HARLEM SCHOOL OF THE ARTS IN COLLABORATION WITH JAZZ POWER INITIATIVE
LAUNCH A CELEBRATION OF JAZZ APPRECIATION MONTH
HONORING – AMERICA’S ORIGINAL ART FORM
LAGUARDIA HIGH SCHOOL AND HARLEM SAMBA JOIN IN AN INTERGENERATIONAL
JAZZ POWER JAM WITH LEGENDS AND FUTURE JAZZ LEADERS
Harlem, New York (March 21, 2023)…The renowned, 59-year-old Harlem School of the Arts (HSA) will be the site of a collaborative celebration of Jazz Appreciation Month in April, when the organization welcomes a new partnership with Jazz Power Initiative (JPI), an upper Manhattan based multidisciplinary arts organization, whose founding principles mirror those of HSA’s – youth development through creativity and artistic pursuit.
The WE GOT THAT SWING! jazz event brings together some of the most gifted young musicians and singers from across the city in performance with legends. Hosted by Lee Hogans, HSA’s Chief Education Officer, and Eli Yamin, JPI’s Managing and Artistic Director, this special collaboration is part of JPI’s ongoing series Intergenerational Jazz Power Jam and includes participation by violinist Curtis Stewart, the newly appointed Artistic Director of the American Composers Orchestra and HSA Alum, Bob Stewart, the world-renowned tuba player and educator, the LaGuardia High School of Music & Arts and Performing Arts, and Harlem Samba – a Brazilian percussion ensemble modeled after the samba school baterias of the Rio de Janeiro carnival. The program honors America’s greatest composer and bandleader, Duke Ellington on his birthday, Saturday, April 29th, and takes place in Harlem School of the Arts, Dorothy Maynor Hall, with a performance from 1:00pm-2:30pm. A workshop, led by Eli Yamin, and Bob Stewart, will take place at 11:00am, prior to the concert.
The WE GOT THAT SWING! event will include performances by:
- JPI’s vocal group, Zah! Ensemble with Dr. E (Eli Yamin) and Jazz Power, and special guests Bob Stewart (tuba) and Curtis Stewart (violin) taking on some of the songs made famous by the dynamic 50’s trio, Lambert, Hendricks & Ross.
- HSA’s Advanced Jazz Band will be performing a suite of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn songs including a solo by HSA Prep Student Armani Obregon.
- Brass players from LaGuardia High School’s Jazz band with Kevin Blancq, band director, performing music by trumpeter Lester Bowie’s Brass Fantasy and led by Bob Stewart on tuba.
- Harlem Samba’s Ensemble of students and alumni will bring their best under the direction of founder Dana Monteiro.
WE GOT THAT SWING! is made possible in part by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council; the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature; the Howard Gilman Foundation; TD Bank Charitable Foundation; the Hispanic Federation; the Mosaic Network & Fund at the New York Community Trust; the West Harlem Development Corporation (WHDC); and Jazz Power Initiative’s individual donors.
