WHEDco's Bronx Music Heritage Center to Present Tribute to Honor Jazz Pianist Bertha Hope, 10/26

As part of their ongoing Bronx Living Legends tribute series, the Bronx Music Heritage Center (BMHC), an initiative of the Women's Housing and Economic Development Corp. (WHEDco), will honor the life and career of jazz pianist Bertha Hope.

From the days living on Lyman Place with be-bop legends Elmo Hope and Thelonious Monk, to co-founding the all-woman jazz band Jazzberry Jam, to her current residency at the new Minton's in Harlem, Bertha Hope has carved out her place in jazz history throughout her long and ongoing career.

The event will take place in the auditorium of the historic Morris High School building, the first public high school in the Bronx. The auditorium, with its Gothic plasterwork, Tudor arches, stained glass windows, and pipe organ, was designated a NYC landmark in 1982. The building is located on Boston Road, which was the heart of the Bronx's jazz community from the 1950s-1970s.

DETAILS:

WHAT: Bronx Living Legend Tribute Concert Honoring Jazz Pianist Bertha Hope

WHERE: Morris High School, Morris Campus Building Auditorium, 1110 Boston Road (@166th St.), Bronx, NY

WHEN: Sunday, October 26 at 4pm

WHO:
• Performance by the Bertha Hope Quintet (Bertha Hope, piano; Kim Clarke, Bass; Lucianna Padmore, drums; Jure Pukl, tenor sax; Angeleisha Rodgers, trumpet)
• Hosted by Bronx Music Heritage Center Co-Artistic Director, Bobby Sanabria
• On-stage interview with Ms. Hope by jazz pianist Valerie Capers
• Special guest Antoinette Montague

**Event is free and open to the public ($5 suggested donation). Parking available**

The Bronx Living Legends series honors and celebrates accomplished Bronx artists who have made outstanding contributions to their artistic field and their community. In June, an event was held celebrating DJ Kool Herc, the Jamaican-born American DJ credited with originating hiphop music in the early 1970s. In past years, Living Legends has honored Bronx poet, actress and activist Caridad de la Luz, also known as "La Bruja;" Wallace Edgecombe, music advocate and Director of the Hostos Center for the Arts & Culture; world-renowned jazz pianist, composer, and educator Valerie Capers; and Andy Gonzalez, a preeminent Latin Jazz bassist.

ABOUT WHEDco - The Women's Housing and Economic Development Corp. (WHEDco) is a community development organization founded on the radically simple idea that all people deserve healthy, vibrant communities. Working in the South Bronx, WHEDco builds award-winning, sustainable, affordable homes that serve as anchors for strong communities that residents can be proud of. WHEDco's mission is to provide the Bronx with access to all the resources that create thriving neighborhoods - from high-quality early education and after-school programs, to healthy food, cultural programming, and economic opportunity. For more information: www.whedco.org.

About the Bronx Music Heritage Center - Cutting-edge music has a deeply rooted history in the Bronx. Jazz legends, Hip Hop innovators, and a melting pot of sounds have proliferated in the borough for decades. While the music thrived, venues didn't: over 10,000 live music seats in dozens of clubs and theaters were lost in the Bronx since the 1970s. Yet, to this day, artists from a wide array of cultural backgrounds make the Bronx their home, creating new work, collaborating across genres and generations, and innovating music forms in one of the most diverse counties in the nation. The Women's Housing and Economic Development Corporation has proposed developing the Bronx Music Heritage Center, a performance and community space to showcase and amplify the Bronx's rich musical legacy, scheduled for completion in 2016. In the meantime, the BMHC is activating the site at the future facility by engaging artists and community members to gather, participate in performances, and express their vision for this new cultural facility. For more information: www.bronxmusic.org.

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