The 2009 Piper Jaffray Jazz Series

February 12, Minneapolis Mardi Gras. It will be a celebration with the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra All-Stars, soul singer Irma Thomas, the acclaimed Rebirth Brass Band. The All-Stars include some of Crescent City’s finest jazz masters, including pianist David Torkanowsky, trombonist Vincent Gardner, clarinetist Evan Christopher, guitarist Don Vappie, bassist Neil Caine and drummer Jazz Sawyer, along with director/trumpeter Irvin Mayfield.  

March 6, Wynton Marsalis and Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. Already booked into Orchestra Hall on March 7th, Marsalis and JLCO added another performance as part of the new series, focusing on the music of Thelonious Monk. Known for his compositions for small ensembles, the quirky themes and rhythms of Monk have proven to be applicable to big band arrangements as well. Arguably the most readily recognized figure in jazz today, trumpeter and director Wynton Marsalis will be surrounded by some of New York’s finest up-and-coming jazz artists. 

April 30, McCoy Tyner Quartet. A living icon of modern jazz, at 70 McCoy Tyner has had a distinguished and varied career, from his days with John Coltrane to leading his Latin Big Band, sextet and his series of sublime trios. Touring most recently with bassist Gerald Cannon and drummer Eric Kamau Gravatt (a Twin Cities resident!), Tyner will add a horn for a quartet evening that promises to be one of the truly special jazz events of 2009. 

July 23, The Art of Passion with the Irvin Mayfield Quintet and Minnesota Orchestra. Featuring a newly commissioned work by Irvin Mayfield, The Art of Passion, this program explores a radical encounter between jazz and classical music. Neither style is compromised in this disarming dialogue of four movements dedicated to the themes that matter to the music: love, passion, truth and adventure.  Irvin Mayfield and his Quintet, along with the Minnesota Orchestra, jointly explore these themes as Sommerfest Artistic Director Andrew Litton taps into his own jazz roots to conduct the concert. 

August 13, Swingin’ the Blues With the Ramsey Lewis Trio and Bruce Henry. Last year, Ramsey Lewis came to the Twin Cities with his gospel project. Now he returns to “swing the blues,” a program that covers the influence of the blues on jazz as well as its impact on Ramsey Lewis himself. Musical selections will be drawn from Lewis’ recordings, including Barefoot Sunday Blues, Blues for the Night Owl and Wade in the Water. A special treat for Twin Cities’ jazz fans will be the return of vocalist Bruce Henry, who opens the program. A long-time resident of the Twin Cities before moving back to his childhood home of Chicago, Bruce has an elastic, velvety baritone that makes a perfect instrument for the blues. 

Jazz Education Programs

The Minnesota Orchestra recently announced a new Jazz Education Initiative that includes a year-long mentorship program with Irvin Mayfield, the Orchestra’s Artistic Director of Jazz, and an intense day-long Jazz Festival with the famed Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. Developed as a companion to the Orchestra’s Piper Jaffray Jazz at Orchestra Hall concert series, the program launches November 5-6 with visits by Mayfield to the St. Paul Central High School Jazz Ensemble. 

“The Minnesota Orchestra has offered classical music education concerts and programs that date back nearly 100 years,” said Director of Education Jim Bartsch. “We are very pleased to be able to expand our education reach into another important genre of music—jazz—that now has a major presence on our stage.”   

Trumpeter Mayfield will work with the St. Paul Central High School Jazz Ensemble throughout the 2009-09 school year, making multiple visits to the school to work with students on performance techniques, improvisation and interpretative skills, and to share jazz history.  “In this pilot year, our goal was to offer a sustained, in-depth experience for a student jazz ensemble that would benefit from ongoing visits and a deepening relationship with Irvin Mayfield,” said Bartsch. 

The second part of the jazz education initiative is the day-long festival on March 6th at Orchestra Hall. The Jazz Festival will offer high school jazz ensembles an opportunity to participate in clinics with New York’s Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra (JLCO) and to perform at Orchestra Hall.  All participating students will also have the opportunity to attend the March 6-7 JLCO performances with Wynton Marsalis at Orchestra Hall.  Up to five student jazz ensembles will be selected to participate in the Jazz Festival. Applications are now being accepted for this exciting opportunity at www.minnesotaorchestra.org.   
 

Five-concert ticket packages are on sale now, with prices ranging from $233 to $317, which includes parking for each concert.  Individual tickets go on sale November 30 and will be available for purchase through Minnesota Orchestra Ticket Services at 11th and Marquette in Minneapolis, online at www.minnesotaorchestra.org or by calling (612) 371-5656 or (800) 292-4141. For groups of 10 or more, call (612) 371-5662 or (800) 292-4141, ext. 662. KBEM and Downbeat Magazine are media partners for the Piper Jaffray Jazz season.