It’s time once again to celebrate jazz
in Brooklyn and to celebrate Brooklyn’s history of producing
great jazz musicians.
On April 1, the third annual Central Brooklyn Jazz Festival will
kick off with a performance by Brooklynite Roland Alexander and
his All Stars at Pumpkins, 1448 Nostrand Ave. at Church Avenue.
Open since 1978, Pumpkins is said to be Brooklyn’s oldest jazz
club.
Organized by the Brooklyn Jazz Consortium, a group of Brooklyn
jazz clubs, churches and cultural centers, the festival is determined
to bring jazz back to Brooklyn and bring patrons to the borough’s
jazz clubs. During the 1950s and 1960s, Brooklyn legends such
as percussionist Max Roach, singer Betty Carter and pianist-composer
Randy Weston were some of the artists who performed regularly
in Brooklyn.
According to Alma Carroll, co-founder – with her late husband
Joe Carroll, "Dizzy [Gillespie]’s cohort" – of Jazzpazazz,
a non-profit jazz preservation society, the fest is about honoring
the masters of jazz as much as it is about educating new jazz
musicians. It also aims to promote economic growth for the community
and the musicians.
Toward the education end the festival hosts master classes, youth
performances, and on April 6 at 1 pm, a panel discussion, "Jazz:
The Women’s Viewpoint" at the Skylight Gallery at Restoration
Plaza, 1368 Fulton St. between Brooklyn and New York avenues.
The panelists will include both women in music (Deirdre Murray
and Kim Clark) and relatives of musicians (Evelyn Blakey, daughter
of drummer Art Blakey; Bertha Hope, wife of pianist Elmo Hope;
Eloise Jones, wife of drummer Philly Joe Jones; Gloria Ware,
wife of bassist Wilbur Ware and Caroline Raye, wife of Louis
Russell). The moderator is Monique Ngozi Nri.
According to Bayyinah Ajabu Abdu Sabur, a jazz activist, wife
of the late drummer Lex Humphries and a Clinton Hill resident,
it’s important for women "who lived it and were part of
the evolution of the music – especially this era they are coming
from, the 1960s, is one of the most profound eras – to exchange
information, so people will have more insight into the music.
We have to get the history before the history disappears. We’re
blessed they are willing to share it with us.
"The jazz world is dominated by men," she said, "and
women have not been able to have strong voices in the area or
existence in the field. They have been unsung. They haven’t had
their day. But jazz is a cultural life line, and these women
must speak on the facts that relate to this rich cultural expression."
The festival continues through April 15. A highlight of the festival
is the CBJC Gala at Sugarhill Supper Club [609 DeKalb Ave. at
Nostrand Avenue, (718) 797-1727] on April 3 when the Consortium
will induct its new slate of musicians and composers – with Brooklyn
ties – into their jazz hall of fame.
Another highlight is the April 8 event at Sistas’ Place [456
Nostrand Ave. at Jefferson Avenue, (718) 398-1766]. They will
host a performance by sax player Gary Bartz who will be collaborating
with Akua Dixon’s Quartette Indigo at 8 pm. According to Ahmed
Abdullah, the music director for Sistas’, their theme for this
year’s events is "different and rare combinations of musicians."
The Bartz-Dixon collaboration promises to be a real happening.
The festival closes on April 15, with a performance by the Vincent
Herring All-Stars at the Up Over Jazz Cafe (351 Flatbush Ave.
at Sterling Place, (718) 398-5413). According to Bob Myers, owner
of the Jazz Cafe, Herring is a young, Prospect Heights resident,
who is also "one of the hottest alto sax performers."
Herring will perform with Anthony Wonsey on piano, Richie Goods
on bass and EJ Strickland on drums. After the quartet plays for
the first half-hour, they will open it up to a jam session, said
Myers.
"It should be a helluva party," he predicted. "A
free-for-all really."
For more information about the Consortium and this year’s festival,
call (718) 875-1016.
Where to GO
April 1, 9 pm
Pumpkins [1448 Nostrand Ave. at Church Avenue, (718) 284-9086].
Admission: $10
Roland Alexander All Stars
April 2, 3-7 pm
Brooklyn Borough Hall [209 Joralemon St. at Court Street, (718)
778-0009]. Admission: $20
Jazz and the Spoken Word with Spontaneous Combustion
April 3, 6 pm
Sugarhill Supper Club [609 DeKalb Ave. at Nostrand Avenue, (718)
875-1016]. Admission: $15
CBJC Gala
April 4, 8 pm
Brown Sugar Supper Club [433 Marcus Garvey Blvd. at Macon Street,
(718) 919-4163]. Admission: $10
1st Circle Jazz Band
April 5, 8 pm
Jazz 966 [966 Fulton St. at Cambridge Place, (718) 638-6910].
Admission: $10
Dancing with Seleno Clarke Quartet
April 6, 1 pm 3 pm
Skylight Gallery [1368 Fulton St. at New York Avenue, (718) 522-6515].
Admissions: $10
"Jazz: The Women’s Viewpoint," a panel discussion and
performance
April 6, 9pm, 11 pm, and 1 pm
Up Over Jazz Cafe [351 Flatbush Ave. at Seventh Avenue, (718)
398-5413]. Admission: $20 cover, $5 minimum/set
Billy Harper Quintet
April 7, 5 9 pm
Sugarhill Supper Club [609 DeKalb Ave. at Nostrand Avenue, (718)
875-1016]. Admission: $15
Jazzpazazz: A Salute to Bob Cunningham
April 8, 8 pm
Sistas’ Place [456 Nostrand Ave. at Jefferson Avenue, (718) 398-1766].
Gary Bartz with Akua Dixon’s Quartette Indigo
April 9, 8 pm
Skylight Gallery [1368 Fulton St. at New York Avenue, (718) 636-6976].
Admission: $10
JazzAfrica with Atiba Wilson and Songhai Djeli
April 10
Sugarhill Supper Club [609 DeKalb Ave. at Nostrand Avenue, (718)
875-1016]. Admission: $15
Jazz & Blues with Frank Dell and NY Connection
April 11, 7 pm
Medgar Evers College auditorium [1650 Bedford Ave. between Crown
and Montgomery streets, (646) 303-4286].
"Jazz in Fashion" with Theodros Avery and Torrie McCartney
April 12, 7 pm
Boys and Girls High School [1700 Fulton St. at Schenectady Avenue,
(718) 771-7086]. Admission: (in advance) $15 for adults, $5 for
children under 12
Carter G. Woodson Cultural Literacy Tribute to Chief Bey
April 12, noon 9 pm and
10:30 pm
Sistas’ Place [456 Nostrand Ave. at Jefferson Avenue, (718) 398-1766].
Rashied Ali Trio
April 13, 9 am 10 pm
Medgar Evers College [1650 Bedford Ave. between Crown and Montgomery
streets, (718) 270-6145].
"Jazzswirl: Family Program": Orchestra conducted by
Jack Jeffers
April 13, 12 6 pm
Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Plaza, 1368 Fulton St. at New
York Avenue, (718) 636-6949].
Youth Jazz Jamboree: ensembles from Community School Districts
13, 16, 17 and educators
April 13, 10 pm
Williamsburg Music Center [367 Bedford Ave. at South Sixth Street,
(718) 384-1654].
Williamsburg All-Stars with special guests
April 14, 3:30 pm
Concord Baptist Church of Christ [833 Gardner C. Taylor Blvd.
at Putnam Avenue, (718) 434-4438].
Jazz Vespers
April 15, 9 pm
Up Over Jazz Cafe [351 Flatbush Ave. at Seventh Avenue, (718)
398-5413]. Admission: $10 cover, $5 minimum for the evening
Vincent Herring All-Stars
