Juilliard Jazz Announces 2019-20 Season

Juilliard Jazz’s Incoming Vocalists Will Be Featured in the Opening Concert, Ah’ That’s Freedom: Music by the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra (Sept. 24) and in the Jazz Singers of the Civil Rights Era Program (Nov. 19)

NEW YORK –– Juilliard Jazz, under the leadership of Juilliard alumni Wynton Marsalis, director, and Aaron Flagg, chair and associate director, announces its 2019-20 season. It features the Juilliard Jazz Orchestra, Juilliard Jazz Ensembles, and the Juilliard Jazz Artist Diploma Ensemble, which is made up of the program’s most advanced musicians.

The Juilliard Jazz Orchestra performs at Alice Tully Hall and Juilliard’s Peter Jay Sharp Theater and has its annual weeklong residency at Dizzy’s Club. Juilliard Jazz Ensembles play more than 50 on- and off-campus performances, including international tours and performances at Dizzy’s Club at Jazz at Lincoln Center and the Blue Note.

This fall, Juilliard Jazz welcomes the first vocal arts students to its new voice master’s degree program. The newest faculty members in Juilliard Jazz are Charenée Wade (Voice) and Carla Cook (Jazz Voice Class). Members of the advisory committee, Carla Cook, Kurt Elling, Hilary Gardner, Lenora Helm, Carmen Lundy, Dianne Reeves, and Charenée Wade, will be involved in the program through master classes, guest coachings, or through other roles.

Highlights of the 2019-20 season include:

• Ah’ That’s Freedom: Music by Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra From 1966 to 1978 (September 24, 2019) featuring the Juilliard Jazz Orchestra conducted by drummer Jeff Hamilton, who has recorded or performed with his trio, Oscar Peterson, Ray Brown, the Clayton Brothers or co-leading the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra. Juilliard Jazz’s incoming vocalists will be featured in music that singer Ruth Brown recorded with the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra in the 1960s;
• On the Cutting Edge: Vincent Gardner, Carlos Henriquez, Sherman Irby, Elliot Mason, and Marcus Printup (October 15, 2019) featuring the Juilliard Jazz Orchestra performing new music by Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra members;
• Jazz Singers of the Civil Rights Era: Nina Simone, Bob Dorough, Abbey Lincoln, and Oscar Brown Jr. (November 19, 2019) featuring Juilliard Jazz’s Dizzy Gillespie and Jelly Roll Morton Ensembles with Juilliard Jazz singers and guest coach Carmen Lundy;
• Buddy Bolden: Jazz Pioneer (February 24, 2020) featuring the music of one of the founding fathers of jazz, New Orleanian cornetist Buddy Bolden, performed by Juilliard Jazz’s Mary Lou Williams and Jelly Roll Morton Ensembles with guest coach, clarinetist Dr. Michael White. The concert ties in with the recent biopic Bolden: Where The Music Began, which features music composed and performed by Wynton Marsalis;
• The Music of Chick Corea (February 26, 2020) featuring the Juilliard Jazz Orchestra in the music of Grammy Award-winning jazz pianist/composer and Juilliard alumnus Chick Corea;
• Music of Young Composers and Bebop Legends (April 11, 2020) features the Juilliard Jazz Orchestra, conducted by Wynton Marsalis, in music by bebop legends paired with music by today’s young composers;
• Marsalis Music: The Magic Hour and The Razor Rim (April 14, 2020) featuring Juilliard Jazz’s Duke Ellington Ensemble with guest coach Wynton Marsalis. Juilliard’s most advanced jazz ensemble (artist diploma ensemble) continues its exploration of the music of Wynton Marsalis.

Ticket Information

Tickets for the September 24, 2019 Juilliard Jazz Orchestra concert at $20 ($10 for full-time students with a valid ID) are available at juilliard.edu/calendar. Tickets for all other Juilliard Jazz events will be available beginning September 19, 2019, at juilliard.edu/calendar. A complete calendar of events follows at the end of this press release.

About Wynton Marsalis

Wynton Marsalis is director of jazz studies at Juilliard and managing and artistic director at Jazz at Lincoln Center. A world-renowned trumpeter, composer, educator, and leading advocate for American culture, he was born in New Orleans in 1961 and made his recording debut as a leader in 1982. He has since made more than 80 jazz and classical recordings and has won nine Grammy Awards. In 1983 he became the first and only artist to win both classical and jazz Grammys in the same year. He is the only artist ever to win Grammys in five consecutive years (1983–87).

Marsalis is the recipient of honorary doctorates more than 25 of America’s top academic institutions including Columbia, Harvard, Howard, Princeton, Yale, and Juilliard. His creativity has been celebrated the world over. In 1997, he became the first jazz artist to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize in music for his oratorio Blood on the Fields. In 2001 he was appointed Messenger of Peace by Kofi Annan, secretary-general of the United Nations, and in 2005, received the National Medal of Arts, the highest award given to artists by the U.S. government. In 2016 he received the National Humanities Medal for his work inspiring music lovers everywhere to embrace America’s quintessential sound.

Marsalis recently composed two new works for violinist Nicola Benedetti, Violin Concerto and Fiddle Dance Suite, which are featured on a Decca label recording.

Marsalis has authored six books including Jazz ABZ: An A to Z Collection of Jazz Portraits, Moving to Higher Ground: How Jazz Can Change Your Life, and most recently, Squeak, Rumble, Whomp! Whomp! Whomp!

Marsalis helped lead the effort to construct Jazz at Lincoln Center’s home–Frederick P. Rose Hall, which opened its doors in 2004.

About Juilliard Jazz

Juilliard Jazz offers bachelor’s and master’s degrees and the Artist Diploma. The curriculum combines classroom, private studio, and performance ensemble courses with substantial interactions with jazz masters and multiple performance opportunities in diverse venues around the city and the world. The repertoire studied covers the entire jazz continuum, highlights its American vernacular roots, and emphasizes the social and cultural vitality of the music. The program engages students in the global jazz scene, and they have recently performed at festivals in Amsterdam, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, and the Cayman Islands, and in clubs in China, Italy, Japan, Mexico, and Switzerland.

Recent alumni of the program include saxophonists Braxton Cook, Jon Irabagon, Julian Lee, Alexa Tarantino, and Immanuel Wilkins; trumpeters Etienne Charles, Brandon Lee, Riley Mulherkar, and Jumaane Smith; trombonists Chris Crenshaw, Michael Dease, Jennifer Krupa and Ryan Keberle; pianists Jon Batiste, Kris Bowers, Aaron Diehl and Mathis Picard; guitarists Lage Lund and Gabe Schnider, bassists Russell Hall, Yasushi Nakamura, Endea Owens, and Ben Williams; and drummers Bryan Carter, Francesco Ciniglio, Charles Goold, and Joe Saylor.

# # #

Juilliard Jazz 2019-20 Calendar of Events

Fall Semester:
Tuesday, September 24, 2019, 7:30pm, Peter Jay Sharp Theater
Ah’ That’s Freedom: Music by Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra From 1966 to 1978
Juilliard Jazz Orchestra
Jeff Hamilton, Conductor

Monday, October 1, 2019, 7:30pm, Paul Hall
The Beat Goes On: The Art Blakey Sound
Juilliard Jazz’s Duke Ellington Ensemble
Bobby Watson, Guest Coach

Monday, October 14, 2019, 7:30 and 9:30pm, Dizzy’s Club
The Conceptual Genius of John Lewis and George Russell
Juilliard Jazz’s Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach Ensembles
Aaron Diehl, Guest Coach

Tuesday, October 15, 2019, 7:30pm, Peter Jay Sharp Theater
On the Cutting Edge: Vincent Gardner, Carlos Henriquez, Sherman Irby, Elliot Mason, and Marcus Printup
Juilliard Jazz Orchestra

Monday, October 29, 2019, 7:30pm, Paul Hall
Rhythm Masters: Nazareth, Gonzaga, Pixinguinha, Joplin, and Morton
Juilliard Jazz’s Dave Brubeck and Mary Lou Williams Ensembles
This concert is part of Juilliard Jazz’s Brazil Exchange with the São Paulo-based Santa Marcelina Cultura cultural group. Juilliard Jazz students will be joined by students from the São Paulo State School of Music.

Tuesday, November 19, 2019, 7:30pm, Paul Hall
Jazz Singers of Civil Rights Era: Nina Simone, Bob Dorough, Abbey Lincoln, and Oscar Brown Jr.
Juilliard Jazz’s Dizzy Gillespie and Jelly Roll Morton Ensembles with Juilliard Jazz singers
Carmen Lundy, Guest Coach

Monday, December 9, 2019, 7:30 and 9:30pm, at Dizzy’s Club
The Music of John Coltrane
Juilliard Jazz’s Jelly Roll Morton and Dave Brubeck Ensembles

Tuesday, December 10, 2019, 7:30pm, Paul Hall
Americana: Folk, Country, and Church Music
Juilliard Jazz’s Mary Lou Williams and Max Roach Ensembles
Doug Wamble, Guest Coach

Spring Semester:
Saturday, January 18, 2020, 7:30pm, Peter Jay Sharp Theater
Classics From the Classic Era of Swing: Basie, Dorsey, Ellington, Goodman, Miller, and Shaw
Juilliard Jazz Orchestra
Scotty Barnhart, Conductor

Tuesday, January 28, 2020, 7:30pm, Paul Hall
Music Influenced by Jazz: Steve Coleman, Dave Douglas, Marquis Hill, and Kurt Rosenwinkel
Juilliard Jazz’s Dizzy Gillespie and Duke Ellington Ensembles
Jonathan Finlayson, Guest Coach

Monday, February 24, 2020, 7:30pm, Paul Hall
Buddy Bolden: Jazz Pioneer
Juilliard Jazz’s Mary Lou Williams and Jelly Roll Morton Ensembles
Dr. Michael White, Guest Coach

Wednesday, February 26, 2020, 7:30pm, Peter Jay Sharp Theater
The Music of Chick Corea
Juilliard Jazz Orchestra

Sunday, March 22, 2020, Blue Note Jazz Club
Saxophone Titans: Adrian Rollini and Gerry Mulligan
Juilliard Jazz’s Dizzy Gillespie and Dave Brubeck Ensembles
Vincent Giordano, Guest Coach

Tuesday, March 31, 2020, 7:30 and 9:30pm, Dizzy’s Club
Charles Mingus: Political Commentary
Juilliard Jazz’s Mary Lou Williams and Duke Ellington Ensembles
Marc Cary, Guest Coach

Tuesday, April 7, 2020, 7:30pm, Paul Hall
What We Hear: Student Compositions
Juilliard Jazz’s Max Roach and Jelly Roll Morton Ensembles

Saturday, April 11, 2020, 7:30pm, Alice Tully Hall
Music of Young Composers and Bebop Legends
Juilliard Jazz Orchestra
Wynton Marsalis, Conductor

Tuesday, April 14, 2020, 7:30pm, Paul Hall
Marsalis Music: The Magic Hour and The Razor Rim
Juilliard Jazz’s Duke Ellington Ensemble
Wynton Marsalis, Guest Coach

Thursday, May 9 through Sunday, May 12, 2020, 7:30 and 9:30pm, Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola
The Music of Duke Ellington
Juilliard Jazz Orchestra
Jerome Jennings, Conductor
The performances take place during the Essentially Ellington Competition week, which takes place at Jazz at Lincoln Center.