The ASCAP Foundation Partners With the Newport Jazz Festival

The ASCAP Foundation, led by President Paul Williams, and the Newport Jazz Festival, led by Founder & Chairman George Wein, continue their joint effort to benefit emerging jazz talent for a second year. The Festival, one of the world's leading venues for jazz, will feature a performance by one of the recipients of the 2017 ASCAP Foundation Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Award.

The ASCAP Foundation Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Award jury selected David Leon as the second beneficiary of this partnership with the Newport Festivals Foundation. He will perform his original work at the 2017 Newport Jazz Festival, which takes place in Newport, RI, August 4 - 6.

David Leon is a Cuban-American saxophonist, woodwinds player, and composer living in Miami, FL. He currently leads multiple ensembles including his trio "#bicmnrosfulmfrenh," which was recognized in Downbeat Magazine's Student Music Awards in 2015 and 2016. Leon is an active member of the Miami jazz and creative music scene and continually seeks new sounds to inform his music. He is currently exploring Bulgarian folk music, microtonality, free improvisation and ways of uniting these disparate musical languages through conducted improvisation. In the spring of 2016, Leon graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Jazz Saxophone Performance from the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami.

Saxophonist Yosvany Terry, a regularly featured artist at Newport Jazz Festival and one of the adjudicators for the Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Awards, commented, "David Leon is a great talent representing the newest generation of musicians. The Newport Jazz Festival is an amazing professional opportunity for a young artist. We look forward to hearing more from David in the future and wish him a great success."

George Wein was so impressed with the quality of the music from the recipients of the Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Awards that he sought to collaborate with The ASCAP Foundation to provide a performance opportunity for one of the winners. Wein further commented on the association with The ASCAP Foundation, "We are very happy to continue this association with ASCAP. I have a great deal of respect for Herb Albert and he can be very proud of what his foundation has done for jazz." The performance will take place during the 2017 Newport Jazz Festival (August 4-6, 2017) on the Festival's Storyville stage.

Paul Williams said: "The Newport Jazz Festival has a long and wonderful tradition of presenting the newest generation of talented jazz musicians. The ASCAP Foundation is proud to continue this partnership with the Newport Festivals Foundation by creating an unmatched opportunity for a deserving young artist to perform at such a prominent festival."

The Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Awards were established by The ASCAP Foundation in 2002 to encourage gifted jazz composers up to the age of 30. The program carries the name of the great trumpeter and ASCAP member Herb Alpert in recognition of The Herb Alpert Foundation's multi-year financial commitment to support this unique program. (Guidelines are at www.ascap.com/music-career/support/young-jazz-guidelines.aspx)

About The ASCAP Foundation
Founded in 1975, The ASCAP Foundation is a charitable organization dedicated to supporting and encouraging American music creators through music education, talent development and humanitarian programs. Included in these are songwriting workshops, scholarships, awards, recognition and community outreach programs, and providing grants to other 501(c)(3) organizations engaged in educational programs for aspiring songwriters and composers. The ASCAP Foundation is supported by contributions from ASCAP members and from music lovers throughout the United States. www.ascapfoundation.org

About Newport Festivals Foundation
Newport Festivals Foundation, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit founded by George Wein in 2010 to build up 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. The Foundation offers programs to educate young people about jazz music as presented at the annual festival. For more information, visit newportfestivalsfoundation.org.

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