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Announcing the 46th Annual Lakeland Jazz Festival featuring Donald Harrison, Madd for Tadd (Dameron), Big Band Matinee and more....

Nighttown Cleveland by Nighttown / Jim Wadsworth Productions

Hi Folks.

Once again, we're working with the Lakeland Jazz Festival to bring some great talent to this year's46th annual festival. We've had some amazing artists over the past 10 years including Chris Potter,Kenny Garrett, Kurt Rosinwinkel, The Yellowjackets, Pat Martino, TS Monk, The Dizzy Gillespie All-Starsand more.

This year we're excited to be bringing The Donald HarrisonQuintet on Friday. Donald is one of the legends of the jazzscene, having played with Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers,and having developed his own signature sound incorporatingNew Orleans rhythms and straight-ahead and contemporary jazz. For this performance, Donald is bringing his own full quintet,featuring Zachai Curtis on piano, who is a young phenomgarnering huge attention. It will be a cohesive and hard hittingquintet.

We're also excited about the Madd for Tadd™ program onSaturday night. This program is a tribute to the famous Clevelandnative composer, Tadd Dameron, whose music you'll want to get toknow better. The program will feature an all-star group of jazzprofessors from numerous universities, so the level of artistry will befantastic.

Then on Sunday, it's our famous Big Band Matinee featuring two bigbands - the Lakeland Civic Jazz Orchestra and the YoungstownState University Jazz Ensemble.

And as always, on Friday and Saturday morning and afternoon,high school bands from all over the state will be performing and willbe judged by some of the top professors in the industry. It's alwaysgreat to hear the next generation and to see and hear the great workthat our primary schools are developing.

Read below for more details.

We hope you can join us at this year's 46th Annual Lakeland Jazz Festival on March 16 - 18.

Jim WadsworthJim Wadsworth Productions

46th Annual Lakeland Jazz Festival

The Donald Harrison Quintet

Madd for Tadd™ A Tribute to Tadd Dameron Featuring the East Central Jazz Educators All Star Big Band

Big Band Matinee

Middle and High School Performances for Adjudication

March 16 - 18, 2018Dr. Wayne L. Rodehorst Performing Arts Center (D-Building)

Lakeland Community College

Campus DirectionsCampus Map (pdf)

Jazz Festival Web SiteLakeland Community College Music Department

Arts at Lakeland

Select here for tickets or call 440-525-7134

Friday, March 16

8:30 a.m. - 4:30p.m. Middle and High School Performances & AdjudicationFree and open to the publicSelect here for a list of performing schoolsAdjudicators:Dominick Farinacci (Tri-C)Mark Mauldin (Tri-C, Howard University)Aidan Plank (Kent State)Kent Engelhardt (Youngstown State)Jeff Bush (Duquesne)

8 p.m. The Donald Harrison Quintet featuring Donald Harrison - sax/vocalsZaccai Curtis - piano (NYC)Darryl Staves - drums (Boston)Jasen Weaver - bass (New Orleans)Detroit Brooks - guitar (New Orleans)

$30 general admission; $15 students

Donald Harrison was born in NewOrleans in 1960 and grew up in a homeenvironment saturated with the city’straditional brass bands, afro-newOrleans culture, modern jazz, R&B,funk, classical, world and dance music.His connection to New Orleans’ rootswas deepened by his father, a BigChief, in a new American style ofAfrican culture developed in NewOrleans. The culture is an offshootculture of Congo Square, one of theonly known places in North Americawhere Africans openly participated intheir culture in the 18th and 19thcenturies and still participate in itthroughout the city. Donald becamethe Big Chief of The Congo Square

Nation Afro-New Orleans cultural group in 1999 and coined the term Afro-New Orleans to describe hisculture. He designed and built New Orleans’ first cultural attire to merge African designs with Afro-NewOrleans style cultural designs.

Harrison created “Nouveau Swing,” a style off jazz that merges it with modern dance music like R&B, Hip-Hop, Soul and Rock. Over twenty years ago, he also combined jazz with Afro-New Orleans traditionalmusic on his critically acclaimed and influential albums “Indian Blues” in 1991 and “Spirits of CongoSquare” in 2000. These records deepened his commitment to maintaining the offshoot rituals, call andresponse chants and drumming as well as his determination to keep traditional to modern jazz music alivefor the next generation.

Over three decades playing as a professional artist has placed Harrison on stage and on recordings withsome of the most influential artists of the 21st century. He has performed and recorded with an illustriouslist of distinguished musicians in Jazz, R & B, Funk, Classical and other music genres. Art Blakey, RoyHaynes, The Cookers, McCoy Tyner, Miles Davis, Lena Horne, Ron Carter, Billy Cobham, Eddie Palmieri,Jennifer Holiday, Dr. John, Guru’s Jazzmatazz, McCoy Tyner, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Digable Planets, NotoriousBIG, The Chicago Symphony Orchestra and The Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra are just a few of theartists and ensembles he has performed with.

As an actual evacuee/survivor of Hurricane Katrina, Harrison had a prominent role in Spike Lee’s HBOdocumentary, “When the Levees Broke.” He also appeared as himself and co-wrote the sound track forAcademy Award winning Director Jonathan Demme’s feature film, “Rachel’s Getting Married,” starringAnne Hathaway and Debra Winger. Aspects of Harrison’s life and music are chronicled with two charactersin David Simon’s ground breaking HBO series, Treme. He was a character consultant and appeared ashimself in eleven episodes in the series.

Harrison recorded “Quantum Leap” in 2012, which musicians and critics agree is a next step for real jazzand is an amalgamation of his life’s experiences and years playing with jazz masters. With quantum jazz,Donald has opened up new areas for time, harmony, and melody. The recording has another componentwhere it melds cutting edge jazz with New Orleans funk, connecting the past with the present with jazzmusic that transcends boundaries. His upcoming jazz recording will feature, Dr. Lonnie Smith, ChristianScott, Max Moran, Detroit Brooks, Joe Dyson and others. The recording has Donald Harrison playing sax,singing, rapping, chanting, playing percussion, piano, keyboards, drumming and producing.

Zaccai Curtis / pianoAfter graduating from New England Conservatory in 2005, Zaccai Curtis moved to New York City where heperforms regularly with artists such as: Donald Harrison, Cindy Blackman Santana, Eddie Palmieri,Christian Scott, Ralph Peterson, T.K. Blue, Brian Lynch, Ray Vega, and Eric Person amongst others. Curtiscomposes and arranges for his own quartet, trio, Big-Band and more. In 2003 he was chosen as a winner ofthe ASCAP Young Jazz Composer’s competition and each year consecutively through 2006.

the ASCAP Young Jazz Composer’s competition and each year consecutively through 2006.

Darryl Staves / drumsDarryl Staves was a member of the Grammy Band in 2013 and has studied at Berklee College of Music.

Jasen Weaver - bassJasen Weaver began playing the double bass at the age of 11. He first received training at a programcalled the New Orleans String Project and was accepted into the Greater New Orleans Youth Orchestra(GNOYO). At the age of 13, he joined the jazz band at his middle school and began what would become afull time interest in the music. By age 14, he was accepted into the prestigious New Orleans Center forCreative Arts (NOCCA) as a member of the Jazz program.

Since then he has been privileged to play with many great musicians including Dee Dee Bridgewater,Herlin Riley, Wes Anderson, Donald Harrison, Ellis Marsalis, Jason Marsalis, Delfeayo Marsalis, AdonisRose, Los Hombres Calientes, Stephanie Jordan and many others. He has also recorded with Dr. John, theNew Orleans Jazz Orchestra (feat. Dee Dee Bridgewater), Jason Marsalis, The Session, Cliff Hines, SashaMasakowski, and saxophonist Stephen Richard.

Jasen graduated from the University of New Orleans in May 2012, as a Jazz Studies major, and is an activemember of the New Orleans music scene.

Detroit Brooks - guitarDetroit began his career at an early age, touring with his famous family which includes his world-famoussister Juanita Brooks, of “Juanita’s Gospel Express,” as well as his acclaimed father, George A. Brooks, Sr.,of the famous “Masonic Kings.” Like many accomplished guitarists, Detroit mastered his craft on the roadwhere the performances were “long, free and continuous.” His skill, technique and experience brought himquick recognition and the opportunity to play with gospel greats like Clarence Fountain & the Five BlindBoys, Dorothy Norwood, Reverend Ernest Franklin, Albertina Walker, Raymond Myles and The Rams andthe famed Zion Harmonizers. A New Orleans music scene regular, Brooks’dedication to mastery, or as we call it, “The Game,” has created the most requested Guitarist in a citywhose every breath has a musical overtone.

HBO's "Treme" and Donald Harrison article (pdf)

Donald Harrison LiveDonald Harison Quantum Leap Band playing "Watermelon Man"

Saturday, March 17

8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Middle and High School Performances & AdjudicationFree and open to the publicSelect here for a list of performing schoolsAdjudicators: Kent Engelhardt ( Youngstown State)Jeff Bush (Duquesne)Dave Morgan (Youngstown State)Phil Degreg (Univ. of Cincinnati)Alan Barnes (from the United Kingdom) http://www.alanbarnesjazz.com/

8 p.m. Madd for Tadd™ A Tribute to Tadd DameronFeaturing the East Central Jazz Educators All-Star Big Band

$15 general admission; $7 students

Madd for Tadd™ celebrates the greatpianist/composer/arranger Tadd Dameron, whose roots wereoriginally from Cleveland, and who went on to become one ofthe greatest composer/arrangers of his era. He wrote andarranged for The Count Basie Orchestra, Dizzy Gillespie, ArtieShaw and Sarah Vaughan to name a few. His compositionshave become part of the Great American Songbook.

The East Central Jazz Educators All Star Big Band ismade up of some of the best musicians and educators fromuniversities throughout the NE Ohio area and beyond. This all-star line up includes:

Saxophones:**Kent Englehardt - Youngstown State UniversityAlan Barnes - United Kingdom (Great Britain)Dave Kana - Youngstown State UniversityTom Reed - Ashland University

Trumpets: Steve Hawk - Slippery Rock University

Steve Hawk - Slippery Rock UniversityJoe Badaczewski - Duquesne University Dominick Farinacci - Tri-C Jazz Studies Program**Steve Enos - Tri-C Jazz Studies Program

Trombones:Jeff Bush - Duquesne UniversityJay Ashby - Oberlin Conservatory

French Horn:Stacie Mickens - Youngstown State University

Rhythm Section:Piano: Phil DeGreg - University of Cincinnati Bass: Dave Morgan - Youngstown State UniversityDrums: Jim Rupp - Tri-C / Ohio State University

** Co-Directors

When Kent J. Engelhardt, Ph.D. was rewarded a YSU ResearchProfessorship for the 2016-2017 school year, he had no ideathat his project would garner the attention it is now receiving. Engelhardt’s project, “Tadd Dameron: The Magic Touch” is arecreation of the music on Tadd Dameron’s last album recordedin 1962 and includes “On A Misty Night,” “Fontainbleau,” “JustPlain Talkin’,” “Our Delight,” “Dial B For Beauty,” “Look, StopAnd Listen,” “Bevan’s Birthday,” and “Swift As The Wind,”“You’re A Joy,” and “If You Could See Me Now.”

Madd For Tadd™ was formed to celebrate Dameron’s centennial during 2017, and this past May theyrecorded at the Tommy LiPuma Studios at TRI-C, and a CD is forthcoming. Madd For Tadd™ is a group ofsome of the best jazz musicians/educators from the region that represent numerous universities.

Sunday, March 18

4 p.m. Big Band MatineeFeaturing the Lakeland Civic Jazz Orchestra under the direction of Dave Sterner and theYoungstown State University Jazz Ensemble and Jazz Quintet under the direction of KentEnglehardt.Tickets $10 general admission, $7 students

The Lakeland Civic Jazz Orchestra is under thedirection of Dave Sterner and will feature musicby Charles Mingus, Sammy Nestico, Count Basie,among others and an original composition byretired Lakeland Faculty Bob Brown. Bob will beplaying piano on the concert.

The Youngstown State University Jazz Ensembleand Jazz Quintet, under the direction of KentEnglehardt, will feature music composed andarranged by Youngstown State jazz students: AlexMiller, Justin Randall, Emma Donkin, Nick Frank,Ian Kinnaman and Tommy Starr.

Select here for tickets or call 440-525-7134

Dr. Wayne L. Rodehorst Performing Arts Center (Building D)Lakeland Community College

Campus DirectionsCampus Map (pdf)

Jazz Festival Web SiteLakeland Community College Music Department

Arts at Lakeland

AcknowledgmentsDr. Morris Beverage Jr., President, Lakeland Community CollegeDr. Constance Edwards, Associate Dean, Arts and Sciences DivisionDr. Matthew Saunders, Department Chair, MusicJeri Lynn Pilarczyk, Senior Secretary, Arts and Sciences Division

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Jeri Lynn Pilarczyk, Senior Secretary, Arts and Sciences Division

About the Lakeland Jazz FestivalFestival CoordinatorsDave Sterner Stephen Stanziano, Ph.D.

The 46th Annual Lakeland Jazz Festival, is a presentation of the Arts and Sciences Division. The LakelandJazz Festival was founded by retired professor and music department Chair Charles M. Frank. Lakeland'sJazz Festival has remained true to its original mission of instilling the excitement and magic of jazzeducation to the younger generation of musicians. Over 30,000 middle and high school musicians fromthroughout the state have participated in the festival in celebration of this uniquely American art form,jazz.

Jazz Festival Website

Sponsors

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Production and marketing assistanceJim Wadsworth ProductionsJim Wadsworth 216-721-5624 jwadsworth@aol.com

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