|
contents | jazz | |||||||||||||
| Jazz at Lincoln Center Celebrates Martin Luther King, Jr. Day  Jazz at Lincoln Center announced a special evening at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola in tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on January 15, 2007 sponsored by Target. The New Jazz Composers Octet will premiere a jazz piece in honor of Dr. King, who sought equality for all. The New Jazz Composers Octet with special guest Billy Harper (tenor saxophone) includes: David Weiss, trumpet; Jimmy Greene, tenor saxophone; Myron Walden, alto saxophone; Norbert Stachel, baritone saxophone; Steve Davis, trombone; Xavier Davis, piano; Dwayne Burno, bass; E.J. Strickland, drums."Through intelligence, bravery, passion, and ingenuity, Dr. King forced us to change unjust laws and prejudicial customs. He taught us a more complete way of being ourselves as Americans. We could not be more proud about participating in the celebration of his legacy", said Wynton Marsalis, Artistic Director at Jazz at Lincoln Center. "Target is proud to support Jazz at Lincoln Center's musical tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King", said Laysha Ward, vice president, community relations, Target. "As a company, we are dedicated to practicing Dr. King's values of equality, respect and commitment to community responsibility and continue to honor his legacy through volunteerism and community giving." Target will distribute a historical music compilation CD at each performance honoring the work of 10 of the nation's most important African-American composers, arrangers and performers and a reprint of an insightful conversation with Dr. Maya Angelou. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was also a music lover. When he spoke about jazz he said, "Jazz speaks for life. The blues tell the story of life's difficulties, and if you think for a moment, you will realize that they take the hardest realities of life and put them into music, only to come out with some new hope or sense of triumph. This is triumphant music. Modern jazz has continued in this tradition, singing the songs of a more complicated urban existence. When life itself offers no order and meaning, the musician creates an order and meaning from the sounds of the earth which flow through his instrument." write your comments about the article :: © 2007 Jazz News :: home page |