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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
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