featuring

BOBBY WATSONSaxophonist, Composer, Bandleader,

Educator and Mentor

AFRO BLUE Howard University’s Premier

Vocal Jazz Ensemble

and

Special Commentary by 2012 NEA Jazz Master

JIMMY OWENS

PRESENTS THE

HOWARD UNIVERSITY JAZZ ENSEMBLEIN A TRIBUTE TO 2000 NEA JAZZ MASTER

DONALD BYRD(DONALDSON TOUSSAINT L’OUVERTURE BYRD, II)

Thursday, March 7, 2013 12:40 P.M.

Andrew Rankin Memorial Chapel

S S

DONALD BYRD CARICATURE BY AL HIRSCHFELD (1976)

DONALDSON TOUSSAINT L’OUVERTURE BYRD, II

Donaldson Toussaint L’Ouverture Byrd, II was born in Detroit, Michigan on December 9, 1932. His father, E. T. Byrd, a Methodist minister, had named him after the 1800s-era leader of the Haitian Revolution. "Toussaint L'Ouverture was a general who died in a penal institution in Paris in exchange for the freedom of his people," Byrd told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in 1989. "He and my uncles deliberated for a week as to what my name should be. The idea of a namesake is to remind you what you're supposed to be about.” Byrd attended Cass Technical High School which was legendary for its advanced music program. It was during this time that he had the opportunity to perform with Lionel Hampton’s band. After playing in a military band during a term in the United States Air Force, he obtained a bachelor's degree in music from Wayne State University and a master's degree from Manhattan School of Music. While still at the Manhattan School, he joined Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, as the replacement for Clifford Brown. After leaving the Jazz Messengers in 1956, he performed with many leading jazz musicians of the day, including John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins and Thelonious Monk. Byrd's first regular group was a

quintet that he co-led from 1958-61 with baritone saxophonist Pepper Adams, an ensemble whose hard-driving performances are captured "live" on At the Half Note Cafe. Byrd's 1961 LP Royal Flush marked the Blue Note debut for Herbie Hancock, who came to wider attention with Byrd's successful 1962 album Free Form, and these albums also featured the first recordings of Hancock's original compositions. Hancock has credited Byrd as a key influence in his early career, recounting that he took the young pianist "under his wings" when he was a struggling musician newly arrived in New York, even letting him sleep on a hide-a-bed in his Bronx apartment for several years. Ever evolving as a musician and ever inquisitive as a person, Mr. Byrd studied composition in Europe with the acclaimed musical guru Nadia Boulanger in the early 1960s and began teaching at Howard University in 1968. He led the university’s jazz band and developed a program of black music studies at Howard, where he taught until 1975. In the 1970s, Byrd moved away from the hard-bop jazz idiom and began to record jazz fusion and rhythm and blues. He teamed up with the Mizell Brothers (producer-writers Larry and Fonce) for Black Byrd (1973) which became the best-selling album in the history of the Blue Note label. The Mizell brothers' follow-up albums for Byrd, Street Lady, Places and Spaces and Stepping into Tomorrow, were also big sellers, and have subsequently provided a rich source of samples for acid jazz artists such as Us3. In 1973, he created The Blackbyrds, a fusion group consisting of students from Howard University. They scored several major hits including "Happy Music,” "Walking In Rhythm" and "Rock Creek Park". “Rock Creek Park,” which evoked late-night romance in a wooded park in Washington, D.C. became something of a local anthem and one of many recordings by Mr. Byrd to be sampled by rap and hip-hop artists, including Public Enemy, Nas and Ludacris. His music and the Blackbyrds’ has been sampled more than 200 times, with the 1975 album Places and Spaces among his most frequently repurposed recordings, according to the website whosampled.com. “They use all of the music that I did in the ’50s, ’60s and the ’70s behind people like Tupac and LL Cool J,” Mr. Byrd told students in a lecture at Cornell in 1998. “I’m into all that stuff.” In the 1980s and 1990s, Mr. Byrd experimented with rap music, and his compositions and trumpet solos were incorporated into songs by hip-hop artists Public Enemy, Nas, Guru and Erykah Badu. Although hip-hop was different in tone and style from the jazz Mr. Byrd had performed in his youth, he considered it part of a long musical continuum.“It reflects the tenor of the times, which African American music has always done,” he told the Chicago Tribune in 1993. “It is a furtherance of what vocal music coming out of the jazz and African American expression has always been, from Louis Armstrong to Cab Calloway to people like Dizzy [Gillespie] and Eddie Jefferson.” In addition to his master's from Manhattan School of Music, Byrd had two master's degrees from Columbia University. He received a law degree in 1976, and his doctorate from Columbia University Teachers College in 1982. He taught at Rutgers University, the Hampton Institute, New York University, Howard University, Queens College, Oberlin College, Cornell University, North Carolina Central University and Delaware State University where he became a distinguished artist in residence from 1996 to 2001 and then from 2009, founding a $10,000 scholarship fund in his name. He was a pioneering force in establishing jazz studies in American colleges and conservatoires, evolving in the process into a leading African-American ethnomusicologist. In 2000 Mr. Byrd was given a Jazz Masters award by the National Endowment for the Arts.

DONALD BYRD WITH HERBIE HANCOCK DONALD BYRD AND GURU

The element of immutable time always prevails regarding everybody and everything…no matter what. Sometimes we are aware of it, while at other times we are not and have no concern because the ineluctable expectation diminishes any awareness. If some of us are old enough to look back in time and remember a young talent from Detroit named Donald Byrd, we might remember when he came to New York City. A talent underscored with an archipelago of, perhaps even concentric dreams, wrapped in one another. He came with only two things under his arm: Those

dreams and his potential, yes, potential…that which existed in possibility. Enter Donald Byrd! He immediately became consequentially conspicuous because of his style of playing and quickly found himself on many recordings and in demand for club dates, television and radio commercials, and tours. Gigi Gryce made him a member of his “Jazz Lab” performing and recording quintet. He was truly a ‘spark’ that ignited all who surrounded him. He soon became one of the most sought after and successful trumpet players in New York City. By now he had played and recorded with most of the existing jazz luminaries in New York. The reality of Donald’s dreams were obviously not evanescent; they are still a living thing and will go on living past his time. He was peanut butter and jelly, merry-go-rounds and toy horses, chestnuts and open fireplaces, Punch and Judy…everything musically wonderful.

After moving to Los Angeles, I lost track of and didn’t hear much of Donald. Of course, that doesn’t necessarily mean that when that happens the artist is ‘washed up.’ No, but merely by chance you happened not to hear anything. After the passing of time, I suddenly hear Donald referred to as “Dr. Byrd.” I said, “What?!” I was completely bowled over. I had no idea whatsoever that he had that kind of academic mind. This was a complete and unexpected epiphany. When I next saw him I said to him, “When my back was turned, you snuck off and got a Ph.D.” He merely laughed. In fact, we both had a hearty laugh but not the usual frivolous laugh. It was a laugh that suggested all sorts of deep things of the present and prescient things of the future, things that made the sun come out when he played. What Donald had done did not require any probative, epistemological research or recounting of the expansive mind of Milton or the complications of D.H. Lawrence. He merely applied himself with a votive determination to do so. Yes, he fooled me that time, and wonderfully so.

Many years ago when I entered Howard University, the pride of the music school was the choir directed by Dean Lawson. It was a grand choir, but at that time it left no room whatsoever for the likes and entry of jazz. This existed for many years before I got there and even after I left. But as time went by, Donald Byrd was incubating in the waiting room of success while indefatigably making a name for himself in academia. Eventually time and circumstances brought him to the doorstep of Howard, and once here, things began to slowly change. Yes, his presence here became epochal, because he initiated their current jazz program, this program that exists today. It was a new day and it was then that Howard became current with similar programs throughout the country. The program has helped and is being helped and carried forward with great thrust by the invaluable tutelage and direction of Fred Irby. Though we’re here today to honor Donald Byrd, Fred Irby has been and is being honored by the persistent success of those who have been enrolled in the program. Donald engaged many challenges head on and possibly some opposition, which is to be expected when things never before seen or heard become things of concern and consideration. In spite of this, he never lost his feeling and ability as a dedicated and talented performer…even finding time to create a recording group called The Blackbyrds, a group that had some moderate success. Unfortunately, there is not an abundance of “Donald Byrds” inhabiting our earth who would enrich our lives musically. Fortunately, Howard has the ever-watchful sentinel of Fred Irby who is constantly adding thrust to what was and what is. So, we, along with Fred, are here today to honor and remember Dr. Donald Byrd and the wonderful and productive journey he made while he was with us. Memories as visions of past events are wonderful, but the things he left behind that are mercifully extant from day to day as an ongoing reality are even more wonderful.

Dr. Donald Byrd, we remember and proudly salute you!

REMEMBERING DONALD BYRD

Benny Golson1996 NEA Jazz Master

Saïs Kamalidiin, Ph.D.

1996 NEA JAZZ MASTER,BENNY GOLSON

DONALD BYRDPHOTO BY FRANCIS WOLFF

(b. August 23, 1953 in Lawrence, Kansas) Saxophonist, composer, arranger and educator, Bobby Watson grew up in Kansas City, Kansas. He trained formally at the University of Miami, a school with a distinguished and well-respected jazz program. After graduating, he proceeded to earn his “doctorate” on the bandstand as musical director of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. The group, created in 1955 by the late legendary drummer, Art Blakey, who died in 1990, showcased a rotating cast of players. Many, like Watson, would go on to have substantial careers as bandleaders in their own right. The Jazz Messengers, frequently referred to as the “University of Blakey,” served as the ultimate “postgraduate school” for ambitious young players. After completing a more than four year tenure with The Jazz Messengers (1977-1981) that incorporated more than a dozen recordings (the most of any of the great Jazz Messengers), the gifted Watson became a much sought-after musician, working along the way with a potpourri of notable artists including, but not limited to: drummers Max Roach and Louis Hayes, fellow saxophonists George Coleman and a younger Branford Marsalis, celebrated multi-instrumentalist Sam Rivers and trumpeter Wynton Marsalis (who joined the Jazz Messengers at least in part at the suggestion of Watson). In addition to

working with a variety of instrumentalists, Watson served in a supporting role for a number of distinguished and stylistically varied vocalists including: Joe Williams, Dianne Reeves, Lou Rawls, Betty Carter and Carmen Lundy. Later, in association with bassist Curtis Lundy and drummer Victor Lewis, Watson launched the first edition of Horizon, an acoustic quintet modeled in many ways after the Jazz Messengers but one with its own distinct slightly more modern twist. Among the groups’ other talented members were pianist Ed Simon, trumpeter TereIl Stafford and bassist Essiet Okon Essiet. By all critical accounts, Horizon, which still performs together on special occasions, is now considered as one of the preeminent small groups of the mid-1980s to mid-1990s and even into the 2000s. The group recorded several highly acclaimed titles for the Blue Note and Columbia record labels including Post-Motown Bop (Blue Note) and Midwest Shuffle, Live! (Columbia). For more than three decades Watson has contributed consistently intelligent, sensitive and well thought-out music to the modern-day jazz lexicon. All told, Watson, the immensely talented and now-seasoned veteran, has issued some 30 recordings as a leader and appeared on 100-plus other recordings, performing as either co-leader or in support of other like-minded musicians. Not simply a performer, the saxophonist has recorded more than one hundred original compositions including the music for the soundtrack of A Bronx Tale, which marked Robert DeNiro’s 1993 directorial debut. Numerous Watson compositions have become classics such as “Time Will Tell,” “In Case You Missed It” and “Wheel Within a Wheel,” each now oft-recorded titles that are interpreted by his fellow musicians both on the bandstand and on other recordings. In addition to his compositional and performance prowess Watson is equally respected as an educator. More importantly, he now inspires those a generation or more younger than himself – passing on his great knowledge. His teaching within known jazz programs and institutions began in the mid-1980s when he served as a member of the adjunct faculty and taught private saxophone at William Paterson University (1985-1986) and Manhattan School of Music (1996-1999). As the millennium hit Watson hit his stride in the educational field. The recipient of the first endowed chair at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance, the saxophonist, after using ‘The Big Apple’ (NYC) as his home base for 25 years, came full circle returning to his native locale in 2000. Appointed as the first William D. and Mary Grant/Missouri Distinguished Professorship in Jazz Studies, he continues to serve as the Conservatory’s Director of Jazz Studies. As in-demand as ever, the lyrical saxophonist balances his teaching responsibilities with engagements at major venues throughout the world including appearances at clubs, festivals, on campuses and at Performing Arts Centers.

ROBERT MICHAEL WATSON, JR.

BOBBY WATSON

Birth is a miraculously wonderful thing! It affects every living thing in existence. It touches animals, fish, birds, insects, plants … and humans. Yes, humans with all sorts of developing endeavors and pursuits taking them con brio into the arms of tomorrow. Some endowed with potential, begin with voices of humming birds that later develop into stentorian voices of great and significant consequence as they take their places in the awaiting embrace of the future. One such is he who was given the name, Bobby Watson; he who would ensconce himself in the wonders of music – jazz in particular. He did so by beginning a lasting infinity, a relationship, if you will, with his alto saxophone, surrounded by the entire scope of the music. I’ve been around long enough to see this eventuality happen time and again. It’s always encouraging and inspiring, knowing that this endeavor often leads to notability, and even one irresistibly becoming an essential ‘stitch’ in the very fabric of this always progressing music which refuses to ever become static. Bobby entered this arena with great “forward motion” that has propelled him into the ranks of the upper cognitive with the burning desire and determination to add even more luster to this art form that mercifully touches our emotions and reaches into the deepest grotto of our anxiously awaiting hearts. He is intuitively and outwardly aware that creativity never retires, so that he is never ever completely satisfied with what is as he constantly probes the copious sea of possibilities within his ever-active imagination. The thought that, “There are other things out there,” is always burning within the intense fire of that imagination. We, the audience, benefit as he mercifully shares the product of his creative and productive mind. I first became aware of Bobby many years ago when he was a member of Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers. Art always had the amazing ability to bring out the best in those within his

group, and giving them freedom to do so was a big plus. Bobby took full advantage of this as he changed his potential – that which existed only as possibility -- into reality. Time has become his confederate as he continues to move progressively forward in his ascendancy which seems to be unstoppable. Life after Blakey took many twists and turns as he continued to enrich himself and be overcome with “direct sensory perception,” better known as experience. With a caring heart he eventually accepted the position at the University of Missouri at Kansas City Conservatory of Music as the William D. and Mary Grant Distinguished Professorship in Jazz Studies and Director of Jazz Studies to the benefit of its enrolled students. This is where he, with honest-hearted dedication, daily shares vestiges of himself, helping those students to successfully take flight as they leave the nest and engage the world outside. He’s made room in his career to unselfishly help others as they embark on a path with which he is more than familiar. In a sense, he now has two musical ‘wives’ as a kind of musical bigamist, as it were. And he’s loving it as are the students. He unquestionably gives life, meaning and breath to the program. Even with two highly important pursuits - his career and the jazz program - his playing and his composing continue to be equally and highly significant as he, with architect-precision, moves ahead to the next awaiting eventuality to be surmounted. We, who love what he creatively does, are vicariously making the journey with him, a journey that never ends as he fulfills his hearts desires and touches our hearts with its outcome. Thus, the ‘adventure’ is fantastically endless to the delight of us all. Bobby Watson, with dauntless determination, do never stop entering those doors marked “No Entry.” Time loves it...as do we.Benny Golson1996 NEA Jazz Master

REPPARD STONE

Reppard Phillip Stone, Ph.D. has been a passionate Jazz Ambassador in the Baltimore/Washington metropolitan area for over 60 years as a teacher, lecturer, performer, composer, and arranger.

Born and raised in Macon, Georgia, Dr. Stone was the second of six children born to Sam and Lurenza Stone. His first exposure to jazz was listening to the radio broadcast from Birdland in New York City in the 1930’s. As a teen during World War II, he learned jazz from the Army musicians that were stationed near his home. His sister showed an aptitude for music at a young age, so he got piano lessons with his sister in exchange for a home cooked meal from his mother. When his uncle passed, his mother gave him his first trombone. While in high school he was exposed to arranging and his first arrangement was “White Christmas” by Irving Berlin. The path was now set for his life’s passion.

After graduating from Ballard High School, Dr. Stone attended Savannah State College in Savannah, Georgia under the tutelage of Dr. Rutherford Hayes Strider.

When Dr. Strider left Savannah State College to teach at Morgan State College in Baltimore, Maryland, Dr. Stone followed his mentor. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Music Education from Morgan State College in 1952; a Masters of Arts degree in Music Theory from Western Reserve University (now Case-Western) in 1957; a Ph.D. degree in Musicology from The Catholic University of America in 1973; and post-doctoral studies in Arranging and Film Scoring from the Eastman School of Music.

After graduating from Morgan State, Dr. Stone started teaching instrumental music in the Baltimore City Public Schools. “It was great – I could teach during the day and spend the rest of my time focused on my music.” When not in the classroom, he concentrated on his original compositions and arrangements. He continued to perform in night clubs and concert venues like the historic Royal Theater and the Left Bank Jazz Society.

In 1961, Dr. Stone became the Chairman of the Department of Music and Director of Bands at Delaware State College in Dover, Delaware for ten years. His arrangements exposed a whole new audience to jazz during the halftime shows at the football games and other university events. After leaving Delaware State College, Dr. Stone returned to Baltimore City and joined the faculty of Frederick Douglass High School. The school became famous for the quality, character, and musicianship of the students that he taught. Douglass alumni have played with jazz greats Lionel Hampton, Roy Ayers, Thad Jones & Mel Lewis, Mint Condition, and George Clinton’s Horny Horns. Dr. Stone introduced big band jazz to students and the Douglass High School Jazz Band was one of the best in the country – securing an invitation to play his arrangements on the steps of the U.S. Capitol.

In 1979, Dr. Stone was appointed to the Jazz Studies faculty at Howard University and he continued to compose and arrange for big bands. He founded the Jazz Repertory Orchestra years before the Smithsonian and other organizations in Washington, DC. His arrangements have accompanied such greats as Billy Eckstine and Ethel Ennis and he wrote arrangements for the Howard University Jazz Ensemble which were performed and recorded annually on their recordings

Academically, Dr. Stone worked hard to preserve and teach Jazz History and he was a major interviewer for the Howard University Jazz Program Oral History Project. He co-authored the Master of Music degree in Jazz Studies at Howard University and he implemented the first Jazz Arrangers Workshop in the Mid-Atlantic area. He has published articles in the Jazz Educators Journal as well as presented papers at the Music Educators National Conference (MENC) and the International Association for Jazz Education (IAJE) conventions.

Musicians who have performed his arrangements are: Geri Allen, Wallace Roney, Cyrus Chestnut, Gary Thomas, Gregory “Chuck” Royal, Marcus Robb, Kyle Funn, Jimmy Wells, Philly Joe Jones, Grady Tate, Ron Carter, Charlie Rouse, Curtis Fuller, Buck Hill, John Malachi, Barry Harris, Fuzzy Kane, Whit Williams, Tommy Williams, Donald Bailey, Mickey Fields, Henry Baker, Freddie Thaxton, Keter Betts, Doug Perviance, Kenny Burrell, Jon Faddis, Louis Hamlin, Vernon Wolst, Jackie Blake, Phil Harris and Ted Hawke.

Dr. Stone has received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Musician’s Association of Metropolitan Baltimore, has been honored as a Living Legend by the Great Blacks in Wax Museum in Baltimore, MD. and is part of the permanent display on the History of Jazz in the Reginald F. Lewis of African-American History in Baltimore, MD.

Although Dr. Stone retired from Howard University in 1996, he still continues to support the Howard University Jazz Ensemble, Afro Blue and the HU Jazztet every time there is a performance in the metropolitan area.

2002 CORA C. COLEMAN 2003 JONATHAN LAINE 2004 MCCLENTY HUNTER 2005 DAVID LEON VERIN 2006 CARROLL VAUGHN DASHIELL, III 2007 DIANNE NICHOLE GRAINGER

2008 JOEL VICTOR HOLMES2009 JOEL VICTOR HOLMES & CARROLL V. DASHIELL, III2010 QUINTIN MALLETTE2011 VICTOR YOUNGE2012 CEDRIC LEWIS EDMON, II

PROGRAM

NAI NAI. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .DONALD BYRD; ARRANGED BY ROB LUSSIER

FROM THE 1962 RECORDING FREE FORM (BLUE NOTE)GREGORY CHAMBERS, PIANO; ASHTON BRYCE VINES, ALTO SAXOPHONE

I’VE GROWN ACCUSTOMED TO HER FACE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FREDERICK LOEWE/ALAN JAY LERNER; ARRANGED BY ROB LUSSIER

FROM THE MUSICAL MY FAIR LADY (1956)ASHTON BRYCE VINES, ALTO SAXOPHONE

ALICE IN WONDERLAND. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SAMMY FAIN/BOB HILLIARD; ARRANGED BY SCOTT SILBERT

KENNETH NUNN, TENOR SAXOPHONE

SPRING IS HERE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . RICHARD RODGERS/LORENZ HART; ARRANGED BY ROB LUSSIER

FROM THE MUSICAL I MARRIED AN ANGEL (1938)DEANTE HAGGERTY-WILLIS, ELECTRIC GUITAR; KENNETH NUNN, TENOR SAXOPHONE

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF AWARDS

AVEDIS ZILDJIAN PERCUSSION SCHOLARSHIP

AFRO BLUE2013 WAMMIE AWARDS: BEST A CAPELLA GROUP, BEST CHORAL RECORDING, ALBUM OF THE YEAR

APRIL 1, 2013 - DIGITAL RELEASE OF SINGLE “CLOSER”MAY 11, 2013 - GERI ALLEN & FRIENDS CONCERT AT THE APOLLO THEATER, NYC W/DIANNE REEVES, LIZZ WRIGHT & TERRI LYNN CARRINGTON

MAY 2013 - TOUR OF HUNGARY AND SLOVAKIA

MARTIN’S THEME. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JIMMY OWENS; ARRANGED BY CONNAITRE MILLER

EXCERPT FROM DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.’S “LOVING YOUR ENEMIES” SERMON (1957) READ BY IMANI-GRACE COOPER

CLOSER. . . . . . . . . . .M. BELTE/M. ERIKSEN/T. HERMANSEN/B. STRAY/S. SMITH; ARRANGED BY CONNAITRE MILLER/JOHN KENNIEBREW

SHACARA ROGERS, SOLOIST

AFRO BLUE

DONALD BYRD TRIBUTE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JIMMY OWENS 2008 BENNY GOLSON JAZZ MASTER AWARD RECIPIENT; 2012 NEA JAZZ MASTER

ONE BY ONE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . WAYNE SHORTER; ARRANGED BY ROB LUSSIER

EVENING STAR. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BENNY CARTER; ARRANGED BY JOE WRIGHT

UNA MAS (ONE MORE TIME). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .KENNY DORHAM; ARRANGED BY ROB LUSSIER

ALONG CAME BETTY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BENNY GOLSON

There will be a reception in the Blackburn Center Hilltop Lounge immediately following the program.

JOE WILLIAMS EVERY DAY FOUNDATION

SCHOLARSHIP WINNERSISAAC BELL, IV, ROYCE HODNETT AND LLOYD OWEN JONES, III

SIXTH ANNUAL JAZZ WEEK EVENTPRODUCED BY THE HOWARD UNIVERSITY JAZZ STUDIES PROGRAM

APRIL 6 - 13, 2013

Presentation of the Benny Golson Jazz Master Award to Dr. Reppard Stone and Maestro Bobby Watson by Dr. Arthur Dawkins, Professor Emeritus

IN MEMORIAMABRAHAM SYLVESTER VENABLE (1930-2013)

PATRON OF THE ARTS • 2005 BENNY GOLSON JAZZ MASTER AWARD RECIPIENT • HOWARD UNIVERSITY ALUMNUS

Born in Washington, D.C., Mr. Venable was a graduate of Howard University earning the bachelors and masters degrees in economics. He served in a number of assignments at the United States Department of Commerce before becoming the first minority director of the Office of Minority Business Enterprise (now the Minority Business Development Agency). While there he oversaw the beginning of a concerted effort to bring minorities into the mainstream of American business. In 1968, he was nominated to participate in the Fellow Program at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University. One of several awards from Howard University included the Minority Business Advocacy Award from the Small Business Development Center. Mr. Venable was also presented with the Department of Commerce’s first Lifetime Achievement Award. Abraham Venable held honorary degrees from Shaw College of Detroit and Grand Valley State College in Michigan; he was also an honorary member of Beta Gamma Sigma, a business fraternity at Howard University. His international business expertise was

particularly apparent in several African nations. Mr. Venable authored several articles dealing with black businessmen as well as the book, Building Black Business—An Analysis and a Plan. All rights and proceeds from the sale of the book were assigned to Howard University to establish a scholarship fund in his name. As a result, two $100,000 endowments have been established: one for the School of Business and one for the Howard University Jazz Ensemble. His strong interest in jazz was attributed to the music environment he found growing up in Washington. During his early years, he was quite active as a saxophonist with some of the outstanding local groups; most notably the “Swingmasters” and the Howard Theater house band. The “Swingmasters” was a big band that included professional musicians in addition to some amazingly talented young players. Among his peers were Charlie Rouse, Benny Golson, Frank Wess, and numerous others who were to become distinguished jazz artists Currently, Abraham Venable was Executive Director of Urban Affairs at General Motors, from 1971 until his retirement in 1990, where he dedicated himself to improving the position of minorities in all facets of the company operations. Mr. Venable is survived by his wife, Dr. Anna G. Venable, their three children, Karen, Douglas and Stephen, and one grandson.

BENNY GOLSONJAZZ MASTER AWARD

The HUJE created the Benny Golson Jazz Master Award in 1996 to honor the legacy of Howard University Alumnus Benny Golson. Dr. Golson, jazz composer and saxophonist, is the composer of jazz standards: “Killer Joe,” “Along Came Betty,” “Blues March,” “I Remember Clifford,” “Stablemates” and others. The Benny Golson Jazz Master Award has been awarded to the following giants in jazz and friends of the HUJE:

★ 1996 Benny Golson

★ 1997 Frank Wess

★ 1998 Frank Foster

★ 1999 Clark Terry

★ 2000 Grady Tate

★ 2000 Donald Byrd

★ 2001 William “Keter” Betts

★ 2001 Larry Ridley

★ 2001 The Honorable John Conyers, Jr.

★ 2001 Yusef A. Lateef

★ 2002 Frederick C. Tillis

★ 2002 Jimmy Heath

★ 2002 Doris Evans McGinty

★ 2002 Marcus Belgrave

★ 2003 Willie L. Hill, Jr.

★ 2003 Roger “Buck” Hill

★ 2003 LaSalle D. Leffall, Jr.

★ 2003 Eddie Henderson

★ 2004 Charles Tolliver

★ 2004 Billy Harper

★ 2005 Abraham S. Venable

★ 2005 Joe Wilder

★ 2005 Arthur C. Dawkins

★ 2005 Geri Allen

★ 2005 Wallace Roney

★ 2006 A. B. Spellman

★ 2006 Bill Pierce

★ 2006 William “Bill” Hughes

★ 2007 Robert “Bobby” Felder

★ 2007 Fred Wesley, Jr.

★ 2007 Andrew White

★ 2008 Jimmy Owens

★ 2008 Cecil Bridgewater

★ 2009 Vernice “Bunky” Green

★ 2009 McCoy Tyner

★ 2009 Billy Taylor

★ 2009 Jazzmobile, Inc.

★ 2010 The Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz

★ 2010 T. S. Monk

★ 2010 Greg Osby

★ 2011 Pharoah Sanders

★ 2011 Bennie Maupin

★ 2012 Larry Willis

★ 2012 Javon Jackson

★ 2013 Reppard Stone

★ 2013 Bobby Watson

Bios

HOWARD UNIVERSITY JAZZ ENSEMBLE

The Howard University Jazz Ensemble (HUJE) was founded in 1975 by its director, Fred Irby, II I. Outstanding performances in the United States, Europe, South America, Asia, and the Caribbean have caused the ensemble to be recognized as one of the foremost college jazz ensembles in the world. The HUJE has appeared on radio, television and in concert, often sharing the stage with celebrated performers. The ensemble was featured during the 1992, 1996 and 2005 Kennedy Center Honors Gala (CBS-TV).

Members of the HUJE have won awards in the categories of performance, composition and arranging, and the ensemble includes among its alumni several prominent jazz artists. The HUJE has released thirty-seven recordings in a distinguished series that began in 1976. To learn more about the Howard University Jazz Ensemble, please visit our web page at www.huje.org.

FRED IRBY, III

Fred Irby, III, a native of Mobile, Alabama, is a graduate of Grambling State University (Louisiana) and Southern Illinois University (Edwardsville). As Professor of Music at Howard University in Washington, DC, Mr. Irby is the Coordinator of Instrumental music, trumpet instructor, and Director of the internationally acclaimed Howard University Jazz Ensemble (HUJE). He is also Principal Trumpet of the Kennedy Center Opera House Musical Theater Orchestra and has recorded several films for the History Channel. He can be heard playing principal trumpet on the cast recording of Stephen Sondheim's latest musical BOUNCE. The HUJE has 37 recordings to its credit, given concerts in China, Japan, Romania, Haiti, Trinidad, Jamaica, Guatemala, Colombia, U.S. Virgin Islands (St. Thomas and St. Croix), Martinique and was featured on the 1992 (Lionel Hampton), 1996 (Benny Carter), and 2005 (Tony Bennett) Kennedy Center Honors Gala (CBS-TV). Mr. Irby served as Music Director for the Washington Ballet during its visit in 2002 to Havana, Cuba for the 17th International Ballet Festival, he visited Caracas, Venezuela with the Howard University Jazztet in 2004 giving lectures at several universities and he traveled with HUJE to Japan in 2005, 2007 and 2009 to give charity concerts for disadvantaged children and families. As a recitalist, Mr. Irby has commissioned and premiered compositions by two eminent African American composers, the late Ulysses S. Kay (nephew of New Orleans jazz cornetist Joe “King” Oliver) and Dr. Frederick C. Tillis. He has performed in the orchestras for two recordings by the Baltimore Choral Arts Society under the direction of maestro Tom Hall: Dave Brubeck’s cantata The Gates of Justice (with the composer as piano soloist) and Christmas at America’s First Cathedral (2010) recorded at the

Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Baltimore, Maryland. Mr. Irby traveled to Los Angeles, California recently to perform in the orchestras for the Twentieth Century Fox movie Alvin and the Chipmunks, the ABC-TV hit show Dancing with the Stars and the NBC-TV show America’s Got Talent. In 2008, Mr. Irby was selected by DownBeat magazine to receive an “Achievement Award In Jazz Education” and was inducted into the Grambling State University (LA) “Alumni Hall of Fame.” At the 2009 MENC Teaching Music Awards ceremony, Mr. Irby received the “Disney Performing Arts Award for Excellence in Teaching Jazz” and he was designated a Lowell Mason Fellow at a ceremony during the MENC 2010 Music Education Week. Additionally, he was named the conductor of the 2011 MENC All-National Jazz Band. This group performed its inaugural concert at the 2011 Music Education Week in Arlington, VA. He has served as music director for the Northwest MENC, Oklahoma, Maryland State Jazz Ensembles and serves as an adjudicator for the Congressional Black Caucus Spouses Performing Arts Committee and the National PTA Composition competition. He holds active membership in the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra, NAfME, formerly MENC: The National Association for Music Education, The International Trumpet Guild, ICSOM: International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians, The American Federation of Musicians and is a member of the Board of Directors of the International Women's Brass Conference and the Washington Jazz Arts Institute. Professor Irby has been a member of the Department of Music faculty at Howard University since 1974.

AFRO BLUE

Howard University’s premier vocal jazz ensemble, Afro Blue, was formed by Professor Connaitre Miller in the spring of 2002. Singing music in styles similar to Lambert, Hendricks and Ross; The Manhattan Transfer; The New York Voices and Take 6 while adding their own unique sound, Afro Blue has often been described as a “vocal big band.” Since its inception, this dynamic jazz choir has quickly gained national attention. In the span of ten years, Afro Blue has received twelve DownBeat Magazine Student Music Awards in the categories of Vocal Jazz Soloist, Jazz Group, Jazz Arrangement and Graduate College Vocal Jazz Ensemble and has performed at many

prestigious venues in and around Washington, DC. In June 2011, the "Afro Blue Reunion Jazz Choir," composed of 24 former and current Afro Blue members was honored to perform with the legendary Bobby McFerrin as part of the DC Jazz Festival in what has been arguably referred to as the best concert in DC Jazz Festival history. Later that year, Afro Blue participated in several programs at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts including Jazz on the Elevens: A Tribute to Billy Taylor and opening a concert featuring The Manhattan Transfer and NEA Jazz Master recipient, Jon Hendricks. In the fall of 2011 Afro Blue was selected as one of sixteen a cappella ensembles to participate in NBC's reality show competition, The Sing-Off. This version of Afro Blue (now renamed Traces of Blue), mostly comprised of recent Howard University graduates, made it to the top four and became a fan favorite. Following what had been called by many a “banner year” Afro Blue was named by The Washington City Paper as 2011 Jazz Artist of the Year and received an honorable mention in the Critics Poll, professional vocal group category by Jazz Times Magazine. In February 2012, Afro Blue received The Washington Area Musicians Association (WAMA) Wammie awards for A Cappella Ensemble, and Video (“Nature Boy”) and was also presented with The Spotlight Award, which is given to artists who bring national focus to Washington’s music scene. Afro Blue’s 2011-2012 performance season culminated in a collaborative concert in Prospect Park in Brooklyn, New York with Howard alum Geri Allen, Esperanza Spalding, Terri Lyne Carrington, Lizz Wright and a host of other stellar jazz artists as part of the Celebrate Brooklyn concert series. The 2012-2013 season is off to a great start with Afro Blue having appeared at The Rosslyn Jazz Festival, the Howard University Homecoming Gala and a mini tour to Cleveland, Ohio. Upcoming highlights include a performance with the National Symphony Orchestra, a jazz festival in Wyoming, a concert with Geri Allen at the historic Apollo Theater in New York City and a tour to Hungary and neighboring countries. Afro Blue’s first CD release, Freedom in Song, their collaboration with jazz legend Dr. Billy Taylor, It’s a Matter of Pride and their most recent release The Best Is Yet to Come can be purchased at www.cdbaby.com. Afro Blue is also featured on Motherless Child, jazz violinist John Blake, Jr.’s 2010 release which mines the rich repository of the African-American Spiritual songbook, and contains new jazz arrangements of timeless and inspirational works. For more information on the ensemble and their upcoming performances go to www.afrobluehu.org.

CONNAITRE MILLER

Connaitre Miller is currently Associate Professor of Music and Vocal Jazz Coordinator at Howard University in Washington, DC. She directs Afro Blue, teaches vocal improvisation, vocal jazz arranging, and applied lessons in jazz voice. A native of Kansas, Connaitre received a B.M. in Music Education and a M.M. in Piano Performance from Kansas State University in Manhattan. Her post-graduate study was undertaken at The University of Northern Colorado where she majored in Choral Conducting with a secondary emphasis in Jazz Pedagogy. Preceding her tenure at Howard University, Connaitre taught at The Elder Conservatorium of Music (University of Adelaide) in South Australia; at Cypress Community College and Cal State Long Beach in California; and Kansas State University and Junction City Senior High School in Kansas. In addition to her work at Howard University, Ms. Miller performs as a solo jazz vocalist, having appeared at many jazz festivals throughout the US and abroad. Connaitre is also gaining recognition as a premier arranger in the jazz choir genre having received several commissions from the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts under the auspices of the late Dr. Billy Taylor. She also conducts workshops and master classes on jazz singing, improvisation and jazz choir techniques, is a member of the advisory board (Northeast region) of The National Association for Music Education's (NAfME) Council for Jazz Education, serves as Guest Conductor for All-State Jazz Choirs and has appeared

as an artist-in-residence at several institutions.

HOWARD UNIVERSITY JAZZ ENSEMBLEFRED IRBY, III, Director

www.huje.org

ASHTON B. VINES, flute, soprano and lead alto saxophone; Chicago, IllinoisSTEVEN GARRISON, alto saxophone; Upper Marlboro, MarylandKENNETH J. NUNN, tenor saxophone; Silver Spring, MarylandROYCE HODNETT, tenor saxophone; Baltimore, MarylandBRANDON BARNETT, baritone saxophone; Indianapolis, Indiana

JONATHON CLYDE NEAL, lead trumpet and flugelhorn; Chicago, IllinoisJARED BAILEY, trumpet and flugelhorn; Largo, MarylandANTHONY G. DANIEL, trumpet and flugelhorn; Oxon Hill, MarylandALEXANDER JOSEPH PARCHMENT, trumpet and flugelhorn; Patterson, New JerseyLARRY JENKINS, JR., trumpet and flugelhorn; Portsmouth, VirginiaDAWN ELIZABETH WILSON, trumpet and flugelhorn; Silver Spring, Maryland

CHRISTOPHER A. STEELE, lead trombone; Richmond, VirginiaCURRY J. HACKETT, lead trombone; Amelia, Virginia JARVIS HOOPER, trombone; Houston, TexasLLOYD OWENS JONES, III, trombone; Baltimore, MarylandISAAC BELL, IV, bass trombone; Gastonia, North Carolina

JOSEPH WILSON, acoustic piano; Bowie, MarylandGREGORY CHAMBERS, acoustic piano; Wilmington, DelawareADRIAN A. LAYNE, acoustic piano; Upper Marlboro, MarylandRICK PERALTA, electric guitar; Union City, CaliforniaDEANTE HAGGERTY-WILLIS, electric guitar; Washington, DCELIOT SEPPA, acoustic/electric bass; Silver Spring, MarylandDAVID BAMBER, acoustic/electric bass; Ewing, New JerseyCEDRIC EDMON, II, drums; Fort Worth, TexasBRIA ALEXANDER, drums and percussion; San Jose, CaliforniaDANIEL BAMBER, vibes and percussion; Ewing, New JerseyBRITTANY NICOLE JILES, vibes and percussion; Houston, Texas

AFRO BLUECONNAITRE MILLER, Director

www.afrobluehu.org

IMANI-GRACE COOPER, soprano; Cumming, GeorgiaINTEGRITI REEVES, soprano; Washington, DC SHACARA ROGERS, soprano; Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaAMELIA BROWN, alto; Washington, DCTAYLAR LEE, alto; Detroit, MichiganDEVIN ROBINSON, tenor; Los Angeles, CaliforniaREGINALD GOLDEN, tenor; Cleveland, OhioALEX MCKEITHEN, baritone; New Haven, ConnecticutJOHN KENNIEBREW, bass; Cleveland, Ohio

Howard University Sixth Annual Jazz Week Event

April 6, 2013 - April 13, 2013

Saturday, April 6, 2013 - 8 pmAfro Blue and The Howard University JazztetBlack Rock Music Center12901 Town Commons DriveGermantown, MD 20874

Monday, April 8, 2013 - 10 amAmy Bormet, FounderWashington Women In Jazz FestivalHoward University Childers Recital Hall2455 Sixth Street, NW (3rd Floor)Washington, DC, 20059

Monday, April 8, 2013 - 1 pmSunny Sumter, Executive DirectorWashington, DC Jazz FestivalHoward University Childers Recital Hall2455 Sixth Street, NW (3rd Floor)Washington, DC, 20059

Monday, April 8, 2013 - 8pm & 10pmAfro Blue and The Howard University JazztetBlues Alley1073 Wisconsin Avenue, NWWashington, DC 2007

Tuesday, April 9, 2013 -10 amThe Life and Legacy of Abbey LincolnPresented by Jessica Boykin-SettlesHoward University Childers Recital Hall2455 Sixth Street, NW (3rd Floor)Washington, DC, 20059

Tuesday, April 9, 2013 - 12:40 pmThe Amy Bormet QuartetHoward University Childers Recital Hall2455 Sixth Street, NW (3rd Floor)Washington, DC, 20059

Wednesday, April 10, 2013 - 12 pmJazz Faculty RecitalArmour J. Blackburn Gallery2397 Sixth Street, NWWashington, DC 20059

Thursday, April 11, 2013 - 10 amAcquiring Wealth in the ArtsPresented by Dominque BroadwayHoward University Childers Recital Hall2455 Sixth Street, NW (3rd Floor)Washington, DC, 20059

Thursday, April 11, 2013 - 12:40 pmUnited States Naval Academy Jazz Ensemble "Next Wave"Andrew Rankin Memorial ChapelSixth Street and Howard Place, NW

Washington, DC 20059

Friday, April 12, 2013 - 6 pmThe Howard University Jazz EnsembleWestminster Presbyterian Church400 I Street, SWWashington, DC 20024

Saturday, April 13, 2013 - 2 pmThe Howard University Jazz EnsembleNational Portrait Gallery - Smithsonian InstitutionEight and F Streets, NWWashington, DC 20001

W

ANNOUNCING:Monday, April 29, 2013 - 8pmThe Howard University Jazz EnsembleThe Calvin Jones Big Band FestivalUniversity of the District of Columbia - Bldg. 46-West4200 Connecticut Avenue, NWWashington, DC 20008