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The 2017 NEA Jazz Masters Tribute Concert Honoring the 2017 National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters

The 2017 NEA Jazz Masters Tribute Concert Honoring the 2017 National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters

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The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts DAVID M. RUBENSTEIN, Chairman DEBoRAh F. RUTTER, President

CONCERT HALL Monday Evening, April 3, 2017 at 7:30

The Kennedy Center and the National Endowment for the Arts present The 2017 NEA Jazz Masters Tribute Concert Honoring the 2017 National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters

DEE DEE BRIDGEWATER IRA GITLER DR. LONNIE SMITH

Jason Moran is the Kennedy Center Artistic Director for Jazz.

This performance will be livestreamed online, and will be broadcast on Sirius XM Satellite Radio.

WPFW 89.3 FM is a media partner of Kennedy Center Jazz.

Patrons are requested to turn off cell phones and other electronic devices during performances. The taking of photographs and the use of recording equipment are not allowed in this auditorium. 4-3 NEA JAZZ.qxp_WPAS 3/24/17 8:41 AM Page 2

THE 2017 NEA JAZZ MASTERS TRIBUTE CONCERT

Hosted by , Kennedy Center Artistic Director for Jazz

With remarks from JANE CHU, Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts DEBORAH F. RUTTER, President of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts KENNY BARRON, NEA Jazz Master DAN MORGENSTERN, NEA Jazz Master , jazz and film critic , Kennedy Center Honoree and recipient, The 2017 NEA JAzz MASTERS

Performances by PAQUITO D’RIVERA, LEE KONITz,

Special Guests , piano Sherrie Maricle and the Theo Croker, DIVA Jazz Orchestra Aaron Diehl, piano Sherrie Maricle, leader and drummer Robin Eubanks, Tomoko Ohno, piano James Genus, bass Noriko Ueda, bass , saxophone Jennifer Krupa , lead trombonist Booker T. Jones, Hammond B-3 Leslie Havens, bass trombone Peter Martin, piano Sara Jacovino, trombone Jason Moran, piano Tanya Darby, lead trumpet Jami Dauber, trumpet Mike Moreno, guitar Alexandra Mae Signor, trumpet China Moses, vocals Rachel Therrien, trumpeter Steve Nelson, vibraphone Alexa Tarantino, lead alto saxophone Kassa Overall, drums Roxy Coss, Chris Potter, saxophone Leigh Pilzer, baritone saxophone , vocals Janelle Reichman, tenor saxophone , drums Audrey Welber, alto saxophone Dan Tepfer, piano Matthew Whitaker, Hammond B-3 4-3 NEA JAZZ.qxp_WPAS 3/24/17 8:41 AM Page 3

NEA JAZZ MASTERS 1982–2017

Muhal Richard Abrams Marian McPartland Jamey Aebersold Lorraine Gordon Carmen McRae Toshiko Akiyoshi Charlie Haden Jay McShann James Moody Chico Dan Morgenstern Anita O’Day Ray Barretto Wendy Oxenhorn Kenny Barron Barry Harris Eddie Palmieri Annie Ross George Russell Carla Bley Pharoah Sanders Nat Hentoff Jimmy Scott Bob Andrew Hill Joe Segal Artie Shaw Dave Holland Archie Shepp Bill Holman Dr. Lonnie Smith Candido Camero Dick Hyman Cecil Taylor Kenneth Clarke J.J. Johnson McCoy Tyner Jimmy Cobb Jonathan “Jo” Jones George Wein Sheila Jordan Richard Davis Andy Kirk Buddy DeFranco Lee Konitz Joe Williams Jack DeJohnette Nancy Wilson John Levy Paquito D’Rivera Harry “Sweets” Edison Ramsey Lewis Snooky Young David Liebman Melba Liston Charles Lloyd Johnny Mandel The Marsalis Family (Ellis Jr., Wynton, Delfeayo, Jason, Branford) Ira Gitler Tom McIntosh Jackie McLean 4-3 NEA JAZZ.qxp_WPAS 3/24/17 8:41 AM Page 4

MEET ThE 2017 JAZZ MASTERS

Dee Dee Bridgewater is as Sally Bowles) while concurrently perform - a daring performer of ing and recording her jazz material. great depth whose

O singing talents have The vocalist has created a diverse collection N I

H earned her three Grammy of recordings, including tribute albums to S A

G Awards as well as a Tony Horace Silver, Ella Fitzgerald, , I H Award. In addition, her and ; an album of French love K R

A commanding personality songs, J’ai Deux Amours , spurred by a M made her a natural for Kennedy Center Valentine’s Day concert; hosting the award-winning National Public and an album born out of Bridgewater’s Radio syndicated radio show JazzSet with search for her African ancestry, Red Earth , Dee Dee Bridgewater from 2001 to 2014. recorded in Bamako, Mali, and featuring Malian, U.S., and European musicians. Bridgewater was born Denise Eileen Garrett Bridgewater has produced all her own in Memphis, Tennessee, and raised in Flint, recordings since 1993 and has had her own Michigan, in a music-filled home. Her moth - label, DDB Records, since 2006. er introduced her to Ella Fitzgerald’s music, which became an inspiration to Bridgewater Bridgewater serves on the Thelonious throughout her career, and her father was a Monk Institute of Jazz’s Advisory Board jazz trumpeter who taught music at where she has judged several jazz vocals Memphis’s famed Manassas High School. competitions. She also co-leads UNESCO While attending the University of , she (the United Nations Educational, Scientific joined the University of Illinois jazz band for a and Cultural Organization) and U.S. U.S. State Department tour of the Soviet Department of State sponsored tours to Union in 1969. In 1970, she wed her first Russia, India, China, and France, and husband, trumpeter Cecil Bridgewater. They since 1999 she has been a United Nations moved to where she found Ambassador for the Food and Agriculture her first professional gig with the Thad Organization. Bridgewater continues to Jones- Jazz Orchestra as lead tour nationally and internationally. vocalist. Bridgewater’s career then took off L L and she soon performed and recorded with I Ira Gitler is an American G -

some of the giants of the music: Dizzy N jazz historian, journalist, I L

Gillespie, Dexter Gordon, Max Roach, H educator, and author who G

Sonny Rollins, and Clark Terry. In 1974, she U has written several books A L

recorded her first album as a leader, Afro C about jazz and hundreds M

Blue . S of liner notes for jazz E

C recordings. He has also N A

Bridgewater was also drawn to musical the - R written for many jazz pub - F ater. Her portrayal of Glinda the Good Witch lications, and served as in the Broadway musical The Wiz garnered associate editor of DownBeat during the her a Tony Award in 1975. When the interna - . In the 1980s and ‘90s he produced tional touring company of Sophisticated concerts for George Wein’s fes - Ladies (in which she was the female lead tivals. Gitler also taught jazz history at several performer) ended in , France, colleges and is considered one of the great Bridgewater decided to stay. During her time historians and champions of the music. in Paris from 1986 to 2007, she starred in Stephen Stahl’s musical Lady Day in Paris From age seven, Gitler immersed himself in and London (for which she earned a the music of the swing bands of the 1930s Lawrence Olivier Award nomination), and and early . In the mid-1940s, Dizzy continued to perform in musicals such as Gillespie and ’s new Black Ballad (with Archie Shepp) and innovations brought an epiphany. His profes - Cabaret (being the first black actress to star sional writing career began in 1951, when he 4-3 NEA JAZZ.qxp_WPAS 3/24/17 8:41 AM Page 5

MEET ThE 2017 JAZZ MASTERS

was asked to write ’ first liner Dave Holland is one of notes for a 10-inch LP of Swings the most versatile bassists the . His duties at Prestige in the early in jazz, working across dif - 1950s included producing recording sessions ferent styles seamlessly,

with musicians such as Miles Davis, R from traditional to avant- E

Thelonious Monk, and Sonny Rollins. In his B garde jazz to world and U R

1958 liner notes for Soultrane , he coined the G folk music. He is also an

I L

term “sheets of sound,” likening John L accomplished composer Coltrane’s emerging style to undulating fabric. U and bandleader, bringing together musicians of exceptional talent to In 1954, Gitler began assisting leading jazz perform his intricate compositions. In a career authority in preparing The spanning five decades, he has continued to , one of the first great jazz evolve musically with each new project while reference books. He became co-author start - honing his instantly identifiable sound. ing with the 1970s edition, and completed The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz in Mostly self-taught, Holland picked up the 1999 after Feather’s death in 1994. ukulele at the age of , switched to guitar at 10, and then bass guitar at 13. He left school at Gitler’s own first book was Jazz Masters of age 15 to work as a professional musician and the Forties (reissued as The Masters of began playing acoustic bass when he was 17. Bebop in 2001), which examined the bebop His talent was soon recognized, earning him a revolution by profiling leading players like place at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama Gillespie, Parker, and Max Roach, as well as in London, where he studied with James E. disciples such as Dexter Gordon and J.J. Merritt from 1964 to 1968 while also becoming Johnson. Subsidized by a 1974 Guggenheim active on the scene, performing with Fellowship, he wrote Swing to Bop , an oral musicians such as John McLaughlin, Evan history weaving 10 years of interviews with Parker, and John Surman. He began playing at more than 50 musicians to tell the story of Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club in 1966, supporting that transition. American acts like and Joe Henderson. It was there that trumpeter Miles Throughout his career, Gitler freelanced for Davis heard him in 1968 and was so impressed U.S. and international jazz publications as well that he invited Holland to join his band. Holland as varied magazines, newspapers, and web - relocated to New York and participated in the sites. In addition to jazz, he has a passion for making of several classic Davis recordings, sports and has written several classic books including the breakthrough albums In a Silent about ice hockey, as well as coaching and Way and Bitches Brew , alongside Jack playing on an amateur hockey team until DeJohnette, Herbie Hancock, and Wayne age 75. Shorter, musicians with whom he continues to collaborate. Gitler’s jazz broadcasts were heard on WNCN and WBAI (New York in the 1960s); KADX Outside of his work with Davis, some of (Colorado in 1980s); and Sirius Satellite Radio Holland’s more prominent collaborations were in the 2000s. He has received Lifetime his first foray into avant-garde music in 1970 Achievement Awards from the with the group Circle, including pianist Chick Jazz Society (2001) and the Jazz Journalists Corea, saxophonist Anthony Braxton, and Association (2002). drummer Barry Altschul; long musical relation - ships with saxophonist and trum - peter ; recording with rock and folk musicians, such as Bonnie Raitt and blue - grass legends John Hartford and Vassar Clements; and an excursion into flamenco with Spanish guitar legend Pepe Habichuela. 4-3 NEA JAZZ.qxp_WPAS 3/24/17 8:41 AM Page 6

MEET ThE 2017 JAZZ MASTERS

His compositions run the gamut from solo Kaminsky’s Dixielanders, and in 1950 toured pieces to , all wrapped around the with bandleader . bold layered melodies of his exquisite bass playing. His bands over the years have fea - Back in New York, Hyman established himself tured some great talent in jazz, including sax - in freelance recording and studio work before ophonists Chris Potter and , settling at NBC as a pianist, organist, and drummer Eric Harland, keyboardist Craig musical director for five years. He retained his Taborn, vibraphonist Steve Nelson, trombon - interest in early , including in his per - ist Robin Eubanks, and guitarist Kevin formances today the music of such luminaries Eubanks. In 2005 he founded his own label, as James P. Johnson, Scott Joplin, Jelly Roll Dare2 Records, to have greater control over Morton, and , as well as later mas - his releases. ters such as and . Surprisingly, along with his musical interest in From 1983 to 1990, Holland served as artistic early jazz, Hyman was among the first to director of the summer jazz workshop at the record on a Moog synthesizer. His 1969 Banff School in Banff, Alberta, Canada. He release of “The Minotaur,” a hit single, clearly holds honorary doctorates from the British influenced other artists (in jazz and other gen - Birmingham Conservatoire as well as the res) of that era and proved to be a cutting- and the New edge jazz improvisation ahead of its time. England Conservatory, where he has been a visiting artist-in-residence since 2005. He is Hyman is a virtuoso on the keyboard instru - also an artist-in-residence at the Royal ment, and his ability to play in any style is best Academy of Music in London, where he was illuminated by his 1977 release Themes and selected as an Honorary Member. He is a Variations on “A Child Is Born.” On the record - three-time Grammy Award winner. ing, he duplicates the styles of 11 other pianists on the classic ballad, Dick Hyman is a piano ranging from Scott Joplin to Cecil Taylor. No virtuoso who—zelig-like— mere mimic though, Hyman features his own has been known for play - style in one of the variations. He continues to . R J

ing in any style he wants. perform—often solo—relying on the basic T

R A masterful improviser, he standards repertoire, such as Irving Berlin and A G

G is also a composer of con - Cole Porter, for lengthy improvisations. A H

certi and chamber music, B

O and the soundtrack com - His work on stage and screen (both TV and B poser/arranger for more film) has been rewarding as well. As a prolific than a dozen Woody Allen films (including, studio musician, he won seven Most Valuable appropriately, Zelig ). In addition, he launched Player Awards from the National Academy of the acclaimed Jazz in July series at the 92nd Recording Arts and Sciences and received Street Y in New York City and served as its two Emmy Awards for various television work. artistic director for 20 years. Hyman was music director for radio and tele - vision broadcaster and Hyman was classically trained by his uncle, orchestrator of the hit musical Sugar Babies . concert pianist Anton Rovinsky, and intro - He also served as composer, arranger, con - duced to classic jazz recordings by his brother ductor, and pianist for many films, including Arthur. After completing his freshman year at The Purple Rose of Cairo , Sweet and Columbia University, he enlisted in the Navy in Lowdown , and Moonstruck . 1945, playing with various groups at Great Lakes Naval Station. Upon returning to Columbia after the war, he won an on-air music competition for 12 free piano lessons with jazz great Teddy Wilson. By 1949, he had worked with vibraphonist and Max 4-3 NEA JAZZ.qxp_WPAS 3/24/17 8:41 AM Page 7

MEET ThE 2017 JAZZ MASTERS

Dr. Lonnie Smith is a Blue Note albums including the hit Alligator master Hammond B-3 jazz Bogaloo in 1967. Blue Note executives recog - organist and composer nized the organist’s talent and signed him to

N who, in a career spanning the label, which led to the recording of several O

T more than 50 years, has now-classic soul jazz albums, such as Think! , T I B been featured on more Move Your Hand , Turning Point , and Drives . U E I than 70 jazz, blues, and H T

A rhythm-and-blues record - Throughout his career, Smith has brought jazz M ings. He is considered one into other genres, such as and rock, cre - of the premier purveyors of funk/soul jazz. ating album-long tributes to artists such as and Beck and covering everyone Smith was introduced to music through the from to the Eurythmics. All the gospel music he heard at the church where while, whether leading a trio or a 15-piece his mother sang. He was part of several vocal band, he maintained his telltale sound on the ensembles in the 1950s, and played trumpet organ. His funky organ playing has been in and other instruments at school. In the late demand by hip-hop groups since the 1990s, 1950s, Art Kubera, a Buffalo-area music store with bands such as A Tribe Called Quest, Wu- owner, gave Smith his first organ on which he Tang Clan, O.G.C., Madvillian, and United learned to play and develop his musical style. Future Organization sampling his beats. In In addition to being influenced by the sound of 2012, Smith launched his own record label, the church organ, he was inspired by organ - Pilgrimage Records, before returning to the ists such as Wild Bill Davis, , and Blue Note label for his 2016 release, Evolution . Jimmy Smith. Among the honors bestowed upon Smith are Smith’s first gigs were at Buffalo’s Pine Grill DownBeat ’s Best Organist honors (1969) and Jazz Club, where he garnered the attention of numerous Organist/Keyboards Player of the headlining performers including Jack McDuff, Year awards by the Jazz Journalists Lou Donaldson, and George Benson. The lat - Association. Both the Buffalo Music Hall of ter hired Smith as the organist for his quartet Fame (2009) and Jazz Organ Fellowship to perform in concert and on several of (2011) elevated Smith to the ranks of their Benson’s recordings in the mid-1960s. Smith honorees. made his first recording as a leader, Finger- Lickin’ Good , for during this time. Shortly thereafter, he joined Donaldson’s band, appearing on several of his 4-3 NEA JAZZ.qxp_WPAS 3/24/17 8:41 AM Page 8

ABoUT ThE NATIoNAl ENDowMENT FoR ThE ARTS

Established by Congress in 1965, the NEA is Fellowships are awarded to living individuals the independent federal agency whose fund - on the basis of nominations from the public ing and support gives Americans the opportu - including the jazz community and each nity to participate in the arts, exercise their receives a one-time fellowship of $25,000. imaginations, and develop their creative The NEA encourages nominations of a broad capacities. Through partnerships with state range of men and women who have been sig - arts agencies, local leaders, other federal nificant to the field of jazz, through vocals and agencies, and the philanthropic sector, the instrumental performance, creative leader - NEA supports arts learning, affirms and cele - ship, and education. brates America’s rich and diverse cultural her - itage, and extends its work to promote equal The NEA has numerous resources about the access to the arts in every community across NEA Jazz Masters, including: America. Visit arts.gov to learn more about • Bios and photos of NEA Jazz Masters NEA. • Video interviews with the artists • Video from past NEA Jazz Masters From its earliest days, the National Tribute Concerts Endowment for the Arts has funded countless • Podcasts with NEA Jazz Masters and jazz organizations across the country, making other jazz musicians and writers significant investments in support of jazz con - • Jazz Moments—1-2 minute audio certs, festivals, education activities, and other clips consisting of musical excerpts programs. Initiated in 1982 and celebrating its and interviews with NEA Jazz Masters 35th anniversary this year, the NEA Jazz and other artists about the Masters’ Masters Fellowship is the nation’s highest music and influence on the field. honor given to those who have devoted their lives and careers to jazz, an art form uniquely NEA podcasts and Jazz Moments are avail - rooted in American history and culture. able for radio stations to use free of charge via Described by the New York Times as a “rare iTunesU and PRX. public accolade for jazz,” the recipients repre - sent a panoply of musical distinction, from For more information on the NEA Jazz vocalists and percussionists to vibraphonists Masters and to make a nomination, visit and saxophonists—all of whom have arts.gov/honors/jazz. advanced the music through their commit - ment to jazz. In 2004, the NEA inaugurated the A.B. Spellman NEA Jazz Masters Fellowship for Jazz Advocacy, given to an indi - vidual whose passion for jazz and its artists has been demonstrated through major contri - butions to the appreciation, knowledge, and advancement of the music. With this new class, the NEA has awarded 145 fellowships to great figures in jazz. 4-3 NEA JAZZ.qxp_WPAS 3/24/17 8:41 AM Page 9

FoR ThE NATIoNAl ENDowMENT FoR ThE ARTS

Ann Meier Baker, Director of Music & Opera Elizabeth Auclair, Public Affairs Specialist Don Ball, Assistant Director of Public Affairs – Publications Paulette Beete, Social Media Manager Natalie Donovan, Assistant Grants Management Specialist Latonca Harris, Contracting Officer Victoria Hutter, Assistant Director of Public Affairs – Press Adam Kampe, Media Specialist Jennifer Kareliusson, Division Coordinator Samra Khawaja, Special Assistant to Director of Public Affairs (Social Media) David Low, Web Manager Katie Patterson, Division Specialist India Pinkney, General Counsel Josephine Reed, Media Producer Rebecca Sutton, Writer/Editor Katja von Schuttenbach, Jazz Specialist Sarah Weingast, Assistant General Counsel

The National Endowment for the Arts acknowledges the support of Broadcast Music, Inc.® (“BMI®”) in sponsoring the NEA Jazz Masters Awards Dinner. Mike O’Neill, President & CEO, BMI Charlie Feldman, Vice President of Writer-Publisher and Industry Relations, BMI Deirdre Chadwick, President, BMI Foundation

ABoUT KENNEDY CENTER JAZZ

Kennedy Center Jazz, under the leadership of Artistic Director Jason Moran, presents leg - endary artists who have helped shape the art form, artists who are emerging on the jazz scene, and innovative multidisciplinary projects in hundreds of performances a year. The KC Jazz Club, launched in 2002 and dubbed “the future of the jazz nightclub” by JazzTimes , hosts many of these artists in an intimate setting; while the Crossroads Club, launched in 2012, is a nightclub dance venue. Annual Kennedy Center jazz events include the profes - sional development residency program for young artists, Betty Carter’s Jazz Ahead ; NPR’s A Jazz Piano Christmas , the Kennedy Center holiday tradition shared by millions around the country via broadcast on NPR; and the Mary Lou Williams Jazz Festival , created in 1996 by the late Dr. Billy Taylor (Kennedy Center Artistic Director for Jazz, 1994–2010). The Center’s jazz concerts are frequently recorded for future broadcast on NPR. 4-3 NEA JAZZ.qxp_WPAS 3/24/17 8:41 AM Page 10

JFKC: A Centennial Celebration of John F. Kennedy

In the year leading up to the centennial of John F. Kennedy’s birth on May 29, 2017, the Kennedy Center, the living memorial to President John F. Kennedy, is re-imagining the very mission of the institution created in his name. Inspired by some of the key ideals he championed—Courage, Freedom, Justice, Service, and Gratitude—the Center is featuring special programming through the year that explores, challenges, and reflects the contemporary spirit of America. Guided by JFK’s legacy of idealism, hope, and empowerment, the Kennedy Center will serve as a creative catalyst and meeting place, inviting members of the public to engage directly with artists and ideas, and actively participate in the civic and cultural life of their country.

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