Renowned saxophonist and Institute Trustee Wayne Shorter, a legendary figure in jazz for more than six decades, will be recognized as one of eight recipients of the prestigious Kennedy Center Honors. The awards ceremony will take place on December 2, 2018, at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.

As a composer and improviser, Shorter has profoundly impacted the sound of modern music for the last half century. Dozens of his more than 200 compositions have become standards performed by artists around the world. After graduating from Arts High School in his native Newark, New Jersey, he attended New York University and served in the Army while playing saxophone in groups with Horace Silver and Maynard Ferguson. In 1959, Shorter joined Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, where he soon became musical director.

In 1964, the same year Shorter recorded Speak No Evil—his first record as a leader for Blue Note—Miles Davis invited him to join a quartet with Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter and Tony Williams. Shorter recorded 12 albums with Davis and provided much of the material for the group’s musical explorations. In 1970, Shorter and Austrian keyboardist Joe Zawinul formed Weather Report, which became one of the most influential forces of the fusion era. In 2005, he won a GRAMMY Award for Beyond the Sound Barrier, taking his total to ten. Shorter currently performs with a dynamic quartet including Danilo Pérez, John Patitucci and Brian Blade. Without a Net, the group’s latest release, documents this exceptional ensemble performing live with the Imani Winds quintet.

Shorter has served as a trustee of the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz for over a decade and is a regular participant in the Institute’s outreach and education programs, most recently as part of International Jazz Day celebrations in Istanbul, Osaka, Paris and Washington, D.C.

On December 2, Shorter will be honored alongside composer Philip Glass, vocalists and actresses Cher and Reba McEntire, and the creative team of the award-winning musical Hamilton—the first time an artistic work has been recognized at the Kennedy Center Honors. The ceremony, which traditionally includes performances by a host of acclaimed artists, will be broadcast as a CBS television special airing on December 26.

The Institute congratulates Wayne Shorter on this well-deserved honor, and thanks him for his innumerable contributions to jazz music over the past 60 years.

Read the Washington Post article about the 2018 Kennedy Center Honors recipients.

 

The Institute’s Los Angeles-area Jazz in the Classroom program held its Spring Concert on June 2 at the Musicians Institute in Hollywood, ushering out the 2018 school year with performances by more than 50 talented student musicians.

Each year’s Spring Concert gives every Jazz in the Classroom student the opportunity to put into practice the lessons and techniques they learn during the year through daily and weekly instruction with Institute teaching artists. Groups from more than a dozen partner schools present repertoire for a live audience that demonstrates how they have honed skills like improvisation, group dynamics and nonverbal communication over the course of the academic year.

Hosted by prominent KJazz radio personality LeRoy Downs, the June 2 concert featured a series of jazz combo performances covering a range of compositional eras and styles, from standards like Dizzy Gillespie’s “A Night in Tunisia” and John Coltrane’s “Mr. P.C.” to Kurt Rosenwinkel’s “Minor Blues” to original tunes written by the students. Participating groups represented middle and high schools from across the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), including the Academy of Performing Arts at Hamilton High School, Eagle Rock High School, El Sereno Middle School, the James A. Foshay Learning Center, John F. Kennedy High School, the Ramon C. Cortines School of Visual and Performing Arts, Washington Preparatory High School, and others.

Part two of the concert highlighted the Thelonious Monk Institute/LAUSD Beyond the Bell All-City Big Band, a collaborative ensemble collecting 25 of the most talented young student musicians from the district. Participation in the All-City Band gives selected students the opportunity to perform regularly at in-demand venues and events around the Los Angeles area, including the Hollywood Bowl and the Central Avenue Jazz Festival. Joined by special guest pianist and 2006 Piano Competition finalist Gerald Clayton as well as vocalist and Institute of Jazz Performance graduate Michael Mayo, the group gave rousing performances of Roy Hargrove’s “Strasbourg/St. Denis,” Juan Tizol’s “Perdido” and John Coltrane’s “Giant Steps.”

As part of the Spring Concert, the Institute and LAUSD presented Hamilton High School senior trumpeter Joey Currieri with the Norman & Rosalind Cutler Memorial Scholarship, which helps fund college tuition for a graduating senior who has demonstrated great musical improvement or achievement. Congratulations to Currieri and to all of our students on a successful and productive school year.

The Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance bid its latest class a fond farewell as the group of seven students formally graduated from the program, concluding two years of intensive study with some of the world’s greatest jazz masters.

In a ceremony on UCLA’s Dickson Court Plaza, Luca Alemanno (bass, Italy), Anthony Fung (drums, Canada), Alex Hahn (alto saxophone, USA), Jon Hatamiya (trombone, USA), Julio Maza (tenor saxophone, Peru), Simon Moullier (vibraphone, France) and Glenn Tucker (piano, USA) received their masters certificates from the Herb Alpert School of Music, where the Institute of Jazz Performance has been in residence since 2012. UCLA alumna and musicologist Judith Finell delivered featured remarks.

Over the course of their time in the program, the students received wide-ranging instruction from renowned artists including Institute Chairman Herbie Hancock, pianist Billy Childs, saxophonists Jimmy Heath, Dick Oatts and Jerry Bergonzi, vibraphonist Steve Nelson and bassist Bob Hurst, among others. In addition, visiting industry veterans like Don Was, Denny Stilwell, Mike D’Errico and Karen Kennedy provided regular insights into the music business, recording techniques and artist management.

As part of their role as ambassadors for the Institute, the Class of 2018 worked with communities in Los Angeles, across the United States and around the world, performing and conducting master classes both at local high schools and on behalf of the Institute in Arizona, Alaska, Panama, Cuba and most recently at the International Jazz Day 2018 festivities in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The students also served as fixtures on the UCLA and LA music scenes, performing regularly at LA jazz hot spot blue whale, now one of the top jazz clubs on the West Coast, and expanding intradepartmental collaboration at the Herb Alpert School of Music through participation in guest lectures and performances exploring the ethnic musics of the Balkans, Thailand, India, Mexico and more.

The Institute thanks Luca, Anthony, Alex, Jon, Julio, Simon and Glenn for their exemplary commitment to the program over the past two years, and wishes them the best of luck as they embark on the next stage of their promising careers.

The Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance Ensemble will conclude its monthly feature at Los Angeles jazz spot blue whale on Tuesday, June 3. The group will kick things off at 9 pm (doors open at 8 pm) with an hour-long set of standards and originals, followed by a jam session open to all. Instrumentalists and vocalists are welcome. This is the last jam session before the Class of 2018 complete their studies at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music in June 2018!

The Institute’s college program has been a consistent presence at blue whale since establishing itself at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music in 2012. Both current students and recent graduates are a familiar sight in the intimate club, whether as headliners, side-players—or even just listeners.

Opened in 2009 by jazz vocalist Joon Lee, blue whale is still in its first decade, yet has garnered widespread recognition. NPR calls it “a jazz hub” and “the definitive room for hip, progressive, youthful jazz.” With a varied billing that includes a litany of up-and-coming Los Angeles-area musicians as well as established acts like Jane Monheit, Jason Marsalis, Gerald Clayton and Steve Coleman, the venue is making its mark as LA’s jazz hot spot.

For more information on Tuesday’s event, please visit http://www.bluewhalemusic.com.

Attending? Be sure to show your interest via our Facebook event.