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A Great Night In Harlem
A Great Night in Harlem Benefit Concert is an annual series of concerts organized by the Jazz Foundation of America (JFA), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, since 2001 to raise money for the Jazz Foundation's Musician Emergency Fund. Founding In August 2000, after being hired as executive director of the Jazz Foundation, Wendy Oxenhorn discovered the organization had only left in the fund. She suggested organizing a fundraising concert at the Apollo Theater. When she was told they could not afford to rent the Apollo, Oxenhorn asked board member Jarrett Lilien for advice. Lilien told Oxenhorn he would pay to rent the Apollo. Oxenhorn conceived of the idea for the concerts during her first year as executive director of the JFA in 2000, after watching a 1994 documentary called ''A Great Day in Harlem'' about jazz musicians. The first concert, which took place in September 2001, raised $350,000 for the foundation's Jazz Musicians Emergency Fund, and over 65 jazz artists performed ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jazz Foundation Of America
The Jazz Foundation of America (JFA) is a non-profit organization based in Manhattan, New York that was founded in 1989. Its programs seek to help jazz and blues musicians in need of emergency funds and connect them with performance opportunities in schools and the community. The Jazz Musicians' Emergency Fund and Housing Fund, established with corporate help, assists freelance musicians who lack benefits, pensions, or health insurance to cover one-time expenses. Musicians can apply to the foundation's social workers for help with rent, housing, mortgage payments, and health care. The foundation created a volunteer network of professionals throughout the United States to provide free legal, dental, and other health services when needed. The foundation's Jazz in the Schools program occurs in eight states as educational outreach and an employment service. The program offers free performances by musicians which include information about instruments and the history of jazz. Musician ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Abbey Lincoln
Anna Marie Wooldridge (August 6, 1930 – August 14, 2010), known professionally as Abbey Lincoln, was an American jazz vocalist and songwriter. She was a civil rights activist beginning in the 1960s. Lincoln made a career out of delivering deeply felt presentations of standards, as well as writing and singing her own material. Early life Lincoln was born on August 6, 1930, in Chicago, but raised in Calvin Center, Cass County, Michigan. She was one of 12 children. Career Music Lincoln was one of many singers influenced by Billie Holiday. Lincoln's 1956 debut album, '' Abbey Lincoln's Affair... A Story of a Girl in Love'', was followed by a series of albums for Riverside Records. In 1960, she sang on Max Roach's landmark civil rights-themed recording '' We Insist!'' (subtitled ''Freedom Now Suite''), "regarded as the earliest full-scale protest record in jazz", as historian Nat Hentoff observed. Lincoln's lyrics were often connected to the civil rights movement in America. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Melvin Van Peebles
Melvin Van Peebles (born Melvin Peebles; August 21, 1932 – September 21, 2021) was an American actor, filmmaker, writer, and composer. He worked as an active filmmaker into the early 2020s. His feature film debut, ''The Story of a Three-Day Pass'' (1967), was based on his own French-language novel ' and was shot in France, as it was difficult for a black American director to get work at the time. The film won an award at the San Francisco International Film Festival which gained him the interest of Hollywood studios, leading to his American feature debut ''Watermelon Man (film), Watermelon Man'', in 1970. Eschewing further overtures from Hollywood, he used the successes he had so far to bankroll his work as an independent filmmaker. In 1971, he released his best-known work, creating and starring in the film ''Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song'', which led to the creation of the blaxploitation genre. although critic Roger Ebert did not consider this example of Van Peebles' work ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mario Van Peebles
Mario Van Peebles (born January 15, 1957) is a Mexican-born American director and actor. He is best known for appearing in ''Heartbreak Ridge'' in 1986, and known for directing and starring in ''New Jack City'' in 1991, and ''USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage'' in 2016. He is the son of actor and filmmaker Melvin Van Peebles, whom he portrayed in the 2003 biopic ''Baadasssss!'', which he also co-wrote and directed. Early life and education Van Peebles was born on January 15, 1957, in Mexico City, Mexico, the son of writer, director, actor and musician Melvin Van Peebles and Maria Marx. He traveled often with his parents between Europe and the United States. He majored in economics at Columbia College (New York), Columbia College, the undergraduate division of Columbia University. He was invited to speak as the Class Day Speaker as part of the annual commencement exercises in 2021. Career 1968 to 1971: First roles Van Peebles' first screen appearance was in 1968, in the soap op ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jimmy Heath
James Edward Heath (October 25, 1926 – January 19, 2020), nicknamed Little Bird, was an American jazz saxophonist, composer, arranger, and big band leader. He was the brother of bassist Percy Heath and drummer Albert Heath. Biography Heath was born in Philadelphia on October 25, 1926.[ Allmusic biography] His father, an auto mechanic, played the clarinet, performing on the weekends. His mother sang in a church choir. The family frequently played recordings of big band jazz groups around the house. Heath's sister was a pianist, while his brothers were bassist Percy Heath (older) and drummer Albert Heath (his youngest sibling). During World War II, Heath was rejected for the draft for being below the minimum weight. Heath originally played alto saxophone. He earned the nickname "Little Bird" after his work for Howard McGhee and Dizzy Gillespie in the late 1940s, during which his playing displayed influences from Charlie Parker (Parker's nickname was "Bird"). He then switched t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Quincy Jones
Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (March 14, 1933 – November 3, 2024) was an American record producer, composer, arranger, conductor, trumpeter, and bandleader. Over the course of his seven-decade career, he received List of awards and nominations received by Quincy Jones, many accolades including 28 Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Tony Award as well as nominations for seven Academy Awards and four Golden Globe Awards. Jones came to prominence in the 1950s as a jazz arranger and conductor before producing pop hit records for Lesley Gore in the early 1960s (including "It's My Party") and serving as an arranger and conductor for several collaborations between Frank Sinatra and the jazz artist Count Basie. Jones produced three of the most successful albums by Michael Jackson: ''Off the Wall'' (1979), ''Thriller (album), Thriller'' (1982), and ''Bad (album), Bad'' (1987). In 1985, Jones produced and conducted the charity song "We Are the World", which raised funds for victims ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
George Wein
George Wein (October 3, 1925 – September 13, 2021) was an American jazz promoter, pianist, and producer."George Wein: Dinosaur Walks the Earth" AllAboutJazz.com interview, June 2000, Retrieved on April 1, 2007. He was the founder of the , which is held every summer in . He also co-founded the Newport Folk Festival with |
Billy Phipps
Billy Phipps (25 December 1931 – 3 December 2011) was an American jazz baritone saxophonist and composer who contributed to the development of a wide range of jazz styles including hard bop, soul jazz, Latin jazz, and primitive. Career Phipps was born on December 25, 1931, in Newark, New Jersey, United States into a jazz family. Billy's cousin, Eugene Phipps, Sr. traveled with Billie Holiday, Joe Guy, Max Roach and Ike Quebec on a national tour. Cousin Ernie Phipps led the big band The Monarchs of Rhythm with Eugene Phipps, Sr. at the Savoy Ballroom along with The Sultans of Swing, Poncho Diggs, and other big bands. During the 1950s Eugene Phipps co-led the house band at Newark's legendary Washington Bar, which featured performers such as Babs Gonzales, Lew-Rew Jordan, and Ike Quebec. In the 1950s Billy Phipps along with brother Nat Phipps formed a band whose members included Wayne Shorter, Grachan Moncur, Chris White, Charlie Mason, Harold Phipps and Robert Thomas. Phipp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Randy Johnston (musician)
Randy Barksdale Johnston (born December 5, 1956) is an American jazz guitarist. Career The Beatles's performance on ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' inspired Johnston to start playing guitar in childhood. He heard jazz for the first time on the album ''The Smithsonian Collection of Jazz'' and was influenced by guitarists Kenny Burrell and Grant Green. Johnston's family moved to Richmond, Virginia, when he was thirteen. He was a member of rock bands that performed at parties and school dances. In the late 1970s he attended the University of Miami, occasionally involved in jam sessions at a Unitarian Church with Ira Sullivan. In the early 1980s he moved to New York City and worked with Warne Marsh, then as a sideman with Houston Person and Etta Jones. Person produced his first album, ''Walk On'', which was engineered by Rudy Van Gelder. He has worked with Joey DeFrancesco, Lou Donaldson, Lee Konitz, and Lonnie Smith. Discography * '' Walk On'' (Muse, 1992) * ''Jubilation'' (Muse, 1994) ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Irene Reid
Irene Reid (September 23, 1930 – January 5, 2008) was an American jazz singer. Early life Reid was born and raised in Savannah, Georgia. She sang in church and in high school in Georgia, and moved to New York City in 1947 after her mother died. Career Toward the end of 1947, she tried out for an amateur contest at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, and won the competition for five straight weeks. Soon after she was offered a slot as the featured vocalist with Dick Vance at the Savoy Ballroom, which she held from 1948 to 1950. In 1961–62, Reid sang with Count Basie's orchestra, and recorded for Verve Records. She later performed in a Broadway production of the musical '' The Wiz''. Additionally, she sang with Carmen McRae, Sarah Vaughan, Aretha Franklin, and B.B. King. Reid receded from fame in the 1970s and 1980s, but launched a comeback near the end of that decade. She appeared at the Savannah Jazz Festival in 1991, 1994, and 1996, and continued releasing albums on ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Branford Marsalis
Branford Marsalis (born August 26, 1960) is an American saxophonist, composer, and bandleader. While primarily known for his work in jazz as the leader of the Branford Marsalis Quartet, he also performs frequently as a soloist with classical ensembles and has led the group Buckshot LeFonque. From 1992 to 1995 he led The Tonight Show Band. Early life Marsalis was born on August 26, 1960, in New Orleans. He is the son of Dolores (née Ferdinand), a jazz singer and substitute teacher, and Ellis Louis Marsalis, Jr., a pianist and music professor.Stated on ''Finding Your Roots'', PBS, March 25, 2012 His brothers Jason Marsalis, Wynton Marsalis, and Delfeayo Marsalis are also jazz musicians. Career Musical beginnings: 1980–1985 Marsalis graduated from Eleanor McMain Secondary Magnet School in 1978. While in high school he played in a R&B cover band called The Creators. Marsalis then attended Southern University, a historically black college in Baton Rouge, where he stu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Whoopi Goldberg
Caryn Elaine Johnson (born November 13, 1955), known professionally as Whoopi Goldberg (), is an American actor, comedian, author, and television personality.Kuchwara, Michael (AP Drama Writer)"Whoopi Goldberg: A One-Woman Character Parade". ''The Fremont News-Messenger''. November 29, 1984. Retrieved January 22, 2021. "I'm an actor. That's what I do. I'm not a stand-up comic ... I do characters. I'm very good. I'll be better. But right now I'm a very good actor." The recipient of numerous accolades, she is one of few people to receive an Emmy Award, Grammy Award, Academy Award, and Tony Award, collectively known as the EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony). In 2001, she received the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. Goldberg began her career on stage in 1983 with her one-woman show, ''Spook Show'', which transferred to Broadway under the title ''Whoopi Goldberg'', running from 1984 to 1985. She won a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album for the recording of the show. Her film ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
