The New York City-based nonprofit JazzReach will celebrate its 17th year with an extensive spring 2012 tour and related outreach events through mid-June (see below for tour dates). The spring season features numerous performances of JazzReach’s live multimedia educational programs for students in grades K-12, main-stage performances for all audiences and clinics, master classes and workshops for student bands and ensembles. All JazzReach activities are carried out exclusively by the organization’s house ensemble Metta Quintet
Season highlights include the inaugural presentations of two new live multimedia educational programs: Ellington! and Miles Davis and the Blue Flame Incident, which merge live music with video projections, live narration and lighting design to create educational experiences.
This season also saw the February release of Metta Quintet’s third album, Big Drum/Small World, which, according to a press release, “celebrates and explores the globalization and ever-broadening definition and sound of jazz with five tracks by five composers from five different locales: Omer Avital (Israel), Rudresh Mahanthappa (India), Marcus Strickland (United States), Yosvanny Terry (Cuba) and Miguel Zenón (Puerto Rico).” Performed by Greg Ward (alto saxophone), Marcus Strickland (tenor/soprano saxophone), David Bryant (piano), Joshua Ginsburg (bass) and Hans Schuman (drums), this album joins two other recordings in Metta Quintet’s discography: 2006’s Subway Songs, featuring all-original compositions inspired by the New York City subway, and 2002’s Going to Meet the Man, composed of commissioned works inspired by short stories by American author James Baldwin. A portion of net proceeds from the sale of all Metta Quintet CDs directly benefit JazzReach’s national endeavors in arts education.
Jazzreach/Metta Quintet Spring 2012 U.S. Tour
April 9 – Los Angeles, CA @ Harvard-Westlake School
April 10 – Los Angeles, CA@ GRAMMY Museum
April 11 – Santa Clarita, CA @ Santa Clarita PAC
April 12 – Santa Clarita, CA @ Santa Clarita PAC
April 13 – Santa Clarita, CA @ Santa Clarita PAC
April 17 – New York, NY @ Harlem Stage
April 18 – Morristown, NJ @ Mayo Arts Center
April 30 – Chicago, IL @ Ravinia
May 1 – Chicago, IL @ Old Town School of Folk Music
May 2 – Dubuque, IA @ The Grand Opera House
May 3 – Des Moines, IA @ Civic Music Association
May 18 – Bethel, NY @ Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
June 13-15 – New York, NY @ Highline Ballroom / Blue Note Jazz Fest
JazzReach Celebrates 17th Season of Outreach and Programs
Metta Quintet tour and live multimedia programs planned
