Intergenerational Jazz Power Jam Launches New 2021 Season

Intergenerational Jazz Power Jam will stream live on Sunday, January 10 at 3pm from Jazz Power Initiative’s new headquarters in Uptown Manhattan.

More information at jazzpower.org/powerjams2021

New York City, December 28, 2020 – Jazz Power Initiative (JPI), a not-for-profit organization, is launching its 2021 Season of INTERGENERATIONAL JAZZ POWER JAM on Sunday, January 10 2021 at 3 PM EST on Facebook Live and YouTube.

YouTube: https://youtu.be/k7cc_gBe1h8
Facebook: To be posted at jazzpower.org/powerjam2021

Hosted by Artistic Director Eli Yamin, this Intergenerational Jazz Power Jam will feature a live streamed duo performance of music by Sun Ra with Knoel Scott from the Sun Ra Arkestra on saxophone and Eli Yamin on piano. Mr. Scott is featured alongside bandleader Marshall Allen on the new Sun Ra Arkestra release, “Swirling” dubbed by The Guardian, “An intoxicating, cosmic tribute to Sun Ra,” and will speak about the new release as well as perform Sun Ra’s music. Zah! Jazz Power Youth will join for the Jam part of the stream with recent live performances of their interpretations of standards and blues including “Bird Feathers” by Charlie Parker with Jennifer Vincent, bass and Dwayne “Cook” Broadnax on drums.

“As COVID continues, so must our creativity. Jazz Power Initiative has created a new space for live streaming at its headquarters in Uptown Manhattan. I’m excited to perform in the new space with a dear friend and collaborator for many years, Knoel Scott, of the Sun Ra Arkestra, who knows that space is the place. Jazz Power Youth will also premiere our new arrangement “Bird Feathers” by Charlie Parker with lyrics by Barry Harris.” – Eli Yamin, pianist and Artistic Director of Jazz Power Initiative.

Supporters:

New York City Council and Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez; the Hispanic Federation The Miranda Family Fund; The Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone; The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs; Lower Manhattan Cultural Council; New York State Council for the Arts; The National Jazz Museum in Harlem; The Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation; Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer; and Jazz Power Initiative individual supporters.

Knoel Scott, baritone and alto saxophonist, and composer currently works both sides of the Atlantic with frequent Sun Ra Arkestra tours alternating with his own Knoel Scott Quartet (“KSQ”) which has become known as a ‘must-see’ by audiences of London. Once known as “King Tut of Harlem,” Knoel often worked at Harlem’s Showman’s Cafe, Smalls’ Paradise, Red Rooster, Lickety Split, and La Famille during an era when jazz was played until sunrise. Important Harlem associations include Selena Clarke, Freddie Drew, Nat Willliams, Jack McDuff, Don Pullen, and John Hicks. Other collaborators range from Olu Dara, Bobby Forrester, Larry ’88 keys’ Keyes, Andy Razaf, Jimmy ‘Preacher’ Robbins, Charles Earland to Tommy Turrentine, Jerry Gonzalez, and Leon Thomas. Knoel Scott has been a member of the world-famous Sun Ra Arkestra since 1988, usually playing alto sax but occasionally tenor or his native baritone. Sun Ra encouraged Knoel to dance and sing, and his Ra-inspired versatility and agility continue to enthrall audiences.

Eli Yamin, a community-oriented pianist, composer and educator based in Upper Manhattan has performed as a jazz and blues ambassador for the United States, in over 25 countries and in the U.S. at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center and the White House. His recordings include You Can’t Buy Swing with his jazz quartet; I Feel So Glad, with his blues band; Louie’s Dream, with New Orleans-based clarinetist Evan Christopher, and Live In Burghausen with jazz icon, Illinois Jacquet. His three youth-centered musicals: Nora’s Ark on climate crisis and collaboration, Holding the Torch For Liberty about women’s rights and Message From Saturn, about the healing power of the blues have been performed internationally in four languages and across the U.S., bringing diverse communities together through jazz and blues to tell socially uplifting stories. Eli is the co-founder and Managing Artistic Director of Jazz Power Initiative and the author of So You Want to Sing the Blues: A Guide For Performers published by Rowman and Littlefield in collaboration with the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS).

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About Jazz Power Initiative


Jazz Power Initiative (JPI), a non profit, 501 (c) (3) organization since 2003, serves over 3100 New Yorkers and visitors annually – students, teachers, artists, seniors and general audiences, ages 8-80+, to promote youth development, and build more creative and inclusive communities through jazz music, theater and dance education and performance. Led by highly experienced teaching artists who are award-winning jazz, theater and dance professionals, JPI offers multidisciplinary training, scholarships and performance opportunities to New York City youth, ages 8-19, from every economic and social milieu at low or no cost to families, with extended outreach to students in under-served New York City public schools in Northern Manhattan. We currently engage over 500 students and their teachers annually, providing after-school instruction mainly in Harlem, Washington Heights and Inwood (where our offices are located) and the Bronx. Our programs include after-school youth masterclasses at the United Palace; our monthly Jazz Power Jam at the National Jazz Museum in Harlem; local community senior center workshops, and our annual Jazz Power Institute at Lehman College (CUNY) for artists and educators.

Media Contact:

Name: Janny Gonzalez
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Phone: (917) 818-1759
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