J.J. Johnson News

The Encore Musical Theatre Company is making music happen in Dexter, Michigan with their outdoor socially distanced Benard L. Maas Summer Series. And taking the stage August 20, 21 and 22 is Broadway superstar Telly Leung!

Broadway and TV actor, singer, and songwriter, Telly Leung, (Aladdin, Allegiance, Glee) has turned the bleakness of quarantine into the promise of brighter days ahead, with his new EP, You Matter. Made in collaboration with composer and music director, Gary Adler (Avenue Q) and lyricist, Phoebe Kreutz, these five tracks include original music, as well as Leung's one-of-a-kind take on Disney favorites, 'Proud of Your Boy' and 'Go the Distance/Hero.”

Paleontologists-in-training, get ready! 'Dino Dana The Movie' will premiere in movie theatres nationwide for a one-day family-friendly event on March 21 with an interactive Dino Dana experience, presented by Fathom Events and Sinking Ship Entertainment. Based on the popular kids' series and starring Michela Luci, 'Dino Dana The Movie' follows 10-year-old paleontologist-in-training Dana on an epic action-packed dinosaur adventure. With exclusive content including a welcome message from Dana and some of her prehistoric friends, young fans will become certified Dino Dana paleontologists-in-training themselves at the event.

On Saturday, December 7, 2019 at 8:00 p.m., jazz supergroup Artemis make their Carnegie Hall debut in Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage. Each renowned for their outstanding solo work, these powerhouse musicians including Cécile McLorin Salvant (Vocals), Renee Rosnes (Music Director and Piano), Anat Cohen (Clarinet and Bass Clarinet), Melissa Aldana (Tenor Saxophone), Ingrid Jensen (Trumpet), Noriko Ueda (Bass), and Allison Miller (Drums) captivate audiences with bold new arrangements of classics by The Beatles to Thelonious Monk, as well as strikingly original compositions by the group's members.

InterSchool Orchestras of New York and the Mingus Dynasty are collaborating to present MINGUS.  This concert features never-before-heard full orchestra arrangements of popular Mingus tunes arranged by Earl McIntyre.  It will also feature solo performances by the Mingus Dynasty.

Jazz all-stars salute one of their own a?" the late piano legend and influential music educator Harold Mabern a?" in Giants of Jazz 22 Honoring Harold Mabern, a concert celebration of his life and craft on Saturday, November 16 at 8 p.m.

Birdland will kick-off their great week of programming with the following acts:

Birdland Jazz Club announces July 2019 Schedule featuring Veronica Swift with the Emmet Cohen Trio, Freddy Cole Quartet, Steve Smith's Groove Blue Organ Trio, John Pizzarelli: Two-week engagement, Nancy Kelly, Konrad Paszkudzki and Pasquale Grasso, Lew Tabackin Trio, Michael Wolff Trio, Laura Osnes, Alyssa Allgood Quartet, Ladybugs, The Lineup with Susie Mosher, Jim Caruso's Cast Party, and more.

On Friday, June 21, Flushing Town Hall's Queens Jazz Orchestra will return to the stage to present new music by National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master, Dr. Jimmy Heath. 'It Ain't Over Yet' will span the corridors of Dr. Heath's musical and creative imagination, showing that jazz continues to be a vibrant musical force.

The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) today announced the winners of the 46th Annual Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Awards. The gala was held at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, Southern California.

On Friday, April 26, Flushing Town Hall will present critically-acclaimed jazz pianist Renee Rosnes, who will lead a mesmerizing performance, showcasing her instrumental, compositional, and improvisational skills. Her quartet will perform jazz classics and original material, sharing music that expresses who they are, where they have been, and where they are headed.

Birdland will kick-off their exciting month of programming with the following acts

The Broadway at Birdland concert series was proud to present Aladdin star Telly Leung in a new concert, "Sing Happy," on Monday, November 11.

Whose Hat Is This?, a collaboration of Tedeschi Trucks Band members Tim Lefebvre, Tyler "Falcon" Greenwell, J.J. Johnson, and Kebbi Williams, are pleased to announce the release of their second album,Everything's OK (Featuring Kokayi), via Ropeadope. The band's newest offering has already received praise by Relix, Grateful Web, and PopMatters. The band combines meteoric musical heights with outlandish grooves. It's free-jazz you can dance to. Cecil Taylor could never say that.

TELLY LEUNG - currently starring as the title role in Disney's Aladdin on Broadway - will release a new digital single, an updated version of the holiday classic "All I Want for Christmas Is You" to benefit ASTEP (Artists Striving to End Poverty) from Yellow Sound Label on Friday, November 30. The song is arranged by Lynne Shankel.

The Broad Stage presents Billy Childs and his Jazz Chamber Ensemble on Sunday, November 11 at 7:30pm. One of the foremost American composers of his era, pianist Billy Childs embodies a unique blend of jazz and classical music. The multi-GRAMMY Award winner's groundbreaking project merges improvisation and jazz rhythms with the orchestration and instrumentation of a traditional chamber ensemble.

TELLY LEUNG - currently starring as the title role in Disney's Aladdin on Broadway - will return to the "Broadway at Birdland" concert series to premiere his new show "Sing Happy" at Birldand Jazz Club

Following an exciting kickoff at Bryant Park, the Carnegie Hall Citywide free concert series continues this fall with a vocal recital and jazz in Manhattan, Cuban son and Greek dance in Brooklyn, Afrobeat and Afro-Cuban music in the Bronx, and honky-tonk and Broadway hits in Queens. The series, now entering its 43rd year, brings leading artists and rising stars to all five boroughs of New York City.

Birdland will kick-off their exciting month of programming with the following acts:

Producer Rick Murray welcomes Broadway's current Aladdin, Telly Leung, to Provincetown for one performance only, Sunday, August 5 at 7:00 p.m. in the Paramount Theatre at The Crown & Anchor. Accompanied by acclaimed music director Gary Adler (Alter Boyz, Avenue Q) and violist J. J. Johnson, Telly will take you on a musical carpet ride through his life and Broadway career in this evening of great music, personal stories, and backstage anecdotes.