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Let My Children Hear Music/The Charles Mingus Institute
Sue Mingus and Justin DiCioccio, producers

ANNOUNCE THE WINNERS OF THE 4TH ANNUAL
CHARLES MINGUS HIGH SCHOOL COMPETITION & FESTIVAL

2012 Competition Winners Press Release

WINNING ENSEMBLES AND OUTSTANDING SOLOISTS

BEST COMBO – REGULAR Category
Lexington High School Jazz Combo; from Lexington, MA

BEST COMBO – SPECIALIZED Category
Jazz House Small Group, Jazz House Kids; from Montclair, New Jersey

BEST BIG BAND – REGULAR Category
Lexington High School Jazz Ensemble; from Lexington, MA

BEST BIG BAND – SPECIALIZED Category
Jazz House Big Band; Jazz House Kids from Montclair, New Jersey

MINGUS SPIRIT AWARD
The Rivers Big Band, Rivers School from Weston, MA

OUTSTANDING SOLOIST AWARDS
Twenty outstanding soloist awards, from both the combo and big band categories, were also given out on Sunday.

The winners are listed below:
Dakota Austin, tenor saxophone Greater Hartford Academy of the Performing Arts, Hartford, Ct.
Alex Butterworth, drums Jazz Ensemble 3, Greater Hartford Academy of the Performing Arts, Hartford, Ct.
Jeremiah Campanelli, drums The Rivers Big Band, Rivers School, Weston, MA
Josh Gilbert, trumpet Lexington High School Jazz Combo and Ensemble, Lexington, MA
Alden Hellmuth, alto saxophone Jazz Ensemble 3, Greater Hartford Academy of the Performing Arts, Hartford, Ct.
James Hotchkis, bass The Rivers Big Band, Rivers School, Weston, MA
Coleman Hughes, trombone Newark Academy Combo, Livingston, NJ and Jazz House Kids Big Band, Montclair, NJ
Julian Lee, alto saxophone Jazz House Kids, Montclair, New Jersey
Isaac Levien, bass Lexington High School Jazz Combo and Ensemble, Lexington, MA
Cameron Macintosh, drums Jazz House Kids, Montclair, New Jersey
Conor Malloy, drums Jazz House Kids, Montclair, New Jersey
Zoe Obadia, alto saxophone Jazz House Kids, Montclair, New Jersey
Adam O’Farrill, trumpet LaGuardia High School Jazz Sextet, LaGuardia High School, New York, NY
Garrett Parrish, drums Lexington High School Jazz Combo and Ensemble, Lexington, MA
Nathan Rice, soprano saxophone Newark Academy Combo, Livingston, NJ and Jazz House Kids Big Band, Montclair, NJ
Wallace Roney, Jr., trumpet Jazz House Kids, Montclair, New Jersey
Lenard Simpson, alto saxophone Batterman Ensemble, Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Paul Wagenseller, tenor saxophone and clarinet Jazz Ensemble 1, Medfield High School, Medfield, MA
Michael Wang, trombone Rio Americano Jazz Combo, Rio Americano High School, Sacramento, California
Liam Werner, trumpet Jazz House Kids, Montclair, New Jersey

OUTSTANDING BIG BAND SECTION
Lexington High School Rhythm Section, Lexington High School Jazz Ensemble from Lexington, Massachusetts
Kenny Wong Labow, guitar; Evan Tarrh, piano; Isaac Levien, bass; Garrett Parrish, drums
Band Director: Ken Gable

Note some dates are wrong: Mingus Orchestra free concert is at St. Bart’s Saturday, Feb 18th and Mingus Big Band is at Jazz Standard Fri-Sun, Feb 17-19. Sunday is the Charles Mingus High School Competition at Manhattan School of Music with performance by Mingus Dynasty. Please check our site for all of the details! Hope to see you!

http://mingusmingusmingus.com/JazzEducation/hscompschedule.html

LET MY CHILDREN HEAR MUSIC (THE CHARLES MINGUS INSTITUTE) PRESENTS:

MINGUS ORCHESTRA “Better Get It In Your Soul” Music of Charles Mingus

St. Bartholomew’s Church 325 Park Avenue (at 50th Street)
Saturday, February 18, 2012 – 7:30pm

To celebrate the 90th anniversary year of the birth of Charles Mingus, Grammy award-winning Mingus musicians will return to St. Bartholomew’s Church on Park Avenue to perform a concert in conjunction with the 2012 Mingus High School Competition & Festival – one of the year’s most important events in jazz education. The weekend includes a day of workshops run by seasoned Mingus musicians and music educators as well as a full day on Sunday devoted to the Competition at Manhattan School of Music. The Mingus Orchestra concert at St. Bart’s will feature the premiere of new arrangements by both Gunther Schuller and Boris Kozlov including “Inquisition” and “Purple Heart” and the usual wide range of Mingus compositions from lush and intricate orchestral pieces to swinging blues. Gunther Schuller will conduct his arrangements.

The Mingus Orchestra features Brandon Wright, Wayne Escoffery, Ku-umba Frank Lacy, Philip Harper, Michael Rabinowitz, John Clark, Douglas Yates, David Gilmore, Boris Kozlov, and Donald Edwards. It is produced by Sue Mingus.
 NPR will be broadcasting the 2011 concert from Feb 9 on jazzset.npr.org. (Check your local station for dates at times of broadcast. WBGO 88.3 FM AND WBGO.ORG will broadcast Sunday, February 12, at 6pm and Wednesday, February 15, at 6:30pm.)

The St. Bartholomew Concert and the Competition are free to the public but contributions will be welcomed at the concert or online at http://letmychildrenhearmusic.org.

“The Orchestra upholds the boisterous Mingus legacy while delving even deeper into his repertory.”   – The New York Times

“The lean, sharp ten-piece band features such uncommon instrumentation as a bassoon and a French horn, but this isn’t staid chamber jazz. When the spirit of the late, great one hits them, they steam.”    – The New Yorker

“Had American symphony orchestras not discriminated against African-American musicians throughout much of the 20th century, Charles Mingus might have led an entirely different career. Mingus was as much a student of Beethoven and Debussy as of Fats Waller and Duke Ellington, and his classical aspirations found their outlet in dozens of compositions written for a sort of jazz-band-plus that included non-jazz instruments like bassoon, oboe, and French horn. It is to this often-overlooked portion of Charles’ legacy that the Mingus Orchestra is devoted.”  – Andy Schwartz

“I think it is time our children were raised to think they can play bassoon, oboe, French horn, English horn, full percussion, violin, cello. If we so-called jazz musicians who are composers, spontaneous composers, started including these instruments in our music, it would open everything up.”  –  Charles Mingus, Let My Children Hear Music liner notes

This project is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts

2012 MINGUS HIGH SCHOOL COMPETITION + FESTIVAL 2.17 – 2.19

The Grammy Award-winning Mingus Big Band returns this week in a series of special performances honoring the 2012 Mingus High School Competition & Festival – one of the year’s most important events in jazz education. The weekend includes a day of workshops run by seasoned Mingus musicians and music educators; a full day devoted to the Competition; and special concerts including the Mingus Orchestra performing at St. Bart’s Church on Park Avenue. Outstanding high school soloists from the Competition will be invited to sit in with the Mingus Big Band on Sunday night (2/19) – and the winning soloist will be eligible for a full tuition scholarship at Manhattan School Of Music.
Music Charge: $30

2/17 – 2/19 MINGUS BIG BAND

Line-Ups:

2/17 Mingus Big Band
Trumpets: Philip Harper, Jack Walrath, Alex Norris
Saxophones: Alex Foster, Seamus Blake, Scott Robinson, Abraham Burton, Ronnie Cuber
Trombones: Conrad Herwig, Ku-umba Frank Lacy, Earl McIntyre
Drums: Donald Edward
Bass: Boris Kozlov
Piano: David Kikoski

2/18 Mingus Big Band
Trumpets: Tatum Greenblatt, Jack Walrath, Alex Norris
Saxophones: Seamus Blake, TBA, Abraham Burton, Steve Slagle, Lauren Sevian
Trombones: Conrad Herwig, Joe Fiedler, Jeff Nelson
Drums: Adam Cruz
Bass: Hans Glavischnig
Piano: David Kikoski

2/19 Mingus Big Band
Trumpets: Philip Harper, Earl Gardner, Jack Walrath
Saxophones: Alex Foster, Seamus Blake, Mark Gross, Abraham Burton, Lauren Sevian
Trombones: Conrad Herwig, Ku-umba Frank Lacy, Dave Taylor
Drums: Donald Edwards
Bass: Boris Kozlov
Piano: Helen Sung

“MINGUS MONDAYS”

2/6 MINGUS ORCHESTRA (MUSIC CHARGE $25)

2/13 MINGUS BIG BAND (MUSIC CHARGE $25)

2/20 MINGUS ORCHESTRA (MUSIC CHARGE $25)

2/27 MINGUS BIG BAND (MUSIC CHARGE $25)

ALL SHOW TIMES: 7:30 & 9:30PM + 11:30PM ON FRIDAYS & SATURDAYS

Jazz Standard is located at 116 E. 27th Street (between Lexington and Park) Train 6 to E. 28th Street

NEVER A MINIMUM
Student Discounts (restrictions apply) Enjoy “NYC’s Best Barbecue” (Time Out New York) from BLUE SMOKE and an extensive wine, beer and cocktail list

For reservations call Jazz Standard at 212.576.2232 or visitwww.ticketweb.com

- Revivalist.com Mingus preview http://revivalist.okayplayer.com/2012/02/02/mingus-big-band-mondays/

- AllAboutJazz.com http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/news.php?id=93115

- JazzCorner.com http://www.jazzcorner.com/news/display.php?news=2561

“The latest product of the collaboration between Foden’s Band and their Composer in Residence Andy Scott will be heard at the RNCM Festival of Brass on 28 January at 7.30pm. The new work Spirit of Mingus, commissioned in 2011 by Foden’s as part of the ongoing relationship with the composer, will receive its world premiere under the baton of principal conductor Mike Fowles in a performance entitled Band Classics…and all that Jazz.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 5, 2012 – New York, NY

Sue Mingus and Let My Children Hear Music/The Charles Mingus Institute and Justin DiCioccio and the Manhattan School of Music announce finalists (see attached) and an exciting lineup for the Charles Mingus High School Competition and Festival weekend.  This year’s nationwide Competition will include events produced with Manhattan School of Music, as well as other events produced by Let My Children Hear Music including a public concert of Mingus music conducted by Gunther Schuller.  The Mingus Big Band will perform all weekend at Jazz Standard, and on Sunday night, Outstanding Soloists from the Competition will have the opportunity to sit in.

Saturday begins with a full day of clinics and workshops at the Manhattan School of Music (122nd Street & Broadway) including master classes for instruments and sections, lectures, films, and clinics that explore aspects of Mingus music, followed by a student Mingus jam. Prominent educators and musicians have listened to tapes and will participate in the clinics and adjudicate the Competition on Sunday, also at MSM, which will feature the top 12 big bands and combos from around the country.

Please note various locations for the other events taking place.  All events are open to the public. More details to be announced at http://mingusmingusmingus.com

SCHEDULE HIGHLIGHTS

FRIDAY, FEB 17-SUNDAY, FEB 19  MINGUS BIG BAND at Jazz Standard 116 E. 27th btw Park & Lex http://jazzstandard.com. Sets at 7:30pm/9:30pm. Fri & Sat third set at 11:30pm. Fri/Sat: $30/$15 students, Sunday $25/$12.50 students.

SATURDAY, FEB 18

-FULL DAY OF CLINICS, MASTER CLASSES, AND JAMS at Manhattan School of Music 122nd Street & Broadway http://www.msmnyc.edu. Free and open to the public.

-MINGUS ORCHESTRA conducted by Gunther Schuller. Details coming.

SUNDAY, FEB 19

-Mingus High School COMPETITION at Manhattan School of Music. 122nd Street & Broadway. MSM Mingus group and Mingus Dynasty performs. Free and open to the public.

-MINGUS BIG BAND at Jazz Standard. Sets 7:30 & 9:30 with Outstanding Soloists from the Competition sitting in. $25/$12.50 students

MONDAY, FEB 20 MINGUS band at Jazz Standard 116 E. 27th btw Park & Lex.
Sets at 7:30/9:30. $25/$12.50 students

“You are guaranteed a great and profound experience when you perform music by this giant of jazz composition.”
—Gunther Schuller, conductor/ Pulitzer Prize-winning composer/educator

“The deep study of this music has affected our lives. It’s changed us as people and players.”
—Jeffery Leonard, Lexington High School band director