By Jason Rabin "For the Manhattan School of Music, February means Mingus, Mingus, Mingus! In partnership with Let My Children Hear Music/The Charles Mingus Institute, the school is hosting its 3rd annual Charles Mingus High School Competition and Festival, February 18-21."
JAZZ WORKSHOP, INC.LET MY CHILDREN HEAR MUSIC,INC.(TheCharles Mingus Institute)484West 43rd Street, 43-S, New York, NY 10036http://www.mingusmingusmingus.comContact:Sue Mingus (212) 736-4749 Mingus Big Band Wins Grammy!Mingus High School Competition & Festival at Manhattan School of MusicMingus Orchestra Concert at St. Bart'sNEW YORK, February 15, 2011—On Sunday, February 13, 2011,the 53rd Annual GRAMMY® Awards honored MingusBig Band Live at Jazz Standard as the “Best Large Jazz EnsembleAlbum.” Co-produced by Sue Mingus and Seth Abramson, Mingus Big Band Live at Jazz Standardmarks the 10th Mingus Big Band recording, seven of which have been nominatedfor Grammys. It is the first win for Mingus music, though legendary jazzcomposer Charles Mingus (1922-1979) himself received a Grammy for the linernotes on his album Let My Children HearMusic and a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997, and in 1999 thealbum Mingus Dynasty (1959) wasinducted in the Grammy Hall of Fame.This concert celebrates the fiftieth anniversary of seminal1959 albums Mingus Dynasty, Mingus Ah Um, and Blues & Politics, and was originally broadcast live on Toast Of The Nation from NPR Music,produced by Mark Schramm, Thurston Briscoe and Becca Pulliam for WBGO under themusical direction of Sue Mingus.Saturday, February 19, 2011, this same team will record theMingus Orchestra live at St. Bartholomew’s Church for later broadcast on WBGO.The concert will feature several Mingus compositions conducted by GuntherSchuller with special guest harpist Edmar Castaneda. This concert is producedby Let My Children Hear Music (The Charles Mingus Institute) and made possibleby the National Endowment for the Arts as part of American Masterpieces: Three Centuries of Artistic Genius.The Mingus Big Band also performs live in concert at JazzStandard this week from Friday, Feb 18 – Sunday, Feb 20, designed to correspondwith the 2011 Charles Mingus High School Competition at Manhattan School ofMusic.For more CD info, visit http://mingusmingusmingus.com/MingusBands/liveatstandard.htmlFor a full calendar of weekend events: Mingus Orchestra atSt. Bartholomew’s Church, Mingus High School Competition at Manhattan School ofMusic, and Mingus Big Band at Jazz Standard please visit http://mingusmingusmingus.com/JazzEducation/hscompschedule.html
“It’s going to be a huge experience,” said Medfield junior Luke Rosenfeld, who plays piano in the jazz band. “Playing with the Mingus Big Band is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It’s not something you can just do every day.”...“The seniors were especially overjoyed because it’s their last year and some of them had been selected as part of the Essentially Ellington [high school jazz band] competition when they were freshmen,” he said. “The Mingus competition is very similar…and they got to play with [trumpeter] Wynton Marsalis and other phenomenal artists. We’ve been practicing Charles Mingus’s music for a few months now; we are very excited.”During the master clinics, a member of the Mingus Big Band will work individually with students.“Being taught by them is going to be huge,” said Rosenfeld, who has been playing piano for 10 years....“The students have really grown to love Mingus’s music and have become passionate about it,” said Olsen. “It’s such a unique experience for these students to hang out and interact with these famous musicians in New York City and get to meet other inspired high-level musicians from around the country.”
Adam Linz, Combo director and a staunch advocate for the music of Charles Mingus, couldn't be happier. “The Mingus High School Competition is one of the most high profile jazz gatherings in the world...The music of Mingus somehow taps into the youth of America. I think it is the emphasis on energy and the band concept that draw young people to his music. It requires that you step up and be heard and not hide in a section. It also promotes individuality among the people that tackle it. The meek need not apply. So we are very excited to go to NYC and meet other young people from around the country that share our love for this man and his music! We are also excited to show everyone our commitment to Mingus in the lives of young people.” Notes MacPhail President/Chief Operating Officer Paul Babcock, “This is a terrific opportunity for the students in the Dakota Combo. They have great passion and enthusiasm for playing jazz and especially have developed a great love for playing the music of Charles Mingus. It’s an honor have the Dakota Combo perform at the Mingus competition and be selected among the excellent high school jazz groups from across the country.”"I'm absolutely thrilled,” said saxophonist Danny Hupp. “To be thrown into an environment where everyone has the same passion as you is exciting, but also somewhat terrifying. I honestly cannot wait."Adds pianist Quentin Tschofen, “I'm really looking forward to the competition and workshops. What's particularly exciting is the opportunity to play jazz in New York among a lot of people who really love the art form…And now we need to rehearse!"
2011 MINGUS HIGH SCHOOL COMPETITION FINALISTSThe finalists (in alphabetical order by school) are:BIG BAND CATEGORYLexington High School Jazz Ensemble, Lexington, MA. Band Director: Ken GableJazz Ensemble I, Medfield High School, Medfield, MA. Band Director: Douglas OlsenTwo O’Clock Jazz Band, Wellesley High School, Wellesley, MA. Band Director: Steven ScottBIG BAND CATEGORY-Specialized Schools and ProgramsJazz Elite, White Plains, NY. Band Director: Iantheia CalhounJazz House Big Band, Jazz House Kids, Montclair, NJ. Band Director: Julius TolentinoYork College Blue Notes, New York, NY. Band Director: Tom ZlabingerCOMBO CATEGORYLexington High School Jazz Combo, Lexington, MA. Band Director: Ken GableConceptual Sextet, Rio Americano High School, Sacramento, CA. Band Director: Max KiesnerRivers Select 1 Combo, The Rivers School, Weston, MA. Band Director: Philippe CrettienCOMBO CATEGORY-Specialized Schools and ProgramJazz Ensemble 4, Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts, Hartford, CT. Band Director: Kris AllenDakota Combo, MacPhail Center for Music, Minneapolis, MN. Band Director: Adam LinzMSM Precollege Combo, Manhattan School of Music, New York, NY. Band Director: Jeremy ManasiaComplete Press Release