Fall 2004 Series at New School University Jazz & Contemporary Music Program

SERIES INCLUDES CONCERTS WITH CHICO HAMILTON, LEE ANN LEDGERWOOD, CHARLI PERSIP AND AHMED ABDULLAH

(New York, NY - August 30, 2004)...New School University's Jazz & Contemporary Music Program announces the guest artists for the “Jazz Presents" series for fall 2004. The series showcases the Jazz Program's stellar faculty while introducing audiences to the rising stars of jazz - students who currently study in the Jazz Program or recent alumni. Playing alongside these exciting artists are guest-performers invited by the faculty to complement the evening's ensemble.

The “Jazz Presents" fall 2004 series includes concerts with percussionist Chico Hamilton on Monday, September 20, 2004, 7:00 p.m.; percussionist Charli Persip on Friday, October 8, 2004, 7:00 p.m.; jazz pianist Lee Ann Ledgerwood on Tuesday, November 2, 2004, 7:00 p.m.; and trumpeter, composer and arranger Ahmed Abdullah on Wednesday, December 1, 2004, 7:00 p.m. All concerts take place at New School University's Tishman Auditorium, 66 West 12th Street, NYC. (Directions: Take #1 or “F"train to 14th Street.)

Tickets are $10 per show or $30 for the four concert series and may be purchased at the New School Box Office at 66 West 12th Street, NYC. (Box office hours are Monday through Thursday, 1:00 * 8:00 p.m., Friday, 1:00 * 7:00 p.m.) Tickets may also be charged by call (212) 229-5488. Admission to any “Jazz Presents" performance is free for college students with valid ID, children and young adults, grades K-12.

Monday, September 20, 2004, 7:00 p.m.
Chico Hamilton with Cary DeNigris (guitar), Paul Ramsey (bass), Evan Schwam (tenor, Jazz Program alumnus), and Jon Gordon (horns).

Chico Hamilton is a 2004 recipient of the prestigious National Endowment for the Arts's Jazz Masters Fellowship for life achievement. He has been an active performer on the jazz scene for over fifty years, and over the years, has performed with such jazz legends as Count Basie, Lionel Hampton, Lester Young, Ella Fitzgerald, Lena Horne, Gerry Mulligan, Ron Carter, among many others. He became known as an adventurous bandleader, creating groups with “chamber jazz" instrumentation since forming his Quintet in 1955. Since 1987, he has led an inter-generational band called “Euphoria." He is an original faculty member of New School University's Jazz & Contemporary Music Program.

Friday, October 8, 2004, 7:00 p.m. Charli Persip Septet, “Persipitation," featuring Atiba (African flute and drum), James Gordon Williams (piano), Lakecia Benjamin (alto sax, Jazz Program student), Sharif Cales (trumpet, alumnus), and Eric Mendez (Afro-Latin percussion, Jazz Program student).

Charli Persip has performed with Dizzy Gillespie's big band. He has also performed and recorded with Tadd Dameron, Frank Foster, and Archie Shepp, among many others. In addition to his performing activities, he also is a jazz educator. Persip is an associate professor at New School University's Jazz & Contemporary Music Program and at Queensboro Community College, and has a highly successful private practice. He also has presented drum clinics and lecture demonstrations at the University of Massachusetts, Ohio State University, Howard University, and North Texas State University. The “Persipitation" Septet makes its debut in the “Jazz Presents" series, with music that blends African and Caribbean rhythms with jazz and R&B melodies.

Tuesday, November 2, 2004, 7:00 p.m. Lee Ann Ledgerwood: The Lee Ann Ledgerwood Trio with George Mraz (bass) and Brandon Lewis (drums).

Jazz pianist Lee Ann Ledgerwood started playing piano when she was four. After graduating from Berklee College of Music, she moved to New York City in 1982 and appeared regularly at local clubs. She toured Sweden with Red Mitchell and was a member of Eddie Gomez's band. She also appeared on Gomez's 1988 release, “Power Play." Her CDs include “Paradox," “You Wish," “Now & Zen," and “Transition." Her Trio will feature selections from her recent release, “Walkin' Up," (Steeple Chase) with special guest, bassist George Mraz. Ledgerwood has been a faculty member of the New School University's Jazz & Contemporary Music Program since 1992.

Friday, December 1, 2004, 7:00 p.m. Ahmed Abdullah: NAM: Led by Ahmed Abdullah with Alex Harding (baritone sax), Masa Kamaguchi (bass), Jimmy Weinstein (drums), and Owuor Arunga (trumpet, current Jazz Program student).

Ahmed Abdullah is a trumpeter, composer, educator, organizer and bandleader, who has lead ensembles since 1972. His groups have included “Abdullah," “The Solomonic Unit," “Diaspora," and most recently, “Ebonic Tones." He was a member of the Sun Ra Arkestra for nearly two decades, and has performed with Sam Rivers, Hamiet Bluiett, Marion Brown and many others. Abdullah has worked for Carnegie Hall's Education Department for the last 15 years as a performing and teaching artist. He is currently part of the NYC Teaching Fellows program. In 1998, he was offered the position of Music Director of Sistas' Place, a Bedford Stuyvesant coffeehouse. Since then, he has introduced many of the adventurous musicians of the Seventies Loft Movement to this venue. In April 2003, Abdullah and the Central Brooklyn Jazz Consortium, an umbrella group of venues and organizations that have produced three successful jazz festivals in Brooklyn, created the first month-long, borough-wide 24/7 Jazz Festival.

New School University's Jazz & Contemporary Music Program offers a B.F.A. degree program in Jazz Performance, and in Composing/Arranging. The faculty includes such renowned artists as Reggie Workman, Chico Hamilton, Buster Williams, Jimmy Owens, Benny Powell, Joanne Brackeen, and Jane Ira Bloom. Alumni of the program include many of today's most prominent jazz artists - Larry Goldings, Brad Mehldau, Roy Hargrove, Miri Ben-Ari, Peter Bernstein, Ali M. Jackson, and Marcus and E.J. Strickland. Martin Mueller is the Executive Director of the Jazz Program. For more information, visit the Web site at www.newschool.edu/Jazz.