The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts presents “Jazz in Our Time,” a weeklong celebration of jazz by master musicians who have sharedthis unique American music with the world for more than a half-century.
At the opening concert, Dr. Billy Taylor, the Center’s Artistic Advisor for Jazz, will present The Living Legend Jazz Award to 35 artists of international renown. Among the recipients are drummer Louis Bellson, pianist Dave Brubeck, saxophonist Sir John Dankworth, clarinetist Buddy De Franco, vocalist Al Jarreau, vocalist Dame Cleo Laine, pianist Michel Legrand and trumpeter Wynton Marsalis.
Actor James Earl Jones hosts the program, featuring vocalist Nancy Wilson, the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, violinist Regina Carter, drummer T. S. Monk, pianist Cyrus Chestnut and others. Throughout the week, many of the honorees will fill the Kennedy Center halls with every jazz style, from the African beginnings to hip-hop.
“We wanted a festival that covers the history of jazz and whets peoples’ appetites,” Taylor says. “I’m particularly upset that America is behind other countries in knowing and appreciating the art form that started here. Our best musicians spend time everywhere else in the world because they’re more revered in other nations than at home.”
A consummate educator, Dr. Taylor has received 22 honorary doctorate degrees from prestigious universities. President Nixon appointed him to the National Council for the Arts in 1970, and he was named artistic advisor for jazz to the Kennedy Center in the early 1990s. In that position, he has developed many popular concert series, including the Art Tatum Pianorama, the Louis Armstrong Legacy Series and the Jazz Ambassadors Program. His annual Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival changed many minds about female musicians.
Sunday evening marks the 89th birthday of pianist Marian McPartland, whose “Piano Jazz” featuring musical guests has been one of NPR’s most popular radio shows for years. Her performance with a “very special guest” will be taped for a future broadcast.
Taylor’s lifelong balance of performance and education has benefited both music history and American culture. By gathering dozens of the finest jazz artists in one location for this event, Taylor offers all ages a unique opportunity to discover our nation’s true soul.
“When I was a kid in D.C., people on [the] radio told us about music,” he says. “As a pianist and composer, I never thought I’d go so deeply into education, but as long as I can, I’ll continue to do for other people what my elders did for me.”
‘Jazz in Our Time’
When: Opening night concert and award ceremony, 7 p.m. Saturday
Venue: Kennedy Center Concert Hall
Tickets: $20 to $65
Information: 467-4600, 800-444-1324, kennedy-center.org
Related Events
» Marian McPartland’s 89th Birthday Celebration. 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Family Theater. $50
» Ahmad Jamal with special guests trumpeter Donald Byrd and saxophonist Jimmy Heath. 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. Friday, Terrace Theater. $30.
» Hank Jones Quartet with special guests Paquito D’Rivera, clarinet, and Clark Terry, trumpet. 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. March 10, Terrace Theater. $30.
» Kennedy Center Millennium Stage. 6 p.m. daily. Free performances focus on different musical periods of jazz, from ragtime to hip-hop.
» “A Great Day in Harlem,” Oscar-nominated documentary narrated by Quincy Jones. 3 p.m. March 10, Terrace Gallery.
