Harlem School Of The Arts Welcomes Pianist Adegoke Steve Colson South Arts Jazz Road Creative Residencies Grant

The 58-year-old Harlem School of the Arts (HSA), located in New York City's historic community, is proud to welcome Grammy Award nominee and composer/pianist, Adegoke Steve Colson, recipient of the South Arts, 2021 Jazz Road Creative Residencies Grant, which is funded by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.

Through funding made possible by this grant, Mr. Colson will lead Afternoon Jazz @ HSA master classes involving students across HSA's interdisciplinary curriculum and the organization's Jazz Program, and featuring some of the most respected and prolific jazz artists.

"The Harlem School of the Arts and our students are extremely fortunate to have Adegoke, a jazz master and artist-educator as Artist in Residence. This project complements our founder's mission of enriching the lives of our young people, by engaging artists who reflect the community to provide excellence in arts training. This is in keeping with plans to build our curriculum around Harlem's rich cultural history, with jazz as a critical part of that legacy," said Lee Hogans, HSA Chief Education Officer.

The Afternoon Jazz @ HSA series will kick off on Saturday, February 5, in honor of Black History Month with T.S. Monk, son of revolutionary jazz pianist, Thelonious Monk. T.S., who performed in his father's band, is a decorated drummer, bandleader in his own right, and founder of Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz. On March 19, in celebration of Women's History Month, the Marlene Rice String Three-Tet, led by innovative musical artist, violinist, vocalist, arranger, songwriter Marlene Rice , and including the indefinable cellist Nioka Workman, will hold court. In tribute to Jazz Appreciation Month, Adegoke Steve Colson will take center stage on April 30 with a quintet featuring acclaimed vocalist/composer Iqua Colson, renowned drummer Pheeroan akLaff, fiery Saxophonist TK Blue who served as Randy Weston's musical director, and innovative bassist Luke Stewart, who was named one of the 25 most influential jazz artists of his generation by Downbeat Magazine. These events will all be open to students, families, and the community.

A significant part of the residency project includes Mr. Colson writing, rehearsing, and performing a newly commissioned piece - an extended work for octet that celebrates the Harlem School of the Arts. The premiere date for this piece will be announced shortly.