Thank you!! very much for your support and encouragement. We appreciated your presence as we saluted The Music of Sonny Rollins on the occasion of his 89th Birthday. It was once again our pleasure to have NEA Jazz Master George Coleman. We consider George our Artist-In-Residence: a consummate professional, and it is always our pleasure to have him demonstrate for and perform with younger musicians. He possesses the complex musical language and an historical context that makes “Jazz” a global treasure–America’s gift to the world of music. We will share photographs as they become available.

Special Appreciations: George Aprile, Sharif Abdus-Salaam, Jim Harrison, Sandy Jordan, Lena Sherrod, Maxine Smith, Carole Williams, Patricia Vingo, and all unnamed others who assisted. Thanks also to the Fullers (Oscar & Sandra) from Philadelphia, as well as the Ware-White Family also from Philadelphia. On Friday, folks identified themselves from Brazil, and other places.

PLEASE DONATE: We invite your donations as we work to fulfill our Mission. You may donate here, on Facebook, or in any other way you currently use. All donations are tax-deductible because we are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. If you use Amazon, you may also donate as you shop. Simply go to Smile.Amazon.com and use Wilbur Ware Institute as your charity. If you have programming or other suggestions, please let us know. If you have skills and wish to volunteer, please get in touch. Thanks again!

2019 Saluting the Music of Sonny Rollins
CELEBRATING SONNY ROLLINS MUSIC

Thank you! Once again, you made our REGGIE WORKMAN Sextet event extremely successful!

Reggie is a consummate professional, and it is such a pleasure to see how he mentors/teaches youth the musical language in its historical context that makes “Jazz” a global treasure–America’s gift to the world of music.

  

We enjoyed seeing you on April 20/21 as we once again presented the Reggie Workman Sextet @ The 75 Club.

There were TWO sets: 8 pm & 10 pm each night.

This month’s NYC Jazz Record (April 2018, Issue 192) has a great cover feature on “Reggie Workman: Working Man” by John Pietaro, as well as an “Encore” feature on Richard Wyands by Marilyn Lester. Read, enjoy, and share! 

Enjoy Enriching & Delightful Music  in 2018!

The Reggie Workman 6tet was powerful and positive. Reggie’s outreach is amazing, and folks came to fully experience his wonderful musical range. Reggie featured Rafael Statin on tenor saxophone and flute, Frank Lacy on trombone and fluglehorn, Asaf Even-Zur on soprano sax, Carlos Homs on piano, and Ronnie Burrage on drums. A guest vocalist was a special treat.

FUNDRAISER: Our Honored Guests–Michael Carvin and Leroy Williams

On Friday, November 17,  bassist John Webber  curated a FUNDRAISER evening with guest musicians: Pianist Gary Moran joined John for a rare NYC appearance; Steve Williams was on drums, along with vocalist John Dokes. Webber is a faithful officer and strong supporter of our efforts. He was a loyal and necessary driving force to make music a regular occurrence in TriBeCa at the Bogardus Mansion.

John Webber and Leroy Williams

On Saturday, November 18, bassist Dezron Douglas curated our final FUNDRAISER evening. In addition to being a faithful Board Member and fantastic musician, Dezron Celebrated Drummers. He, along with master drummers Special Guests Michael Carvin & Leroy Williams remembered Ben Riley and we all enjoyed a night of good music. Joining them was Abraham Burton on tenor, Camille Thurman (vocals), Anthony Wonsey (piano), and Neal Smith (drums).

Michael Carvin & Leroy Williams

Camille, Dezron, & Abraham

NOVEMBER 10 & 11, 2017

It took a community to make this a most memorable weekend of music. We thoroughly enjoyed the dynamic LOUIS HAYES QUARTET. The Legendary Master Drummer had a powerful group. Dave Bryant was inspired on piano; all of us admired the remarkable Steve Nelson on vibes, and  Santi Debriano captivated on bass at Wilbur’s Warehouse @ the Bogardus Mansion. Some of those who assisted in getting the word out include: Jazzmobile (Robin Bell-Stevens), Sharif Abdus-Salaam (WKCR-FM), CBJC (Bob Myers), Sue Yellin, Jim Harrison, Lena Sherrod, and many others. Thanks all for your love of the music. 

Thanks to everyone who assisted with our October events. We always strive to present music at the highest level, and we were delighted with all who participated. Special thanks to Ravi Coltrane who took the place of Steve Grossman who is ill.

October Photo Gallery

Juini Booth & Ravi Coltrane

Booth Quartet w Ravi Coltrane, Roberta Piket, Billy Mintz

More Photos:

We have launched a GoFundMe effort in order to adequately compensate the World-Class Musicians who support our nonprofit organization. We aim to continue offering music at the highest level. Since 1979, Jazz Giants have embraced our mission. Please encourage everyone to visit our Facebook Page to contribute to this effort or go directly to:

 https://www.gofundme.com/JazzGiants

You may also contribute directly here on this site by clicking on the DONATE button on the right. PayPal accepts credit cards for your convenience.

Remember that your donations are fully tax-deductible. Others have preferred to send checks. You can send them directly to:

Wilbur Ware Institute, Inc., 620 Malcolm X Boulevard, Ste. 4P, New York, NY 10037. Thank you.

We are seeking volunteers who are tech savvy with grants experience. If you are that person, please contact us. Thanks so much.

 It was absolutely wonderful to have the dynamic and legendary Jazz Master LOU DONALDSON on October 20 & 21. He brought his amazing virtuosity, his humor, and his organ trio to Wilbur’s Warehouse @ the Bogardus Mansion. Everyone was thrilled. He had Fukushi Tainaka on drums; Akiko Tsuruga on organ (Mel Davis also joined Lou on Saturday); and Eric Johnson on guitar. We were thrilled to have Jerry Weldon sit in on Saturday, as well as Jamil Nasser’s son Zane. 

We welcomed the amazing legendary pianist Harold Mabern with Jimmy Cobb on drums, the exciting tenor saxophone of Eric Alexander, and world-renowned bassist John Webber on Friday and Saturday, October 13 & 14. The music was wonderful!

Jazz Giants at Wilbur’s Warehouse!

People were delighted to experience the Jimmy Cobb Quartet on October 6 & 7 with Vincent Herring on alto saxophone, Kiane Zawadi on euphonium, John Webber (Friday) on bass/Dezron Douglas (Saturday) on bass, Tadataka Unno on piano, and of course NEA Jazz Master Jimmy Cobb on drums.

 

 

Alvin Queen was slated to join our FUNDRAISER, but is still having difficulty returning to the United States. His visa has been temporarily denied. Read about Alvin’s situation, and contact your Congress people to encourage their efforts on his behalf.

Jazz great, former Oscar Peterson drummer Alvin Queen, denied entry into USA.
[Communiqué – For Immediate Release] October 5, 2017.

Mount Vernon, New York native Alvin Queen was recently notified that U.S. Homeland Security will not allow him to enter the United States to perform at a prestigious, long-planned concert in Washington.

Mr Queen is available for interviews relating to this story.

Contact:
Lunched Management
Jean-Pierre Leduc
+1 514 247 0706
jpleduc@lunchedrecords.com

September 23: Arturo O’Farrill Sextet featuring NEA Jazz Master George Coleman

We are deeply grateful to all who made our event successful. The music was fantastic, and the audience was wonderful and appreciative. George Coleman was masterful and Arturo O’Farrill and his sextet gave the people all the exciting music they came for. The MC Mike Longo’s reflections of Dizzy were personal and warm. As usual, we could not have done any of this without our Board Members and volunteers. George Aprile and his crew turned the Bogardus Mansion space into Wilbur’s Warehouse; we appreciate all their efforts, especially Christiane Aprile’s work and our graphics professional, Sandy Jordan, co-founder and officer.

We were delighted to join the ongoing global celebration of Dizzy Gillespie’s Centennial. Dizzy, Ella, and Monk were all born in 1917, and people in the global musical community are remembering and honoring their musical innovations and their historical importance all year.

HONORING LOUIS HAYES

• Louis Hayes celebrated his 80th Birthday at Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola on May 29-31, releasing his new CD honoring Horace Silver. The details of the event are published in the May 2017 issue (181) of The New York City Jazz Record. Jimmy Owens was there to present our gift to Louis, and many Board members were also there to participate and sign our card for the occasion, including Pat Vingo, Sandy Jordan, George Aprile, Dezron Douglas (co-producer of the CD) and Brandee Younger. Berta Alloway also signed the card.

 THANK YOU!

We would like to THANK EVERYONE who made the Slide Hampton Birthday Event a success on April 1 at The Bogardus Mansion. Thanks to George Aprile for making the venue available to us. Thank the OUTSTANDING musicians that Slide Hampton chose for giving us beautiful and inspiring music: Slide himself, along with George Coleman, Steve Turre, Kamau Adilifu, Kenny Barron, Rufus Reid, Victor Lewis, and (Stephen Davis with Peter Lin).

We will share on our website and YouTube when audio/video is provided to us.

We must also thank our volunteers/Board Members/Advisory Board Members, and friends. Carol Williams and Jill Williams at the door, Tony Hewitt, Robert, and others who worked with George Aprile. Our photographer Richard Conde always provides great pictoral documentation, and Craig Marsden was the videographer. Neti Brant and Douglas Purviance. . .we could not have done anything without you! (Folks were asking for Janice Robinson too.) Sandy Jordan, as usual, provided outstanding graphics. Gloria always needs help getting the word out!  Altogether, it was a wonderful event. Musicians also came out to salute Slide and support the music: Kiane Zawadi, Jimmy Owens, Leroy Williams, John Webber, and many others, Hopefully, we have not forgotten too many or too much. Thanks again everyone!! We look forward . . . .

CELEBRATING SLIDE HAMPTON ON APRIL 1, 2017

We look forward to having you join us as we begin (JAM) JAZZ APPRECIATION MONTH by Celebrating the Iconic Jazz Master Trombonist/Composer/Arranger with an All-Star lineup of musicians who know and love him and appreciate his music.

WHERE:             The Bogardus Mansion, 75 Murray Street, New York, NY 10007

WHEN:                April 1, 2017

TIME:                  7:30 PM AND 9:00 PM (Two Sets)     $30.00 PER SET

Note: We have no ADVANCE sales for this event. Please pay at the door for each set. Thank you.

MEMORABLE & MAGNIFICENT EVENT!

We thank all in attendance for making this a truly Memorable Event! We will post pics here as soon as we receive them. Jimmy Heath was absolutely surprised by his presentation, even though his actual date of birth is later this month. His Wikipedia information states, “James Edward Heath (born October 25, 1926) nicknamed Little Bird is an American jazz saxophonist, composer, arranger and big band leader.” We must tell you that he is so much more than that! He’s a special individual and master musician of the highest order. We will continue to salute you Jimmy, now and all year long!

Here is comment from Oscar and Sandy Fuller who brought a contingent of music lovers from Philadelphia, PA for this performance:

Gloria:
The Tribute exceed(ed) our expectations.  What a memorial (memorable) event.  Where else could you witness four Masters performing together.  The diversity of the venue accommodated our group.  We were grateful to be there & applaud the work of Wilbur Ware Institute for a job well done.  Keep up the good work.
Oscar & Sandy

Here also is a post from our Musical Director, Mike LeDonne:

Another night for the record books. I was called a while back by the Wilbur Ware Institute to be musical director for their tribute to Shirley Scott and Stanley Turrentine. Gloria Ware had heard me play organ at the Chicago Jazz Festival a few years back and said she could hear the Shirley in my playing. That is no lie as I have always loved Shirley Scott and have been very influenced by many things that were specific to her playing. I wore out the recordings she made with Lockjaw Davis or Stanley T. So it was a very natural thing for me to put this music together. But I had no idea how much fun it would be to play that stuff all night in a concert. WOW!

The first set showcased the music that either Shirley wrote or music she and Stanley played together. Every tune is fun to hear and to play on. The second set was more about masters like George Coleman, who played with Shirley, Jimmie Cobb and Jimmy Heath, playing in honor of Shirley and Stanley’s contribution to the history of this music. To me their contribution was to create deeply soulful and swinging jazz music with the sound of the Hammond B3 as the heartbeat of the band. Blues was always right up front and it was in a word enjoyable. In fact it was impossible not to enjoy it. It was music for the people that also was sophisticated and had tons of substance.

Very much in contrast with today’s “me me me” world where everything is about “look at what an artist I am”. I generally can enjoy both types but given my druthers I would pick Shirley and Stanley’s kind of music every time because that kind of music is, as Hank Jones put it, food for the soul.

The people at the concert left with their souls full up. Stuffed with good feeling. That’s the power of this music. You don’t even realize that your brain is being upgraded by listening to the music because your heart and body is so wrapped up in the feeling that’s going inside you. That’s the sh#t. At least to me. That’s Shirley and Stanley’s contribution to the history of this music. Nobody did that better than they did.

Thanks Gloria Ware and Sandy Jordan for the great opportunity to bring that night to life. We need more non profits like the Wilbur Ware Institute to keep the real thing alive and in your face. Please take a minute and drop a nickel in their donation box – www.wilburwareinstitute.org Thanks!

Honoring and Remembering SHIRLEY SCOTT!

Our very first Musical Director, Shirley joined us in Philadelphia in the early 1980s and worked with us until her untimely death in 2002. It was she who encouraged us not to give up or give in to pressures that might compromise our musical history or seek to diminish our accomplishments as musical innovators. Jazz is known as a National Treasure, and its primary and essential masters must be acknowledged and celebrated. As many of you already know, Clifford Jordan, master saxophonist/composer (flute) was our first Vice President. When given the go-ahead, we look forward to also honoring and celebrating his musical accomplishments as others continue to do. As Jimmy Heath notes, many should be NEA Jazz Masters, but it is not possible for those who are deceased. That is unfortunate because the music being taught globally in schools, colleges, by individuals, and others is now “head” not “heart” as Kenny Barron recently observed. That suggests that its primary innovative period has passed. So, we must find ways to honor the singular musical accomplishments, individually unique and exceptional voices, readily identifiable and fantastic approaches to the musical gift that has now been recognized, adopted, and adapted globally! Last season, it was MELBA LISTON and her collaborations with RANDY WESTON. This season: SHIRLEY SCOTT and those she influenced and inspired! As we move toward the day of her birth next year, we plan to include other honorees that have impacted the music during Women’s History Month. Shirley’s day is March 14. We look forward to honoring her in Philadelphia and in New York during March.

 

Shirley Scott Institute Photo

We began our 2016-2017 season with a Performance at MIST Harlem on October 1, 2016. Our Musical Director for this event was Mike LeDonne who prepared special programming that Celebrated and Honored the Music of SHIRLEY SCOTT/Stanley Turrentine and their wonderful contributions. We must never forget those artists whose seminal musical ideas paved the way for youngsters who are now taught in music schools, college music programs, workshops, and other creative music environments globally. Here below, you see our Musical Director Mike LeDonne and our Vice President John Webber together very recently at Mezzrow in Lower Manhattan. Mike  engaged a host of Music Legends and NEA Jazz Masters to help us celebrate and honor Shirley and Stanley: we celebrated Jimmy Heath at 90!, even though his birth date is October 25. Everyone was delighted by NEA Jazz Masters George Coleman, Jimmy Cobb, and Jimmy Owens, as well as other excellent artists Jon Faddis, Eric Alexander, Peter Bernstein, Dave Stryker,  John Webber, and Willie Jones III. As usual, Mike was swinging (and as Shirley would say “struttin'” on organ. It was an absolutely wonderful, celebratory evening. We must also thank Sharif Abdus-Salaam for his radio interview of Mike and Gloria on Thursday night prior to the performance. We have so many others to thank: our Officers, Board Members, Advisors, Volunteers, and the staff at MIST. Thanks again folks!!
Mike and John at Mezzrow 2

SUCCESSFUL FUNDRAISER: November 13 – 15, 2015

UPDATED FUNDRAISER INFOedited

Thanks to all of you who made our Annual Wilbur Ware Weekend a success. We have put a few videos from that weekend here on the website (see VIDEOS), but you can always visit our channel on YouTube (WilburWareInstitute) to see more. We did not have our usual very expensive professional videographer, but we have Arnie Perez to thank for Kevin Prendergast who we engaged to supply video services for three nights.

You may donate in the following ways:

(1) Here on our website by using the DONATE option. PayPal accepts credit cards by default, and you can indicate appropriately MEMO:  YOUTH SCHOLARSHIPS, General Operating Funds, Programs
or however you would like to see your donations used.

(2) You may mail a check to: Wilbur Ware Institute, Inc., 620 Malcolm X Boulevard, Ste. 4 P, New York, NY 10037-1223.

(3) We still have CDs and some t-shirts available here on this site. Some folks purchased CDs at the FUNDRAISER. A few had already downloaded the music, but wanted the CD for the liner notes and as a souvenir!

We always appreciate your generous thoughts and contributions!

Melba Liston Unknown Photographer (from Maxine Smith 1)edited Clifford Jordanedited Gary Bartzedited Hank Mobleyedited Michael Carvinedited Vishnu Wood 1979edited

A few of those who supported our past efforts: Melba Liston, Clifford Jordan (a Founder & Original VP), Gary Bartz, Hank Mobley, Michael Carvin, and Vishnu Wood! Fond and precious memories. . . .

THANK YOU ALL for making our Celebration & Fundraiser Weekend 2015 a huge success! We were delighted to see so many friends and supporters who love the music and have encouraged our efforts (as KD would say) “down through the years.” The Youthful Musicians, Veterans, and Master Musicians joined to create a wonderful atmosphere that blossomed each night. On Sunday, we appreciated and honored Bob Cranshaw for his Lifetime of Musical Achievement. Please visit our YouTube channel for additional videos.

AD for Jim Eigo FINAL   FUNDRAISER 2015 Friday Juini w Roberta & spouse FUNDRAISER 2015 Friday Kojo on Drums FUNDRAISER 2015 Friday Roberta Piket and Vincent Herring FUNDRAISER 2015 Friday Wallace and Kojo Roney FUNDRAISER 2015 Friday Roberta Piket on Piano FUNDRAISER 2015 Friday Juini Booth & Leroy Williams

Friday began the Musical Celebration with two extraordinary groups organized by bassist Juini Booth. We were delighted by Donald Smith on piano (who also sang) and Leroy Williams on drums.  Later we had Roberta Piket on piano and the amazing 11-year-old Kojo Roney on drums, along with his uncle Wallace Roney on trumpet and Vincent Herring on alto saxophone. Other young musicians joined the celebration, and I will post their names when I get them: A young bassist and tenor saxophonist. So many others created good music, including DDQ (Dwight Dickerson Quintet), the regular band at Cassandra’s Jazz. Later, Roberta’s husband Billy Mintz joined on drums.

Saturday proved to be exciting, especially with NEA Jazz Master George Coleman adding to the Celebration! He, along with Harold Mabern, Eric Alexander, John Webber, and Joe Farnsworth lifted the musical energy in the room. And there was so much more! We had original 1979 MC Russ Musto in the house. Another 1979 original MC Rob Crocker kicked off the weekend on Friday (and returned Sunday), and long-standing host MC Sharif Abdus-Salaam of WKCR-FM guided us on Saturday.

On Sunday, Dezron Douglas proved to be a masterful Musical Director! Thanks Brandee Younger for helping hands and all those musicians who joined the celebration: Al Foster (for the recovering Louis Hayes), Camille Thurman, Jeremy Pelt, Josh Evans, Steve Davis, Anthony Wonsey, Glenn Zaleski, Michael Weiss, and all who sat in with Dwight Dickerson and Joan Belgrave including Special Guest Bertha Hope. The music continued with many others like Juini Booth, George Coleman, Jr., Jerome Jennings, Chuck McPherson, Curtis Lundy (Special Tribute to Wilbur Ware), Jimmy Owens, and those who participated each night, like T K Blue. Yes, Dezron plays drums (Wilbur Ware did also)!

FUNDRAISER Saturday 2015 George & Eric PerformFUNDRAISER Saturday 2015 Eric w Webber and MabernFUNDRAISER Saturday 2015 Farnsworth w Webber and MabernDezron and Wonsey SundayPelt and Davis Sunday

Our Pre-Concert Symposium with Geoffrey Bradfield, Melba Joyce, Sally Placksin, and Janice Robinson was informative, and Sandy Jordan’s slides were great: Melba Liston with her mother, with Melba Joyce, and of course with her instrument! Stephanie Crease, MSM Jazz Arts, Program, moderated with distinction.

Randy Adam TK JD Santi NC jazzorchOct2014-0126 (2)editedFostina at MSM jazzorchOct2014-0056 (2)editedRandy and TK jazzorchOct2014-0083 (2)edited

The Performance was memorable, and the Special Guests enhanced the students’ accomplishments. Hearing Melba’s music and her arrangements of Randy Weston’s music will remain an historic musical accomplishment for these talented MSM students!

 

Maxine GordoneditedJanice with Dick and SlideeditedCobi with Charlotte and Dannyedited

The Artists’ Panel Discussion was lively and extremely informative! Randy Weston joined us to make it historic and memorable. Thanks to our distinguished panelists: C. Daniel Dawson, Maxine Gordon, Dick Griffin, Slide Hampton®, Charlotte Ka, and Cobi Narita, as well as Janice Robinson (Moderator). Melba Joyce (not pictured here) also joined us!

Please use the DONATE button to contribute to all events. Your donations are fully tax-deductible.
Use PayPal or Credit Cards. Thank you so much.

Previously Unreleased! Wilbur Ware’s last record session as a leader

Our first CD Wilbur Ware Super Bass is always available here on our website. We now offer t-shirts at cost also. Please indicate size as you order and include $20.00 for each shirt.

Clifford Jordan's classic LP now on CD may be ordered here also.

We are pleased to offer several additional CDs for sale here. In addition to the t-shirts and Wilbur Ware Super Bass, we also thank Sandy Jordan for allowing us to offer the classic recording by Clifford Jordan, Glass Bead Games. And Al Sutton also is allowing us to offer Chris Anderson’s Solo Ballads I and II, Live at Bradley’s with bassist Ray Drummond, and drummer Billy Higgins, as well as The Warm Voice of Billy C. If you are not familiar with Chris, you should know that Wilbur considered him a “genius” as did Billy Higgins; moreover, Barry Harris regularly featured him on his gala concerts at Symphony Space. You will be delighted by his music. You may choose to DONATE specifically for any of these items. Please DO NOT click on the photo; rather, click on the DONATE button. The cost of $25.00 will cover postage in the United States, simply let us know what you are requesting: Memo CD and the name of the CD and/or t-shirt. All donations are appreciated, and memberships are always welcome. Please indicate your level of membership for our yearly records.

For our friends outside of mainland U.S. (even Hawaii and Alaska) who are interested in any item, kindly send more appropriate postage. All postage to Japan, Europe, South America, Africa, Australia and other places is much more costly. Many are adding an additional $15.00 postage + a donation. Others are purchasing the music from CD Baby, Amazon.com, iTunes, and other places where music is sold online. We also appreciate that very much.

We will keep you up to date about our activities on this page also. Please remember to contact us on the CONTACT page, and we especially enjoy receiving your e-mails and telephone calls. LIKE US on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

We are still seeking General Operating and Programming funds.

This season, we continue celebrating and honoring one of our finest musicians: JAZZ MASTER MELBA LISTON, Trombonist, Composer, Arranger.  The Fine Arts Exhibition was from September 28 to November 8, 2014, at Wilmer Jennings Gallery at Kenkeleba.  The opening on Sunday, September 28, 2014, was excellent. Please see Ron Scott’s review in The NY Amsterdam News on October 2.  At the Opening Reception, we were honored to have Iconic Master Drummer Louis Hayes, Juini Booth on bass, and Rodney Kendrick on piano. Others joined them:  Ed Stout on piano, TK Blue on alto saxophone, Antoine Dyre on trumpet, as well as Dennis Jeter and Melba Joyce on vocals. More than twenty five artists were exhibiting!

On October 17, 2014, we celebrated Melba with Randy Weston headlining our Performance event with the Manhattan School of Music Concert Jazz Band under the direction of Justin DiCioccio with TK Blue (Musical Director). Our Special Guest for this event was Fostina Dixon who performed Melba’s original music. Randy showcased Liston arrangements with his quartet; along with TK, he had Santi De Briano on bass and Neil Clarke on percussion. Bernie Williams joined for one tune on guitar. Randy collaborated closely with Melba for over forty years and was instrumental in her travel to Jamaica where she taught for five years. Our Symposium before the concert featured Geoffrey Bradfield, Melba Joyce, Sally Placksin. Our Moderator was Stephanie Crease, MSM Jazz Arts Program.

On Sunday, October 19, 2014, the Artists’ Panel Discussion was again at Wilmer Jennings Gallery at Kenkeleba, 219 E. 2nd Street, near Avenue B, from 3:00 to 6:00 pm. Our panelists included C. Daniel Dawson, Maxine Gordon, Dick Griffin, Charlotte Ka, Cobi Narita. Janice Robinson as Moderator, along with Gloria Ware. Randy Weston and Slide Hampton® made this discussion very special! Once again, Melba Joyce joined us.

MBR Journal 34 1 Melba Liston Stickeredited RESIZED BMRC Journaledited RESIZED

The free Workshops using Melba Liston music at HSA (Harlem School of the Arts) in collaboration with Arturo O’Farrill’s (Artist-in-Residence) Afro Latin Jazz Alliance are set.  We are delighted to have Julian Weller ALJA Productions and Operations Director assisting and working with HSA Chief Operating Officer, Amadea Edwards.  The WORKSHOPS for students will be held on Monday, June 29, 2015. This day-long event will be under the Musical Direction of TK Blue, Bertha Hope, and Earl McIntyre. Students will be ALJA and HSA students; we hope to invite others students to take advantage of this opportunity to learn about and  engage the music of the iconic Melba Liston. There will be morning and afternoon, two small-groups and one orchestra workshop, Master Class, and Performance. We are exploring having a dance segment where youngsters and learn the “Time Step” that Melba insisted all youth should know! Perhaps slides about Melba’s life and career can also be shown. We plan to have our remaining copies of the Black Music Research Journal available; Spring 2014 (Vol. 34, No. 1) is devoted entirely to Melba Liston. We continue to seek funds for our events, and we invite you to join us.