Monday, September 17, 2012

Conyers hosts CBCF jazz concert, September 20, 2012


GRAMMY AWARD WINNER TERRI LYNE CARRINGTON, NEA JAZZ MASTER JIMMY HEATH AND ANTONIO HART HEADLINE CBCF JAZZ CONCERT ON SEPTEMBER 20th 

Washington, DC – Rep.John Conyers, Jr., of Michigan, ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, and dean of the Congressional Black Caucus, will once again serve as the Honorary Host of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s (CBCF) Jazz Issue Forum and Concert. The events will take place during the Foundation’s 42nd Annual Legislative Conference, September 19 -22, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center (WCC), 801 Mount Vernon Place, NW, Washington, DC 20001.
The Jazz Issue Forum, entitled "If You Really Are Concerned: An African-American Agenda For Jazz, " will be held from 2:00 to 4:00 pm, in Room 209-A of the WCC. The panel discussion will focus on African-America’s cultural engagement with jazz.  The panelists will include Dr. James Patterson, Clark-Atlanta University, Willard Jenkins of Open Sky Jazz as well as recording and performing artists Terri Lyne Carrington, Gerald Clayton, Antonio Hart, Jimmy Heath and Lizz Wright. Rep. John Conyers will make remarks. ALC Jazz Executive Producer Cedric Hendricks will provide an update on H.R. 2823, the National Jazz Preservation and Education Act.

The Jazz Concert will be held from 8:00 to 10:30 pm, in Ballroom A of the WCC. Doors for the concert are at 7:00 pm. At 7:30 pm, Willard Jenkins will facilitate a Meet the Artist conversation featuring Terri Lyne Carrington, Gerald Clayton, Jr., and Lizz Wright. M. Carrington’s recent recording date, a re-imagining of the Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus, Max Roach collaboration, Money Jungle, will be the focus of the conversation.
The concert will open with a performance by Grammy nominated saxophonist Antonio Hart and his Quintet. A graduate of Berklee College of Music, Hart first appeared on the jazz scene in the eighties, initially as a member of Roy Hargrove’s band, and then as a leader in his own right. He has appeared on over 80 recordings, including nine as a leader. His latest is All We Need (Chiaroscuro Records). Mr. Hart also studied under Jimmy Heath at Queens College, earning his Master’s Degree. He is currently a full-time Professor at The Aaron Copland School of Music, Queens College. Performing with Hart will be Jeb Patton, piano; John Lee, bass; Lee Pearson, drums; and special guest Jimmy Heath, saxophones.
Headlining the concert will be drummer Terri Lyne Carrington and her Money Jungle Project, featuring: Gerald Clayton, piano; Tia Fuller, saxophones; James Genus, bass; and Lizz Wright, vocals. The Project commemorates the fiftieth anniversary of the recording of the seminal 1962 Duke Ellington LP, Money Jungle. Earlier this year, Carrington was awarded a Grammy for her ground-braking recording, The Mosaic Project, showcasing many of the leading female instrumentalists and vocalists on the scene today.
Carrington has studied, performed and recorded with some of the most important artists in contemporary Jazz, including Geri Allen, Jack DeJohnette, Herbie Hancock, Patrice Rushen, and Wayne Shorter. She was the house drummer for the Arsenio Hall Show, and has released several, critically-acclaimed recordings as a leader, including Real Life StoryJazz is a SpiritStructureMore to Say; Real Life Story and The Mosaic Project.
Rep. John Conyers will present James Edward Heath with the 2012 CBCF ALC Jazz Legacy Award for his six decades of contributions to jazz and world culture. Known worldwide as Jimmy Heath, Mr. Heath is legendary and still active as a tenor and soprano saxophonist, composer and arranger. In 2003, he was presented with the prestigious National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Jazz Master Award. Jimmy Heath is the recipient of numerous honorary degrees and lifetime achievement awards.
The oldest living member of the Philadelphia-based Heath Brothers jazz family (bassist Percy and drummer Albert), Jimmy Heath rose to prominence during the forties, as a member of the Howard McGhee Big Band. He also played with and composed for Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Kenny Dorham, Milt Jackson, and Art Blakey. Many of Heath’s compositions have become jazz standards, including “C.T.A.,” and “Gingerbread Boy.” He has minted over twenty critically acclaimed recordings, including Really Big!, Love and UnderstandingNew PictureLittle ManBig Band, and Endurance. Heath first worked as an educator with Jazzmobile, New York City’s premier not-for-profit jazz program. In 1987, he was appointed Professor of Music at the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College, City University of New York. Professor Heath created the Jazz Program at Queens College, where he taught and mentored a generation of musicians, before retiring in 2004. In 2010, he co-wrote I Walked With Giants: The Autobiography of Jimmy Heath, with Joseph McLaren (Temple University Press).
Both the Jazz Issue Forum and the Jazz Concert are free and open to the public.
Conference attendees may register at https://show.jspargo.com/cbcf12/reg/


Twitter – www.twitter.com/CBCFInc (#CBCFALC2012)


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