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| Jon Faddis joins the MSM Jazz Orchestra and Justin DiCioccio in a tribute to Dizzy Gillespie The Manhattan School of Music Jazz Orchestra and Justin DiCioccio present Dizzy Atmosphere:The Big Band Music of Dizzy; arrangements for Gillespie's 1940s big bandon Friday, November 9 at 7:30 p.m. in the School's Borden Auditorium. Trumpeter Jon Faddis, who considered Dizzy to be his mentor will be guest artist for this concert. Tunes that will be featured include A Night in Tunisia, Manteca, Cubana Be, Cool Breeze, Good Bait, Minor Walk, In the Land Of OO-Bla-Dee, Two Bass Hit, and others. John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie, along with Charlie Parker, ushered in the era of Be-Bop in the American jazz tradition. Dizzy, considered to be one of the greatest jazz trumpeters of all time, had his own complex style of playing built on the virtuoso style of Roy Eldridge. In the early 1940s, Dizzy began composing big band charts for bandleaders Woody Herman, Jimmy Dorsey, Earl Hines and Billy Eckstine. In the mid-1940's he put together his own band appearing frequently as a soloist with Norman Granz's "Jazz at the Philharmonic." Jon Faddis was the director and main trumpet soloist of the Dizzy Gillespie 70th Birthday Big Band as well as Dizzy's United Nations Orchestra. In 2004, Jon Faddis also led the Dizzy Gillespie Alumni All-Star and Dizzy Gillespie Alumni All-Stars Big Band. This concert is part of Manhattan School of Music's 30th anniversary celebration and year-long concert series, "Harlem Nights.""Harlem Nights, "designed to capture the musical spirit and heart of our Harlem community, spotlights the music, musicians and performance venues that have called Harlem "home, " and have helped define Harlem as a center of the musical and cultural universe. The MSM Jazz Orchestra under the direction of Justin DiCioccio performs regularly with major artists such as Eliane Elias, Jon Faddis, Joe Lovano, Bob Mintzer, Dave Liebman, Wynton Marsalis, and Phil Woods. They have appeared at jazz festivals including at Montreaux, Umbria and the North Sea; as well as at the Clinton White House with Dave Sanborn, and numerous IAJE conferences. They have also been heard at New York City jazz clubs including the Jazz Standard, Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola and at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. With saxophonist Dave Liebman, they have recorded for the Jazzheads label, a box set of Miles Ahead, Porgy and Bess, and Sketches of Spain. Manhattan School of Music Jazz Arts This season, Manhattan School of Music celebrates the 30th Anniversary of its jazz program. MSM was one of the first conservatories in the United States to acknowledge the importance of jazz as an art form by establishing a jazz/commercial music department in 1982, offering a master of music degree in 1984, and a bachelor of music in 1987. It is also one of the richest programs of its kind, thanks to systematic and rigorous conservatory training combined with a myriad of performance and networking opportunities in New York City. In addition to a variety of small combos, student performing ensembles include the Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra, Concert Jazz Band, Jazz Orchestra, Jazz Philhar¬monic, and Chamber Jazz Orchestra. Under the leadership of longtime faculty member and eminent jazz artist-and-educator Justin DiCioccio, the program strives to produce students who perform, compose, and teach with equal facility and passion. In addition, he developed partnerships with public schools, community organizations, cultural institutions, and the music industry as well as initiated the addition of a jazz component to the Precollege Division, making Manhattan School of Music one of the few institutions in the country to offer jazz programs at all levels. Among graduates of the program are Vocalist Jane Monheit, Vibraphonist Stefon Harris, Pianist Jason Moran, Saxophonist Miguel Zenon and Trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire. Justin DiCioccio, Associate Dean and Chair of MSM's Jazz Arts Program, is internationally recognized as one of the foremost jazz educators of our time. He was inducted into the Jazz Education Hall of Fame in January 2001. His inventive approach has earned him the title "the musician's teacher, " and his many performances, conducting appearances, jazz and percussion clinics, and workshops are widely recognized in the professional and educational fields. Mr. DiCioccio has served as program director and clinician for Carnegie Hall Jazz Education and acts as a consultant to Jazz at Lincoln Center and Wynton Marsalis. He developed and directed the LaGuardiaHigh School of the Arts jazz program, the first fully accredited secondary jazz program in the United States. Mr. DiCioccio is active with the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts, the Music for Youth Foundation, and the National Foundation for Jazz Education. He is a three-time recipient of the Presidential Scholars Teacher Recognition Award in the jazz field by the U.S. Department of Education. On March 1, 2010, he was confirmed as the State Department Appointed Cultural Envoy Jazz Ambassador to Tbilisi, Georgia. Mr. DiCioccio's performing and conducting credentials include concerts, commercials, Broadway shows, and recordings with jazz, orchestral, rock, and new music groups. Over the years he has worked with acclaimed artists, including Arturo Sandoval, Randy Brecker, Chuck Mangione, Phil Woods, Stan Gets, and Clark Terry, among others. Mr. DiCioccio is a former member of the Rochester Philharmonic and for five years was a member of the Marine Band "The President's Own, " in which he served as the official White House drummer during the Kennedy and Johnson administrations.Justin DiCioccio was named Chair of MSM's Jazz Arts Program in 1999 and has been a member of its faculty since 1984. write your comments about the article :: © 2012 Jazz News :: home page |