Phil Palombi and Keith Hall with the Curtis Stigers Quartet, IAJE 2006 © Andrea Canter

Where at one time can you find nearly 8,000 jazz performers, educators, journalists, photographers, producers, promoters, students and serious fans outside of the world’s largest jazz festivals? At the International Association of Jazz Educators’ 34^th Annual Conference! The 2007 event will be held on the same site as the 2006 conference, right in the heart of midtown Manhattan at the New York Hilton/Sheraton New York, January 10-13. Over 200 concerts, panels and workshops are scheduled.

The world’s largest conference in the name of jazz draws individuals and ensembles from 45 nations for four days of performances, clinics, demonstrations, panel discussions, artist and industry exhibits, research presentations, award ceremonies, interviews, and informal networking. And that’s just what takes place within the convention centers. Outside of the hotels, area jazz clubs typically schedule special shows, taking advantage of the surge of jazz-bent tourists and the congregation of the world’s top artists. Notes IAJE Executive Director Bill McFarlin, “The IAJE Conference always takes on a special energy when we meet in New York. It’s exciting to see the city, already credited as the epicenter of the jazz universe, explode with thousands of jazz professionals and educators, many of whom can be found patronizing New York’s jazz clubs and live music venues throughout the week.”

Nancy Wilson © Charles Bush

Highlights

• Pre-conference (Wednesday afternoon): “Envisioning the Future of Jazz” kicks off the conference with an interactive program that considers the necessary tools for success in jazz education, business and performance, and how IAJE can support members toward these goals. A special performance from the LaGuardia High School Jazz Combo follows.

• 7th Annual IAJE Gala Dinner (Wednesday evening): Hosted by Nancy Wilson, the annual Gala will honor Past IAJE President David Baker with the Lawrence Berk Leadership Award, while French composer Michel Legrand will receive the 2007 IAJE President’s Award. This ticketed event is a fund raiser for the IAJE Campaign for Jazz, a landmark $12 million dollar initiative.

• NEA Jazz Masters Concert (Friday evening). All attendees are invited to the annual National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Awards Concert. Since 1982, the Arts Endowment has recognized 87 living legends for their major contributions to jazz. In addition to the highest honor in the field, each NEA Jazz Master receives a $25,000 honorarium and special recognition from the White House. The seven new NEA Masters to be honored this year include bandleader Toshiko Akiyoshi; trombonist Curtis Fuller; pianist Ramsey Lewis; vocalist Jimmy Scott; flutist Frank Wess; and alto saxophonist Phil Woods. In addition, writer/historian Dan Morgenstern will receive the A.B. Spellman NEA Jazz Masters Award for Jazz Advocacy. The awards concert will feature The Dizzy Gillespie All Star Band (directed by Slide Hampton) and the Clayton Brothers Quintet.


NEA Jazz Master, Toshiko Akiyoshi

• Special focus—France. Each IAJE includes a special regional focus, and this year a series of presentations and performances will highlight the music of France. Said IAJE President Chuck Owen, “We are honored to welcome French Ambassador to the United States, Jean David Levitte, who, along with Michel Legrand, will host an evening of French jazz on Saturday, January 13 featuring the Richard Galliano Trio and the French Elite All Stars: violinist Didier Lockwood, guitarist Sylvain Luc, harmonica player Olivier Ker Ourio, bassist Remi Vignolo and drummer Stephane Huchard. During the concert, special recognition will be given to the French government for their response to the New Orleans musician community following Hurricane Katrina.” Other French artists performing at IAJE include Mina Agossi, Anne Ducros, Orchestre National de Jazz (ONJ) with Louis Winsberg, and Pierrick Pedron.

• The IJFO International Jazz Award for New Talent. Each year, emerging talent is recognized by the International Jazz Festivals Organization in collaboration with IAJE. The 2007 award will be presented to Norwegian trumpeter and band leader, Mathias Eick. As a catalyst for the recipient’s career, the award includes a fully-funded international tour.

• Jazz Educators Awards. IAJE is of course all about jazz education, and several awards to esteemed educators will be presented: the IAJE Jazz Education Hall of Fame Award to the late pianist and composer Frank Mantooth; IAJE Humanitarian Award to Sheila Jordan; second annual IAJE Jazz Ambassador Award to the executive director of IAJE Canada, Brent Campbell;the inaugural Jazz Educator of the Year award, named in memory of jazz education pioneer John LaPorta and underwritten in part by Berklee College of Music, to Milton Academy Director of Jazz, Bob Sinicrope.


NEA Master, Phil Woods

• Jazz Alliance International Industry Track. This popular series of panels and workshops addresses career development, new media, the recording industry, journalism, retail, performance and radio. Sponsored by JazzTimes, Jazziz, Down Beat, JazzWeek, NARAS, the Jazz Journalists Association, Billboard Magazine, and DL Media, this year’s track features one-on-one interviews with Ornette Coleman (interviewed by Greg Osby), Joe Lovano, Eddie Palmieri and NEA Jazz Masters Hank Jones, Phil Woods and Randy Weston; Down Beat’s Dan Ouilette will conduct his “Blindfold Test” with bassist Ron Carter. Host radio stations WBGO Jazz 88 FM and XM Satellite Radio will broadcast daily from the Hilton. Another feature this year is the IAJE Health Fair, free to participants to check blood pressure and lung capacity, as well as diabetes and cholesterol screening.

• African American Jazz Caucus. A special strand of sessions sponsored by the AAJC includes a student all-star big band performance, tributes to recently passed musicians, dance, panel discussions, and business meeting.

• Commissions performances. The 2007 IAJE will include premiere performances of commissions by 2006 IAJE Gil Evans Fellowship recipient Sherrisse Rogers, 2006 ASCAP/IAJE Commission Established Composer Rufus Reid and Emerging Composer Oscar Perez; and by 2006 SOCAN/IAJE Commission Established Composer Ian McDougall and Emerging Composer Michael McClennen.

Clinics and Workshops

IAJE Clinic with Cuong Vu's Quintet, 2006 © Andea Canter

Jazz Education is of course the focus of IAJE, and throughout the Convention, musicians (and nonmusicians!) will find a smorgasbord of clinics, demonstrations and workshops geared to both performance and instruction. A teacher training track is geared to school and college instructors, while clinicians include a Who’s Who of jazz artists and educators, including Kenny Werner, Matt Wilson, George Colligan, Jerry Bergonzi, Peter Erskine, and more. Note that jazz educators can earn graduate credits for sessions through the University of Miami (see IAJE website for more information).

Performances

Of course one of the perks for attending the IAJE Convention is the opportunity to hear nearly nonstop music by performers ranging from high school and college lab bands to legendary soloists and ensembles. Among the student performers this year are the 2007 Sisters in Jazz Collegiate All-Stars, the 2007 Clifford Brown/Stan Getz Fellowship All-Stars, the 2007 Community College All-Star Student Big Band, 2007 AAJC/HBCU Student All-Star Big Band, and the winners of the 2006 Montreux Jazz Festival competition. Esteemed artists and ensembles performing this year include: Avishai Cohen; Charles Tolliver Big Band; Charlie Haden and the Liberation Music Orchestra; David Liebman Group; Henry Mancini Institute Big Band; Ingrid Jensen; JoAnne Brackeen Quartet; Joey DeFrancesco Trio featuring Ron Blake; John Patitucci Trio; Kate McGarry Trio; Kevin Hays Trio; Luis Perdomo Trio; Doc Severinsen; Marcus Strickland/“Twi-Life” Group; Matt Wilson’s Arts and Crafts; One For All; The Randy Brecker/Bill Evans Soulbop Band; Sara Gazarek; Sean Jones Quintet; The United States Air Force Academy Band Falconaires; Will Calhoun and the “Native Lands Experience”; Double Image with Dave Samuels and David Friedman; Marcus Miller; and the Taylor Eigsti Quartet featuring Julian Lage. Also scheduled is a 30th anniversary performance of Mike Manieri and Steps Ahead with very special guests.

Registration and Conference Information

The final conference brochure and registration information are available on the IAJE website at www.iaje.org. Advance registration fee is available only through December 15^th! Come to New York and participate in the world’s largest and most dynamic gathering of jazz artists, educators and enthusiasts during the conference, January 10-13. And while you’re in the Big Apple, take advantage of multiple performance options throughout the city. It’s the conference that never sleeps!

Future IAJE conferences are scheduled for Toronto, Seattle and New Orleans. It might be a while before IAJE returns to New York, so don’t miss the 2007 event!