Newport Jazz Assembly, a performance series presented by Newport Festivals Foundation, Inc.™, Inc. will bring music to elementary schools throughout Rhode Island and Massachusetts for a second season beginning this week.
The series, funded by Newport Festivals Foundation, Inc. with support from the Estate of H. Stewart Ross, connects professional musicians to schools with minimal or no music programs to present jazz concerts for students who may not have had the experience of attending a live concert. Additional support comes from Up with School Arts, a Little Compton not-for-profit organization that takes live music and symphony musicians to schools.
Each Assembly, which will introduce students to the music presented at the Newport Jazz Festival®, will be 35-40 minutes long and will consist of oral presentations, question/answer sessions and several musical segments that will span the timeline of jazz history, including Dixieland, Big Band, Bebop, Fusion, Cool and Modal Jazz.
Band members are Ben Marcoux, bandleader/saxophones/clarinet; Joshua Bruneau, trumpet/flugelhorn; Jimmy O’Connell, trombone; Tony Davis, guitar; Noah Barker, keyboard; Alex Tremblay, upright bass; and Mike Camacho, drums. Deborah Ross, Newport Festivals Foundation Director of Education, is the project director.
The 2016 Fall Newport Jazz Assembly Schedule is:
Tuesday, October 11 – COMPLETED
Goff Middle School
Pawtucket, RI
Wednesday, October 12
Holy Family Holy Name
New Bedford, MA
Tuesday, October 18
Samuel Slater Jr. High School
Pawtucket, RI
Wednesday, October 19
Blackstone Valley Prep Academy
Cumberland, RI
Monday, October 24
Stone Hill Elementary School
Cranston, RI
Tuesday, October 25
Aquidneck Elementary School
Middletown, RI
Wednesday, November 2
Ft. Barton Elementary School
Tiverton, RI
Wilbur & McMahon School
Little Compton, RI
Wednesday, November 16
Northern Lincoln Elementary School
Manville, RI
Thursday, November 17
Mercymount Country Day School
Cumberland, RI
Stay tuned for more information on the 2017 Newport Jazz Festival, which takes place August 4-6 at historic Fort Adams State Park and the International Tennis Hall of Fame at the Newport Casino. To learn more about the Festival, visit www.newportjazzfest.org.
Newport Festivals Foundation™ was founded by George Wein in 2010 to build and continue the legacies of the famed Newport Jazz Festival® and Newport Folk Festival®. Under the auspices of the Foundation, the Newport Jazz Festival presents performers who respect and honor jazz music traditions, and at the same time reflect the changes in today’s musical trends. In addition, the Foundation presents programs to educate young people about jazz and folk music as presented at the annual festivals. For more information, please visit www.newportfestivalsfoundation.org.
