Thousands of Kansas City Students Participate in Thelonious Monk Institute Programs May 18-22

Washington, D.C. – The Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz will introduce its “Peer-to-Peer” blues and jazz education programs in Kansas City public schools May 18-22. Combining performance with information, these “informances” will be presented by six exceptionally gifted high school jazz students from the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts along with internationally acclaimed saxophone recording artist Bobby Watson, renowned blues and jazz vocalist Lisa Henry, and distinguished educator Dr. J.B. Dyas.

Underwritten by William and Nancy Thompson, the weeklong tour will reach thousands of students throughout the Kansas City, Missouri School District and is an extension of the Institute’s ongoing daily instruction in Kansas City public schools. Each school visit during the tour will include a concert for all students followed by jazz and blues workshops for each school’s jazz band and choir, with the Los Angeles students playing alongside and sharing ideas with their Kansas City counterparts.

“As young people are so influenced by kids their own age, who better to expose them to these great American art forms than those of their own generation?” said TS Monk, the Monk Institute’s Chairman of the Board of Trustees and son of legendary jazz pianist and composer Thelonious Monk. “And with Bobby Watson and Lisa Henry – two of the most exciting performers on the scene today – headlining the events, it’s truly an extraordinary opportunity for everyone concerned: students, teachers, musicians, non-musicians – everybody.”

The six Los Angeles students selected to participate in the Kansas City tour include trombonist/bassist John Egizi, 17; tenor saxophonist Levon Henry, 17; guitarist Adam Moezinia, 17; pianist Lily Moon, 18, drummer Taylor Murphy, 18; and saxophonist Max Zooi, 17.

In addition to playing jazz at a level that belies their years, the L.A. students will talk with their K.C. peers about what jazz and blues are, why they’re important to America, and how a jazz and blues ensemble represents a perfect democracy. They also will discuss important values that the genres represent: teamwork, freedom with responsibility, unity with ethnic diversity, hard work and goal accomplishment, and the importance of finding a passion for something early in life and being persistent.

Immediately following the informances, Bobby Watson and Lisa Henry will conduct jazz and blues workshops for each host school’s jazz band and choir in which the L.A. students will play side-by-side with their Kansas City counterparts, providing tutelage peer to peer. In so doing, they will teach and learn from one another not unlike Thelonious Monk did with his fellow musicians during the bebop era 60 years ago. They will also learn about each other’s cities and cultures.

“Besides having the incredible opportunity to tour with and learn from Bobby [Watson] and Lisa [Henry],” said John Egizi, one of the best jazz trombonists for his age in the country, “we’re really looking forward to hanging out and playing music with kids our same age from one of the most important cities in blues and jazz history.” Indeed, such luminaries as Count Basie, Coleman Hawkins, Louis Jordan, Jimmy Lunceford, Charlie Parker, Big Joe Turner, Bobby Watson, Ben Webster, and Lester Young got their start in Kansas City. The students are especially looking forward to visiting the American Jazz Museum in the historic 18th & Vine district during their stay.

The weeklong tour will include a performance open to the public at the Blue Room at 1616 E. 18th Street on Thursday, May 21st, providing Kansas City residents and visitors the opportunity to enjoy an evening of music with Watson and Henry alongside jazz's future “young lions.” The group will perform standards, jazz and blues classics, and contemporary jazz, as well as compositions from Watson’s and Henry’s CD releases. Shows are at 7:00 and 9:00 PM. All proceeds go to support jazz and blues education programs in Kansas City and beyond. For further information, visit www.americanjazzmuseum.com or call 816-474-8463.

The school “informances” are a component of the Monk Institute’s Blues and Jazz: Two American Classics outreach program which includes the national Peer-to-Peer Jazz Education initiative. Through this program, the Institute provides blues and jazz combos comprised of music students from selected public performing arts high schools across the nation with a week-long peer-to-peer jazz informance tour. The young musicians gain invaluable performance experience playing with internationally acclaimed artists while they, in turn, help educate young audiences in U.S. public schools about America’s indigenous art forms.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS & EDUCATORS
Bobby Watson is one of the top alto saxophonists in the world. He grew up in Kansas City, studied formally at the University of Miami, and later moved to New York where he was to become a member of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, one of the most important groups in jazz. He later formed Horizon, the quintessential contemporary hard bop quintet of the mid 1980s and ’90s, whose members have recently reassembled to tour and record. Known for his extraordinary ability to play swing, hard bop, and contemporary jazz, Watson has appeared at virtually every major venue and jazz festival worldwide and has recorded over 100 albums as leader, sideman, or guest artist. He is also one of the most gifted and prolific composers of his generation and is the recipient of numerous national and international awards and citations, including being named #1 Alto Sax Player and Musician of the Year in DownBeat Magazine’s Critic’s Poll. Besides being an internationally acclaimed performer and composer, Watson is an esteemed jazz educator and enjoys working with up-and- coming young jazz artists. He serves as Director of Jazz Studies at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and Artistic Director for the Thelonious Monk Institute’s Jazz in America Informance Program, annually presenting dozens of informational concerts and jazz workshops around the country. www.bobbywatson.com

Lisa Henry is a dynamic vocalist with a combination of swingin’ cool and down home class. A Kansas City native, she began by singing gospel music in the Baptist church, and by age 12 was singing the music of Billie Holiday and Miles Davis. Henry was a winner of the 1994 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Vocals Competition and was later named an International Jazz Ambassador to Africa. She toured Chile, Argentina, and Peru with the Institute in 1998, performing for 34 Heads of State at the Summit of the Americas. In 2006 she participated in a U.S. State Department-sponsored tour of India, and in 2007 she performed for an esteemed presidential dinner at The White House celebrating the Institute's 20th Anniversary. Over the past 15 years, Henry has toured the globe, sharing the stage with such artists as Kenny Barron, Kenny Garrett, Herbie Hancock, Roy Hargrove, Antonio Hart, Ingrid Jensen, Kevin Mahogany, TS Monk, Lou Rawls, Wayne Shorter, Clark Terry, and Bobby Watson. Her latest recording, Live from 18th and Vine, has received critical acclaim. www.lisahenryjazz.com

Dr. J.B. Dyas has been a leader in jazz education for the past two decades. Formerly the Director of Jazz Studies at New World School of the Arts and Executive Director of the Brubeck Institute, Dyas currently serves as Vice President for Education and Curriculum Development at the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz in Los Angeles. He oversees the Institute’s education and outreach programs including Jazz In America: The National Jazz Curriculum, one of the most important and wide-reaching jazz education initiatives in the world. Throughout his career, Dyas has performed across the country, taught students at every level, directed large and small ensembles, developed and implemented new jazz curricula, and written for national music publications. He has served on the Smithsonian Institution’s Task Force for Jazz Education in America and presented numerous jazz education events nationwide with such artists as Dave Brubeck and Herbie Hancock. Dyas received his masters degree in Jazz Pedagogy from the University of Miami and PhD in Music Education from Indiana University, and is a recipient of the DownBeat Achievement Award for Jazz Education.

ABOUT THE THELONIOUS MONK INSTITUTE OF JAZZ
The Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz is a nonprofit education organization established in memory of Thelonious Monk, the legendary jazz pianist and composer. Monk was one of the primary architects of bebop and his impact as both performer and composer has had a profound influence on every genre of music. His more than 70 compositions are classics that continue to inspire artists in all disciplines. Monk believed the best way to learn jazz was from a master of the music. The Institute follows that same philosophy by bringing together the greatest living jazz musicians to teach and inspire young people, offering the most promising young musicians college level training by America's jazz masters through its fellowship program in jazz performance at Loyola University in New Orleans, and presenting public school-based jazz education programs around the world. Helping to fill the tremendous void in arts education left by budget cuts in public school funding, the Institute’s school programs are provided free of charge and use jazz as the medium to encourage imaginative thinking, creativity, a positive self-image, and respect for one’s own and others' cultural heritage. Jazz great Herbie Hancock serves as Chairman. www.monkinstitute.org

ABOUT THE BLUES AND JAZZ: TWO AMERICAN CLASSICS
The Blues and Jazz: Two American Classics (www.thebluesandjazz.org) is a major component of the Institute’s free Internet-based Jazz in America (www.jazzinamerica.org) curriculum for elementary, middle, and high school public school students and teachers in the United States. Designed to be integrated into social studies and American history classes, Jazz in America is the first curriculum of its kind to use state-of-the- art Internet technology and be offered free of charge on a national basis. The Blues and Jazz lesson plan explores the deep historical and cultural connection between the blues and jazz, as well as the social, economic, and political contexts within which the two genres evolved, providing vivid and engaging new ways to study American history. All pertinent content, audio and video examples, student handouts, and assessments are contained within and are easily downloadable.

ABOUT THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL FOR THE ARTS
Located on the campus of California State University L.A., the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts (LACHSA) is a tuition-free, fully accredited public high school that offers specialized instruction in dance, music, theatre, visual arts, and TV/film in addition to a rigorous academic curriculum. Its students, selected by audition or portfolio review, have received national recognition as Presidential Scholars in the Arts, finalists in the National Arts Recognition and Talent Search, winners of the Performing Arts Center of Los Angeles County's Spotlight Awards, and participants in the National GRAMMY All-Star High School Jazz Ensemble. Serving 550 students in grades 9-12, LACHSA has been named a California Distinguished School for Academic Excellence and earned the top score of 10 on the Academic Performance Index. The school’s principal is Valerie Huber. Dr. Dan Castro serves as Chair of the Department of Music and Monk Institute alumnus Jason Goldman directs the LACHSA Jazz Sextet. www.lachsa.org

Photos and full bios available upon request.

Kansas City Peer-to-Peer Informance Schedule:

MONDAY MAY 18
12:30-1:30pm - Assembly Program
Westport High School
315 E. 39th Street
Kansas City, MO 64111
816.418.6100

TUESDAY MAY 19
9:00-10:00am - Assembly Program
Central Middle School
3611 E. Linwood Blvd.
Kansas City, MO 64128
816.418.2100

WEDNESDAY MAY 20
9:00-11:30am - Assembly Program & Master Class
Paseo Academy of Fine & Performing Arts (High School)
4747 Flora Avenue
Kansas City, MO 64110
816.418.2275

1:30-2:30pm - Assembly Program
Kansas City Middle School of the Arts (Paseo Middle School)
4848 Woodland Avenue
Kansas City, MO 64110
816.418.2400

THURSDAY MAY 21
9:00-11:00am - Assembly Program & Master Class
Lincoln Middle School College Prep
2012 E. 23rd Street
Kansas City, MO 64127
816.418.3525

1:00-2:00pm - Master Class
Lincoln High School College Prep
2111 Woodland Avenue
Kansas City, MO 64108
816.418.3000

7:30-11:30pm - Performance
The Blue Room at the American Jazz Museum
1616 E. 18th Street
Kansas City, MO 64108
816.474.2929

FRIDAY MAY 22
1:00-2:00pm - Assembly Program
Central High School
3221 Indiana Avenue
Kansas City, MO 64128