JazzJunkie
April-17th-2005, 02:19 PM
The Kennedy Center presents the tenth anniversary of this popular festival that showcases some of today’s top female jazz artists and celebrates their vital contributions to the genre. Three concerts in the Terrace Theater will feature performances by Geri Allen, Hiromi, Jazzberry Jam!, René Marie, Kit McClure Big Band, and Allison Miller and Ingrid Jensen: Agrazing Maze. To commemorate the festival’s namesake, the Friday evening concert has been called the Mary Lou Williams Resurgence Project, featuring an All-Star Big Band and Morgan State University Choir with Cecilia Smith, Cecil Bridgewater, Benny Powell, Tanya Darby, Tia Fuller, and many others. Plus, don’t miss the special free events: IAJE "Sisters In Jazz" Collegiate All-Stars performance under the direction of Sylvia Cuenca, a free piano competition, the 2005 Mary Lou Williams "Women in Jazz" Festival Award recipient ceremony, and more.
FREE PERFORMANCES ON THE KENNEDY CENTER MILLENNIUM STAGE -- NO TICKETS REQUIRED
WEDNESDAY, MAY 18 & THURSDAY, MAY 19
IAJE—Sisters in Jazz Collegiate All-Stars
Guest Director: Sylvia Cuenca
In cooperation with the International Association of Jazz Educators. Featuring Delandria Mills, flute; Lakecia Benjamin, alto saxophone; Jacquelyn Coleman, trumpet; Carmen Staaf, piano; Maeve Royce, bass; Hanne Pulli, drums.
Performances at 6 p.m.
FRIDAY, MAY 20
Women in Jazz Pianist Competition
A Performance Plus™ event
The Kennedy Center presents this exciting two-part piano competition, in which five finalists get to display their talents in front of Millennium Stage audiences and a jury of renowned international musicians. The five finalists are Rebecca Cline, Miki Hayama, Mary Louise Knutson, Daniela Schaecter, and Ayako Shirasaki. The winner will be announced later the same evening during the festival’s 7 p.m. performance in the Terrace Theater. The winner will enjoy the opportunity to perform as part of the 11th annual festival in 2006.
Performances at 12:30–2:30 p.m. & 6–7 p.m.
SATURDAY, MAY 21
Jam Session
Musicians are invited to bring their instruments and join the jam!
12:30–2:30 p.m.
FESTIVAL SCHEDULE
THURSDAY, MAY 19 AT 7 P.M.
Hiromi
Japanese pianist and composer Hiromi “plays with an almost demonic energy and amazing stamina,” says the All Music Guide. Fusing elements of classical music, rock, and jazz, she refuses to label her music, preferring to follow what moves her. At last year’s NPR Jazz Piano Christmas in the Terrace Theater, “she stole the night” (All About Jazz).
Allison Miller and Ingrid Jensen: Agrazing Maze
“A fast-rising young drummer” (The New York Times), U.S. State Department Jazz Ambassador alumnus Allison Miller defies all boundaries, bringing her individual flair to a wide range of styles. A favorite from past festivals, trumpeter Ingrid Jensen was selected by Down Beat Magazine as one of the “25 most important improvising musicians of the future.” With Enrique Haneine on piano and Carlo DeRosa on bass, their quartet Agrazing Maze creates lively compositions and a distinctive sound.
Kit McClure Big Band
For more than 20 years, saxophonist Kit McClure’s all-female ensemble has exhibited its range of bop, soul, and blues with “unexpected freshness” and “crisp, swinging enthusiasm (The New York Times). The band recently released recordings that resurrect the music of the International Sweethearts of Rhythm, the popular all-female and mostly black jazz orchestra from the 1930s and ’40s.
FRIDAY, MAY 20 AT 7 P.M.
Mary Lou Williams Resurgence Project
featuring an All-Star Big Band;
Morgan State University Choir;
Cecilia Smith, musical director;
Cecil Bridgewater, assistant conductor;
with Benny Powell, Tanya Darby, Tia Fuller, and others
The Washington Post has said, “If there’s one thing the Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival can never have too much of, it’s music composed or inspired by its namesake.” The tenth anniversary delivers on the goods with this special night featuring music composed by Williams, to include many of her classic hits and arrangements, plus versions of her works that have never been performed before.
Musical Director and vibraphonist Cecilia Smith leads an all-star lineup that includes trumpeters Cecil Bridgewater, E.J. Allen, Tanya Darby, and Iantheia Calhoun; trombonists Benny Powell, Jennifer Krupa, Debra Weisz, and Jack Jeffers; saxophonists Bill Easly, Tia Fuller, Lakecia Benjamin, Billy Pierce, and Howard Johnson; pianist Amina Claudine Myers; keyboardist Carlton Holmes; bassist Kenny Davis; drummer Montez Coleman; guest vocalist Elon Robin Dixon; and the world-renowned Morgan State University Choir under the direction of Dr. Eric Conway.
From swingin’ gospel and lush big band arrangements to soulful religious works and hard-driving bop, don’t miss this thrilling showcase celebrating Williams’s musical genius. The concert will also include the presentation of this year’s Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival Award to three members of Jazzberry Jam!—Bertha Hope, Carline Ray, and Paula Hampton—for their lifetime of service to jazz.
SATURDAY, MAY 21 AT 7 P.M.
Jazzberry Jam!
featuring 2005 Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival Award recipients
With a delectable mix of tradition and innovation, Jazzberry Jam! spreads it on thick. Colleagues for 30 years, pianist Bertha Hope, bassist Carline Ray, and drummer Paula Hampton bring their virtuoso Dixieland band back to the festival for more bold sounds. The ensemble also includes saxophonist "Sweet" Sue Terry and vocalist Ulysses Slaughter. Noted jazz musician Branford Marsalis says they “sound so sweet. Mmmm, mmmm, mmmm. ” (NPR’s Jazz Set).
Geri Allen
The acclaimed pianist, a Howard University alum, portrayed Mary Lou Williams in the 1996 film Kansas City and performed in last year’s festival, where she was praised for producing “the most memorable and heartfelt music during the event” (The Washington Post). She returns for 2005 with a complete performance of Williams’s signature work, “Zodiac Suite.”
René Marie
An exuberant and formidable jazz singer, René Marie possesses “the talent to be included in the very top level of performers” (The Los Angeles Times). She returns to the Kennedy Center with her own original songs, taking “a freestyle approach to jazz standards that makes even an overly familiar song feel like it’s the first time you’ve heard it” (The Miami Herald).
All Performances at:
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
2700 F Street, NW
Washington, DC 20566
Tickets and Information: 800-444-1324 or 202-467-4600
More info and tickets at: http://www.kennedy-center.org
FREE PERFORMANCES ON THE KENNEDY CENTER MILLENNIUM STAGE -- NO TICKETS REQUIRED
WEDNESDAY, MAY 18 & THURSDAY, MAY 19
IAJE—Sisters in Jazz Collegiate All-Stars
Guest Director: Sylvia Cuenca
In cooperation with the International Association of Jazz Educators. Featuring Delandria Mills, flute; Lakecia Benjamin, alto saxophone; Jacquelyn Coleman, trumpet; Carmen Staaf, piano; Maeve Royce, bass; Hanne Pulli, drums.
Performances at 6 p.m.
FRIDAY, MAY 20
Women in Jazz Pianist Competition
A Performance Plus™ event
The Kennedy Center presents this exciting two-part piano competition, in which five finalists get to display their talents in front of Millennium Stage audiences and a jury of renowned international musicians. The five finalists are Rebecca Cline, Miki Hayama, Mary Louise Knutson, Daniela Schaecter, and Ayako Shirasaki. The winner will be announced later the same evening during the festival’s 7 p.m. performance in the Terrace Theater. The winner will enjoy the opportunity to perform as part of the 11th annual festival in 2006.
Performances at 12:30–2:30 p.m. & 6–7 p.m.
SATURDAY, MAY 21
Jam Session
Musicians are invited to bring their instruments and join the jam!
12:30–2:30 p.m.
FESTIVAL SCHEDULE
THURSDAY, MAY 19 AT 7 P.M.
Hiromi
Japanese pianist and composer Hiromi “plays with an almost demonic energy and amazing stamina,” says the All Music Guide. Fusing elements of classical music, rock, and jazz, she refuses to label her music, preferring to follow what moves her. At last year’s NPR Jazz Piano Christmas in the Terrace Theater, “she stole the night” (All About Jazz).
Allison Miller and Ingrid Jensen: Agrazing Maze
“A fast-rising young drummer” (The New York Times), U.S. State Department Jazz Ambassador alumnus Allison Miller defies all boundaries, bringing her individual flair to a wide range of styles. A favorite from past festivals, trumpeter Ingrid Jensen was selected by Down Beat Magazine as one of the “25 most important improvising musicians of the future.” With Enrique Haneine on piano and Carlo DeRosa on bass, their quartet Agrazing Maze creates lively compositions and a distinctive sound.
Kit McClure Big Band
For more than 20 years, saxophonist Kit McClure’s all-female ensemble has exhibited its range of bop, soul, and blues with “unexpected freshness” and “crisp, swinging enthusiasm (The New York Times). The band recently released recordings that resurrect the music of the International Sweethearts of Rhythm, the popular all-female and mostly black jazz orchestra from the 1930s and ’40s.
FRIDAY, MAY 20 AT 7 P.M.
Mary Lou Williams Resurgence Project
featuring an All-Star Big Band;
Morgan State University Choir;
Cecilia Smith, musical director;
Cecil Bridgewater, assistant conductor;
with Benny Powell, Tanya Darby, Tia Fuller, and others
The Washington Post has said, “If there’s one thing the Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival can never have too much of, it’s music composed or inspired by its namesake.” The tenth anniversary delivers on the goods with this special night featuring music composed by Williams, to include many of her classic hits and arrangements, plus versions of her works that have never been performed before.
Musical Director and vibraphonist Cecilia Smith leads an all-star lineup that includes trumpeters Cecil Bridgewater, E.J. Allen, Tanya Darby, and Iantheia Calhoun; trombonists Benny Powell, Jennifer Krupa, Debra Weisz, and Jack Jeffers; saxophonists Bill Easly, Tia Fuller, Lakecia Benjamin, Billy Pierce, and Howard Johnson; pianist Amina Claudine Myers; keyboardist Carlton Holmes; bassist Kenny Davis; drummer Montez Coleman; guest vocalist Elon Robin Dixon; and the world-renowned Morgan State University Choir under the direction of Dr. Eric Conway.
From swingin’ gospel and lush big band arrangements to soulful religious works and hard-driving bop, don’t miss this thrilling showcase celebrating Williams’s musical genius. The concert will also include the presentation of this year’s Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival Award to three members of Jazzberry Jam!—Bertha Hope, Carline Ray, and Paula Hampton—for their lifetime of service to jazz.
SATURDAY, MAY 21 AT 7 P.M.
Jazzberry Jam!
featuring 2005 Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival Award recipients
With a delectable mix of tradition and innovation, Jazzberry Jam! spreads it on thick. Colleagues for 30 years, pianist Bertha Hope, bassist Carline Ray, and drummer Paula Hampton bring their virtuoso Dixieland band back to the festival for more bold sounds. The ensemble also includes saxophonist "Sweet" Sue Terry and vocalist Ulysses Slaughter. Noted jazz musician Branford Marsalis says they “sound so sweet. Mmmm, mmmm, mmmm. ” (NPR’s Jazz Set).
Geri Allen
The acclaimed pianist, a Howard University alum, portrayed Mary Lou Williams in the 1996 film Kansas City and performed in last year’s festival, where she was praised for producing “the most memorable and heartfelt music during the event” (The Washington Post). She returns for 2005 with a complete performance of Williams’s signature work, “Zodiac Suite.”
René Marie
An exuberant and formidable jazz singer, René Marie possesses “the talent to be included in the very top level of performers” (The Los Angeles Times). She returns to the Kennedy Center with her own original songs, taking “a freestyle approach to jazz standards that makes even an overly familiar song feel like it’s the first time you’ve heard it” (The Miami Herald).
All Performances at:
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
2700 F Street, NW
Washington, DC 20566
Tickets and Information: 800-444-1324 or 202-467-4600
More info and tickets at: http://www.kennedy-center.org