PAST EVENTS
 
 
     
 
 

AJRO now available for performances; obtain demo DVD.

The American Jazz Repertory Orchestra’s a CD, and a DVD version, are now available. Recorded in front of a ‘live’ audience at William Paterson University in September, 2006, the performance is a tribute to the Jazz orchestras of Stan Kenton, Count Basie, Woody Herman, Duke Ellington, and Benny Goodman, and includes material from the libraries of all those bands. It is performed by a group of first-call ensemble musicians and soloists, and includes historical narration to provide context.

The Orchestra is available for performances in schools, colleges and other venues, as part of master classes, clinics, and camps, or in standalone concerts.

For a copy of the CD or DVD (please specify which you prefer), contact Clem DeRosa.

Basie Theatre program renewed

The Count Basie Theatre’s Cool School has renewed its successful collaboration with American Jazz Venues, providing 10-week Jazz programs for talented youngsters and adults. The program, an unprecedented opportunity for promising musicians in central New Jersey, was inaugurated in the summer of 2003, and has been running ever since. The winter program will begin in mid-January.

The workshop utilizes the teaching techniques of nationally-known musicians of American Jazz Venues, led by Jazz Hall-of-Famer Clem De Rosa. Besides small- and large-group instruction and rehearsal, the program also teaches theory and improvisation.

The program is open to 20 young adults aged 11 to 18 who successfully pass an audition on trumpet, trombone, sax, bass, piano, drums and guitar. Classes meet on Saturdays from 9AM to 3PM.

Information on tuition and audition material can be obtained by contacting our Yvonne Scudiery at 732-224-8778 ext. 306, or by writing to her at the Count Basie Theatre's Cool School, 105A Monmouth Street, Red Bank, New Jersey 07701. Information on tuition as well as times of the training sessions will be available.

Board Member News

AJV Board member Ed Bride is founder and Chairman of the Pittsfield CityJazz Festival. In its second year, the 2006 Festival included performances by NEA Jazz Mazters Dr. Billy Taylor and Phil Woods, plus T.S. Monk, and the U.S. Army Jazz Ambassadors. The festival also featured a full week of Jazz in Pittsfield schools, provided by regional musicians. The “headliner” concerts were held at the historic Colonial Theatre in downtown Pittsfield. Plans are under way for the 2007 event, to be held in mid-October during peak fall foliage season.

Both Billy Taylor and Phil Woods had also served as adjudicators of the Villanova Intercollegiate Jazz Festival when Ed was student chairman, in the mid-1960s.

Additionally underscoring its commitment to education, the weekend included a retrospective on Music Inn, the 1950s-era historic Jazz resort in nearby Lenox. A panel discussion, photo exhibit, and preview of a documentary film, included personal recollections from those who were there.

A dozen restaurants and other venues provided opportunities for local musicians to play all weekend, and reported overflow crowds.



About American Jazz Venues


AJV is an assemblage of people whose careers are not only steeped in the performing arts, but in business, law education and executive management. “Our purpose is plain and simple: to put the artists who perform America’s indigenous art form in front of live audiences, perhaps furtively educating our audiences in the process,” said DeRosa. “Each performance includes a strong educational component, highlighted by the fact that when the AJV All Stars appear, our intent is to partner with local ensembles from the scholastic community. That’s where the new audiences are developing, and we want to encourage this development.”

AJV has in place across the country well-known Jazz artists and educators whom it supplements with other artists, often from local communities, schools, and colleges. The group’s advisory board includes Dave Brubeck, Marian McPartland, Phil Woods, Jamey Abersold, Sammy Nestico, Bob Mintzer, Marvin Stamm, David Leibman, and Roger Kellaway.

Become a supporting member of American Jazz Venues with your tax-deductible contribution, which will be used solely to produce jazz concerts of professional and student musicians and vocalists in the U.S.

Please contact us if you can assist us locally in any facet of AJV concert productions in your area.

President's e-mail : cderosa75@aol.com


 






- Joint concert with the jazz ensembles of J.P. Stevens High School and Edison High School, in New Jersey, with guest soloist John Fedchock. This clip features trombonist Fedchock with the Edison ensemble.

- Play clip here



(Windows Media 13 mb)

 
 

Contact: Clem De Rosa
1590 Anderson Ave Suite 10J
Fort Lee, NJ 07024
Phone: 201 461 3327
Email: cderosa75@aol.com
















 
 

 
 
 
contact: info@americanjazzvenues.org