ASCAP & IAJE Commissioned Works Premiered at 2005 IAJE Conference

New York, NY, January 14, 2005...Two new jazz works composed in celebration of the centennial year of composer / bandleader / arranger / pianist William “Count" Basie (1904-1984) were premiered at the 2005 IAJE (International Association for Jazz Education) Conference held January 5-8 at the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center in Long Beach, CA. The commissionees are, in the Established Composer category, Bob Florence from Los Angeles, and in the Emerging Composer category, Sherisse N. Rogers from New York. Their new works, “Eternal Licks & Grooves" (Florence) and “Chacagliatu" (Rogers) were introduced by ASCAP Vice President, and premiered at the Terrace Theater of the Long Beach Performing Arts Center by the Bob Florence Band, limited Edition, on January 6, at the opening Plenary Session of the Conference.

The ASCAP / IAJE commissioning program, now in its eighth year (prior programs celebrated Quincy Jones, Dizzy Gillespie, Benny Carter, the Duke Ellington Centennial, the Louis Armstrong commissions) awards two cash prizes -- the first to an established jazz composer and the second to an emerging jazz composer under the age of 35. The commissioned works must be written for ensembles of more than four and less than eighteen players.

The 2005 ASCAP / IAJE Commissions will honor Ornette Coleman in celebration of his 75th birthday year. The deadline for submissions is April 1, 2005.

Bob Florence is a longtime fixture on the American Big Band jazz scene who began working with such major figures as Harry James and Louis Bellson in 1959, the same year he recorded the first of his sixteen albums as a leader. His second album, Here and Now, was honored with a Grammy nomination. During his childhood and teens, Florence was deeply committed to the study of classical music, but his interest in jazz became overpowering.

Over the years, Florence's reputation as an arranger and accompanist grew, leading to collaborations with such vocalists as Julie Andrews and Vikki Carr. He is also well-established as a music educator, frequently serving as a clinician and guest instructor at colleges and universities. The Bob Florence Limited Edition's latest recording is Serendipity 18 (MAMA Records).

Sherisse N. Rogers has worked with a variety of ensembles as a bassist and alto saxophonist. She received a Bachelor's Degree in Music Industry Studies from the University of California at Northridge, and is currently working toward a Master's Degree in Jazz Composition at the Manhattan School of Music. As a composer / arranger, she has looked to Kenny Wheeler, Maria Schneider, Gil Evans and Jim McNeely as influences. Rogers has previously received commissions from saxophonist Dave Liebman and the NYC All-City Jazz Band. Her honors include a Best Arrangement Award from the American Society of Musicians, Arrangers and Composers (ASMAC), as well as an ASCAP Foundation Young Jazz Composer Award.

ASCAP member William “Count" Basie was born in Red Bank, New Jersey in 1904. A prolific and influential pianist, bandleader, arranger and composer, Basie's hard-swinging big band of the 1930s, '40s and '50s is among the most legendary of all jazz ensembles.

Established in 1914, ASCAP is the world's largest Performing Rights Organization with over 200,000 composer, lyricist and music publisher members representing all genres of music. ASCAP is committed to protecting the rights of its members by licensing and collecting royalties for the public performance of their copyrighted works, and then distributing these fees to the Society's members based on performances. ASCAP's Board of Directors is made up solely of writers and publishers, elected by the membership every two years.