New York, NY (Top40 Charts) THE JAZZ DRAMA PROGRAM's
2014 ANNUAL BENEFIT CONCERT
Honoring Dorthaan Kirk
Concert on October 7, 2014
The DiMenna Center Concert Hall, New York, NY
Featuring Catherine Russell and Evan
Christopher with the Eli Yamin Trio
and Jazz
Drama Program Students
Hosted by Rondi Charleston
Proceeds benefit The Jazz
Drama Program's education initiatives
You are invited to join us for a special evening as some of the greatest musicians and educators in jazz come together to support youth involvement and transformation through jazz. The Jazz
Drama Program hosts its 2014 Benefit Concert honoring Dorthaan Kirk at Mary Cary Flagler Hall at The DiMenna Center (450 West 37th St) in Manhattan, NY on October 7, 2014 at 6:30 PM.
The Jazz
Drama Program 2014 Benefit Concert honors Dorthaan Kirk who is the face of WBGO and a tireless ambassador for the country's largest jazz station and for the music. For over 25 years she has been producing the WBGO Children's Jazz Series.
She also produces Jazz Vespers at Bethany Baptist Church in Newark and Dorthaan's Place at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center.
"It is our great honor to celebrate the life and work of one of the leading jazz advocates and supporters of our time in Dorthaan Kirk of WBGO, Jazz 88, who has been producing jazz concerts for children for over 25 years!" says Artistic Director, Eli Yamin.
The evening's entertainment features the sensational vocalist Catherine Russell, the wizard of Creole clarinet, Evan Christopher, and the Eli Yamin Trio. Award winning journalist and vocalist Rondi Charleston hosts this soulful journey of swing and blues with additional performances from Jazz
Drama Program students performing highlights from the newly recorded Jazz
Drama Program musical, Message From Saturn, about the healing power of the blues.
Catherine Russell is an internationally acclaimed jazz vocalist and performs at prestigious venues such as Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York, Yoshi's in San Francisco and The Kennedy Center in Washington DC. Her father Luis Russell served as Louis Armstrong's musical director for many years, and mother Carline Ray was one of the most in demand bassists throughout her over 50 years in the business.
Evan
Christopher is a New Orleans based clarinetist known for his highly personal style of "contemporary early jazz" that extends the tradition and thrills audiences worldwide. Recent performances include Jazz in Marciac Festival and Le Duc des Lombards jazz club in Paris, France.
Eli Yamin, pianist, composer, co-founder and Artistic
Director of The Jazz
Drama Program, was raised in the bands of jazz masters Walter Perkins, Illinois Jacquet and Barry Harris. His exciting and imaginative piano playing has taken him and his groups around the world as cultural ambassadors for the U.S. Department of
State and has led him to perform and teach at the famed Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City as well as invited for a command performance at President Obama's White House.
Catherine Russell, Evan
Christopher and Eli Yamin will perform songs from Louie's Dream, a Jazz
Drama Program release, which is dedicated to jazz heroes who inspired us all.
Host Rondi Charleston is an Emmy and Peabody award-winning journalist, Motéma
Music recording artist and a renowned jazz vocalist, lyricist and composer whose work has appeared in film, TV and on stage throughout the U.S. and Europe.
The Jazz
Drama Program (JDP) is a New York City based 501c3 nonprofit organization that inspires students, teachers and their communities by involving them in the jazz arts— storytelling, music, theatre, dance and visual arts. The Jazz
Drama Program brings a time tested learning process to expose, immerse and inspire a whole new generation through intensive training and participation in jazz musical theater. JDP musicals have been performed over 80 times in 14 states and 4 countries involving thousands of children in jazz, many for the first time. This spring Nora's Ark, the jazz musical was performed at the Helen Hocker Theatre in Topeka, Kansas. The same play was also translated into Polish and performed by Master Degree musical theatre students in Bialystok featuring an ark made of recycled materials. Recently, instrumental and vocal tracks were recorded for our new musical Message From Saturn, which is due out next spring.
https://www.thejazzdramaprogram.org/
"It was a life changing experience to have studied under the professorship of Mr. Yamin and Mr. Carlson [JDP co-founder and co-author]. Since that time I continued to study music and recently received my Masters Degree in Classical Voice and Opera Studies from NYU." - Tyenne Sillekens, Jazz
Drama Program alum
Tickets for the 2014 Benefit Concert can be purchased for $150 at this link:
https://goo.gl/fd9fMD
$100 of the purchase price is tax deductible. The Jazz
Drama Program is a 501 c3, tax-exempt organization.
Kareen Laton is The Jazz
Drama Program Board Treasurer and the
Director of Marketing and Business Development at Caravel Management LLC. Other Board Directors are Kirk Imamura, President of Avatar Studios, Jeannette LoVetri, founder of The Voice Workshop, Tom Dempsey, musician and Assistant Professor LaGuardia Community College,
Damien Sneed, conductor and pianist and Eli Yamin, composer and pianist.
