Jazz At the White House

[Lazaro Vega]

16 June 2009

From the pool report:

The White House Music Series opened Monday afternoon with a jazz studio,

featuring a series of classes for about 150 young musicians, and then a

performance in the East Room by Paquito D'Rivera and an ensemble of

up-and-coming young artists.

If you hadn't already known about the jazz event, you would have if you

walked into the main part of the building at any point during the

afternoon. The entire entry hall level was ringing with instrument tuning

as your pooler was escorted into the building. Thanks to Semonti Mustaphi

in the FLOTUS press office, your pooler sat in for about 20 minutes in each

of three classes.

In the Diplomatic Room, about 30-40 middle school-aged kids from the

Capitol Jazz Project, the Sitar Arts Center and the Levine School of Music

were sitting down to begin a lesson on the blues and expressing experience

and emotion through jazz. Instructors were Eli Yamin, a pianist and the

director of the Middle School Academy at Jazz at Lincoln Center; Todd

Williams, a saxophonist and a member of the music faculty at the Tuxedo

Park School; and drummer Tony Martucci and bassist Amy Shook, who the kids

knew from other classes in the D.C.

area. "Today is a very special day," Yamin told the kids. "It is the first

time there's ever been a jazz education session at the White House." He had

them each say their name and what instrument they played, then asked them

to call out things that made them sad, or gave them the blues. Highlights

included "losing my phone," "not being able to play football," "cleaning y

room," "certain kinds of school work," and "when somebody steps on my

brand-new sneakers." Then he had the kids make noises that would represent

sadness -- first they groaned, then they growled, then they sighed. He gave

each noise a number, and had them repeat the noise when he called out the

number. And then, he and the other instructors started playing a blues

called "I'm So Glad," and had the kids "play" their blues noises in rhythm

with the song for a few verses. At that point, your pooler went up to the

next class.

In the State Dining Room, a slightly older, slightly smaller group of kids

was watching a lesson by Stephen Massey, chairman of the music department

for the Foxboro, Mass., public school system. He and jazz trumpeter Sean

Jones were reviewing a swing ensemble from D.C.'s Duke Ellington School for

the Performing Arts. The theme of the lesson was "Duke Ellington and

swing," according to FLOTUS aides. Massey had the kids playing Ellington's

"Perdido," paying particular attention to keeping themselves all on the

right time together. "The bass sound is the harmonic center of the band,

and so you have a lot of pressure on you in that regard," Massey told the

band's bassist. "You sound fine, so that's not a problem." He danced around

the room conducting the band, calling out the song's time and clapping his

hands when he wanted the trumpets or the trombones to join the saxophones

playing the main theme.

In the East Room, a band of Marsalises -- trumpeter Wynton, saxophonist

Branford, trombonist Delfeayo, drummer Jason and their dad, pianist Ellis

-- was teaching a lesson for high school-aged musicians, mostly from two

places in New Orleans, the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts and the

Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz.

Fourteen students had come to Washington for the event. Paquito D'Rivera

sat in on clarinet and saxophone, as well as a bassist whose name your

pooler didn't have (and who your pooler didn't think was a member of the

Marsalis family). The theme of this class was "improvisation and expression

through sounds and moods." Leading the session, Wynton Marsalis had the

students come up on stage and play a chorus each with the band. Some of the

kids had dejected looks on their faces after they finished playing,

possibly because they missed notes; Marsalis told them afterwards they had

to keep a positive attitude. "You played good," he said. "Sometimes the

people who played the best had the worst attitude." Then Marsalis started

playing riffs on his trumpet, which he had Branford Marsalis repeat on his

sax; Delfeayo Marsalis and D'Rivera did the same thing, with Branford

Marsalis copying them note for note each time. The students then came up

and tried the same thing, with the sax players following Branford Marsalis

and D'Rivera, the trumpet players following Wynton Marsalis and the

trombonists following Delfeayo Marsalis.

The class wrapped up, and all the students from the other sessions came

into the East Room to hear the performance. Wearing a white suit, FLOTUS

walked in from the side of the room while everyone was eagerly looking

toward the back of the room, near the Grand Foyer; she joked that she had

come in through a different door to keep them all on their toes. You should

have a transcript of her remarks soon, but she talked about the importance

of jazz in her life and how proud she was to hold the event in the White

House. "At Christmas, birthdays, Easter, it didn't matter, there was jazz

playing in my household" when she was growing up, FLOTUS told the students.

After brief remarks, she sat in the front row and listened to the band.

"Jazz at the White House -- mmm, mmm," D'Rivera said. He played alto sax

and a beautiful wooden clarinet, and a combo of young jazz musicians --

pianist Tony Madruga, from south Florida; bassist Zach Brown, from

Columbia, Md.; drummer Kush Abadey, from Suitland, Md.; and tenor

saxophonist Elijah Easton, from Washington -- played with him. They did two

songs, and then D'Rivera started playing little snippets of famous jazz

tunes. When he played the chorus to Dizzy Gillespie's "Salt Peanuts," the

whole room called out, "Salt peanuts," including FLOTUS. "Ahh, Michelle

knows it!" D'Rivera shouted. Wynton Marsalis came back to the stage to join

them for Dizzy Gillespie's "A Night in Tunisia," and the event ended.

[marcello]

16 June 2009

From the pool report:

After brief remarks, she sat in the front row and listened to the band.

"Jazz at the White House -- mmm, mmm," D'Rivera said. He played alto sax

and a beautiful wooden clarinet, and a combo of young jazz musicians --

pianist Tony Madruga, from south Florida; bassist Zach Brown, from

Columbia, Md.; drummer Kush Abadey, from Suitland, Md.; and tenor

saxophonist Elijah Easton, from Washington -- played with him. They did two

songs, and then D'Rivera started playing little snippets of famous jazz

tunes. When he played the chorus to Dizzy Gillespie's "Salt Peanuts," the

whole room called out, "Salt peanuts," including FLOTUS. "Ahh, Michelle

knows it!" D'Rivera shouted. Wynton Marsalis came back to the stage to join

them for Dizzy Gillespie's "A Night in Tunisia," and the event ended.

Kush Abadey is a comer. His father is drummer Nasar Abadey, who uncle is/was Frankie Dunlop.

Kush has been playing with Wallace Roney of late, while still in high school.

[funkogre]

cnn video

[Alexander]

Yeah, Obama rocks...

[AllenLowe]

same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same oldsame old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same oldsame old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same oldsame old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same oldsame old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same oldsame old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same oldsame old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same oldsame old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same oldsame old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same oldsame old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same oldsame old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same oldsame old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same oldsame old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same oldsame old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same oldsame old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same oldsame old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same oldsame old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same oldsame old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same oldsame old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same oldsame old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same oldsame old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same oldsame old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same oldsame old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same oldsame old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same oldsame old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same oldsame old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same oldsame old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same oldsame old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same oldsame old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same oldsame old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same oldsame old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same oldsamesame old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same oldsame old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same oldsame old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same oldsame old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same oldsame old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same oldsame old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same oldsame old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same oldsame old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same oldsame old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same oldsame old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same oldsame old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same oldsame old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same oldsame old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same oldsame old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same oldsame old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same oldsame old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old same old

[papsrus]

I had a flashback to "The Shining" there for a second.

Edited June 18, 2009 by papsrus

[AllenLowe]

I just have this fantasy that there's someone in some center of cultural power who is interested in the true journeyman jazz musician who is doing creative work - sort of the subculture of improvised music.

will never happen. but I can dream.........................