George V Johnson Jr  

Dr. Larry H. Ridley

Representing the African American Jazz Caucus;

Washington, DC – Congressman John Conyers, Jr., Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, and Dean of the Congressional Black Caucus, will host the 24th Annual Jazz Issue Forum and Concert during the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s 39th Annual Legislative Conference, September 23-26,


Walter E. Washington Convention & Exhibition Center
801 Mount Vernon Place NW
Washington, District of Columbia 20001



On June 15, 2009, First Lady Michelle Obama hosted 150 students at the White House for what the Washington Post termed “the most exclusive jazz workshop this city has ever seen.” This year’s Jazz Issue Forum, entitled “The First Lady’s Jazz Initiative – Taking it to the Grass Roots,” will explore how to extend that kind of jazz education opportunity to culturally underserved communities. This is a logical extension of the last two Jazz Issue Forums which examined how to advance jazz appreciation and education in the African American Community.

Headlining the Concert will be “Remembering the Miles Davis Classic Kind of Blue @ 50 Years JIMMY COBB’S “SO WHAT” BAND.” 2009 marks the 50th anniversary of the original release date of Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue.

Legendary jazz drummer, Jimmy Cobb, was born in Washington, D.C. on January 20, 1929. A superb, mostly self-taught musician, Jimmy is the elder statesman of all the incredible Miles Davis bands. Jimmy's inspirational work with Miles, John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderly and Co. spanned 1957 until 1963, and included the masterpiece "Kind of Blue", the most popular jazz recording in history. He also played on "Sketches of Spain", Someday My Prince will Come", "Live at Carnegie Hall, "Live at the Blackhawk", "Porgy and Bess", and many, many other watershed Miles Davis recordings. Read more...

The album was released in August 1959. Kind of Blue is universally considered to be one of the best albums of all time, of any genre. Fifty years later, it is still the best selling jazz album ever.

Miles Davis - Kind of Blue 50th Anniversary
Miles Davis Quintet - So What (April 2, 1959) 1 of 4
So What - Jonh Coltrane and Miles Davis

Discography

Purchase CD's here

Legendary jazz drummer Jimmy Cobb (drummer on the Kind of Blue album) leads an all-star band

featuring Larry Willis

Buster Williams

Wallace Roney



Javon Jackson



and Vincent Herring

ASCAP member Jimmy Cobb, a Washington DC native and 2009 NEA Jazz Master, is the only surviving member of the artists who performed on the groundbreaking Kind of Blue recording.

The Jazz Issue Forum and Concert will take place on Thursday, September 24th, from 7:30 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. in Ballroom A of the Convention Center. The Jazz Forum and Concert are both free and open to the public. The American Society of Composers, Authors & Publishers (ASCAP), CENTRIC (formerly BET Networks), Dish Network, and the Western Union Company are the sponsors of this year's event.

Additional support for artist transportation has been provided by the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation.

The Forum’s panelists will be Dr. Larry H. Ridley

Representing the African American Jazz Caucus;

Jackie Harris, representing the Louis Armstrong Jazz Camp;

Wayne Brown, the National Endowment for the Arts' (NEA) Director of...


Warren Shadd, CEO of Shadd Pianos Inc.

Willard Jenkins of Open Sky Jazz will serve as moderator.

The Forum will be broadcast live on WPFW - 89.3 Click to listen live

The Jazz Concert will follow the Forum. Opening will be the Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong Summer Jazz Camp Alumni All-Stars,

Louis Armstrong was the greatest of all Jazz musicians. Armstrong defined what it was to play Jazz. His amazing technical abilities, the joy and spontaneity, and amazingly quick, inventive musical mind still dominate Jazz to this day. Only Charlie Parker comes close to having as much influence on the history of Jazz as Louis Armstrong did. Like almost all early Jazz musicians, Louis was from New Orleans. Read more...



featuring drummer and ASCAP member Herlin Riley, artist in residence.

The other members of this group are Courtney Bryan, piano

Brian Quezerque, bass;



Calvin Johnson, tenor saxophone,



Gregory Agid, clarinet;

Troy Andrews, trombone.

Kent Jordan, flutist and Band Director.



Edward Kidd Jordan, Artistic Director and saxophonist, will also participate in the opening portion of the musical program.

The Armstrong Summer Jazz Camp is one of many music education programs receiving support from The ASCAP Foundation.

Overall, the CBC Jazz package offers a dynamic combination of information and straight ahead jazz from a collection of educators and superb artists that will remind everyone why jazz is truly a “national treasure.”

The conference brings together diverse organizations and individuals to collectively discuss common issues and concerns. Its program includes more than 70 workshops, seminars and information forums on relevant topics that capture and portray the concerns of African Americans. Participants discuss the challenges facing underserved populations, including health care, economic success and failures, global and domestic security as well as highlight successes and provide critical information that will help to build strong communities, organizations and individual families. The conference also features the successful Emerging Leaders Empowerment Series, which is gaining widespread attention as it speaks to our future successors. In addition, the exhibit hall offers demonstrations and social events to complement the substantive content of the conference.

Special events include; Welcome Ceremony, National Town Hall Meeting, Exhibit Showcase, Career/Job Fair, Issue Forums and Brain Trusts, Authors Pavilion, Prayer Breakfast, Gospel Extravaganza, Jazz Forum & Concert, Fashion Show, CBCF Annual Awards Dinner and "The Renaissance*" (Formerly know as The Black Party).

For REGISTRATION and More Details Visit Our Web Site
http://www.alc2009.org/ or call (202) 263-2800.

ALC Hotline: (202) 263-5708 | ALC Fax Number: (202) 263-0847 | Send ALC e-mail to ALC09@cbcfinc.org
Ticket Info: MANY EVENTS ARE FREE TO THE PUBLIC!
Performers to be Announced
Website: http://www.alc2009.org/