Kennedy Center Announces 2017-2018 Jazz Season
By: A.A. Cristi May. 30, 2017
"From marking the centennial of two important architects of bebop, Thelonious Monk and Dizzy Gillespie, to highlighting the next generation of musicians aiming for the same success that Monk and Gillespie conquered, the upcoming season spans the past 100 years of jazz and celebrates its indelible impact," said Moran. "I am excited for audiences to hear about where we've been, where we are, and where we are going."
The 2017-2018 season includes performances featuring the work of several NEA Jazz Masters, the highest honor that our nation bestows on jazz artists. Saxophonist Lee Konitz will celebrate 90 vibrant years, bassist Ron Carter returns to the Kennedy Center with his own group, Dee Dee Bridgewater rings in the New Year with A Jazz New Year's Eve, pianist and composer Randy Weston and his African Rhythms Octet celebrate the life and legacy of early American bandleader and composer James Reese Europe, and Carla Bley and the Liberation Music Orchestra honor the life and music of bassist and composer Charlie Haden.
Other season highlights include: all-star concerts reveling in the lasting legacies of two bonafide jazz legends, Thelonious Monk and Dizzy Gillespie, whose centennial birthdays land in October 2017; a concert reuniting pioneering South African jazz artists, pianist Abdullah Ibrahim and trumpeter Hugh Masekela; and for the 23rd year, the Kennedy Center will feature the legacy of pianist, composer, educator, and humanitarian Mary Lou Williams with a night of music from some of today's most exciting and respected jazz musicians.
Kennedy Center Jazz continues to foster work that crosses genre lines and encourages artistic exchange. As a part of the grand re-opening opening of the newly reconstructed Terrace Theater, Moran will unite with the Kennedy Center's Artistic Director for Hip Hop Culture, Q-Tip, in their first-ever musical collaboration. As previously announced with the Renée Fleming VOICES series, Kennedy Center Artistic Advisor at Large Renée Fleming will pair her radiant soprano with the iconic sounds of jazz bassist Christian McBride. Through music, song, video, dance, and spoken word, acclaimed photographer and multimedia artist Carrie Mae Weems brings Grace Notes: Reflections for Now, a provocative new work inspired by President Obama singing "Amazing Grace" in the wake of the 2015 mass shooting that killed nine African-American members of a church in Charleston, SC.
This upcoming season also includes two collaborations with the NSO Pops. Coinciding with the one-year anniversary of the opening of the National Museum of African American History & Culture, Moran joins the NSO to perform his lauded score for Ava DuVernay's 2014 Academy Award-nominated film Selma while the audience experiences the film on the big screen. Then, in June, acclaimed singer, songwriter, and Grammy Award winner Gregory Porter lends his deep baritone voice to a night of jazz with the orchestra.
Returning for the 2017-2018 season are two series focused on the next generation of artists: the Discovery Artist series, an initiative founded by the late Dr. Billy Taylor (Kennedy Center Artistic Director for Jazz, 1994-2010), showcasing new and emerging jazz talent; as well as the Betty Carter's Jazz Ahead career development program for aspiring jazz musicians, culminating with three performances on the Millennium Stage.
2017-2018 Jazz Season Schedule
Performance Dates
Theater
Show
September 22, 2017
Concert Hall
NSO Pops: Selma,
A Film and Live Music Event
October 6, 2017
Terrace Theater
Jason Moran and Q-Tip
October 8, 2017
Concert Hall
All-Star Thelonious Monk Celebration
October 13, 2017
Terrace Theater
Renée Fleming VOICES:
Renée Fleming and Christian McBride
October 14, 2017 Eisenhower Theater Into The Woods
Terrace Theater
NEA Jazz Master Lee Konitz at 90
October 21, 2017
Eisenhower Theater
Dizzy Gillespie Centennial Celebration
October 27, 2017
Terrace Theater
NEA Jazz Master Ron Carter
October 29 & 30, 2017
Terrace Theater
Carrie Mae Weems,
Grace Notes: Reflections for Now
November 6, 2017
Theater Lab
Django Festival All-Stars
Featuring Dorado and Amati Schmitt
November 18, 2017
KC Jazz Club
Discovery Artist:
Christian Sands
December 9, 2017
Terrace Theater
NPR's A Jazz Piano Christmas
December 16, 2017
KC Jazz Club
Harriet Tubman: The Band
December 31, 2017
Terrace Theater
A Jazz New Year's Eve:
NEA Jazz Master
Dee Dee Bridgewater's Memphis
January 19 & 20, 2018
KC Jazz Club
Louis Hayes,
Serenade for Horace
January 26, 2018
KC Jazz Club
Discovery Artist:
Joel Ross Good Vibes
February 2, 2018
KC Jazz Club
Ruthie Foster
February 3, 2018
KC Jazz Club
Discovery Artist:
Arcolris Sandoval Sonic Asylum Quintet
February 9, 2018
KC Jazz Club
Eric Harland, Voyager
February 10, 2018
Terrace Theater
NEA Jazz Master Randy Weston's African Rhythms:
A Tribute to James Reese Europe
March 2, 2018
KC Jazz Club
Jason Moran Poetry with Elizabeth Alexander and Yusef Komunyakaa
March 3, 2018
KC Jazz Club
Mingus Big Band
March 9, 2018
Concert Hall
Philip Glass's 20 Etudes
March 10, 2018
KC Jazz Club
Myra Melford, Snowy Egret
March 24, 2018
KC Jazz Club
Akua Allrich
April 6, 2018
KC Jazz Club
Discovery Artist:
Afro Blue
April 28, 2018
Concert Hall
The Jazz Epistles: The Story in Concert
May 5, 2018
Terrace Theater
Celebrate Mary Lou Williams
June 1, 2018
Terrace Theater
NEA Jazz Master Carla Bley and the Liberation Music Orchestra: A Salute to Charlie Haden
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