Thu, 10/20/2011 - 11:23 am

Come immerse yourself in the recordings and film footage of Lester "Pres" Young, whose influence as an improviser and stylist in jazz is only matched by icons of jazz such as Louis Armstrong, Charlie Parker (whom he influenced), and John Coltrane.You'll also learn about his life, and hear excerpts from interviews, as Loren Schoenberg and other jazz experts provide a rounded picture of Lester Young as a man, a legend, and an artist of first rank.Be sure to check our website for regular updates - new audio/video from many of events are available for those of you who can't attend in person or for those who have but want to savor the moment! We are in the process of expanding our programming and our membership. Don't miss this opportunity to join an organization that is making great strides. We want and need your input and support. Please join us.Jazz for Curious Listeners  
Lester Young: An American Visionary
7:00 – 8:30pm
Location: NJMIH Visitors Center
(104 E. 126th Street, Suite 2C)
FREE |For more information: 212-348-8300 Hosted by Loren Schoenberg 

New discoveries from the Savory Collection

 The Savory Collection find and acquisition of 100 hours of swing era music with, for instance, the Basie band at the height of their powers in 1938, with Lester Young creating masterpiece after improvisational masterpiece, is what Loren Schoenberg has called “the motherlode.” Selections from full broadcasts of the Basie band at the Famous Door and more will be shared in this last session of focus on the legendary tenor saxophone pioneer Lester Young.

Fri, 01/27/2012 - 12:15 pm

For the month of February, The National Jazz Museum in Harlem continues to offer a wide range of top quality free programming and affordable concerts from jazz’s most celebrated musicians, educators and historians. For Harlem Speaks, our flagship public program of oral histories, we have the acclaimed saxophonist Jaleel Shaw and renowned arranger, producer and trumpet player Don Sickler. Jazz for Curious Listeners and our Saturday panel this month are dedicated to the pioneering jazz producer and civil rights advocate Norman Granz. We will be joined by Granz biographer Tad Hershorn. Co-director Jonathan Batiste and his talented band continue their successful Jazz Is: Now! program with swinging, jamming, fun-filled evening of the best jazz! Harlem in the Himalayas, at the Rubin Museum of Art, will feature saxophonist Tim Berne’s new group SNAKEOIL featuring the talents of Oscar Noriega, Matt Mitchell and Ches Smith.   Jazz at the Players features a performance by New York based, Trinidadian trumpet virtuoso Etienne Charles. We hope to see you, your family and friends at as many of our events as you can make during this exciting month at The National Jazz Museum in Harlem. Wednesday, February 1, 2012Jazz Is: Now! with Jonathan Batiste                                                                               FUN with Jazz!7:00 – 8:30pmLocation:NJMH Visitors Center(104 E. 126th Street, Suite 4D)FREE | For more information: 212-348-8300Pianist and band leader Jonathan Batiste continues his successful Jazz Is: Now! series in which he and an ensemble explore jazz today, never forgetting the past but always swinging into the future. This month Batiste, NJMH’s Program Advisor, focuses on having fun with jazz.Jazz music can be difficult for some to break in to. The Stay Human band dedicates this month to breaking down that myth and showing you how to have fun with the swing!Tuesday, February 7, 2012Jazz for Curious Listeners                                                                     The World of Norman Granz: The Early Years7:00 – 8:30pmLocation:NJMH Visitors Center(104 E. 126th Street, Suite 4D)FREE | For more information: 212-348-8300 During the late 30’s, Norman Granz fell in love with jazz as a young man, and by 1944, he created Jazz At The Philharmonic, one of the most successful jazz concert series of the 20th century. We’ll look into those early, formative years, and Granz’s friendships with Nat “King” Cole, Lester Young, Benny Carter and others and how they shaped the path he followed for the rest of his life. We will also screen the Oscar-nominated jazz film Granz produced, JAMMIN’ THE BLUES, featuring Young, Sid Catlett, Jo Jones, Harry Edison and others.Tuesday, February 7, 2012Drop Me Off in Harlem                                                                           An Evening of Ellingtonia in Collaboration with The National Jazz Museum in Harlem, Loren Schoenberg, Jonathan Batiste  & The National Jazz Museum All Stars7:30pmLocation:David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center70 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NYFREE | For more information: http://new.lincolncenter.org Explore the music of The Duke and the roots of the diverse and universal language called Jazz music. Musicians and audiences of all backgrounds gather around this vibrant and poetic genre which sprung from African-American tradition and attracted global attention during the great Harlem Renaissance. Spend an hour in Ellington a through music and film of Jazz Legend Duke Ellington. Wednesday, February 8, 2012Jazz Is: Now! with Jonathan Batiste                                                                               FUN with Jazz!7:00 – 8:30pmLocation:NJMH Visitors Center(104 E. 126th Street, Suite 4D)FREE | For more information: 212-348-8300 Pianist and band leader Jonathan Batiste continues his successful Jazz Is: Now! series in which he and an ensemble explore jazz today, never forgetting the past but always swinging into the future. This month Batiste, NJMH’s Program Advisor, focuses on having fun with jazz.Jazz music can be difficult for some to break in to. The Stay Human band dedicates this month to breaking down that myth and showing you how to have fun with the swing!Thursday, February 9, 2012Harlem SpeaksJaleel Shaw, Saxophonist   6:30 – 8:30pmLocation: NJMH Visitors Center(104 E. 126th Street, Suite 4D)FREE | For more information: 212-348-8300Alto saxophonist Jaleel Shaw grew up in Philadelphia, PA, where he studied with saxophone instructors Rayburn Wright and Robert Landham.As a teen, Jaleel performed, jammed and sat in at the many clubs in Philadephia, honing his chops and developing strong relationships with the many great musicians that Philadelphia had to offer as well as the musicians that came to Philadelphia from New York City.  Upon graduating from high school, Jaleel attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA and the Manhattan School of Music for graduate school. During his time at the Manhattan School of Music, Jaleel was recruited by both the Mingus Big Band and Count Basie Orchestra. Jaleel appears on two Grammy-Nominated CD's by the Mingus Big Band  "Tonight at Noon" and "I Am Three". After finishing his graduate studies, Jaleel went on to instruct at Temple University and the New School. Today Jaleel still takes part in many jazz education programs in the United States and abroad. Shaw also continues to perform with The Roy Haynes Quartet, the Mingus Big Band, and his own Quartet and Quintet.Saturday, February 11, 2012 Saturday PanelsThe World of Norman Granz on Film12:00 – 4:00pm Location: NJMH Visitors Center(104 E. 126th Street, Suite 4D)FREE | For more information: 212-348-8300Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Ben Webster, Duke Ellington, Oscar Peterson, Lester Young and Charlie Parker are just  handful of the artists with whom Norman Granz had fruitful relationships as a concert producer and/or manager. We will celebrate those and other of his accomplishments with rare and exciting film clips, as well as interviews with Granz himself.Tuesday, February 14, 2012Jazz for Curious ListenersThe World of Norman Granz: Jazz at the Philharmonic7:00 – 8:30pm   Location: NJMH Visitors Center(104 E. 126th Street, Suite 4D)FREE | For more information: 212-348-8300                                                                                For decades, Jazz At The Philharmonic represented the best touring concert series in jazz, conquering venues all over the world. Concertgoers had the opportunity to see and hear Lester Young, Nat King Cole, Charlie Parker, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Coleman Hawkins, Art Tatum and others play in the best concert halls. But there was another element to Granz’s business, as he successfully broke down racial barriers by refusing to accept the discriminatory setbacks leveled against his interracial troupe. We’ll explore these things plus more along with Granz biographer Tad Hershorn.Wednesday, February 15, 2012Jazz at the PlayersEtienne Charles7:00pmLocation: The Players(16 Gramercy Park S. | get directions)$20 | Reservations: [email protected] or 212-475-6116With Kaiso, his third recording as a leader, New York based, Trinidadian trumpet maestro Etienne Charles cooks up an ambrosial bouillabaisse of New World music genres, with the jazz and calypso genres standing out as piquant flavours. He explores the songbooks of three calypso legends, The Lord Kitchener, The Mighty Sparrow and the Roaring Lion using many different instrumental palettes ranging from duet to chamber orchestra. Born on the island of Trinidad in 1983, Etienne Charles defies easy musical categorization. An alumnus of the prestigious Juilliard School, Charles has received critical acclaim for his exciting performances, thrilling compositions and a knack for connecting with audiences worldwide. Etienne’s musical lineage runs at least four generations deep: His great-grandfather, emigrated to Trinidad from the overseas French department of Martinique bringing his folk music to the village of Mayaro; The young trumpeter’s grandfather’s distinct cuatro style can be heard on the classic folk and calypso recordings of the Growling Tiger; and, Etienne’s father, was a member of Phase II Pan Groove, one of Trinidad’s most progressive steel bands and one that Etienne himself would later join. Immersed in his father’s vast record collection, and suffused with the sounds of calypso, steel pan, and African Shango drumming, Etienne imbibed many of the influences that presently constitute the diverse colors of his harmonic palette. Perhaps more than any other musician of his generation or Eastern Caribbean origin, Etienne brings a careful study of myriad rhythms from the French, Spanish, English and Dutch speaking Caribbean to the table. Crucially, this young jazz professional fully understands the New Orleans trumpet tradition (which is readily discernible in his trademark instrumental swagger) and what the famed Crescent City pianist, Jelly Roll Morton so succinctly captured in the now immortal phrase, ‘The Spanish Tinge’. Like Charles’s Culture Shock (2006) and Folklore (2009), this latest opus addresses the fundamentals embodying calypso and jazz bringing exciting and heartfelt interpretations to the classic sing-along tunes of yesteryear.Wednesday, February 15, 2012Jazz Is: Now! with Jonathan Batiste                                                                               FUN with Jazz!7:00 – 8:30pmLocation:NJMH Visitors Center(104 E. 126th Street, Suite 4D)FREE | For more information: 212-348-8300Pianist and band leader Jonathan Batiste continues his successful Jazz Is: Now! series in which he and an ensemble explore jazz today, never forgetting the past but always swinging into the future. This month Batiste, NJMH’s Program Advisor, focuses on having fun with jazz.Jazz music can be difficult for some to break in to. The Stay Human band dedicates this month to breaking down that myth and showing you how to have fun with the swing!  Thursday, February 16, 2012Harlem SpeaksDon Sickler, Arranger  6:30 – 8:30pmLocation: NJMH Visitors Center(104 E. 126th Street, Suite 4D)FREE | For more information: 212-348-8300Don Sickler is a five time Grammy Award-winning arranger, producer and trumpet player. Don has won numerous Downbeat Magazine awards for his work as an arranger and producer since the 1980s. Over 300 of his arrangements have been recorded by artists such as Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, Joe Henderson, Freddie Hubbard and Woody Shaw. Don has recorded for a variety of labels, including Blue Note, Delos, Fantasy, HighNote, Muse, N2K, Polydor, Reservoir Music, Somethin' Else, Soul Note, Sunnyside, Uptown Records and Verve. As a trumpet player, Sickler has collaborated and performed with the likes of T.S. Monk, Freddie Redd, Larry Coryell, and Cindy Blackman. He currently serves as the director of the University Jazz Orchestra at Columbia University.Thursday, February 16, 2012Stanford Lively Arts  12:00pmLocation: Cantor Arts Center(300 Pasteur Drive, Stanford, CA 94305)FREELoren Schoenberg, Artistic Director of The National Jazz Museum in Harlem, highlights the rich cross-fertilization American jazz has had with musics of Latin America and the Caribbean.Friday, February 17, 2012 Harlem in the HimalayasTim Berne/SNAKEOIL (ECM)7:00pmLocation: Rubin Museum of Art(150 West 17th Street)$18 in advance | $20 at door |For tickets: RMA Box Officeor call 212-620-5000 ext. 344SNAKEOILis a potent blend of new voices and new ideas. Oscar Noriega (woodwinds), Matt Mitchell (keyboards) and Ches Smith (percussion) bring fresh sounds and vibrant energy. Berne responds with a stunning book of new pieces balancing compositional rigor with fluid group improvisation. Hypnotic rhythms and long, seductive melodies collide with jagged dissonances and surprising textural shifts. A lush, organic blend of saxophones and clarinets is layered with electronic and acoustic keyboards and an ever-changing tapestry of percussion. Freedom and discipline, consonance and discord, past, present and future- all work together to power this new band from Tim Berne.Tuesday, February 21, 2012Jazz for Curious ListenersThe World of Norman Granz: Ella, The Count and Oscar Peterson7:00 – 8:30pm   Location: NJMH Visitors Center(104 E. 126th Street, Suite 4D)FREE | For more information: 212-348-8300                                                                                Of all the artists he presented over his long career, legendary concert producer Norman Granz cared the most about the lives of Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald and Oscar Peterson. The historic recordings Granz produced for them remain in the jazz pantheon. We’ll look into the personal side of their relationships as well as hear some the greatest jazz ever recorded. Wednesday, February 22, 2012Jazz Is: Now! with Jonathan Batiste                                                                               FUN with Jazz!7:00 – 8:30pmLocation:NJMH Visitors Center(104 E. 126th Street, Suite 4D)FREE | For more information: 212-348-8300Pianist and band leader Jonathan Batiste continues his successful Jazz Is: Now! series in which he and an ensemble explore jazz today, never forgetting the past but always swinging into the future. This month Batiste, NJMH’s Program Advisor, focuses on having fun with jazz.Jazz music can be difficult for some to break in to. The Stay Human band dedicates this month to breaking down that myth and showing you how to have fun with the swing! Tuesday, February 28, 2012Jazz for Curious ListenersThe World of Norman Granz: The Pablo Years7:00 – 8:30pm   Location: NJMH Visitors Center(104 E. 126th Street, Suite 4D)FREE | For more information: 212-348-8300                                                                                Named his close friend, Pablo Picasso, Norman Granz’s last recording company was named Pablo. In the 1970’s and 80’s Granz recorded dozens of sessions that captured the autumnal years of many of jazz’s greatest artists as well as introducing new ones, such as Joe Pass. We’ll listen to and look at film shot at many of these sessions, including Duke Ellington’s last small group recording date.Wednesday, February 29, 2012Jazz Is: Now! with Jonathan Batiste                                                                               FUN with Jazz!7:00 – 8:30pmLocation:NJMH Visitors Center(104 E. 126th Street, Suite 4D)FREE | For more information: 212-348-8300Pianist and band leader Jonathan Batiste continues his successful Jazz Is: Now! series in which he and an ensemble explore jazz today, never forgetting the past but always swinging into the future. This month concludes on a Leap Day as Batiste, NJMH’s Program Advisor, focuses on having fun with jazz.Jazz music can be difficult for some to break in to. The Stay Human band dedicates this month to breaking down that myth and showing you how to have fun with the swing! 

Tue, 10/02/2012 - 5:20 pm

This October, The National Jazz Museum in Harlem continues to offer a wide range of top quality free programming and affordable concerts from jazz’s most celebrated musicians, educators and historians.
 
Harlem Speaks, our flagship public program of oral histories, will feature singer/playwright Rome Neal and an evening for the legendary pianist Marian McPartland (who may attend if her health permits), with music from Karrin Allyson and talk with her biographer Paul de Barros.
 
This month’s Jazz For Curious Listeners will highlight jazz from across the globe. Live music will be interspersed with conversation with musicians spanning the globe. If you want to expand your horizons, this is the place to be.

Harlem in the Himalayas, our collaborative program with the Rubin Museum of Art will feature Cuban pianist, composer and bandleader Manuel Valera with The New Cuban Express.

Saturday Panels will feature an afternoon of music played by an international array of musicians meeting and jamming for the first time. We can’t emphasize what an amazing afternoon this will be.

We present a new NJMH ensemble, this one for players of pre-college age, led by the up and coming alto saxophonist Ryan Park-Chan. They will play alongside veterans from Wynton Marsalis’ Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra Ted Nash and Marcus Printup. You’ll see and hear the torch being passed to a new generation.
 
So, as you can see, it’s an action packed month for us, as usual. We hope to see you, your family and friends at as many of our events as you can make during this exciting month at The National Jazz Museum in Harlem. You’re bound to meet other similarly exciting, interesting and vital people – like yourselves!
 
 
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Jazz for Curious Listeners
Jazz Around The World
Asia
Guest: Sunny Jain
7:00 – 8:30pm   
Location: NJMH Visitors Center
(104 E. 126th Street, Suite 4D)
FREE | For more information: 212-348-8300
 
As early as the 1920’s jazz was traveling the world, influencing and being influenced by musical traditions on every continent.  Join us as we explore each of these places individually, with a series of special guests who will play and talk about how their music is part of an international continuum.
Hailed as a leading voice in the South Asian-American jazz movement, innovative drummer, composer, and dhol player, Sunny Jain, will be joining the National Jazz Museum of Harlem this Tuesday, Oct 2nd, for a discussion and performance as part of this month’s Jazz Around the World series. Sunny has been voted a Rising Star Percussionist by Downbeat magazine's critic’s poll for his unique sound that blends his Punjabi roots with influences from all around the world. Sunny's work, inspired by India's musical sensibilities as well as Brazilian and West African rhythms, has found common ground in the syncopated jazz canon making him a pioneer in the Indian jazz scene. Sunny was designated a Jazz Ambassador by the U.S. Department of State and The Kennedy Center in 2002 amongst a slew of other accolades and currently tours with his 9-piece bhangra funk band, Red Baraat.

Thursday, October 4, 2012
Harlem Speaks
Rome Neal, Singer/Playwright
6:30 – 8:30pm
Location: NJMH Visitors Center
(104 E. 126th Street, Suite 4D)
FREE | For more information: 212-348-8300
 
Actor/Director/Producer/Jazz Vocalist Rome Neal is the Artistic Director of the Nuyorican Poets Café theatre program. Mr. Neal received an Obie Grant with Café founder Miguel Algarin for excellence in theatre. Over the years he has received five Audelco Awards for his direction of Pepe Carril’s "SHANGO de IMA" and Samuel Harp’s "Don't Explain." Mr. Neal also received two AUDELCOS for his acting: one for Lead Actor in Gabrielle N. Lane's "SIGNS," and one for Solo Performance in his critically acclaimed "MONK," by Laurence Holder. Neal also received the National Black Theatre Festival's coveted Lloyd Richards Director’s Award.
As a jazz vocalist, Rome has performed at Town Hall, The Metropolitan Room, The Museum Of The City Of New York, Jazzy Jazz Festival, Sister's Place, The Central Brooklyn Jazz Festival, Saint Nick's Pub, Lenox Lounge, 966Jazz, The Nuyroican Poets Cafe, The Jazz Spot, Creole's, and as the lead vocalist for the Bill Lee Mo' Betta Band. Mr. Neal has a CD entitled: “A Brighter Crooner” and his two DVDs, Rome Neal, “All in The Puddin’” and “Rome Neal’s Banana Puddin’ a Night to Remember”.
 
You might also have seen his daughter, Lia, as one of the celebrated members of this year’s Olympic Swimming team.
 
Friday, October 5, 2012
Harlem in the Himalayas                                                                         
Manuel Valera/The New Cuban Express
7:00pm
Location: Rubin Museum of Art
(150 West 17th Street)
$20/Door $18/Advance | For more information: rmanyc.org
 
Cuban pianist, bandleader, composer, and arranger Manuel Valera is at the forefront of contemporary modern jazz. He represents the next generation of great performers and composers. His sound is fresh, inviting, and evocative, and his goal is to forge innovative sounds that bring a vitality and newness to the idioms of jazz and Latin jazz. He is constantly workshopping musical ideas to develop new composition and arranging techniques that bring together Cuban, Puerto Rican, Brazilian, and various jazz styles and forms.
 
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Jazz for Curious Listeners
Jazz Around The World
Africa
Guest: Yacouba Sissoko- Kora
7:00 – 8:30pm   
Location: NJMH Visitors Center
(104 E. 126th Street, Suite 4D)
FREE | For more information: 212-348-8300
 
As early as the 1920’s jazz was traveling the world, influencing and being influenced by musical traditions on every continent.  Join us as we explore each of these places individually, with a series of special guests who will play and talk about how their music is part of an international continuum.
In demand as one of the best kora players in the world, Yacouba Sissoko, has been making waves not only as a master in the West African griot tradition but in the jazz world as well. Born and raised in Kita, Mali, Yacouba began learning the kora when he was 12 from his grandfather and went on to study at the Institut National des Arts du Mali in Bamako. Yacouba continues promoting his griot heritage as the leader of his own band, Siya, and as a member of the group Super Mande in addition to making a break into the jazz world with Regina Carter’s Reverse Thread Ensemble. The sound of the kora, a mix between a harp and blues guitar, combined with Yacouba’s emphasis on improvisation has illuminated the African threads that run through jazz music and the beautiful results of cross-cultural collaboration.
 
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Jazz at The Players
Passing the Torch: The NJMH Youth All Stars meet Ted Nash and Marcus Printup  7:00pm
Location: The Players
(16 Gramercy Park South)
$20 | For more information: 212-475-6116
Our chamber jazz series at the elegant Players Club launches its third season with a special debut. The NJMH Youth All Stars, led by upcoming alto saxophonist Ryan Park-Chan, will welcome two outstanding jazz composer/bandleaders, Ted Nash and Marcus Printup. These two are known for their own projects as well as having been with Wynton Marsalis’ Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra for over a decade. Jazz is sometimes called the sound of surprise: hearing generations meet under the umbrella of jazz is always a joyous thing, and this evening promises to produce some exceptional music.
 
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Jazz for Curious Listeners
Jazz Around The World: Israel
Guest: Anat Cohen
7:00 – 8:30pm   
Location: NJMH Visitors Center
(104 E. 126th Street, Suite 4D)
FREE | For more information: 212-348-8300
 
As early as the 1920’s jazz was traveling the world, influencing and being influenced by musical traditions on every continent.  Join us as we explore each of these places individually, with a series of special guests who will play and talk about how their music is part of an international continuum.
Voted Clarinetist of the Year six years in a row by the Jazz Journalists Association and a regular at the top of Downbeats critics and reader’s polls, Israeli multi-reeds player Anat Cohen, is at the forefront of a truly global musical style. Anat is fluent in creolized New Orleans chanson, swing, African grooves, Brazilian choro and samba mixed with a tint of her Israeli heritage. A virtuoso at the clarinet, bass clarinet, tenor and soprano saxophones, Anat began her music education in her home of Tel Aviv and continued her education at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. Anat has recorded several albums, toured with bands ranging from an Afro-Cuban ensemble to a klezmer group, and graced all of the best known jazz clubs around the world. She has won the praise of great jazz sages as well with Dan Morgenstern admiring her “gutsy, swinging style” and Gary Giddins remarking that her musicality “bristles with invention” and will bring all of this and more to the National Jazz Museum of Harlem on Tuesday, October 16th.
 
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Jazz for Curious Listeners
Jazz Around The World: South America
Guest: Gian-Carla Tisera
7:00 – 8:30pm   
Location: NJMH Visitors Center
(104 E. 126th Street, Suite 4D)
FREE | For more information: 212-348-8300
 
As early as the 1920’s jazz was traveling the world, influencing and being influenced by musical traditions on every continent.  Join us as we explore each of these places individually, with a series of special guests who will play and talk about how their music is part of an international continuum.
 
Born to a Bolivian mother and Italo-Argentinian father, opera and jazz virtuoso Gian-Carla Tisera has a voice that will knock you off your feet and simultaneously bring you to tears. As a conservatory-trained opera singer Gian-Carla has found jazz to be the most effective space to use what she has learned as a classical musician to express her South American heritage via Afro-Latin rhythms and vocal improvisation. She eloquently states that jazz is the reason she is able to fuse her Bolivian roots, socio-political commentary, and classical training. Gian-Carla is extremely knowledgeable of the South American jazz scene and will speak to the exchange going on between New York and South American jazz music. She is also intrigued by the indigenous elements present in the music of leading South American jazz artists. Join us Tuesday, October 23rd, for this inspiring discussion and performance!
 
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Harlem Speaks
An Evening for Marian McPartland
Guests: Vocalist Karrin Allyson, biographer Paul de Barros, pianist Jon Weber
6:30 – 8:30pm
Location: NJMH Visitors Center
(104 E. 126th Street, Suite 4D)
FREE | For more information: 212-348-8300
 
Shall we play that one together?" How often have you heard Marian McPartland say that to the many illustrious guests who have appeared over the years on her National Public Radio show, Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz? McPartland's familiar invitation is the title of the first-ever biography of McPartland, due from St. Martin's Press Oct. 16, 2012. Author Paul de Barros, a longtime contributor to Down Beat magazine, was given unprecedented access to McPartland's personal archive. He reads excerpts from Shall We Play That One Together? The Life and Art of Jazz Piano Legend Marian McPartland at the National Jazz Museum in Harlem at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, October 25. After the reading, de Barros chats with pianist "Piano Jazz" guest host Jon Weber, who will play and talk about McPartland's approach to composing and improvising. Vocalist Karrin Allyson caps the program with performances of two Marian's tunes.
 
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Saturday Panels
An International Jam Session
12:00 – 4:00pm   
Location: NJMH Visitors Center
(104 E. 126th Street, Suite 4D)
FREE | For more information: 212-348-8300                                                                                
 
This is a very special occasion: musicians from around the world playing together for the first time, in which the music and the conversation that will result will be something to remember. Languages/cultures/musical styles will all merge in an afternoon of discovery and joy. This is something you don’t want to miss if you enjoy the true spontaneity at the root of jazz. Look for our weekly announcements/web site for updates as to who our guests will be.
 
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Jazz for Curious Listeners
Jazz Around The World: Scandinavia
Guest: Soren Moller
7:00 – 8:30pm   
Location: NJMH Visitors Center
(104 E. 126th Street, Suite 4D)
FREE | For more information: 212-348-8300
 
As early as the 1920’s jazz was traveling the world, influencing and being influenced by musical traditions on every continent.  Join us as we explore each of these places individually, with a series of special guests who will play and talk about how their music is part of an international continuum.
 
Danish-born pianist and composer, Soren Moller, is at the vanguard of the Scandinavia jazz scene but his music has stretched far beyond that. Moller is a huge proponent of collaborating with musicians from other backgrounds and musical sensibilities and has played with artists from locales ranging from Mexico, Zimbabwe, New Orleans, and China to give his music a “global glow.” Concern his latest release, Christian X variations, that involves musicians from Puerto Rico to Brooklyn, Soren remarks “I feel my Danish roots while composing, but I like the idea of people from all over the world interpreting the music I have composed. It creates a special sound that you can’t really find anywhere else, since it’s no longer attached to any geographical context.” Together with trombonist Chris Washburn and saxophonist Ole Mathisen, Soren founded the NYNDK Jazz Collective an ensemble of established musicians from New York and Scandinavia. Soren is also a part of a duo with saxophone player Dick Oatts. Come out on Tuesday, Oct 30th to hear Soren discuss the Scandinavia-New York jazz dialogue and his personal philosophy of global collaboration!