NEA Jazz Master John Levy Announces New Project for 2006

Pasadena, CA: December 7, 2005 - By age 93 most people would have retired, but this jazz bassist turned talent manager is not most people. For the past 50 years, jazz luminaries have looked to John Levy for management and career guidance - Nancy Wilson, Joe Williams, Shirley Horn to name just a few. Not only is Levy being honored next month with a (NEA) National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master Fellowship, but that same weekend he will present his latest project, VOCAL LEGACY, featuring Henry Johnson and Clairdee, in their debut performance (January 14th) at the International Association for Jazz Education's annual conference in New York City.

Levy says, “I remember when you could clearly understand all the lyrics and every song was a story. With the distorted creation of Smooth Jazz, now all you hear is the same repetitious pabulum that's aired on commercial radio stations, and this is NOT the legacy of the jazz genre. I'm offering traditional jazz vocals by younger artists, with a contemporary edgy style to prove that those days of great music are not gone. What I have packaged, and titled Vocal Legacy, is a new twist on the classic jazz standards."

The concept is simple: Take the sassy irreverence of Carmen McRae and combine it with Alicia Key's understated contemporary style and the silky soulfulness of Natalie Cole, and you'll hear Clairdee. If you liked the complex melody of Joe Williams, the soulfulness of Lou Rawls and Bill Withers, you'll enjoy hearing the voice of Henry Johnson.

Johnson and Clairdee share the same passion for the music's melody and lyrics. Adding a contemporary twist while still maintaining the tradition of the great jazz vocalists before them, they offer audiences an evening of delightful - and affordable - musical entertainment. “It's about preserving a musical heritage and nurturing the continued growth of a musical art form. Jazz is timeless and the lyrics of the standards still ring true," says Levy. After more than five decades as a manager of the top names in jazz (and pop), this is John Levy's legacy too.

When Vocal Legacy takes the stage, backed by a small combo known as the Legacy Ensemble, their performance will include duets as well as solo selections from their respective CDs - Henry Johnson's Organic (featuring Grammy-winning song stylist Nancy Wilson) and Clairdee's recently released Music Moves, recorded live at Yoshi's.

Among the more established pros who have offered encouragement to Henry and Clairdee are Ruth Brown, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Lou Rawls and Nancy Wilson who says “In the tradition of all great vocalists, Clairdee infuses each song with her own unique style while always remaining true to the song itself. And, it was Joe Williams who encouraged Henry Johnson to start singing professionally. Johnson explains, “Joe didn't do to sound checks, so I would go and sing his songs with Norman Simmons. I had never sung in front of Joe, but once he heard me.... He taught me phrasing, pitch, breathing, and delivering lyrics."

Levy, the great-grandson of Louisiana slaves, was born in New Orleans in 1912 and is considered to be the first black talent manager in jazz and popular music. He has made millions of dollars for his clients bringing them from sometimes-total anonymity to the rarefied atmosphere of success.

The vast and impressive roster of notables handled by John Levy over the past 50 years includes more than 85 artists, eight of whom are already NEA Jazz Masters: Betty Carter, Herbie Hancock, Shirley Horn, Ahmad Jamal, Abby Lincoln, Billy Taylor, Joe Williams, and Nancy Wilson; and one more, Freddie Hubbard, who will join the ranks with him in 2006. Other notable clients on the Levy roster through the years include Cannonball Adderley, Ernie Andrews, Brook Benton, Randy Crawford, Roberta Flack, Arsenio Hall, Eddie Harris, Johnny Hartman, Henry Johnson, Etta Jones, Yusef Lateef, Ramsey Lewis, Herbie Mann, Letta Mbulu, Les McCann, Wes Montgomery, Billy Paul, Dianne Reeves, Marlena Shaw, George Shearing, Dakota Staton, Stanley Turrentine, Sarah Vaughan, and Maxine Weldon.

When “Men, Women, and Girl Singers" (Levy's life story written by his wife, Devra Hall) was published in 2001, Levy said, “I'd like to be remembered as someone who helped musicians and singers spread the love of jazz around the world." It seems only fitting that the NEA honor him for that.

Initiated in 1982, the NEA Jazz Master title is the nation's highest honor in this distinctively American art form. Levy is looking forward to joining his 2006 Fellows - Ray Barretto (percussionist), Tony Bennett (vocalist), Bob Brookmeyer (arranger-composer), Chick Corea (keyboardist), Buddy DeFranco (solo instrumentalist, clarinet), and Freddie Hubbard (solo instrumentalist, trumpet) - at the January 2006 awards ceremony in New York City.

John Levy heads John Levy Enterprises, Inc. in Altadena, California, where he with his wife Devra Hall currently reside.