3000 Jazz Events In One Year

From the New york Times

By BEN RATLIFF
Published: March 5, 2008
Jazz at Lincoln Center has announced its 2008-9 program, with what it calls its biggest season ever: more than 3,000 events.

The plans show an increase in educational events, concerts for children and worldwide touring by the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, which started working regularly in 1992 with Wynton Marsalis as leader. “All the expansions are based on specific requests,” said Mr. Marsalis, the executive director of Jazz at Lincoln Center.

The pianist Ahmad Jamal will perform with his trio and in collaboration with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra (Sept. 18 to 20). There will be a meeting of East Coast and West Coast big-band styles with the orchestra and the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra (Oct. 23 to 25). A mini-festival built around Thelonious Monk from Nov. 20 to 22 will include the pianist Marcus Roberts with the orchestra at the Rose Theater and a performance by the pianist Danilo Perez, doing his Latin-rhythm reinventions of Monk in the Allen Room.

There will also be a two-night stand by Eddie Palmieri’s Latin-jazz big band (Feb. 6 to 7); a 50th-anniversary concert in honor of two landmark albums, John Coltrane’s “Giant Steps” and Miles Davis’s “Kind of Blue” (Feb. 12 to 14); and a run of concerts by a quintet led by the keyboardist Chick Corea and the guitarist John McLaughlin (April 23 to 25).

In addition, the season will include the 14th annual Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition and Festival, one of the organization’s most effective educational projects (May 8 to 10); a swing dance party in the Allen Room (May 29); and a series of duo concerts.

Topics of the talks, panel discussions and jazz history classes at the organization’s Irene Diamond Education Center will include Bix Beiderbecke, Ornette Coleman, Lester Young (who will be the subject of a class taught by the clarinetist and saxophonist Don Byron) and the question of why there are not more women in jazz.

Full details on dates and ticket sales are available at jalc.org