The Jazz Academy of Music Inc, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, established in 2002, is a manifestation of a longtime dream of Paul Carr, its Music Director, to extend the music education opportunities afforded him, as an inner city youth, to others. The Jazz Academy produces the Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival which is an annual "Real Jazz" music program with activities under one roof ... A CRUISE ON LAND!
Description
Three Great Shows!
Summer Series $55/3 shows
https://midatlanticjazzfestival.simpletix.com/s/654
Thursday, June 29
El Golfo Restaurant
7:00-9:30pm
The Sean Jones Quartet
Music and spirituality have always been intertwined in the artistic vision of trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator, and activist Sean Jones. Mr. Jones sang and performed as a child with the church choir in his hometown of Warren, Ohio, and switched from playing the drums to the trumpet at the age of 10.
Mr. Jones is a musical chameleon, comfortable in any musical setting no matter the role or genre. After a six-month stint with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Wynton Marsalis offered him a permanent position as lead trumpeter of the ensemble, a post he held from 2004 until 2010. In 2015, Mr. Jones was tapped to become a member of the SFJAZZ Collective. During this time, he has managed to keep a core group of talented musicians together under his leadership, forming the foundation for groups that have produced and released eight recordings on Mack Avenue Records. His most recent is the 2017 release Sean Jones: Live from Jazz at the Bistro.
Mr. Jones has been prominently featured in recordings and performances with many major figures in jazz, including Illinois Jacquet, Jimmy Heath, Frank Foster, Nancy Wilson, Dianne Reeves, Gerald Wilson, and Marcus Miller. He was selected by Mr. Miller, Herbie Hancock, and Wayne Shorter for their A Tribute to Miles tour in 2011. He has also performed with the Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Youngstown symphony orchestras, as well as Soulful Symphony in Baltimore and a chamber group at the Salt Bay Chamberfest.
Mr. Jones is an internationally recognized educator. He is president of the Jazz Education Network and holds the Richard and Elizabeth Case Chair in Jazz Studies at The John Hopkins University’s Peabody Institute in Baltimore. As well as artistic Director for the NYO JAZZ Program of Carnegie Hall. Previously, he served as chair of the Brass department at Berklee College of Music in Boston.
Thursday, July 20
El Golfo Restaurant
7:00-9:30pm
Michael Bowie:
Tribute to Abby Lincoln featuring Heidi Martin
Michael Bowie is an internationally recognized musician, performing on both the electric and contrabass. With roots in the Washington D.C. jazz and gospel community, he was a recipient of the National Endowment of the Arts Award in Jazz Studies and trained with Betty Carter and Keter Betts. Soon after, Michael signed with Verve Records as an original member of "The Harper Brothers". He went on to perform, record and tour with Abdulla Ibrahim, Michel Pettruciani, including the Grammy Award winning "Look What I Got" with Betty Carter. Michael has expanded his musical interests and performance to include a wide variety of musical forms from jazz to symphony to rock. As musical director he has worked with many artists worldwide including Patti Labelle, James Ingram, Jeff Majors, Abbey Lincoln, Angie Stone, Isaac Hayes, Gil Scott-Heron. He has shared his talents in the recording studio and on the stage with Sarah Vaughn, Joe Williams, Manhattan Transfer, Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra, Della Reece, Michel Camilo, Ricky Skaggs, and he is currently touring with vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater. He has appeared on countless television shows such as Austin City Limits, BET, Charlie Rose, and Radio One. As a performer he has appeared at major venues and festivals world wide such as Carnegie Hall, the Newport Jazz Festival in New York and Japan, Montreal Jazz Festival, Playboy Jazz Festival, Montreux, and most other major festivals worldwide. In addition Michael has contributed his services to a variety of multi-media outlets in production, as a composer, and consulting work. His works can be heard in television, radio and industrial markets. In addition to his personal musical career, Michael is deeply involved in developing children's music enrichment. He is a certified teacher in Washington D.C.'s Public School system at the Oyster-Adams Bilingual School. As a lecturer and associate professor he has taught at Shenandoah Conservatory, Michigan University, University of Missouri, and Bowie State amongst others. In addition, he has worked with the Wolftrap Institute for Early Childhood Learning program in Virginia, and the Thelonius Monk Institute in Washington DC. In addition he is the current musical director of the Blues Alley Youth Orchestra in Washington DC.
Heidi Martin: March 3, 2023 marks the U.S. release of ‘Gifts & Sacrifices’ The new album from vocalist and composer Heidi Martin. Born in Washington D.C. She has shared the stage as a featured vocalist with Nicholas Payton, Tim Warfield, and George Burton. As guest artist on recordings with Russell Gunn, and Dana Murray. Significant collaborations in co- production with producer and keyboard innovator Raymond Angry.
“Gifts & Sacrifices” features Notable musicians Paul Bollenback guitar, Tim Warfield soprano, Josh Evans trumpet, George Burton and Piano, Raymond Angry Keys, Tarus Mateen bass and Eric Harland drums, background vocals Paige Brown.
Select film credits include: Four of Martin’s compositions off her first album “HIDE” – were chosen as a soundtrack to REVOLUTION ’67, a documentary about the 1967 Newark rebellion by Emmy-nominated filmmakers Jerome and Marylou Bongiorno.
Heidi has performed both nationally and internationally at Winter JazzFest, DC Jazz Festival, Black Arts Fest, Pori Jazz Festival (Finland), The Kenzi Sky Bar, Cadet Rouge in (Casablanca, Morocco).
Heidi Martin is a distinguished Teaching Artist, Manager; Education and Outreach for DC Jazz Festival Education.
Thursday, August 24
El Golfo Restaurant
7:00-9:30pm
Ella Gahnt and Iva Jean Ambush
and the
Wes Biles Trio
Wes Biles, Vince Evans and Greg Holloway
“Carrying The Torch for Jazz”
Come and join Ella Gahnt and Iva Jean Ambush as they travel through their memories exploring the songs by the singers that paved the way and ignited the spark of Jazz that still grows in both of these lovely Ladies. Relax and enjoy as they showcase their passion for this artform and continue to carry the Torch for Jazz.
ELLA GAHNT is a Philly-based Jazz vocalist who has been dubbed “Philly’s Class Act” by local media and fans. She has “wowed” audiences at major venues and Jazz Festivals in the area for many years and is the featured vocalist performing regularly with her own Trio and with several other Bands in the Tri-State area. On March 28, 2019, Ella was honored by the City of Philadelphia Office of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy at City Hall where she became a recipient of the “2019 Philly Celebrates Jazz Award.” Ella recently did a wonderful concert at Washington DC’s acclaimed Westminster Presbyterian Church hosted by Dick Smith where she received several standing ovations for her performance. Ella’s 3 CDs – “Immaculate Union,” “By Request” and “Third Stage Of Elegance” are in rotation on WRTI-FM. “Third Stage of Elegance” showcases her songwriting abilities. Ella is working on a 4th CD along with pianist extraordinaire Aaron Graves which should be released very soon. Look out for Ella Gahnt – she’s traveling at the speed of swing!
Iva Jean Ambush
Iva Ambush, the scat lady, is a jazz vocalist from Frederick, Maryland. She has performed at Birdland (NYC), Blues Alley, the DC Jazz Festival, Keystone Korner - Baltimore, the Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival, Alice's Jazz and Cultural Society, Le Duc des Lombards, Bethesda Blues and Jazz Club, International Association of Jazz Educators Conferences, Frederick - In The Streets Festival, the Billy Strayhorn 100th Birthday Celebration, WPFW 89.3 Live @ 5, Conservatorium van Amsterdam, JazzNight @Westminster DC, Amherst Fine Arts Center, Ritz Carlton Pentagon, Frederick's 4th of July Celebration, the East Coast Jazz Festival, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and more. Iva enjoys exploring the concepts of jazz phrasing and rhythms with the help of jazz legends, Sheila Jordan, Dr. Horace Boyer, and Ronnie Wells. Some of her other influences include Dr. Frederick Tillis, Prof. Charles Ellison and the late Dr. Billy Taylor and Dr. Bro. Yusef Lateef.
She has a family full of Jazz Musicians which include on the maternal side, late trumpeter Lester Bowie, the late Byron Bowie, Defunkt's founder Joe Bowie, guitarist Jonathan Townes and on the paternal side, bassist Scott Ambush and pianist Allen Ambush. There are a host of others too numerous to name.
NO REFUNDS! ALL SALES ARE FINAL
We are so proud to announce the Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival Summer Series produced by the Jazz Academy of Music and Sponsored by the Toretsky Family! This event will take place at El Golfo Restaurant in Silver Spring, which features great music, food, drink and free parking. This series is a fundraiser for the MAJF!