New York, NY (Top40 Charts) "Women have always played a significant role in developing the music through creative compositions, stellar performances and their work behind the scenes in presenting the music. Unfortunately, these contributions have gone either unrecognized or were written out of the history books. The American Jazz Museum takes pride in shinning the light on their fabulous efforts", states Gregory A. Carroll, Chief Executive Officer of the American Jazz Museum.
The American Jazz Museum pays tribute throughout March to Women in Jazz and their incalculable contributions to the music through showcase performances at its award-winning Blue Room Jazz Club, its celebrated subscription series (Jammin' at the Gem), panel discussions, film screenings and educational programs. Carroll and the museum staff have assembled a great line up of performances and activities to celebrate women in the music and are always looking to expand the notable conference of existing sponsors to help with program underwriting.
Sponsors including Sprint, Muriel McBrien Kauffman Foundation, Neighborhood Tourism Development Fund (NTDF), Richard J. Stern Foundation, ArtsKC and others are helping bring top caliber talent and programs to the museum to celebrate women in jazz. Call 816.474.8463 for more information about American Jazz Museum sponsorship opportunities.
Aside from a month of dedicated programming in the Blue Room jazz club, our women in jazz programs will feature a stellar line up of musicians, entertainers, music and art scholars in a wonderful cultural setting. Highlights of this year's programs include:
o 18 performances in the Award-Winning Blue Room jazz club, featuring local, regional and national women jazz artists.
o Kick Off Celebration featuring the
Friends University Big Band in performance.
o Kick Off Celebration screening of selected films from Volume 1 (Women in Jazz in Films) from our famed John H. Baker Jazz Film Collection.
o Kick Off Celebration panel discussion with noted scholars
Millie Edwards, Dr. Sherrie Maricle, and Lisa Hittle.
o Special edition of Jazz Storytelling entitled Jazz
Styles for our youngest audience members.
o Multiple education workshops and clinics with celebrated jazz drummer Sherrie Maricle.
o DIVA Jazz Orchestra in two unique performances in the blue room. DIVA is one of only 2 total all-women big bands in existence today and is celebrated around the globe.
o VIP Reception honoring Women in Jazz exclusive for our guest artists (DIVA Jazz Orchestra), scholars, and event sponsors.
Showcase Jammin' at the Gem concert featuring GRAMMY Award winning jazz drummer and producer Terri Lyne Carrington and her Mosaic Project.
o Jazz Poetry Jams program with one of KC's finest jazz trios and a host of notable spoken word artists in competing for top prizes and awards.
o Opportunity for program attendees to enjoy the cultural assets at 18th & Vine including: the American Jazz Museum, Gem Theater, and Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.
o American Jazz Museum's complete events calendar is available online at: https://americanjazzmuseum.org/events/
The American Jazz Museum Celebrates Women in Jazz | March, 2015 * Program Highlights
March 5 - Kick Off Celebration, Gem Theater - Free
5:00 pm:
Friends University Big Band Performance, Lisa Hittle Director
6:00 pm: Film Screening of Vol. 1 Women in Jazz Films: Rare soundies from the John H. Baker Jazz Film Collection. Panel:
Millie Edwards (moderator), Sherrie Maricle & Lisa Hittle
THE GIRLS IN THE BAND tells the poignant, untold stories of female jazz and big band instrumentalists and their fascinating, groundbreaking journeys from the late 30s to the present day. These incredibly talented women endured sexism, racism and diminished opportunities for decades, yet continued to persevere, inspire and elevate their talents in a field that seldom welcomed them. Today, there is a new breed of gifted young women taking their rightful place in the world of jazz, which can no longer deny their talents.
March 6 - Special "Jazz Styles" edition of Jazz Storytelling,
Atrium - 10:00 am - Free
With art educator Bonnye Brown, vocalist Lisa Henry, storyteller
Brother John, bassist Tyrone Clark and drummer Mike Warren.
March 6 - Divas Night Out w/ Megan Birdsall &
Kelly Gant, Blue Room - 8:30 pm, $10 cover
March 7 - AJM Presents Sherrie Maricle & the DIVA Jazz Orchestra
9:30 am:Metro Jazz Workshop Big Band Open Rehearsal w/ Sherrie Maricle,
Atrium - Free
10:30 am: Big Band Drumming Masterclass w/ Sherrie Maricle,
Atrium - Free
12:00 pm: Lunch & Chat w/ Sherrie Maricle,
Atrium - Free
Sponsored by Carroll Studios & Midnight Blue Jazz Quartet
2:00 pm: Sherrie Maricle & DIVA Jazz Orchestra Rehearsal/ Sound Check, Blue Room - Free (students)
7:00 pm: Salute to Women in Jazz Reception, Lester Young Lobby - By Invitation ONLY
8:00 pm and 10:00 pm: Sherrie Maricle & DIVA Jazz Orchestra Performance, Blue Room - $20 (one show), $30 (two shows)
o Limited seating. Tickets at Ticketmaster.com or 816.474.6262
2 Shows - Featuring 15 of the finest musicians of our time, DIVA lights up the stage with their music and personalities, riveting audiences and commanding standing ovations. Critics have called this gifted, rowdy, tour de force —"vibrant," "magnetic," "electrifying," "smokin', " and "timeless." DIVA takes the traditional boundaries of jazz and swing and pushes them to the outermost limits.
March 13 -
Charlotte Embrey & Soigne, Blue Room - 8:30 pm, $10 cover
o Limited seating. Tickets at Ticketmaster.com or 816.474.6262
March 14 - Jammin' at the Gem w/ GRAMMY Award winner Terri Lyne Carrington & Mosiac, Gem Theater - 8:00 pm
o Limited seating. Tickets at Ticketmaster.com or 816.474.6262
March 19 - Jazz Poetry Jams 2.0, Blue Room - 7:00 pm, $7/$10 cover
The trio of Everette Freeman - piano, Dominique Sanders - bass, and
Tyree Johnson - drums, perform and provide an interactive accompaniment to a featured monthly poet and poetry slam contestants.
About | American Jazz Museum
Located in the Historic 18th & Vine Jazz District in Kansas City, MO, the American Jazz Museum showcases the sights and sounds of jazz through interactive exhibits and films, the Changing Gallery exhibit space, Horace M. Peterson III Visitors Center, Blue Room jazz club and Gem Theater.
Since its inception in 1997, the Museum hosts thousands of students, scholars, musicians and fans of the arts for over 200 performances, education programs, special exhibitions, community events and more each year, providing an opportunity to learn about the legends, honor their legacy, or simply enjoy the sounds of modern day jazz.
Our mission is to celebrate and exhibit the experience of jazz as an original American art form through four pillars: research, exhibition, education and performance - at one of the world's greatest jazz crossroads - 18th & Vine.
As the only museum in the world solely focused on the preservation, exhibition and advancement of jazz music, the American Jazz Museum is dedicated to public service and collaborative efforts to expand the influence, awareness and appreciation of jazz among the widest demographic of people across the Kansas City region, as well as among those based in various locations worldwide.
For more information, please visit https://AmericanJazzMuseum.org.
