The African American Jazz Caucus/Historically Black Colleges & Universities (AAJC/HBCU) Student All-star Big Band was conceived in 2001, by AAJC Executive Director and master musician/educator, Dr. Larry Ridley. The Band made its debut at the 2002 International Association for Jazz Education (IAJE) Conference, in Long Beach, California. Since its inception, the students who audition and schools they represent have increased. This past year, more than 60 applicants participated in the auditions for the 2006 IAJE Conference, which was held in New York City. They represented 13 different HBCU Jazz Programs. The guest soloist was National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Jazz Master, Jimmy Heath, performing two of his compositions.
The AAJC/HBCU Student All-star Big Band is made up of the finest young talent culled from outstanding Jazz Programs in the HBCU system. The AAJC/HBCU Jazz Directors Committee is comprised of Dr. Russell Thomas, Chairman, Jackson State University; Vice-Chairman, Dr. Ira Wiggins, North Carolina Central University; Dr. Howard Harris, Texas Southern University and Professor James Patterson, Clark Atlanta University.
The AAJC/HBCU Student All-star Big Band’s initial performance for the general public was given in 2004, at the New York Public Library’s Schomburg Center, in Harlem. The invitation to perform as a featured headliner at the prestigious Notre Dame Collegiate Jazz Festival, on Saturday, March 4, 2006, represents another milestone for the Band. Future touring opportunities are being planned.
In keeping with the AAJC’s comprehensive focus on the full spectrum of the legacy of the Jazz tradition, the AAJC/HBCU Student All-star Big Band’s repertoire spans the entire history of the music. Among the classic composers whose works are featured are: Fletcher Henderson, Mary Lou Williams, along with living legends such as Gerald Wilson, Frank Foster and Jimmy Heath, who have conducted and/or performed with the Big Band at past performances. Original works by members of the Jazz Directors Committee are also included.
The highly acclaimed performance from the 2004 IAJE Conference is available on an Enhanced CD, produced by the AAJC. The CD provides full testimony to the scope of the Big Band’s command of the full Jazz repertoire. It includes works by Benny Carter, Charles Mingus, Fletcher Henderson, Chu Berry, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Gil Fuller and Dr. Howard Harris. Video clips and a PDF file of prior AAJC/IAJE Conference presentations are also included.
It is the firm belief of the AAJC that the AAJC/HBCU Student All-star Big Band will aid in reinstating the tradition of Mentor/Apprenticeship, while providing a springboard for some of the music’s potential leaders.
For more information about the AAJC/HBCU Student All-star Big Band and the AAJC, please visit
www.aajc.us.
Posted By: Dr. Larry Ridley
Monday, February 6th 2006 at 11:12PM
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