Flushing Town Hall Celebrates Jazz Appreciation Month

This April, Flushing Town Hall celebrates Jazz Appreciation Month with an incredible line-up of jazz events, both in person and available to stream for free online for those unable to make it to the historic venue, a Smithsonian affiliate in Queens.

Jazz music programs have been a cornerstone in Flushing Town Hall's programming for over 40 years and the venue has hosted many jazz legends on its stage, including present and past NEA Jazz Masters Jimmy Heath, Jimmy Owens, Barry Harris, Sheila Jordan, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Ron Carter, Cándido Camero, Paquito D'Rivera, and a number of incredible female jazz artists, such as Akua Allrich, and many more. The cultural nonprofit also founded the Queens Jazz Orchestra in 2008, published a Queens Jazz Trail map in 1998, and has hosted 15 years of NEA Jazz Master concerts and a decade of monthly Louis Armstrong Legacy Jazz Jams for novice and experienced artists to come together. The borough of Queens has itself been home to some of the greatest jazz musicians of all times, including Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Benny Goodman, Bix Beiderbecke, Tony Bennett, Count Basie, and Jimmy Heath among many others.

On April 8, 2022 at 8:00 PM, one of the leading ensembles in jazz, the GRAMMY Award-nominated Bill Charlap Trio, will kick off Jazz Appreciation Month at Flushing Town Hall. Featuring GRAMMY-winning pianist Bill Charlap, bassist Peter Washington, and drummer Kenny Washington, the Bill Charlap Trio was formed nearly 25 years ago in 1997 and earned GRAMMY nominations for Uptown Downtown (Impulse!/Verve), Somewhere: The Songs of Leonard Bernstein, and The Bill Charlap Trio: Live at the Village Vanguard (both on the Blue Note label).

In November 2021, the Bill Charlap Trio released its latest album Street of Dreams. Jazz Times says "Street of Dreams is simply a reminder of how terrific an album of straight-ahead piano-trio standards can be." At their performance on April 8, the trio will play some of their new songs on Flushing Town Hall's stage.

The Bill Charlap Trio tours all over the world, and its New York engagements include regular appearances at Jazz at Lincoln Center and the Village Vanguard.

In-person tickets are $25/$20 Members. Virtual viewing is free.

On Wednesday, April 13 at 7 PM, one of Flushing Town Hall's most popular recurring jazz events, the Louis Armstrong Legacy Monthly Jazz Jam, invites jazz students, musicians, and music educators to Flushing Town Hall's theatre to make and share music together. Monthly Jazz Jams are a fun way to hone your skills and jam with your peers. The house band led by saxophonist Carol Sudhalter opens each jam with the work of Louis Armstrong.

In-person tickets are Tickets: $10/FREE for Members, Students, & Jamming Musicians. Virtual viewing is free.

On Sunday, April 24 at 2 PM, New Music Horizons returns to Flushing Town Hall to present two dynamic composers: classical composer Alicia Lieu and jazz composer Mark Wade. Alicia Lieu presents new material from her opera in progress, "Unwrapping Fortune" which follows the adventures of protagonists Ivy and Kwan Fai through the themes of love and Chinese Food. The Mark Wade Trio will perform with their brand of group interplay and expressive improvisation that has brought them an international following.

Mark Wade has been voted one of the top bassists five of the last six years by the prestigious Downbeat Magazine Readers Poll. Wade has played with notable jazz artists such as James Spaulding, Jimmy Heath, Conrad Herwig, Harry Whitaker, Pete McGuinness, Peter Eldridge, Don Byron, and Stacey Kent.

Alicia Lieu is the founder of the Composers Collective, Pitches Brew, and New York Con-ducting Institute. Alicia has conducted master classes in New York, St. Petersburg, Russia, the Czech Republic, and Bulgaria. Her teachers include Maestros John Keenan and Paul Nadler of the New York Metropolitan Opera. Alicia Lieu has won first prize in the UCSB Wind Ensemble Composition Competition.

In-person tickets are $10/FREE for Seniors, Students, and Members. Virtual viewing is free.

Those unable to attend in person can join the livestream of any performance mentioned above and tune in virtually for free at https://www.youtube.com/flushingtownhall/live, but donations are greatly appreciated. For tickets and more information, visit www.FlushingTownHall.org or call (718) 463-7700 x222.

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