NEW YORK, October 23, 2007 - The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music will present a concert and participate in several panel discussions at The Jazz Improv LIVE! Convention, taking place October 25-28 at the Manhattan Center and New Yorker Hotel, 34th Street at 8th Ave., New York. New School Jazz faculty member Jane Ira Bloom directs a performance of The New School Ornette Coleman Ensemble; Chico Hamilton, Benny Powell and Charli Persip will share their perspectives on jazz with New School Jazz Executive Director Martin Mueller; Bill Kirchner will engage Billy Harper, Cecil Bridgewater and Jimmy Owens in a dialogue about the legendary Thad Jones; and Brian Camelio will take part in a panel about the future of the music industry.

The Ornette Coleman Ensemble
Friday, October 26, 12 PM
Manhattan Center Studio 6

New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music faculty member Jane Ira Bloom leads the school's Ornette Coleman Ensemble through modern interpretations of signature works by this groundbreaking composer and performer.

The Real World
Friday, October 26, 5 PM
Herald Square Suite

The music business is rapidly changing, and musicians need to be on top of such changes to capitalize on their talents. World famous bass guitarist Todd Coolman has assembled a panel of experts who will discuss the challenges of getting creative music out to the public, which will feature Brian Camelio, New School Jazz faculty member and founder of ArtistShare, a website that allows fans to fund the work of their favorite musicians.

Eyes of the Masters
Saturday, October 27, 10 AM
Gramercy Park Suite

Three illustrious New School Jazz faculty members, Benny Powell, Chico Hamilton and Charli Persip, will share their experiences and perspectives on the world of jazz in a panel discussion moderated by New School Jazz Executive Director Martin Mueller.

Thad Jones Retrospective
Saturday, October 27, 1 PM
Gramercy Park Suite

Award winning journalist, writer, producer and New School Jazz faculty member Bill Kirchner will moderate a panel that draws upon the personal experiences of working with Thad Jones. Panelists include New School Jazz faculty members, tenor saxophonist Billy Harper, and trumpeters Cecil Bridgewater and Jimmy Owens--all former members of the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra--who will provide firsthand insight into the life and music of Thad Jones as they reflect upon his extraordinarily unique sound and approach as an arranger and performer on cornet, flugelhorn and trumpet.

The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music is the musical manifestation of The New School. While a major presence during the formation of the jazz movement in New York City in the early twentieth century, The New School was the first university to offer a course in jazz in 1948. Following this was a half-century of dynamic public programming featuring outstanding jazz artists from Art Tatum and Louis Armstrong to Jon Hendricks and Pat Metheny. The School was formally founded in 1986 by David Levy and jazz saxophonist and iconoclast Arnie Lawrence, and remains at the forefront of music education by combining the teaching model of the community-based, mentor-student style of jazz's early years with the academic rigor and curricular depth of a modern conservatory. In its 20-year history, the program has produced some of the brightest stars in jazz as of late, including Miri Ben-Ari, Peter Bernstein, Walter Blanding Jr., Avishai Cohen, Robert Glasper, Larry Goldings, Roy Hargrove, Susie Ibarra, Ali M. Jackson, Virginia Mayhew, Brad Mehldau, EJ Strickland and more.