SUMMERSTAGE Presents Charlie Parker: The Man and The Music 8/26

City Parks Foundation's SUMMERSTAGE Presents Charlie Parker: The Man and The Music- A Discussion on Jazz Legend Charlie Parker and His Enduring Musical Legacy

Featuring:
NEA Jazz Master Jean ‘Toots' Thielemans, Tia Fuller
Sam Newsome, Samuel A. Turvey and Christopher Washburne
Friday, August 26, 2011 at 6:30 PM
Each year the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival assembles some of the finest musicians in the world that reflect Parker's musical individuality and genius to celebrate and promote appreciation for this highly influential and world-renowned jazz legend, known to many as the father of be-bop. The two days of free concerts take place in the neighborhoods where Charlie Parker lived and worked -- Harlem's Marcus Garvey Park and the Lower East Side's Tompkins Square Park.
To help kick off this season of the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival, SummerStage is pleased to present a special panel discussion in partnership with the Harlem School of the Arts featuring NEA Jazz Master, Jean "Toots" Thielemans, saxophonists Tia Fuller and Sam Newsome, Director of the Louis Armstrong Jazz Performance program at Columbia University Christopher Washburne and Charlie Parker Jazz Festival co-founder Sam A. Turvey. This discussion will explore the enduring musical legacy of Charlie Parker and his influence on jazz today.

Seating is limited and is first come first served. Guests should RSVP via email to: RSVP@SummerStage.org or call (212) 360-1399.
Who/What: Charlie Parker: The Man and The Music

Alto saxophonist Tia Fuller has emerged on the musical landscape with definitive voIce That encompasses a variety on influences. Though her background includes studying music in the tradition of jazz masters such as Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, her refined skill on the instrument has allowed her to feel just as at home in the horn section of current pop sensation Beyonce. "Decisive Steps" is the title of her third and most recent recording that has been released on the Mack Avenue label and showcase her playing and compositional abilities.

Soprano saxophonist Sam Newsome has been a fixture on the New York jazz scene since his association with the early 90's group of trumpeter Terrence Blanchard. He has since evolved into a veteran bandleader who has garnered considerable attention by the likes of Downbeat magazine and The New York Times for his own diverse projects. Drawing on influences such as Sonny Rollins, Evan Parker and Anthony Braxton his most recent solo saxophone recording "Blue Soliloquy" was named one of the "Best CDs of 2010" by All About Jazz-New York.

NEA Jazz Master Jean ‘Toots' Thielemans is the preeminent player of the jazz harmonica. With a musical career that has spanned nearly 70 years on both the radio as well as the big and small screen, Thielemans has taken a simple instrument and brought it into the contemporary jazz ensemble. From his collaborations with some of the biggest names in jazz such as MiLes Davis, Charlie Parker, Benny Goodman and Ella Fitzgerald and pop stars such as Paul Simon and Billy Joel, Thielemans has harnessed his ability to express both sweet and the bitter emotions with the harmonica, which has made him a favorite worldwide. In 1962, Thielemans recorded his most enduring composition, "Bluesette," which remains a jazz staple and has been recorded by scores of artists over the years.

Sam Turvey, was a founding member and producer of the first edition of the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival from 1993 - 2002. Mr. Turvey was instrumental in inaugurating the Harlem version of the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival in conjunction with Jazz Mobile's Johnny Garry in 2002. He remains a donor and informal advisor to the Festival. He previously served as a Board Chair for Manna House Jazz Workshops Inc. headed by Gloria DeNard located in East Harlem. Mr. Turvey is an attorney at law, and a frequent lecturer on Jazz. He is a graduate of Fordham College and Fordham Law School and a Managing Director at TIAA-CREF.

Christopher Washburne is an Associate Professor of Music and Director of the Louis Armstrong Jazz Performance program at Columbia University. He has published numerous articles on jazz, Latin jazz, and salsa topics, and his book, Sounding Salsa was published in 2008 by Temple University Press. He is leader of the highly acclaimed jazz groups SYOTOS and NYDNK. In addition to these bands, he has performed and recorded with Tito Puente, Eddie Palmieri, Celia Cruz, Ray Barretto, Mark Anthony, Justin Timberlake, Celine Dion, Gloria Estefan, and the Duke Ellington Orchestra.

Where: The Harlem School of the Arts - 645 St. Nicholas Avenue, New York, NY 10030. Tel: (212) 926-4100

When: Friday, August 26th, 2011 at 6:30 PM

For the most up-to-date scheduling and full line-up for all SummerStage programming, visit: http://www.SummerStage.org

City Parks Foundation (CPF) is the only independent, nonprofit organization to offer park programs throughout the five boroughs of New York City. We work in over 750 parks citywide, presenting a broad range of free arts, sports, and education programs, and empowering citizens to support their parks on a local level. Our programs and community building initiatives reach more than 600,000 people each year, contributing to the revitalization of neighborhoods throughout New York City.

About The Harlem School of the Arts

Since its founding by internationally-acclaimed soprano Dorothy Maynor in 1964, the Harlem School of the Arts (HSA) has transformed the lives of tens of thousands of young people ages 4-18 through world-class training in the arts. HSA offers children and young adults in Harlem and beyond the freedom to find and develop the artist, student, and citizen within themselves in an environment that teaches discipline, stimulates creativity, builds self-confidence and adds a dimension of beauty to our students' lives, empowering them to become the creative thinkers and innovative leaders of tomorrow. HSA stands unique among community arts institutions in New York City, as the sole provider of arts education, in four disciplines (music, dance, theater and visual arts), under one roof, in our award-winning 37,000 square foot facility. The School's reputation for artistic rigor and excellence attracts constituents from all five New York City boroughs, Westchester County and New Jersey. To learn more about the Harlem School of the Arts, please visit www.hsanyc.org.

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