National Jazz Museum in Harlem Jan. 17 - Jaz. 23, 2011 - Schedule

National Jazz Museum in Harlem

Schedule

Monday, January 17, 2011

Jazz for Curious Readers

Ed Berger, Author of books on Benny Carter and George Duvivier

7:00 – 8:30pm

Location: NJMH Visitors Center, (104 E. 126th Street, Suite 2C)

This discussion is a continuation of Jazz for Curious Readers from last month, where Berger, a talented photographer, gave a slide show of his photographic artistry. This month we get to the books!

Biographer and photographer Ed Berger was the Associate Director and Head of Research Services of the Institute of Jazz Studies for over 30 years. He's a graduate of Indiana University and has a M.L.S. from Rutgers University. Berger’s books Benny Carter: A Life in American Music, Reminiscing in Tempo, and Basically Speaking: An Oral History of George Duvivier have been universally acclaimed as high water marks in jazz scholarship.

He served as record producer and road manager for Benny Carter and will delight us this evening with anecdotes about two of the gentlemen of jazz who lit up the stages of jazz for decade upon decade with sophisticated artistry, and with whom he was a very close friend.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Jazz for Curious Listeners

Christian McBride Hosts: My Musical Heroes

7:00 – 8:30pm

Location: NJMH Visitors Center, (104 E. 126th Street, Suite 2C)

Christian’s Subject: James Brown, the Godfather of Soul

There is perhaps no bigger fan of James Brown than Christian McBride, who in September 2006 fulfilled his dream of performing together with the Godfather of Soul. This performance at The Hollywood Bowl, where McBride led a big band in renditions of songs from Brown’s jazz/soul recording, Soul on Top, will be one of the highlights of tonight’s session.

And expect to hear a lot of musical examples that demonstrate why Christian once wrote: “For close to half a century, James Brown represented that rare type of artist whose music created an impenetrable force around the listener. When you listened to James Brown, you felt strong, bold, almost immortal.”

Friday, January 21, 2011

Harlem in the Himalayas

Slumgum

7:00pm

Location: Rubin Museum of Art, (150 West 17th Street)

Jon Armstrong, Tenor Saxophone

Rory Cowal, Piano

David Tranchina, Bass

Trevor Anderies, Drums

slum•gum (sl?m'g?m) n. 1. A term used in beekeeping, slumgum is the impure residue, consisting of cocoons, propolis, etc., remaining after the wax is extracted from honeycombs. 2. "An outstanding risk-taking jazz quartet from Los Angeles" - Gabe Meline, North Bay Bohemian.

After hearing them in Aspen this past summer, NJMH Directors Loren Schoenberg and Christian McBride agreed that Slumgum was a brilliant band that had to be heard as part our Harlem in the Himalayas series.

Since 2006, the four members of Slumgum have meshed together jazz, contemporary classical music and free playing to create aural tapestries that blur the lines between composition and improvisation. Tonight, expect a weave of wonder from a truly creative and wonderful band.