32nd Annual Conference of the International Association for Jazz Education

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The International Association for Jazz Education returns to Long Beach, Calif. for its 32nd Annual Conference, January 5-8, 2005, at the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center. Recognized as the largest annual gathering of the global jazz community, upwards of 8,000 musicians, educators, industry executives, and students from 45 countries are expected to attend. The 31st IAJE Conference was in New York City and will return there in 2006 and 2007. Toronto, Ontario, Canada will host the conference in 2008.

Confirmed to date artists, clinicians and honorees for the conference program include: Herbie Hancock with the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance Ensemble, Kenny Burrell Quintet, Geri Allen Trio, Roy Haynes Fountain of Youth, George Duke, James Morrison, Eddie Daniels, James Moody, Gerald Wilson Orchestra with Dee Dee Bridgewater, Clayton Brothers Quintet, Poncho Sanchez Latin Jazz Band, Joey DeFrancesco, Dr. Billy Taylor, Eldar Djangirov, Yellowjackets, The Bad Plus, Bud Shank, Christian McBride, Marcus Miller, Gordon Goodwin, Charlie Haden, Mercedes Ellington, Eric Marienthal, Diane Schuur, Caribbean Jazz Project featuring Dave Samuels, Vanessa Rubin, Alan Pasqua Collective, Bob Florence, Michael Wolff, Bobby Sanabria, Ruben Alvarez, Carl Allen, Rachel Z, Sammy Nestico, Jason Marsalis, Rebecca Parris, Tierney Sutton, The Gordon Goodwin "Big Phat Band", Marcus Roberts, Kitty Margolis, Monica Mancini and James Garrison.

A number of top school ensembles will perform at the conference including groups from Kazakhstan, Australia, the U.K., Canada, Sweden, Israel, South Africa and the U.S. Among the school groups scheduled to perform are: The Almaty Youth Jazz Center, Almaty, Kazakhstan; Garfield High School, Seattle, Wash.; The Brisbane All Star Youth Band, Australia; New World School of the Arts, Miami, Fla.; The Thelma Yellin High School of the Arts, Givatayim, Israel; and the University of Kwazulu, Natal, South Africa.

As always, jazz education will be at the heart of the conference agenda, with approximately 125 clinics and workshops with topics and subjects such as jazz history, improvisation, technology, composition, arranging, performance techniques and teacher training.

The International Jazz Festivals Organization and the IAJE will present the fourth annual International Jazz Award. Revised in 2004 to recognize a rising artist who has yet to sign a major recording contract, the award includes a $5,000 prize. Additionally, the award offers the opportunity to tour a minimum of six IJFO member festivals during the summer, as well as career counseling and support. English pianist Matthew Bourne will receive the 2005 award. IFJO is made up of the following major jazz festivals: Jazzfest Wien, Vienna, Austria; Festival International Jazz De Montreal, Montreal, Canada; Pori Jazz, Pori, Finland; Jazz Á Vienne, Vienne, France; Umbria Jazz, Perugia, Italy; North Sea Jazz Festival, The Hague, The Netherlands; Molde International Jazz Festival, Molde, Norway; Vitoria-Gasteiz Jazz Festival Vitoria, Spain; Montreux Jazz Festival, Montreux, Switzerland; International Istanbul Jazz Festival, Istanbul, Turkey; Vancouver International Jazz Festival, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Monterey Jazz Festival, Monterey, Calif., USA; London Jazz Festival, London, England; and the Ravinia Festival, Highland Park, Ill., USA.

The 5th Annual IAJE Gala Dinner, scheduled for Wed., Jan. 5, at the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center, will be in honor of Herbie Hancock and Dr. Warrick Carter. Hancock will receive the President's Award and Dr. Warrick Carter will receive the Lawrence Berk Leadership Award. Hosted by Nancy Wilson, all proceeds from the Gala will benefit the IAJE Global Outreach Fund. The IAJE President's Award, which honors an individual for their extraordinary contributions to the field of jazz education, was presented to Wynton Marsalis in 2004, Dr. Oscar Peterson in 2003, Quincy Jones in 2002 and Ken Burns in 2001.

Among the conference highlights will be a special musical tribute to Brazilian composer Antonio Carlos Jobim featuring his son Paulo Jobim, with special guests Flora Purim, Airto Moreira, John Pizzarelli, Oscar Castro-Neves, Brian Bromberg and David Liebman. Paulo Jobim will also present a session during the conference on the Brazilian-based Jobim Institute, which works to preserve the legacy of Antonio Carlos Jobim and save the Amazon rain forest.

The IAJE Conference will also host the National Endowment for the Arts NEA Jazz Masters Awards Concert for the 15th consecutive year on Fri., Jan. 7. Chairman Dana Gioia recently announced that seven living legends of American music are joining the ranks of the NEA Jazz Masters. The 2005 NEA Jazz Masters are: guitarist Kenny Burrell; clarinetist-saxophonist Paquito D'Rivera; arranger-composer Slide Hampton; vocalist Shirley Horn; big band leader Artie Shaw; keyboardist Jimmy Smith; and jazz advocate George Wein. Hosted by noted jazz pianist Ramsey Lewis, the awards ceremony and concert will feature the Gerald Wilson Jazz Orchestra with Dee Dee Bridgewater, Dr. Billy Taylor, and the Geri Allen Trio with special guests James Moody and Chico Hamilton.

In May 2004, IAJE became the parent organization of Jazz Alliance International, an independent 501(c)3. JAI's charge is to ensure that jazz is adequately represented to the public and to develop advocacy and awareness programs designed to enhance the growth, appreciation and development of jazz. As a result, the industry track is now presented under JAI auspices. These insightful and often controversial panels and workshops are geared to members of the jazz recording, journalism, presenting, performing, retail, and radio industry. With sponsorship and support from JazzTimes, BET Jazz: The 24-Hour Jazz Channel, Jazziz, Down Beat, The Recording Academy (NARAS), the Jazz Journalists Association, and DL Media, the industry track will provide an opportunity for industry members to interact with jazz educators and musicians in a series of sessions that encourage an honest exchange of ideas and strategies.

Other conference highlights will include performances by the Sisters In Jazz Collegiate All-Stars, winners of the Montreux Jazz Festival Competition, and the Clifford Brown/Stan Getz Fellowship Recipients, supported in part by the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts, and the Historically Black Colleges and Universities All-Star Big Band. The world premiere of the Herb Albert Jazz Endowment Awards, Gil Evans Commission, and the ASCAP/IAJE Commissions will also be presented during the conference. Dr. Robert Morgan will be inducted into the IAJE Hall of Fame and composer and pianist Frank Mantooth will be awarded the IAJE Humanitarian Award posthumously.

A 75,000-square-foot music industry exposition will round out the conference with upwards of 300 exhibits representing a diverse mix of companies including festivals, publishers, manufacturers, agencies, schools, and record companies.

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