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| Christian McBride |
Hosted by NBC News' Lester Holt and featuring JAZZ HOUSE
KiDS Artistic Chair and Musical Director Christian McBride, with special guests
Ledisi, Ravi Coltrane, Ingrid Jensen, the Bill Charlap Trio, Christian
McBride's New Jawn, JAZZ HOUSE KiDS alumni, and the award-winning JAZZ HOUSE
BiG BAND
JAZZ HOUSE
KiDS, one of the nation's preeminent jazz education organizations, is dedicated
to transforming young lives through music. As announced today, their 2019
Spring Gala will celebrate "The 60th Anniversary of the Most Influential
Year in Jazz" and six seminal recordings that will forever keep the world
swinging. The special dinner and concert, created by six-time GRAMMY
award-winner and jazz bassist Christian McBride, will take place at 6pm on Wednesday,
April 17, 2019, at Michael Dorf's acclaimed City Winery, located at 155 Varick
Street in New York City.
Lester Holt, anchor of "NBC Nightly News with Lester
Holt" and "Dateline NBC"—and himself an avid musician and bass
player—will serve as host. The seminal recordings chosen for the concert by
JAZZ HOUSE KiDS Artistic Chair and Musical Director Christian McBride include:
"The Genius of Ray Charles" and "Ella Sings
the Gershwin Songbook," performed by 12-time GRAMMY-nominated artist
Ledisi
Miles Davis' "Kind of Blue," performed by
award-winning trumpeter Ingrid Jensen
John Coltrane's "Giant Steps," performed by his
son, Ravi Coltrane
The Dave Brubeck Quartet's "Time Out," performed
by the GRAMMY award-winning Bill Charlap Trio
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| Lediso |
Ornette Coleman's "The Shape of Jazz to Come,"
performed by Christian McBride's trailblazing New Jawn.
In keeping with JAZZ HOUSE KiDS tradition, selections will
include a collaboration of acclaimed artists, JAZZ HOUSE KiDS' alumni who are
now attending top musical institutions, and the JAZZ HOUSE BiG BAND. Together,
they will recreate some of the most important songs in the history of jazz for
this exciting occasion.
This group of musical greats will come together for a
dynamic showing of musicianship in support of the JAZZ HOUSE KiDS' mission of
providing a high-quality arts education to primary and secondary students. To
date, the organization has served more than 50,000 young people and presented
student performances for over half a million music fans. The organization and
its students have received more than 100 national honors and awards, including
the 2019 Jersey Arts People's Choice Award for the MONTCLAIR JAZZ FESTIVAL,
produced by JAZZ HOUSE KiDS® which was voted Favorite Music Festival. The JAZZ
HOUSE SUMMER WORKSHOP took top honors for Favorite Performing Arts Camp.
"We believe that learning to understand, create, and
play jazz—this great American art form—yields lifelong benefits far beyond the
notes on a page," said Melissa Walker, president and founder of JAZZ HOUSE
KiDS. "We are excited to celebrate the most influential year that changed
the course of this music."
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| Ravi Coltrane |
The 60th Anniversary of the Most Influential Year in Jazz
concert is a one-night-only experience that brings the essence of a remarkable
era to life. JAZZ HOUSE KiDS Artistic Chair Christian McBride explained,
"From Miles Davis' desire to break free from the status quo and Coltrane's
declaration of artistic independence, to Ella Fitzgerald's landmark songbook
series, and ultimately, Ray Charles, who proved that the lines between jazz and
R&B can be blurred, we will explore the beats and rhythms that changed the
genre of jazz as a whole."
To further mark the occasion, JAZZ HOUSE KiDS will present
drummer and NEA Jazz Master Jimmy Cobb with its Jazz Luminary Award. As a
player on Miles Davis' "Kind of Blue," Cobb helped define the
post-bop style of the 1950s and '60s. Through this award, JAZZ HOUSE KiDS
recognizes Mr. Cobb as a national treasure and one of the most inspirational
figures in jazz, America's original art form. John Schreiber, president and CEO
of the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, will be presented with the Community
Champion Award for his work as a visionary advocate for the arts and driver of
economic development in Newark, New Jersey.
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| Ingrid Jensen |
Additionally, details of a new partnership with venue host
City Winery and its founder, Michael Dorf, to launch the JAZZ HOUSE Music Club
will be unveiled. The inaugural program will support a thriving music program
at the Grand Street Campus public high schools in Brooklyn, NY, providing
private lessons, mentoring, and top-notch instruction to help students develop
key skills while enhancing their knowledge of the fundamentals of music and the
art of performance. The campus includes the High School of Enterprise,
Business, and Technology; East Williamsburg Scholars Academy; and Progress High
School for Professional Careers—all of which serve a population of at-risk,
high-need students.
Proceeds from the gala will benefit JAZZ HOUSE KiDS'
year-round music education and performance programs. Gala concert tickets begin
at $300 and tables begin at $5,000. For gala sponsorship benefits, please visit
jazzhousekids.org/events/gala.
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