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| WBGO Kicks Off Spring Kids Jazz Concert Series March 31 Children and their families are invited to listen, learn and discover jazz at WBGO's award-winning, free Kids Jazz Concert Series, which brings jazz culture and dynamic performances to young people throughout the year. The Spring series, to be held at New Jersey venues on four Saturdays at 12:30 pm, features harpist Brandee Younger on March 31; saxophonist Donald Harrison, April 14; drummer Will Calhoun, April 21; and baritone saxophonist Claire Daly, April 28. These 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 programs tailor-made for young people, leaving time for further exploration of the music through Q&A sessions with the artists. In addition to the music, the event includes door prizes, a gift for each child and a fun-filled afternoon with other young jazz lovers. "The Kids Jazz Series is one of several WBGO youth initiatives that build upon the legacy of jazz and help set the stage for the next generation of jazz audiences and artists, " said Cephas Bowles, WBGO President and CEO. "We're extremely pleased and proud to have been cited by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting with its MySource Community Impact Award for Engagement in 2009 for this series as well as for our live broadcasts of student jazz ensembles, which also take place in April." This season features a dynamic mix of artists and jazz styles, including: March 31, 12:30pm: Brandee Younger Jazz: The Art of Creation Montclair Art Museum 3 South Mountain Avenue Montclair, NJ 07042 April 14, 12:30pm: Donald Harrison Big Easy to Big Apple Cicely Tyson School Performing Arts Center 35 Winans Street East Orange, NJ 07017 Co-Sponsored by The High School Music Department of The Cicely L. Tyson Community School of Performing and Fine Arts April 21, 12:30pm: Will Calhoun Jazz in the Digital Age New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) Victoria Theater One Center Street Newark, NJ 07102 April 28, 12:30 pm: Claire Daly How Important Is the Melody? Newark Museum 49 Washington Street Newark, NJ 07102 All concerts are handicapped accessible. Adults must be accompanied by a child. Special thanks to our sponsors, Prudential Foundation, NJPAC's Wells Fargo Jazz for Teens, OHL Trust, PNC Foundation, F.M. Kirby Foundation and New Jersey State Council on the Arts. ABOUT THE ARTISTS A versatile artist who defies genres and labels, Brandee Younger has created a unique niche in both traditional and non-traditional harp arenas. In addition to expressively interpreting traditional harp repertoire, she is most recognized for working with Jazz royalty as well as Grammy winning Hip-Hop producers and artists. Her ability to feature the harp in genres of music where the instrument is often absent is a testament of her love for the instrument, and her cross-reaching ability as a musician. A classically trained harpist, Younger received her undergraduate degrees in Harp Performance and Music Business at the Hartt School of Music in West Hartford, CT, where she was also mentored by the faculty of the Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz and African American Studies. She has worked and recorded with Jack DeJohnette, Ravi Coltrane, Wycliffe Gordon, Charlie Haden, Reggie Workman, Kenny Garrett, Rashied Ali, Butch Morris, and Bill Lee, as well as a host of New York City's top, young jazz musicians. As a classical musician, Younger has been a featured soloist with The Harlem Chamber Players and has performed with an array of ensembles including the Eastern Connecticut Symphony, Waterbury Symphony and Soulful Symphony. Born in New Orleans, saxophonist Donald Harrison began playing with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers in his early twenties. He had already completed what most musicians would call a career when the influential band he co-led with fellow New Orleans native trumpeter Terence Blanchard broke up in 1989. But Harrison was only beginning. Choosing to work in a number of genres at once, Harrison has released a series of albums that are touchstones of contemporary New Orleans music, particularly the immensely important 1992 release "Indian Blues, " in which he brought the Mardi Gras Indian music learned from his father, Donald Harrison Sr., into a vibrant contemporary jazz/R&B setting. Harrison continues to perform and record in traditional jazz settings with both acoustic and electric bands as well as what he calls Nouveau Swing, a roots amalgam merging acoustic jazz, Mardi Gras Indian Music, hip-hop, second line and reggae. Harrison also has been a potent influence on younger musicians, mentoring personalities as different as rapper Notorious BIG and whiz kid trumpeter Christian Scott. As the director of Tipitina's Intern Program, he often works with musicians from that program as his band when performing. Will Calhoun, the widely acclaimed drummer from the Bronx, NY, presents unique blend of improvisational and hard rock drumming that can be found on each of Living Colour's releases, including the ground-breaking multi-platinum debut, Vivid, and Stain, as well as their latest release, CollideØscope. A prolific song writer, Calhoun has co-written many Living Colour compositions and wrote the critically acclaimed song, Pride, on the Time's Up album and Nothingness on the Stain album. As a member of Living Colour, he received a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance by a group and another Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance. In addition to his work with Living Colour, Calhoun has recorded and/or toured with diverse artists including B.B. King, Mick Jagger, Jaco Pastorious, Harry Belafonte, Pharoah Sanders, Jack DeJohnette, Paul Simon, Lou Reed, The Allman Brothers, Lauryn Hill, Marcus Miller, Dr. John, Carly Simon, Herb Alpert, Rolling Stones guitarist Ron Wood, Wayne Shorter, Run-DMC and Public Enemy. Claire Daly will tell you that her life changed on September 23, 1971, when as a young musician playing saxophone for three months, she attended a performance of the Buddy Rich Band. When the saxophone section stood up for a solo, Daly's excitement stood up with them. After dragging her father to the stage door for autographs, she took one look at the tour bus and said, "I'd do anything to be on that bus." It was the kind of epiphany that only young enthusiasm can breed, but enthusiasm is still the motivating force in her musical life. After attending the Berklee College of Music, the baritone saxophonist set out to make a living as a musician. Her career has included anchoring the sax section in the Diva Big Band for seven years, freelancing in New York, recording five CDs with the composer/pianist Joel Forrester and their band, People Like Us, as well as her own CDs Swing Low, Movin' On and Heaven Help Us All. She is celebrating the release of the Mary Joyce Project: Nothing to Lose, a musical gift to her second cousin, who made a 1, 000-mile journey from Juneau to Fairbanks, Alaska, in 1935. The piece was premiered at the Juneau Jazz and Classics Festival in May. In addition, she has performed on numerous CDs, film scores and jingles, as well as at festivals and venues around the world. ABOUT WBGO Founded in 1979, Newark Public Radio, Inc. is a publicly supported cultural institution that champions jazz at WBGO 88.3 FM in Newark, New Jersey and worldwide via wbgo.org. WBGO is the recognized world leader in jazz radio and one of the most respected jazz presenters in the country, and offers award-winning news and innovative children’s programs. Beyond reaching 400, 000 weekly listeners (including 17, 000 contributing members) on air, online and via mobile devices, WBGO presents live broadcasts from prestigious jazz venues and produces acclaimed programs for NPR. WBGO is Jazz Week magazine’s 2010 Major Market Station of the Year. write your comments about the article :: © 2012 Jazz News :: home page |