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Jazz songs may not be hitting on the Billboard charts anymore, but still, jazz musicians have created a lasting friendship with classic American songbook. Byron Stripling, the vocalist and the trumpet player and also the leader of Friday’s Jazz Legends event, told that even though most of these songs were written during 1920s and 30s, this is an enduring music which continues to be played and sung right up to the artists of these days.

This type music has been mainly good to Byron, whose music career goes to take him across the world and into several recording studios and the long list includes his debut in the Carnegie Hall with Skitch Henderson as well as New York Pops; diddling in Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra; as well as touring with Clark Terry, Count Basie Orchestra and Woody Herman.

He told that for him it is just being on the stage. It does not matter where he is – it is just special. It is like a church. People come to the theater with lots of problems of their own. The performers on the stage have the duty to take the spectators to another place. To offer them love, peace, happiness and comfort through art, no matter whether it is music or theater or what.

The annual series of the jazz legends started thirteen years ago, an event for the well known musicians playing. Stripling stated it as straight-up-and-down and mainstream.

Frank Wright Middle School’s assembly room was filled to capacity with finger snapping, toe tapping community members in the nineteenth Afternoon of Jazz concert event here on Sunday. Jimmie Cannon’s Valley Jazz started the festivities as well as featured Cannon’s son – Derek, as the special musical guest.

Derek told that this really brings back a lot of fond memories. It is great to see old friends and it is just another way to keep his father’s memory alive.

Along with Valley Jazz, the musical talents of different high school jazz bands in Imperial Valley were also on the display for dozens of attendees. Derek told that this is really great to see the community so supportive of the students and music education.

The event also recognized 6 student musicians from the different high schools with Danny Valladolid Memorial Scholarship that was made in memory of Valladolid, the man who passed away in the year 1993 from leukemia and he was one of the original members of the Valley Jazz when it started in the year 1988, told Renee Baker, who is one of the founding members of the group.

Baker told that the students are recommended by their directors and awarded the scholarship as a way to serve them further their music education. One of this year’s recipients wants to go to jazz camp, so he would be able to use the money for that.

Braden Rollins was one of the 6 students honored and he told that he has worked really hard this year. He has been practicing a lot and taking lessons and he thinks his director saw that.

The twenty seventh annual MCG Jazz will be another star filled affair featuring such musical artists as David Sanborn, Diane Schuur, Ahmad Jamal, Joshua Redman, touring with Bob James for the very first time. Over twenty headliners will perform in the series that will start with a special party on 28th September and will go through till 3rd May, 2014.

This season will celebrate several milestones – like Take 6’s twenty fifth anniversary tour, Gary Burton’s 70th birthday tour with New Gary Burton Quartet as well as 50th anniversary of Paul Winter’s performance at White House.

Newcomers to the event are Spanish Harlem Orchestra, British guitar ensemble Acoustic Alchemy, Chucho Valdes, Kevin Eubanks and Cassandra Wilson.

Australia’s Allan Harris will honor male jazz vocalists with – The Gentlemen Sing: Three Generations of Song, that will feature Philadelphia born Ernie Andrews as well as a new male jazz singer that MCG Jazz will find out via a nationwide search. All the details regarding the selection process will be declared this summer.

The season will start pn 28th September with the MCG Jazz Legends Party featuring Pittsburgh man Ahmad Jamal as well as other Pittsburgh Jazz Legends. MCG Jazz will also induct the new group of Pittsburgh Jazz Legends – J. Warren Watson, George “Duke” Spaulding, Joe Dallas, Frank Cunimondo, Charles “Chuck” Austin, Gene Ludwig, John Wilson, Joe Negri, Art Nance, James Johnson Jr, Roger Humphries, Nelson Harrison, Cecil Brooks II, Don Aliquo Sr. and Harold Betters.

Mark Harvey is a MIT lecturer, but he has another identity; he is a well known jazz trumpeter as well as Aardvark Jazz Orchestra’s founding director. Recently he was honored by elected officials and fellow musicians at the annual event called JazzBoston at the Ryles Jazz Club on 29th January.

JazzBoston is an organization of well known musicians dedicated to preserving and celebrating jazz. They honored Mark for his talents as well as his contributions in the group as educator, minister, composer, band leader and trumpeter. Kenneth E. Reeves, the Cambridge Councillor, presented Mark with a the key to the city. On the other hand Cambridge and Boston officials declared 30th January, 2013 as Mark Sumner Harvey Day

Since the year 1980, Mark has taught different kinds of Jazz subjects in MIT’s Music and Theater Arts Section. He has also performer as a trumpeter in countries like Mexico, United States as well as in many European countries. Mark has performed with several jazz artists such as Kenny Dorham, Joe Carroll, Sam Rivers, Howard McGhee, Claudio Roditi, Gil Evans and many more; he has recorded with Baird Hersey (Arista/Novus Records) and George Russell (Blue Note Records).

Mark Harvey, who is an internationally well known composer, has got several commissions and awards from the MIT Wind Ensemble, the Organization of American Kodaly Educators, the Organization of American Kodaly Educators, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the American Society of Composers, the Meet-the-Composer/Lila Wallace-Reader’s Digest Commissioning Program and Authors and Publishers.

The line which separates the popular culture and high art has been blurred a long time ago, but still old habits die hard. For some, the connection between European jazz music and classical music remains an object of suspicion and fascination.

Many points of argument are as old a jazz itself – a music of performers vs a music of composers; attachment to the written notes vs improvisation; swing vs formality. A jazz roots concert targets to put all these argument on rest on Friday at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts.

The event includes music by Copland, Debussy and Bach, but also by US film composer Henry Mancini, trumpeter Terence Blanchard and pianist Dave Grusin. The brilliant cast of performers includes violinist Mark O’Connor, vocalist Bobby McFerrin, pianists Chick Corea, Elizabeth Roe, Shelly Berg as well as Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra of the University of Miami Frost School of Music.
The event, which is actually a collaboration among the Frost School, YoungArts Foundation and the Arsht Center, is a part of the YoungArts Week and it will be shot by PBS for a special which eill be telecasted later this year.

Larry Rosen, the producer, told that for the 5th anniversary season of the Jazz roots, he wanted to do something special – something like whats on your wish list. Rosen integrated works which shows classical music’s influence on pop and jazz music – such as Spanish Suite or excerpt from Blanchard’s Champion.

The Veterans First Program recently announced that The Commanders Jazz Ensemble is all set to perform at a community concert that will take place at the Las Positas College campus. The Commanders will hit LPC’s Mertes Center for the Arts’ Main Stage auditorium on 10th December, Monday. Since it is a community outreach effort, there is no admission fee, but those who are willing to travel, must know that the parking fee at the college campus is $ 2. Daily parking tickets can also be availed from the vending machines.

The Commanders is based at the Travis Air Force Base; and under the direction of Sergeant Rick Thorp. The band members are highly trained and they play almost everything starting from jazz, to pop tunes, patriotic music, Latin rhythms and even Broadway favorites.

The music of well known jazz artists like Charlie Parker, Count Basie, Woody Herman and Duke Ellington will be featured in the event. Contemporary big band members and composers like Maria Schneider and Gordon Goodwin will also be at the concert.

The Commanders Jazz Ensemble has already performed in the western states like Nevada, Idaho, Washington, Oregon and California both at live concerts as well as via several recordings and radio and television broadcasts. The band members use the power of music to root on other members of the Air Force as well as the people of the United States.

At present, the Las Positas College has around 8500 students and it also offers classes to those students who are in need of a career advancement or employment.