SAMMONS JAZZ
SPRING 2010 SCHEDULE
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2010 - 7:00 TO 10:00 P.M.
“The Three Tenors”
Opening Group: Shelley Carrol, Chris McGuire and Quamon Fowler – three great tenor saxophone players team up to present a spectacular evening of virtuoso tenor sax performances. Joining the three tenors will be Dave Zoller on piano and Andrew Griffith on drums.
Second Set: The Ron Jones Quartet features another great saxophonist with Ron Jones leading a quartet that includes Tony Palos on piano, Chris Clarke on bass and Jason Thomas on drums.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 3, 2010 - 7:00 TO 10:00 P.M.
“The Leigh Tomlinson Memorial Showcase”
This very special tribute concert in memory of Sammons Jazz favorite Leigh Tomlinson features two up and coming young vocalists:
Opening Group: Carolyn Lee Jones opens the concert in her first appearance on Sammons Jazz. She is joined by Brad Williams on piano, Jonathan Fisher on bass, Mario Cruz on saxophone and Andrew Griffith on drums.
Second Set: Ardina Lockhart – This up and coming singer brings her superlative voice to the second half of the concert. She will be joined by Roger Boykin on piano, Carl Hillman on bass, Shelley Carrol on saxophone and Jamil Byron on drums.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7, 2010 - 7:00 TO 10:00 P.M.
“Bold & Brassy”
Opening Group: The Akira Sato Quintet with trumpeter Akira Sato presenting his band in his first Sammons Jazz appearance. He will be joined by Brad Williams on piano, Buddy Mohmed on bass, David Lown on saxophone and Andrew Griffith on drums.
Second Set: The Inner City Allstars – This New Orleans style brass band is led by Calvin Sexton and features some of the best and brightest young jazz artists around.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 5, 2010 - 7:00 TO 10:00 P.M.
“Annual Artistic Director’s Concert”
First Set: The Sammons Jazz Ensemble opens this annual blockbuster concert with Artistic Director James Gilyard on bass, Andrew Griffith on drums and Robert Aberg on guitar.
Featured Artist: Monty Alexander – In a career spanning five decades, pianist Monty Alexander has built a reputation exploring and bridging the worlds of American jazz, popular song, and the music of his native Jamaica. He has performed and recorded with artists from every corner of the musical universe and entertainment world: Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Ray Brown, Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Rollins, Clark Terry, Quincy Jones, Ernest Ranglin, Barbara Hendricks, Bill Cosby, Bobby McFerrin, Sly Dunbar, and Robbie Shakespeare, among others. He will perform with the Sammons Jazz Ensemble.
All performances are at the Sammons Center for the Arts at 3630 Harry Hines at Oak Lawn. Ticket prices are regular $35.00 and $30.00 for members with open seating for all. Ticket prices include complimentary wine, beer, soft drinks, coffee, light appetizers, and valet parking. The doors open at 7:00 p.m. with the performance beginning approximately at 7:30 p.m. Each performance features two performance sets of about an hour each with an intermission between. The dress is casual; many people come from work in business attire, but most wear casual, comfortable clothing. Tickets may be ordered through the Sammons Center by calling 214/520-7789 and may be charged on VISA, Master Card, American Express or Discover. For additional information on the Sammons Jazz series of the Sammons Center for the Arts, call 214/520-7789 or visit our website at www.sammonsartcenter.org . All artists and programs subject to change.
Sammons Jazz Program
The Sammons Jazz Program was founded in 1989 at the request of Vicho Vicencio, original Artistic Director of the series, and several local jazz artists concerned about the dearth of jazz performance opportunities in the Dallas area. It has developed from the original concert series into a multifaceted program which includes the original jazz concert series, community outreach collaborations, and a Youth Jazz Outreach program. The Sammons Jazz program is under the guidance of Artistic Director,James Gilyard.
Mission
The mission of the Sammons Jazz Program is:
1) To promote jazz in all its forms from Swing and Be-Bop to Latin and World Beat,
2) To increase public awareness of jazz asana important and fulfilling American Art Form,
3) To showcase local jazz artists and provide opportunities for jazz artists of all ages to develop their craft,
4) To build a diverse audience for jazz in our community, and
5) To provide an opportunity for jazz enthusiasts to enjoy quality live jazz entertainment at nominal cost throughout our City.
Sammons Jazz Series
Sammons Jazz is the only regular ongoing jazz performance series in the Dallas-Fort Worth area featuring local artists. Since the Sammons Jazz series began in1989, we have presented more than 1000 artists to a combined audience of more than 10,000. Sammons Jazz is presented the first Wednesday of each month, February through May and September through December in the relaxed, noncommercial setting of Meadows Hall in the Sammons Center. We present two ensembles at each concert, and ticket prices include complimentary coffee, wine, beer, soft drinks, light appetizers and valet parking. A variety of jazz styles is presented by professional artists as well as jazz students from the University of North Texas and the Arts Magnet High School.
Jazz in the Park with Shakespeare Dallas
We have presented a number of free jazz concerts in conjunction with the Summer productions of Shakespeare Dallas in Samuel Grand Park in East Dallas. These outdoor concerts are presented prior to the start of their plays on Friday or Saturday evenings throughout run of the festival. This collaboration has been very successful for both organizations and enhances the artistic value of both performances. We will work together to maximize a joint marketing initiative to draw a more diverse audience to these wonderful community events and enhance the community outreach impact of both organizations.
Jazz Youth Program
We are expanding our youth jazz outreach program in partnership with the Dallas Area Boys and Girls Club which enables us to introduce youth, ages 6 to 12, to jazz as a unique American art form. We have events at the Sammons Center in conjunction with youth agencies such as Boys & Girls Clubs, Church Groups and Recreation Centers, that are interactive as well as educational and help expose these children to jazz music. We use established jazz musicians as well as young jazz musicians from the Arts Magnet High School to play for the children and to get them involved with interactive activities as participants in the concerts. These events are held in our facility throughout the school year as an after-school program that is both fun and educational. Snacks are provided to the children during an intermission and they are encouraged to ask questions and participate in the music. Concert etiquette is also addressed to help students understand appropriate behavior at public events.
Future Initiatives
The Sammons Center for the Arts intends to develop a new paradigm in the promotion and preservation of jazz as an original American art form through the development of an on-line jazz museum celebrating the rich artistic heritage of the jazz artists of Dallas and Texas. There is an abundant and rich history of the evolution of jazz in our region. Significant contributions have been made by a number of very talented artists,but that history is largely undocumented and unheralded. It is important to capture and disseminate this region's contributions to the development of jazz by utilizing the exciting new technologies that allow information to be gathered, organized, displayed and continually updated.
Equally important is the ability to make the information gathered within the On-line museum available instantly to people all over the United States and the world. We will be able to reach artists, students, educators, jazz enthusiasts, and others through the medium of the world wide web. The museum content would include: Archival photographs, discography, video interviews with jazz artists, artists' profiles, recorded music archive, excerpts from print media, bibliography, history and development of the jazz art form, jazz event calendar, jazz music store, artists resource/bulletin board, North Texas musician registry, jazz chat room with scheduled artist interface opportunities, and other content as developed. Additionally, we plan to develop a series of short films that will record the oral histories of some of our Texas Jazz pioneers like David “Fathead” Newman, Red Holloway,Claude Johnson and others who created the Texas Jazz style.
Funding
Funding for the Sammons Jazz programs come from ticket sales, corporate sponsorships, a membership program and grants from the City of Dallas - Office of Cultural Affairs,TACA, Target Stores, Alliance Data Systems, the law firm of Akin Gump Hauer & Feld LLP, Frost Bank, and in-kind support from the Ben E. Keith Co.
ARLINGTON JONES performs at Sammons Jazz. (PHOTO BY JOYCE SANDERS) |
