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| Gia Prima And Riker Danzig To Present Louis Prima Scholarship Award  Gia Prima, the widow of legendary jazz singer Louis Prima, Guns n' Roses, the family of Sebastian Cabot, the family of Phil Harris … these celebrity names are all part of a roster of clients for prestigious New Jersey law firm Riker Danzig, a firm better known for more traditional practice areas such as litigation, insurance and commercial law. However, thanks to partner Anthony Sylvester, the highly-regarded firm is developing a strong practice in entertainment law.An attorney with the firm for some 25 years, Mr. Sylvester has built a diverse State Court Chancery and Law Division Practice and Federal Court commercial litigation practice and is highly regarded for his work representing financial institutions. He has been recognized among top banking lawyers in New Jersey by "Best Lawyers in America" and "Benchmark Litigation." But as a jazz fan Mr. Sylvester moves easily between the buttoned-up world of bankers and the high profile world of entertainers. His clients on the red carpet value his advice and turn to him for expertise on a number of issues. One of his clients, Gia Prima, has joined with Mr. Sylvester and Riker Danzig to establish The ASCAP Foundation Louis Prima Award now in its second year. The Award provides a scholarship to a talented musician to attend the prestigious New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts. The 2012 recipient is saxophonist Miles Berry, a 16-year-old student from Mandeville, Louisiana. A talented musician, Miles was selected to perform with jazz legend Herbie Hancock in celebration of International Jazz Day back in April. He will receive the Louis Prima Award from Louis Prima Jr. at the ASCAP Foundation Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, December 12th, at Jazz at Lincoln Center's Frederick P. Rose Hall in New York City. When asked about the Louis Prima Award, Anthony Sylvester said, "It is our great pleasure to represent Gia Prima and we are honored to underwrite this award to young artists and support the performing arts in New Orleans." Louis Prima, born in the birthplace of Jazz, New Orleans, remains one of the greatest contributors to popular music and a powerful entertainment influence. The early Swing Era was marked by Mr. Prima's incredible output of compositions and recordings between1933-39, including "Sing, Sing, Sing, " an immortal standard inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1982. Louis Prima was awarded the first Grammy award in the Vocal Group category for his knockout rendition of "That Old Black Magic" in 1958. Artists as diverse as David Lee Roth and Brian Setzer brought Louis Prima's music to the top of the charts in the 80's and 90's. write your comments about the article :: © 2012 Jazz News :: home page |