Institute’s Peer-to-Peer Sextet presents Jazz Education Tour to Virginia Public Schools, May 22-26

Featuring Internationally Renowned Recording Artists SEAN JONES and LISA HENRY

Weeklong series of events includes 2 performances open to the public at Blues Alley in Washington, DC on May 27

Washington, DC – With lead funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and United Airlines, the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz will bring its Peer-to-Peer jazz education program to Virginia public schools May 22-26, 2023. Combining performance with educational information, these “informances” will be presented by the Institute’s National Peer-to-Peer Jazz Sextet, comprising six of the country’s most gifted high school music students. They will be featured alongside internationally acclaimed trumpet recording artist Sean Jones, Kansas City jazz and blues vocalist and a former winner of the Institute’s International Jazz Vocals Competition Lisa Henry, and renowned jazz educator Dr. JB Dyas. Each school visit will include an assembly program featuring a musical performance for all students, followed by workshops for each school’s jazz band and choir with the visiting student performers playing alongside and sharing ideas with their Virginia counterparts.

“We’ve found that sometimes young people can learn about certain things better from kids their same age, and one of them is jazz,” said jazz great Herbie Hancock, Institute Chairman, NEA Jazz Master, and Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). “And when you hear how accomplished these musicians are at such a young age, you know their peers are going to listen.”

Besides playing jazz at a level that belies their years, the students will talk with their Virginia peers about what jazz is, why it’s important to America, and how a jazz ensemble represents a perfect democracy. They also will discuss the important American values that jazz represents: teamwork, unity with ethnic diversity, the correlation of hard work and goal accomplishment, perseverance, and the importance of finding a passion early in life, being persistent, and believing in yourself. When young people hear this important message from kids their same age, they are often more likely to listen.

The members of the all-star sextet selected nationwide to participate in the Virginia tour include saxophonist Leo Milano (18) from Chicago; trombonist Evan Dexter (17) from Los Angeles; guitarist Leo Sandoval (17) from Houston; bassist Camara Dupree (17) from New Orleans; and pianist Jose Andre Montano (17) and drummer Kevin Kearney (17) from Washington, DC. “I had the wonderful opportunity of performing with Mr. Jones along with US Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona last year at the US Department of Education,” said Montano, who also was selected to this year’s Carnegie Hall’s National Youth Jazz Orchestra with which he’ll tour Europe this summer with Jones. “I can’t wait to play with and learn from him again.”

Immediately following the informances, Jones, Henry, and Dyas will conduct jazz workshops for each host school’s jazz band and choir. The visiting students will play side-by-side with their Virginia counterparts, providing tutelage peer to peer. In so doing, they will teach and learn from one another not unlike what Herbie Hancock did with Miles Davis, Wayne Shorter, and so many other eminent jazz artists over half a century. They’ll also learn about each other’s cities and cultures.

“I’m really looking forward to spending a week in Virginia,” added Dupree. “I can talk about the historic city of New Orleans, and the Virginia kids can tell me all about the historic cities of Williamsburg, Richmond, and Charlottesville.”

The weeklong tour will include two shows open to the public on May 27 at the iconic Washington, DC jazz club, Blues Alley (1073 Wisconsin Ave NW), where DC residents and visitors are invited to enjoy an evening of music with Jones and Henry alongside jazz’s future “young lions.” The octet will perform standards, jazz classics and contemporary jazz, including tunes from Jones’ and Henry’s latest recordings. Shows begin at 7:00 pm and 9:00 pm. For further information, call 202-337-4141 or visit https://www.bluesalley.com.

Virginia Peer-to-Peer Jazz Informance, Concert, and Workshop Schedule

DateTimeEventLocation
Mon, May 229:10 amMEDIA DAYJamestown High School, 3751 John Tyler Hwy, Williamsburg, VA 23185
9:10 amAssembly Program/ConcertJamestown High School, 3751 John Tyler Hwy, Williamsburg, VA 23185
11:00 amJazz Band and Vocal WorkshopsJamestown High School, 3751 John Tyler Hwy, Williamsburg, VA 23185
Tue, May 239:10 amAssembly Program/ConcertWarhill High School, 4615 Opportunity Way, Williamsburg, VA 23188
11:00 amJazz Band and Vocal WorkshopsWarhill High School, 4615 Opportunity Way, Williamsburg, VA 23188
Wed, May 2410:45 amAssembly Program/ConcertThomas Jefferson High School, 4100 W Grace St, Richmond, VA 23230
12:45 pmJazz Band and Vocal WorkshopsThomas Jefferson High School, 4100 W Grace St, Richmond, VA 23230
Thu, May 2510:45 amMEDIA DAYHuguenot High School, 7945 Forest Hill Ave, Richmond, VA 23225
10:45 amAssembly Program/ConcertHuguenot High School, 7945 Forest Hill Ave, Richmond, VA 23225
12:45 pmJazz Band and Vocal WorkshopsHuguenot High School, 7945 Forest Hill Ave, Richmond, VA 23225
Fri, May 269:30 amMEDIA DAYCharlottesville High School, 1400 Melbourne Rd, Charlottesville, VA 22901
9:30 amAssembly Program/ConcertCharlottesville High School, 1400 Melbourne Rd, Charlottesville, VA 22901
11:00 amJazz Band and Vocal WorkshopsCharlottesville High School, 1400 Melbourne Rd, Charlottesville, VA 22901
Sat, May 277:00 pmConcert Open to the PublicBlues Alley Jazz Club, 1073 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC 20007
9:00 pmConcert Open to the PublicBlues Alley Jazz Club, 1073 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC 20007

For more information, full-length bios and photos, or to schedule an interview with the artists and/or students, please contact: JB Dyas at jbdyas@hancockinstitute.org or 323-270-3904.

Download the press release here.

Institute Kicks Off Arkansas Peer-to-Peer Jazz Education Tour, May 15-19

Featuring Internationally Renowned Recording Artists DON BRADEN and LISA HENRY

Weeklong series of events includes performance open to the public at the Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville on May 18

Washington, DC – With lead funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and United Airlines, the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz will bring its Peer-to-Peer jazz education program to Arkansas public schools May 15-19, 2023. Combining performance with educational information, these “informances” will be presented by the Institute’s National Peer-to-Peer Jazz Quintet, comprising five of the country’s most gifted high school music students. They will be featured alongside internationally acclaimed saxophone recording artist Don Braden, Kansas City jazz and blues vocalist and a former winner of the Institute’s International Jazz Vocals Competition Lisa Henry, and renowned jazz educator Dr. JB Dyas. Each school visit will include an assembly program featuring a musical performance for all students, followed by workshops for each school’s jazz band and choir with the visiting student performers playing alongside and sharing ideas with their Arkansas counterparts.

“We’ve found that sometimes young people can learn about certain things better from kids their same age, and one of them is jazz,” said jazz great Herbie Hancock, Institute Chairman, NEA Jazz Master, and Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). “And when you hear how accomplished these musicians are at such a young age, you know their peers are going to listen.”

Besides playing jazz at a level that belies their years, the students will talk with their Arkansas peers about what jazz is, why it’s important to America, and how a jazz ensemble represents a perfect democracy. They also will discuss the important American values that jazz represents: teamwork, unity with ethnic diversity, the correlation of hard work and goal accomplishment, perseverance, and the importance of finding a passion early in life, being persistent, and believing in yourself. When young people hear this important message from kids their same age, they are often more likely to listen.

The members of the all-star quintet selected nationwide to participate in the Arkansas tour include trumpeter Giovanni Martinez (18) from Jacksonville, FL; trombonist Andre Perlman (17) from Miami; pianist William Schwartzman (17) from Los Angeles; bassist Laura-Simone Martin (17) from Lawrence, NJ; and drummer Julian Frazier (16) from Baltimore. “We’ve been meeting with Dr. Dyas online via Zoom since the beginning of the year, and we’re so happy that we are now finally able to perform with each other in person,” said Martin, who also was recently selected as the bassist for this year’s edition of Carnegie Hall’s National Youth Jazz Orchestra with whom she’ll tour Europe this summer.  “It’s been both a joy and a challenge to prepare Mr. Braden’s music and we’re so looking forward to playing with and learning from him.”

Immediately following the informances, Braden, Henry, and Dyas will conduct jazz workshops for each host school’s jazz band and choir. The visiting students will play side-by-side with their Arkansas counterparts, providing tutelage peer to peer. In so doing, they will teach and learn from one another not unlike what Herbie Hancock did with Miles Davis, Wayne Shorter, and so many other eminent jazz artists over half a century. They’ll also learn about each other’s cities and cultures.

“I’m really looking forward to spending a week in such a different part of the country,” added Schwartzman, who also was recently selected to the Carnegie Hall National Youth Jazz Orchestra. “I suspect that the kids in Arkansas and I have way more in common than differences. And whatever differences we may have, as jazz musicians we celebrate them.”

The weeklong tour will include a concert open to the public on May 18, 7:00 pm, at the Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville (495 W Dickson St), where Fayetteville residents and visitors are invited to enjoy an evening of music with Braden and Henry alongside jazz’s future “young lions.” The septet will perform standards, jazz classics and contemporary jazz, including Braden’s jazz arrangements of Earth, Wind, & Fire and Stevie Wonder songs from his latest album, Earth, Wind, and Wonder. For further information, call 479-443-5600 or visit www.waltonartscenter.org.

Arkansas Peer-to-Peer Jazz Informance, Concert, and Workshop Schedule

DateTimeEventLocation
Mon, May 1510:30 amAssembly Program/ConcertParkview Arts & Science Magnet High School, 2501 John Barrow Rd, Little Rock, AR 72204
12:30 pmJazz Band and Vocal WorkshopsParkview Arts & Science Magnet High School, 2501 John Barrow Rd, Little Rock, AR 72204
Tue, May 1610:30 amMEDIA DAYLittle Rock Southwest High School, 9715 Mabelvale Pike, Mabelvale, AR 72103
10:30 amAssembly Program/ConcertLittle Rock Southwest High School, 9715 Mabelvale Pike, Mabelvale, AR 72103
12:30 pmJazz Band and Vocal WorkshopsLittle Rock Southwest High School, 9715 Mabelvale Pike, Mabelvale, AR 72103
Wed, May 1710:30 amMEDIA DAYFayetteville High School, 994 M.L.K. Jr Blvd, Fayetteville, AR 72701
10:30 amAssembly Program/ConcertFayetteville High School, 994 M.L.K. Jr Blvd, Fayetteville, AR 72701
12:30 pmJazz Band and Vocal WorkshopsFayetteville High School, 994 M.L.K. Jr Blvd, Fayetteville, AR 72701
Thu, May 1810:00 amMEDIA DAYBentonville High School Arend Arts Center, 1901 SE J St, Bentonville, AR 72712
10:00 amAssembly Program/ConcertBentonville High School Arend Arts Center, 1901 SE J St, Bentonville, AR 72712
11:30 amJazz Band and Vocal WorkshopsBentonville High School Arend Arts Center, 1901 SE J St, Bentonville, AR 72712
7:00 pmConcert Open to the PublicWalton Arts Center, 495 W Dickson St, Fayetteville, AR 72701
Fri, May 1910:00 amAssembly Program/ConcertBentonville West High School, 1351 Gamble Rd, Centerton, AR 72719
11:30 amJazz Band and Vocal WorkshopsBentonville West High School, 1351 Gamble Rd, Centerton, AR 72719

For more information, full-length bios and photos, or to schedule an interview with the artists and/or students, please contact: JB Dyas at jbdyas@hancockinstitute.org or 323-270-3904.

Download the press release here.

Virtual Informance with U.S. Dept. of Education shows the uplifting power of jazz

U.S. Secretary of Education Dr. Miguel Cardona joined Institute Chairman Herbie Hancock to co-host a special virtual peer-to-peer jazz informance for students and educators across the United States and around the world, highlighting the extraordinary history and legacy of jazz as a healing, uplifting art form.

The session, organized in honor of Jazz Appreciation Month 2021 and the 10th Anniversary Celebration of International Jazz Day, included virtual performances by the Institute’s National Peer-to-Peer All-Star Jazz Septet along with an educational presentation by Institute Vice President of Education and Curriculum Development Dr. JB Dyas. Hancock and Secretary Cardona participated in a memorable 15-minute discussion on the importance of jazz as a tool for self-affirmation and self-expression.

“It takes a lot of courage to play jazz,” noted Hancock. “To not know exactly where you’re going to go, and then when that moment comes, to…jump off that cliff–that takes courage to do that. After a while, you kind of get used to that feeling of ‘it’s going to be ok,’ so it develops this spirit of being fearless. Everybody needs that.”

The April informance was offered as a free webinar in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Education and with lead funding from United Airlines and the National Endowment for the Arts. The program attracted attendees from more than 30 countries, including the United States, Brazil, Finland, Indonesia, Japan and South Africa.

The full informance is available to watch below: