Boosey & Hawkes, Inc. is proud to announce that it is expanding the range of its offerings to include distinguished catalogs from the world of jazz, beginning with works by pianist / composers David Benoit and Chick Corea, and the Second Floor Music catalog, which features some of the best-known compositions of the bop and post-bop eras. B&H will represent all forthcoming works from these catalogs, including concert pieces, media scores, and album tracks.
Chick Corea (b. 1941 in Chelsea, Massachusetts) is one of the most admired and prolific jazz composers of our time. While he first gained notice for his work with Miles Davis's ensembles of the late 1960's, he quickly established himself as a groundbreaking leader. His catalog ranges from simple children's pieces for piano to large-scale classical concert works, from straight-ahead jazz to avant-garde explorations, hard-hitting fusion, and world music. Boosey & Hawkes will be the exclusive agent for both existing works (from 1995 forward) and forthcoming pieces. On the horizon is a piano concerto, premiering in Austria on July 1, 2006 as part of Vienna's Mozart Year celebrations. Said Corea, “I'm very happy to have my compositions cared for by Boosey & Hawkes. The NYC staff are down to earth and have the kind of enthusiasm for their work that I love in my musical partners. I'm looking forward to many creative years with this great group."
David Benoit (b. 1953 in Bakersfield, California) is not only a gifted contemporary jazz pianist and composer, with 23 solo recordings to his credit, but a sought-after conductor who has led the Los Angeles Philharmonic, The San Francisco Symphony, The Atlanta Symphony, The Dresden Philharmonic, The National Symphony Orchestra, and many others. He also is the music director of the Asia-America Symphony Orchestra. He has scored several films and television shows, including more than ten years of composing music for Charles Schultz's Peanuts TV specials on CBS. His compositions include a piano concerto, The Centaur and the Sphinx, and a symphonic score titled Kobe, the first two works in his new publishing deal with B&H. “As a jazz pianist an! d recording artist, I have been looking for opportunities to expand my career as an orchestral composer and conductor," said Benoit. “Signing with Boosey and Hawkes has given me an amazing opportunity to do so. Being a huge fan of B&H composers like Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland and John Adams, I am especially honored to be part of this very prestigious publishing company. I look forward to working closely with the Boosey and Hawkes team on all facets of my music career."
Second Floor Music is one of the most important catalogs in the field of straight-ahead jazz, with more than 3500 works and growing. Clifford Brown, Ray Bryant, Kenny Dorham, Roy Hargrove, J.J. Johnson, Hank Mobley, Rene Rosnes, Bobby Watson, and James Williams are only a few of the major figures represented. Moreover, the exclusive worldwide agency agreement with Second Floor Music gives B&H the ability to license first-rate recordings by many jazz greats of the post-war era for film, television, and commercial uses. Said Don Sickler, President of Second Floor Music, “When I was told that the prestigious classical publishing house of Boosey & Hawkes also wanted to become involved in the jazz publishing world, I became all ears. I'm looking forward to a strong relationship with B&H as they represent my jazz publishing companies and the over 200 composers we publish."
As a vital part of this new initiative, Boosey & Hawkes has hired Adina Williams as its first Jazz Promotion Associate. Adina has collaborated with exceptional jazz and classical artists, composers, and institutions, building new strategies and initiatives throughout. Her experience encompasses artist management, producing pilot jazz concerts at Columbia University and Barnes and Noble, and helping to create new educational residency models with Ysaye Barnwell and Sweet Honey in the Rock, Terence Blanchard, and the Ying Quartet. She also developed educational programming at Carnegie Hall and served as the project coordinator for “Changing the Beat: A Study of the Worklife of Jazz Musicians" - a study of jazz musicians in four US metropolitan areas conducted by the Research Center for Arts and Culture under a cooperative agreement with the National Endowment for the Arts and the San Francisco Stud! y Center. She is joining us from Midori & Friends, where she managed Educational Programs. Adina received Master's degrees in Arts Administration and Elementary Education from Teachers College, Columbia University.
In keeping with its long-standing history of music education advocacy, B&H has developed a unique partnership with the International Association for Jazz Education (IAJE) to support and encourage jazz composers, students and educators.
For more information on IAJE's programs and services, log on to www.iaje.org.
Jenny Bilfield, President of Boosey & Hawkes's New York office, said, “Boosey's Jazz Initiative is a natural progression of our mission to publish the leading creative lights in music of our time. This will be a thrilling artistic partnership and the B&H team will enjoy bringing this rich and varied repertoire to new audiences and interpreters." Said Marc Ostrow, B&H's VP of Business Affairs, “As a life-long fan of the music, I am honored to be able to work again with so many great musicians whose work I admire. Their music, which is performed and taught along side the concert composers we publish, is ripe for development in our core markets and is an ideal fit within our rich and varied catalog."
For more information contact All About Jazz.
