Emory Jazz Alliance Newsletter

The 2015-16 Candler Series has three concerts that will be of particular interest to jazz fans.  Our opening Candler Series event, on October 3, features the legendary jazz pianist Chick Corea with bebop/bluegrass banjo virtuoso Béla Fleck. Corea and Fleck play together with breathtaking precision and verve, weaving and intertwining through remarkable contrapuntal excursions. They will perform original compositions along with some new arrangements of traditional pieces.

On October 30, two virtuoso bass players come to the Emerson Concert Hall stage. Edgar Meyer is the greatest living virtuoso of the instrument. Christian McBride is generally acknowledged as the most accomplished jazz bassist of this era. Their duo recital will include jazz standards, folk-leaning tunes and classical passages.

On February 6, The Julian Bliss Sextet presents A Tribute to Benny Goodman. Julian Bliss leads his sextet through some of the great tunes of the swing era, staying true to the authentic feel but with a modern twist.

And this just in… Jazz Clarinetist, Anat Cohen will return to the Schwartz Center on February 12.  Anat rocked the house last year as part of The Newport Jazz Festival tour. She returns to perform with our own Gary Motley Trio at the 2016 Emory Jazz Fest.

All of these artists will take part in residency activities while they are on campus. Details will be announced this fall.

Jazz fills the air on the Emory campus, and soon will do the same in Colombia! Four members of the Emory Jazz Studies Program will have an opportunity to share their enthusiasm for jazz with young students this summer as a part of a performing and teaching mission to Colombia. Saxophonist Neel Ghosh, pianist John Paul McGee, bassist Dishan Harper and drummer/guitarist Logan Miller comprise the Emory Jazz Quartet. The group is one of three US ensembles selected to participate in the program sponsored by the Centro Colombo Americano, a non-profit educational and cultural organization whose mission is to promote human development through cross-cultural understanding and international dialog. The organization has been hosting the collaboration since 2007. Scheduled for June 14-28, the two week program will include jazz camps, festivals, jams sessions and outreach concerts in Manizales, Pereira and Armenia.

To help support the students’ trip, make your donation today.

by Kevin Williams 16C

On January 12, 2014 Grammy-winning Irving Mayfield and the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra (NOJO) performed for a full house. They didn’t disappoint. More than just a group that performs jazz, NOJO ambitiously supports and encourages jazz through educational endeavors that provide free experiences for young jazz musicians. Their most recent project, set to be completed later this year, is the New Orleans Jazz Market which will house a performance space for them as well as other renowned jazz ensembles, educational areas for tourists, and a jazz archive. We were gently reminded of their mission to support jazz at various points in the concert. With a tongue n’cheek humor, Irving Mayfield masterfully connected the audience. Early in the program, he claimed that as part of NOJO’s educational mission they had picked someone off the street taught him to play an instrument and had him compose a song only to make the audience chuckle as one of their band members came out, picked up the microphone and sang a Frank Sinatra classic.

At the end of the performance they did indeed bring out a local high school saxophone player to perform with them, showcasing the talent within Atlanta that is flourishing.

A large ensemble, consisting of trombones, saxophones, a rhythm section, trumpets and a tuba, the band has a rich, full sound and is still able to be extremely nimble and versatile. On a more serious note, the band played a moving song dedicated to all the African Americans that are incarcerated. “We’ve got a problem” Mr. Mayfield said, “and we can’t jail ourselves out of it.” The rest of the repertoire spanned jazz from its inception to the modern era. Mayfield kept everyone on their toes, so you couldn’t anticipate what was coming next. Surprises are relatively rare in a musical concert, and the big surprise in this one may have been one of my favorites. Towards the end of the concert, Irving told everyone to close their eyes and remember their favorite childhood toy. While this happened the tuba player got out and started singing You’ve Got A Friend in Me from Toy Story. It is a wonderful thing when a band can unite the audience in a special moment like that, and it happened more than once that night. A remarkable concert from a remarkable ensemble.

Dear Jazz Friends and Members of Emory Jazz Alliance,

2013-14 was a banner opening year for the Emory Jazz Alliance.  Designed to support the Jazz Studies Program at Emory, EJA has enabled jazz supporters from the Emory neighborhood, greater Atlanta, and beyond to become appreciated and vibrant participants in the Emory music and arts community.

This model, local support for the Emory Jazz Studies Program, has quickly gained recognition and encouragement from the Emory arts community.  The 2013 Creativity and Arts Award for the Volunteer Category was presented in recognition of our effort.

Funds raised in the inaugural year of EJA have had a remarkable and sustained impact on the Strickland Jazz Studio and equipment used in didactic and performance sessions with Emory jazz students.

• These efforts supported the purchase of new computers (Apple iMac) and associated musical software.  Professor Motley utilized iPads in a novel effort designed for extended training in recording and composition using control surfaces. This iPad-based training was presented at the 2013 Jazz Education Network Conference and subsequently published in The Jazzer’s Cookbook. This book contains tips from 57 of today’s most outstanding educators, performers, and industry pros in the jazz education world.  In addition to Professor Motley, other contributors include John Clayton, Dave Liebman, and Bob Mintzer.
• A brand new Yamaha N3 AvantGrand piano graces the Emory Jazz Studio with unsurpassed sound, touch, and electronic and network capability. This unique instrument will enable students to expand their compositional and performance horizons to achieve in the jazz realm.  I would like to thank Cooper Music for their support in obtaining this remarkable instrument.
• A new and improved interactive SmartBoard has been installed to assist Emory Jazz Instructors as they help the students with their performance capabilities.  SmartBoards operate by touch to enable unique utilization of musical training software. Pitch adjustment, recording, composition, tuning, practice tools, musical notation on the fly: instructional adjuncts that make learning a visual experience.

For the 2014-15 season, The Emory Jazz Alliance would like to focus fund-raising to support the following activities:

• Scholarships to support student lessons.  Individual lessons are essential to provide needed didactic instruction to the Emory Jazz Students.  This year, over 80% of the students will take private lessons, an improvement over past seasons.  Lessons cost $800 per semester.  Donations from EJA will hopefully enable 100% participation. A donation to EJA will support jazz education that will pay great dividends for students as well as jazz fans who attend Emory student performances.
• Program Development. EJA is committed to support Professor Motley and his excellent Jazz Affiliate Instructors.  EJA funding will offer improved access to instruments and support for interdepartmental and community outreach activities.
  • Local and regional junior high and high school jazz programs
  • Programs involving other sections of the Emory Music Department as well as unique programs designed to support and interact with other Emory Departments.
• National and International Outreach
  • Professor Motley will speak at the January 2015 Jazz Education Network Conference in San Diego on  “Counterpoint Techniques for the Jazz Pianist.”
  • In cooperation with the Emory’s Goizueta Business School, four Emory Jazz Studies students have been invited, along with Professor Motley, to travel to Medellin, Columbia in June 2015.  This trip is designed for jazz performance and instruction and cultural exchange.  It is the first international trip for the Jazz Students and worthy of your support. 
    • The Centro Colombo Americano in Medellin is a nonprofit organization that promotes human and social development through academic and multicultural experiences between Colombia, the US and other countries. The Committees for Inter-American Affairs began sponsoring cultural exchange programs in Medellin, Columbia 1947. Writers, artists, scientists and jazz orchestras and classical musicians have participated in this program. Since 2007, their jazz collaboration program has promoted cross-cultural understanding and international dialog between US and Colombian jazz artists at the university level. The US Embassy is a strong supporter of the jazz program as well as other community development initiatives.
  • The trip is scheduled for June 2015. The Emory Jazz Quartet is among three jazz quartets from US universities to be invited to teach and perform in Colombia.

Thank you so much for your financial support during the 2013-14 inaugural season for the Emory Jazz Alliance.  Please join us as we celebrate jazz performances, student jazz education, the recently improved Strickland Jazz Studio, and the future of the Emory Jazz Studies Program.  Let’s offer Professor Motley and his jazz instructors the support they need and deserve.

Sincerely,

Hank Siegelson
President
Emory Jazz Alliance

As a professional jazz pianist, Motley will share his expertise in a clinic entitled “Counterpoint for the Jazz Pianist.” This will be his second presentation for the Jazz Education Network. His first presentation “Making Jazz With the iPad” in 2012 is now included in the Meredith Music publication ‘The Jazzer’s Cookbook.”

Saxophonist Bill Sears will host a master class on Wednesday January 28, 2015 in the Strickland Jazz Studio at 7:00 pm. The class is open to all Emory Jazz Studies students and EJA members.

Bill Sears has been director of jazz studies at the Interlochen Arts Academy since 1987 and the Interlochen Arts Camp since 2010. The Interlochen Center for the Arts is a privately owned 1200 acre arts education institution in the woods of Northwest Michigan near Traverse City.  The Interlochen Arts Camp, originally founded as the National Music Camp in 1928, gathers young artists from around the world each summer to learn, create and perform alongside leading artists and instructors. Prior to teaching at Interlochen, Mr. Sears lived in Chicago where he led an active performing career and also taught at the American Conservatory of Music and Concordia University.  He was a faculty member of the Shell Lake (Wisconsin) Arts Center Summer Jazz Camp from 1977-2009 and the Saskatchewan Center for the Arts from 1980-89. 

Bill’s groups at Interlochen have achieved considerable notoriety during his tenure having garnered more than 20 db awards from Downbeat magazine and twice being named a finalist in Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Essentially Ellington competition.  In 2008 two combos from Interlochen were selected to perform at the Prestigious Next Generation Festival in Monterrey, California.  His groups have also been featured in performance at conferences of the International Association for Jazz Education. 

An active jazz saxophonist, Bill Sears has performed, toured and recorded with many leading musicians including Ray Charles, Dizzy Gillespie, Saxophonist Bill Evans, Rick Margitza, Art Farmer, Joe Williams and Nancy Wilson.  Bill has two CD’s under his own leadership, Chasin’ The Goal and With One Accord, both of which feature not only his engaging and individual saxophone voice, but also several of his compositions.

In addition to his jazz credentials, Bill is a versatile performer who is a contracted saxophonist with the Grand Rapids and Traverse Symphony Orchestras, and he has played in the backup orchestras for countless popular artists including Natalie Cole, Aretha Franklin, The Temptations and Tony Bennett.

Thanks to the fundraising efforts of the Emory Jazz Alliance, the long awaited Yamaha N3 Hybrid Piano was delivered to the Strickland Jazz Studio on May 8. “This instrument is a real game changer for us” program director Gary Motley states. “It gives the students the feel of a concert instrument while enabling them to connect directly to our digital workstation for production purposes.” The N3 also promises to  deliver significant annual savings in tuning and maintenance cost. We were so excited to  work with Blake Cooper and Silas Lyon (Cooper Music, also an EJA sponsor) to make the instrument available to the Emory Jazz Studies Program. Be sure to attend the Strickland Studio open house celebration on Saturday, October 25 at 3:00 pm to see a demonstration of the N3 and other technology in this state-of-the-art classroom.