2008 NCCU Jazz Festival & NAJRI HBCU Conference

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(April 2, 2008 12:23 PM)

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2008 NCCU Jazz Festival & NAJRI HBCU Conference

Published: Thursday, March 27, 2008

North Carolina Central University, in partnership with the African American Jazz Caucus Research Institute (NAJRI), presents the 18th Annual NCCU Jazz Festival and the Second Annual NAJRI HBCU Jazz Conference, April 16-19, 2008, on NCCU's campus in Durham. There will be featured performances by saxophonist David "Fathead" Newman and the Cedar Walton Trio with bassist David Williams and drummer George Fludas. The conference will feature vocal and instrumental clinics, master classes, nightly jazz concerts and jam sessions, and a photo exhibit of jazz greats.

The four-day, power-packed conference and festival will offer symposia on issues uniquely affecting jazz education programs at historically black colleges and universities and within the African-American community. Noted speakers will offer their thoughts on the development of K-12 jazz curricula and feeder systems; diversity in jazz education teaching methodologies; jazz within the church and community; the role of the media including radio, TV, print and the Internet; and other continuing education credit workshops.

NAJRI will further establish a Jazz Hall of Fame with eight North Carolinians being honored as the first musical giants inducted based on their outstanding contributions to America's truest art form. The inductees will be: Max Roach, Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane, Percy Heath, Dr. Billy Taylor, Lou Donaldson, Nina Simone, and Tal Farlow. NAJRI will recognize musicians Jimmy Heath, Albert "Tootie" Heath as well as John Conyers, a U.S. Congressman for their contributions and support of the jazz genre.

Lenora Helm, NCCU adjunct lecturer of jazz vocal studies, says the festival is the highlight and culmination of a year of recognition for the jazz and vocal jazz ensemble students. The students won top honors among HBCU's in February 2008 at the International Association for Jazz Educators conference in Toronto, Canada. "Over the past three years, NCCU has set the benchmark, winning awards from Downbeat magazine, performing at the White House and the Kennedy Center," said Helm. "The students will get a chance to perform with high level artists and that is due to the success of the seeds planted by Ira Wiggins," according to Helm. Wiggins is the director of NCCU's Jazz Studies program and co-director of the festival and conference.

For conference details, please go to: http://www.najri.org

Additional contact information:
Dr. Larry Ridley
NAJRI Co Director
AAJC Executive Director
LHRidley@aol.com
212-979-0304

Dr. Ira Wiggins
NAJRI Co Director
NCCU Director of Jazz Studies
iwiggins@nccu.edu
919-530-7214

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(April 11, 2008 04:39 AM)

NCCU hosts 18th jazz festival
http://www.najri.org/

Special To The Tribune
http://www.triangletribune.com/art_04_13_nccu.html

DURHAM - N.C. Central, in partnership with the African American Jazz Caucus Research Institute, presents the 18th Annual NCCU Jazz Festival and the Second Annual NAJRI HBCU Jazz Conference April 16-19 on NCCU's campus.

There will be featured performances by saxophonist David "Fathead" Newman and the Cedar Walton Trio with bassist David Williams and drummer George Fludas. The conference will feature vocal and instrumental clinics, master classes, nightly jazz concerts and jam sessions, and a photo exhibit of jazz greats.

The four-day, power-packed conference and festival will offer symposia on issues uniquely affecting jazz education programs at historically black colleges and universities and within the African-American community. Noted speakers will offer their thoughts on the development of k-12 jazz curricula and feeder systems; diversity in jazz education teaching methodologies; jazz within the church and community; the role of the media including radio, TV, print and the Internet; and other continuing education credit workshops.

NAJRI will further establish a jazz hall of fame with eight North Carolinians being honored as the first musical giants inducted: Max Roach, Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane, Percy Heath, Dr. Billy Taylor, Lou Donaldson, Nina Simone and Tal Farlow. The NAJRI will recognize musicians Jimmy Heath, Albert "Tootie" Heath as well as John Conyers, a U.S. Congressman, for their contributions and support of the jazz genre.

Lenora Helm, NCCU adjunct lecturer of jazz vocal studies, said the festival is the highlight and culmination of a year of recognition for the jazz and vocal jazz ensemble students. The students won top honors among HBCUs in February at the International Association for Jazz Educators conference in Toronto, Canada. "Over the past three years, NCCU has set the benchmark, winning awards from Downbeat magazine, performing at the White House and the Kennedy Center," Helm said. "The students will get a chance to perform with high-level artists and that is due to the success of the seeds planted by Ira Wiggins."

Wiggins is the director of NCCU's Jazz Studies program and co-director of the festival and conference.

For conference details, visit http://www.aajc.us

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Posts: 8935

(April 13, 2008 05:22 AM)

NCCU Jazz fest, conference on tap
http://www.najri.org/

DURHAM -- N.C. Central University, in partnership with the African American Jazz Caucus Research Institute (NAJRI), will present the 18th annual NCCU Jazz Festival and the second annual NAJRI HBCU Jazz Conference from Wednesday to Saturday on the NCCU campus.

Featured performers will include saxophonist David "Fathead" Newman and the Cedar Walton Trio with bassist David Williams and drummer George Fludas. The conference will feature vocal and instrumental clinics, master classes, nightly jazz concerts and jam sessions, and a photo exhibit of jazz greats.

The four-day conference and festival will offer symposia on issues uniquely affecting jazz education programs at historically black colleges and universities and within the African-American community.

Also, NAJRI will establish a Jazz Hall of Fame with eight North Carolinians being honored for their outstanding contributions to jazz. They will include Max Roach, Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane, Percy Heath, Dr. Billy Taylor, Lou Donaldson, Nina Simone, and Tal Farlow.

NAJRI will also recognize musicians Jimmy Heath, Albert "Tootie" Heath as well as U.S. Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., for their contributions and support of the genre.

URL For This Article
http://www.heraldsun.com/durham/4-942190.cfm

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(April 17, 2008 01:04 AM)

Jazz Hall of Fame to induct first eight members tonight at NCCU
http://www.heraldsun.com/durham/4-943426.cfm

The Herald-Sun
Apr 17, 2008

DURHAM -- Eight North Carolinians will be honored for their contributions to jazz when N.C. Central University, in partnership with the African American Jazz Caucus Research Institute, establishes the first Jazz Hall of Fame.

The ceremony will be held at 8 tonight in the B.N. Duke Auditorium at NCCU as part of the 2008 NAJRI Jazz Conference and Jazz Festival.

The eight inaugural inductees will be Max Roach, Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane, Percy Heath, Dr. Billy Taylor, Lou Donaldson, Nina Simone and Tal Farlow.

In addition to the inductees, NAJRI will recognize musicians Jimmy Heath and Albert "Tootie" Heath -- brothers of inductee Percy Heath -- and U.S. Rep. John Conyers Jr., D-Mich., for their contributions to the music.

Vocalist Lois Deloatch will host the ceremony. The Cedar Walton Trio also will perform. General admission tickets are $20 at the NCCU Ticket Office, (919) 530-5170.

Here's a look at each of the eight inductees:

-- John Coltrane (1926-1967), born in Hamlet, was an innovator on the alto, tenor and soprano saxophones. He was a brilliant composer and his recording "A Love Supreme" has had wide influence among jazz musicians and outside the genre. He spent his formative years in High Point. His major influence while growing up included religion. He later lived and performed in Philadelphia, Pa., where he became friends with fellow bebop legends Jimmy Heath, Bill Barron and Benny Golson.

-- Lou Donaldson born in 1926 in Badin, is an alto saxophonist, composer and band leader. He studied at N.C. A&T State University, where he formed his own band. An ardent disciple of Charlie "Byrd" Parker, music soon replaced political science as his career path. Donaldson went on to record with Art Blakey, Clifford Brown, Thelonious Monk, Horace Silver and others for Blue Note Records.

-- Tal Farlow (1921-1998), born in Greensboro, was a guitarist who decided to play jazz after hearing a radio broadcast of Benny Goodman's band with the legendary guitarist Charlie Christian. Farlow played in Philadelphia clubs before moving to New York City.

Farlow was considered by many as a "musician's musician" and is remembered for his technical prowess, great recordings and his tenure with the Red Norvo Trio, which included the legendary bassist Charles Mingus.

-- Percy Heath (1923-2005), was born in Wilmington. He was the eldest of the musical Heath brothers. Percy Heath, whose work can be heard on countless recordings, was one of the greatest bass violinists in the history of jazz.

Working and recording with such notables as "Byrd" Parker, Miles Davis and the Modern Jazz Quartet brought him international acclaim. He received the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Award in 2002.

-- Thelonious Sphere Monk (1917-1982), born in Rocky Mount, was a pianist, composer and signature musical stylist. He was among the musicians who pioneered the harmonic inventions of the style that came to be called bebop and later, bop.

Jazz aficionados and fellow musicians often referred to him in awe as the "High Priest." His many compositions -- "Round about Midnight," "Epistrophy," "Misterioso" -- have become standards.

-- Max Roach (1924-2007), born in Newland, was a percussion innovator, stylist, composer, educator and civil rights activist. His family moved to Brooklyn, N.Y., when he was 4 years old. It was in New York that he evolved as a man and musician.

Jazz greats Benny Carter, Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, "Byrd" Parker and Bud Powell were among his major mentors and peers. Max and Clifford Brown were members of one of the all time historic ensembles of jazz, The Clifford Brown & Max Roach Quintet. He received the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Award in 1984.

-- Nina Simone (1933-2003), born Eunice Waymon in Tryon, was a pianist, singer and civil rights activist. Her mother and father sang and played the piano. By the age of six, Nina was the regular pianist at her family's Methodist church. She later moved to Philadelphia and then New York City where she took on the stage name Nina Simone and recorded several hits, among them "I Love You Porgy" and "To Be Young, Gifted and Black."

-- Dr. Billy Taylor was born in Greenville in 1921. He is a pianist, composer, educator, founder of the New York City-based Jazzmobile Program, a radio and television host and Jazz Artistic Director at the Kennedy Center in Washington.

He received a presidential appointment as a member of the National Council of the Arts. He received the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Award in 1988.

Others who will be honored today -- all of them still living -- include:

-- U.S. Rep. John Conyers Jr., D-Mich., is serving his 21st term in the House. As an amateur bass violinist, his love for jazz goes back to his youth in Detroit. He hosts an annual Jazz Issues Seminar and Jazz Concert at the Congressional Black Caucus Conference. He sponsored a House resolution establishing jazz as "America's National Treasure."

-- Albert Heath, a drummer, is the youngest of the famed Heath brothers. Nicknamed "Tootie," he has a formidable career dossier and reputation, having worked and recorded with such notables as John Coltrane, J.J. Johnson, Nina Simone, his brothers Percy and Jimmy, and many others.

-- Jimmy Heath is a signature stylist on the tenor and soprano saxophones. He is also a composer, arranger and band leader and one of the Heath brothers. He became a leading figure in the jazz and bebop scene in Philadelphia. He became a member of notable bands including those of Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Donald Byrd and Clark Terry as well as his own big band and small groups.

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2008 NCCU Jazz Festival & NAJRI HBCU Conference

2008 NCCU Jazz Festival & NAJRI HBCU Conference

2008 NCCU Jazz Festival & NAJRI HBCU Conference

Published: Thursday, March 27, 2008

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