL; Dillard Center for the Arts, Fort Lauderdale, FL; Edmonds-Woodway High School, Edmonds, WA; Foxboro High School, Foxboro, MA; Garfield High School, Seattle, WA; Jazz House Kids, Montclair, NJ; Lexington High School, Lexington, MA; New World School of the Arts, Miami, FL; Rio Americano High School, Sacramento, CA; Roosevelt High School, Seattle, WA; Sun Prairie High School, Sun Prairie, WI; Tucson Jazz Institute, Tucson, AZ.

As part of Jazz at Lincoln Center’s goal to make the organization’s productions as globally accessible as possible, the entire Essentially Ellington 2013 Competition and Festival was live webcast at jalc.org/ee.

An Essentially Ellington Competition & Festival photo gallery and recordings of the competition performances will be available on jalc.org/essentiallyellington.

Background/Statistics:


The Competition & Festival is the culmination of the year round Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Program (EE), which also includes regional festivals, teaching resources, a summer Band Director Academy, newsletters, and more.

This year, for the first time, band directors received access to charts and other JALC resources available through instant digital download.





By the end of this year, JALC will have distributed 15,000 newly transcribed scores.





JALC has sent over 135,000 free copies of 104 previously unavailable big band scores by Duke Ellington and other seminal composers.





Throughout March and April, JALC sends, free of charge, a professional jazz musician to each of the 15 finalist band schools to lead an intensive day-long workshop of rehearsals, lessons, and master classes. The free clinics are part of the rich 18-year history of this unique music education program, which, by the end of this school year, will have reached more than 450,000 students in more than 4,000 high schools across all 50 United States, Canada, and American schools abroad.





252 finalist bands have traveled to New York City to participate in the annual Competition & Festival.





This year 2,000 high schools in the United States, Canada, and American schools in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Columbia, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Spain, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom will receive Essentially Ellington materials.





This year, 96 bands entered the competition by submitting a recorded performance of three tunes performed from JALC’s Essentially Ellington library.

For more information including background, history, photos, and audio recordings of the Essentially Ellington 2013 repertoire, and more, visit: www.jalc.org/ee

Founding leadership support for


Essentially Ellingtonis provided by


The Jack and Susan Rudin Educational and


Scholarship Fund.





Major support is provided by


The Con Edison Community Partnership Fund,


Anonymous,  Jody and John Arnhold,


Alfred and Gail Engelberg, Augustine Foundation,


Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation,


Charles Evans Hughes Memorial Foundation,


Mericos Foundation,  Jennifer and Michael Price,


Donald and Darlene Shiley,


The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, 


and the Vosshall Family.

Essentially Ellington 2013 live webcasts schedule

On May 10/11/12, the entire weekend of Essentially Ellington events, will be webcast live on: http://wyntonmarsalis.org/live

Check out the full schedule (all times EDT)

Friday, May 10

2:00 – 3:00pm

Welcome and One on One with Wynton Marsalis

Saturday, May 11

11:00am – 12:15pm

Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra w/ Wynton Marsalis Open Rehearsal

2:30pm – 6:30pm

Competition Part I: Seven bands perform

Sunday, May 12

10:00 – 11:30am

Competition Part II: Four bands perform

1:00 – 2:30pm

Competition Part III: Four bands perform

4:00pm

Announcement of three top-placing bands

7:30pm

Concert and Awards Ceremony

Celebrating Duke Ellington featuring the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis

Since 1988, when Wynton Marsalis coalesced his septet with Duke Ellington alumni Jimmy Hamilton, Willie Cook, Jimmy Woode, Norris Turney, Britt Woodman, and Joe Temperley (still an active member of the JLCO and performer at this event) to form the first edition of the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, Ellington’s oeuvre has been fundamental to Marsalis’ mission and conception.

Continuing in this vein, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis will draw from its deep well of Ellingtonia, rendering the maestro’s essence with a forceful, idiomatic clarity that reflects the JLCO’s abiding immersion in his language.

WHERE

Join us in the hall or tune in to our live webcast at wyntonmarsalis.org/live

WHEN

April 25, 26 at 8pm

April 27 at 2pm and 8pm

Rose Theater

Sondheim and Marsalis to Collaborate on Show for City Center

Stephen Sondheim and Wynton Marsalis are collaborating on a new show to be staged at the New York City Center next November that will feature jazz interpretations of Mr. Sondheim’s love songs.

The show, “A Bed and a Chair: A New York Love Story,” marks the first time Mr. Sondheim, one of musical theater’s great lyricists and composers, and Mr. Marsalis, the master jazz trumpeter, have worked together.

The conceit of the show is that Mr. Marsalis and his Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra will arrange and interpret about two dozen of Mr. Sondheim’s romantic songs, all of which have some connection to New York City.

While the 15-piece band plays, singers will appear on sets evoking the city’s famous locales, like Central Park and Wall Street, alternating with a set of a simple apartment with a bed and a chair. That more intimate space, mentioned in the title, is a nod to Mr. Sondheim’s song “Broadway Baby.”

The show will run for seven performances from November 13 to November 17. The performance on November 14 will serve as the entertainment for City Center’s annual Gala. A dinner will be held afterwards at the Plaza Hotel.

The collaboration is the brainchild of Peter Gethers, a novelist and editor who is a friend of Mr. Sondheim’s and a fan of Mr. Marsalis. Mr. Gether said he woke up one morning last October and thought he had never seen a first-rate jazz band perform Mr. Sondheim’s work. “I thought ‘That’s something I would pay a lot of money to see,’” he said.

Mr. Gether proposed the idea to Mr. Sondheim and to Jack Vertiel, the artistic director at New York City Center Encores! It was Mr. Vertiel who presented the concept to Mr. Marsalis, with whom he had worked in 2011 on the “Cotton Club Parade,” an celebration of Duke Ellington’s songs at City Center.

Though the general outline of the show has been sketched out, Mr. Gether said the production is still in the early stages. Mr. Sondheim and Mr. Marsalis have yet to settle on a set list or to hire vocalists, and it remains unclear if they will choose Broadway performers, jazz singers or some combination. Some of the songs might also be done as pure instrumentals, he said.