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| Grammy winners Ramsey Lewis and Al Jarreau took to the stage at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade in a rare performance by these two jazz superstars showcasing their unique talents in the latest Jazz Roots series, a program developed by Larry Rosen, a former jazz musician turned recording DJ and executive producer whose unswerving commitment to the genre has earned him the respect of his peers throughout the world. |
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| Ramsey Lewis |
Al Jarreau |
| And while old school lovers of jazz got a taste of "heaven" as they were entertained by this powerful display of instrumental and vocal expertise, the real winners may have actually been several hundred students from the Miami-Dade Public Schools, who were the special guests at the concert.
Besides being included in a pre-concert sound check, they had the enviable opportunity to ask Rosen and Lewis questions about their careers in jazz while examining their own practical skills and learning more about how to enter the business.
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"The Jazz Roots series is about education and sharing this great musical heritage while celebrating a style that is unique to America," Rosen said. "And the great thing about it is that no matter what musicians I am working with - from Quincy Jones to the two artists featured in this concert, Al Jarreau and Ramsey Lewis, we are all on the same team - it's all about using music to show how we are all connected, from the drums of Africa to the Latin mamba.
Using jazz allows us to celebrate our DNA that connects all humanity, illustrating our common roots while teaching our youth about the many different cultures that make up the entire world of jazz."
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| Photo courtesy of Adrienne Arsht Center |
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| Rosen took on a formidable task when he came to Miami ten years ago because jazz had not been as successful in this city as other forms of music.
But in the decade since his arrival he has brought some of the biggest names in jazz to Miami while selling out auditoriums while entertaining and educating adults and youth alike.
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"We have created a brand that represents the American culture and it's making its mark," he said. "Other performing arts centers are now calling me and want me to help them produce similar shows.
The key is that we are producing good music and with its umbrella being so huge, there are all kinds of ways we can celebrate the beauty of jazz."
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| Lewis, a composer, pianist and radio host, opened the show with his classic piece "Wade in the Water," joined by trio members Leon Joyce (drums) and Larry Gray (bass), later turning to pop classics like "Betcha By Golly Wow," Stevie Wonder's "Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing," and rounding out the show with a medley of tunes from his earliest roots - the Black Church. |
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He also sported a few selections from his most recent release, "Songs from the Heart: Ramsey Plays Ramsey" (2009) and showed that just because he has recorded more than 80 albums and can boast a six-decade career, he can still "make love" to his instrument.
"This is the first recording on which I have my own original compositions on it: that's special to me because while I have always been a composer, I tended to compose only as the need arose," Lewis said. "About three years ago while working on music for the Joffrey Ballet, I found that it was really difficult to write - what was coming out was something close to a "poor man's Tchaikovsky."
My wife suggested that I do what I do best - sit at the piano and improvise. Not only was I aesthetically surprised but I was hooked. To this day whenever I have a moment, I am at the piano composing."
Lewis and Rosen have become friends over the years and that may be one reason that he says he was so excited
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about participating in this latest Jazz Roots presentation - exposing young people to the music that has been part of his life for over 60 years.
"Larry is always working towards elevating, representing and recording the music and while it may be rare for a recording artist like me to become personally connected to the head of a record company (GRP Records) we really have. Educating young musicians is important to both of us because we have seen the change in America where public school systems have cut physical education and the arts in order to save money.
At the same time many of the radio stations that were once playing the music of legends like Benson and Coltrane and Ellington have gone by the way side. The result is a shrinking audience and fewer students who know anything about classical or jazz music.
I learned about jazz when I was in elementary school - in many school districts where they are fighting the battle of the budget, that's no longer happening. That's why these kinds of programs are so important."
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| Ten-time Grammy winner Al Jarreau has slowed a bit since this writer first saw him in a packed Ann Arbor auditorium in the early 80s, but he remains one of the most exciting vocal stylists on the planet and with a superb band and backup singers he had the audience in the palm of his hands - taking on a capella runs and then turning his voice into a bass guitar, a saxophone or even a percussive beat box. |
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The audience was invited to sing along with Jarreau as he took us down memory lane with some of his greatest hits - from "Your Song" and "After All," to "This Time" and his amazing rendition of the classic jazz hit "Take Five."
Two students from local public schools spoke with this writer about the concert and the Jazz Roots series. Both are currently music students who say they want to continue to master their instruments and carry on the legacy of "America's" music.
"Music, particularly jazz, is part of me - I enjoy the freedom because with jazz every instrument is important," said Hector, 16. "I would love to do this for the rest of my life and then pass it on to my children one day. I am the first in my family to play an instrument (baritone and bass trombones) and I am really grateful for this experience."
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Hector was also a member of the first Jazz Roots Student All Star band which debuted in February of this year - after a grueling audition of students from 34 different schools.
South Miami High School senior Chelsea, 18, is a drum major at her school that took up both the clarinet and the alto saxophone and said it was love at first "note."
"With jazz you can express your own personality in the music but you can also listen to other musicians and borrow from them," she said. "It's fabulous to listen to someone like Ramsey Lewis or Al Jarreau - I mean, how do they come up with the ideas for their work and the sounds they make? I have been privileged to attend several concerts now and what I remember the most is how my peers can't stop talking about the performances. This is real music."
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| D. Kevin McNeir, Centre Stage senior editor, Ramsey Lewis, concert guest and Jazz Roots Producer Larry Rosen. Photo by Johnny Rogers |
To find out more about the series and upcoming concerts, go to www.jazzroots.net or
www.arshtcenter.org. |
