|
contents | jazz | |||||||||||||
| Prudential and WBGO Present Kids Jazz Concert Series WBGO-FM/Jazz88.3 kicks off the 16th annual Kids Jazz Concert Series, bringing jazz culture and performance to young people in New York and New Jersey on Saturday afternoons, beginning April 4 and ending May 2. These free interactive, hour-long programs give young people opportunities to learn about the distinct qualities of jazz, and why it is a reflection of our community, nation and world. Top jazz and blues artists produce special programs tailor-made for young people. The 12:30 pm performances include Q&A sessions with the artists, a prize drawing and gifts. Just one of the many youth initiatives that WBGO produces, the Kids Jazz Series has seen a significant growth in attendance each year. The Series takes place twice a year in the spring and fall. Spring Program 2009 April 4: Robbi K & Friends - Celebrate Difference!, Newark Museum, 49 Washington Street, Newark, NJ; (973) 596-6550. Robbi K & Friends' Jazz Quotes is a multiple language, interactive concert with Robbi K on piano and vocals backed by Bakithi Kumalo (from the Paul Simon Band) on bass, master trumpeter Jimmy Owens, internationally-renowned vibraphonist/mallet percussionist Bryan Carrott, Mark Gatz on sax and Mark Portugal on drums. Don't miss the global expedition of music that digs into melodies of the blues and world grooves, along with plenty of jazz favorites and some original Robbi K compositions. April 18: Steve Turre - The Blues & Jazz, NJPAC, Victoria Theater, One Center Street, Newark, NJ; (888) 466-5722. One of the world's preeminent jazz innovators, trombonists and seashellists, Steve Turre was born to Mexican-American parents and grew up in the San Francisco Bay area where he absorbed daily doses of mariachi, blues and jazz. He continually evolves as a musician and arranger and has a strong command of all musical genres. When it comes to his distinct brand of jazz, he always keeps one foot in the past and one in the future. April 25: Steven Kroon Sextet - World Rhythms in Jazz, Montclair Museum, 3 South Mountain Avenue, Montclair, NJ; (973) 746-5555. One of the world's most diverse percussionists, Steven has performed with Diana Krall, Aretha Franklin, The Temptations, Bill Cosby, Bette Midler, Spyro Gyra and more than 20 years with Luther Vandross. With roots grounded in Puerto Rico and Curacao, he studied Afro-Cuban percussion and Brazilian rhythms; it's no wonder that his program features rhythms from around the world. May 2: Winard Harper - Music as Conversation, Flushing Town Hall, 137-35 Northern Blvd., Flushing, NY; (718) 463-7700. Constantly in reverence of his predecessors while remaining innovative in his own right, Winard has become one of the most celebrated drummers in jazz. He is a virtuoso on the drum set as well as the balafon, the West African equivalent of the marimba. He is passionate about jazz. "This music is powerful, " he says. "It can do a lot of good for people. If they'd spend some time each day listening to it, we would see many changes in the world." Hear how music is conversation and watch as young people learn a whole new language. Adults must be accompanied by a child. All concerts are held in handicapped accessible venues. Sponsors for the WBGO Kids Jazz Series are Prudential, NJPAC's Wachovia Jazz for Teens, PSE&G and New Jersey State Council on the Arts. WBGO/Jazz88.3FM serves the New York/New Jersey metropolitan area with mainstream jazz, blues, and award-winning news and public affairs programming. Non-commercial WBGO is supported by nearly 16, 000 annual members and has over 400, 000 weekly broadcast listeners. WBGO also streams its broadcast signal to audiences worldwide at www.wbgo.org. Jazz88 was named the "Jazz Station of the Year" by the Gavin Report and is also the recipient of the Blues Foundation's "Keeping the Blues Alive Award" for Achievement in Non-Commercial Radio. WBGO is a publicly-supported, cultural institution that champions jazz, an American art form, and presents news to a worldwide audience through radio, other technologies and events. write your comments about the article :: © 2009 Jazz News :: home page |