downstairs @

THE NELL WINTER SEASON 2014-15

Jazz Spoken Globally

LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT “An Oasis of Cosmopolitan Cool” —­Aspen Skollie The JAS Café, now in its 4th full season of winter & summer performances, has great momentum, having quickly established itself as a one of a kind venue for world-class Artists in a comfortable and sophisticated candle-lit nightclub setting. Aspen’s coolest nightlife addition in years, recalling the best listening clubs of New York or Paris, the JAS Café has quickly become a new fixture for music-loving audiences in an intimate and comfortable setting. We are pleased to report that the JAS Café has developed a reputation for artistic excellence such that audiences are attending consistently, even when they lack personal familiarity with the Artist. Educating Audiences is a core Mission of JAS and we delight in this trend! The JAS Café is always a location for discovery and learning about the many branches of the musical tree of jazz. We believe we are on the right track when someone says to us “You know I never really considered myself a fan of jazz, but I sure loved that performance by so and so.” JAS inaugurates its 25th Season with a gathering of our musical friends at the JAS Café at the Nell over the holidays in December. In the earliest days of JAS, there were frequent musical evenings in small bars and restaurants, living rooms and the occasional garden. Intimacy was always the glue that held us together, regardless of the location. We are thrilled about the outstanding line-up for our Winter 2015 Season! Multiple Grammy nominees, international artists, both popular returning stars and dazzling debuts! Thank for joining us at this season’s performances. Please note that tickets purchased for the shows cover only a portion of the costs of presenting these world-class artists, so please consider a gift of any amount in the attached envelope. JAS sincerely thanks our Founding Season Sponsors, Nancy & Bob Magoon and Kelli & Allen Questrom, without whom this series would have been impossible to launch and to sustain. We also gratefully acknowledge the contributions of our many Host sponsors of individual JAS Café concerts, listed in this program. Finally, JAS thanks The Little Nell for its fantastic support in providing the JAS Café a home for its year round presentations. Thank you for supporting the JAS Café, we hope you enjoy the show and please come again! JIM HOROWITZ Founder President & CEO

2015 JAS BOARD OF DIRECTORS James Horowitz Founder President & CEO Marianne Elmasri Buchholz Chairman Richard Goodman Vice Chair David Chazen Development Chair Charles Cunniffe Governance Chair Kathryn Fleck Peisach Strategic Planning Chair

Marc Goldstein Treasurer Tim LaRose Programming Chair Douglas Paley At-Large Geoff Barker Rick Crandall Susan Crown David Daniels Carol Dobson David Dreman Edouard Gerschel Kitzia Goodman Arjun Gupta

Scott Harper James R. Jackoway James S. Levine Robert Mann Earl Michie William C. Powers Robert M. Sharpe Dean Singleton Thad Smith Shawn Thomson-Palermo CHAIRMEN EMERITUS

James G. Fifield Shelly Friedstein John Provine

COMMUNITY BOARD MEMBERS

Chris Bank

JAS ADVISORY BOARD LIAISON

David Cook EX-OFFICIO

Markey Butler Mayor Snowmass Village JAS LIFETIME TRUSTEES

Charles & Angela Cunniffe Betsy Fifield James G. Fifield & Helen DeFrance Kathryn Fleck Peisach & Harry Peisach Shelly & Golda Friedstein Bill & Marilyn Getz John & Catherine Anne Provine Harold & Dorothy Thau Lantz & Laura Welch

2014-15 Winter Season

3

ABOUT THE JAS CAFÉ “Smoking music, the unmatchable merging of urban and mountain... a downtown Manhattan vibe.” —Aspen Sojourner

Educating Audiences The education mission of JAS extends outside of the classroom and into the Café! The JAS Café Downstairs at the Nell has become a highly successful series of summer and winter jazz performances taking place at The Little Nell Hotel in Aspen. Through the series JAS is educating a wide range of audiences and exposing them to jazz produced by artists from across the globe.

SHOWTIMES: 7:00pm & 9:15pm Nightly. Doors open at 6:00pm for the 7:00pm show. Come early & enjoy dinner off of the Little Nell bar menu (available at all shows). Ajax Tavern will be offering a special pre/post show 3-course pre-fixe menu for just $35. Please call 970-920-6334 for reservations.

TIX & INFO: 866.JAS.TIXX (527.8499), jazzaspensnowmass.org SEATING: » Seating is not guaranteed 10 minutes after show start. » ARRIVE EARLY, especially if you are with a large group, to guarantee the best possible seating. » Reserved seating is only available for JAS National Council members and groups of 8+ if requested in advance. For information on becoming a JAS National Council member please visit our website or call 970.920.4996 ext.15.

Series Generously Hosted by: Bob & Nancy Magoon and Allen & Kelli Questrom ADDITIONAL SUPPORT FOR JAS CAFÉ: Gerhard & Jeanne Andlinger, Richard Crandall & Pamela Levy, Shelly & Golda Friedstein, Toby D. Lewis, Pete & Sam Louras, Larry & Susan Marx, Stan & Isabelle Starn, MarrGwen & Stuart Townsend, K.C. & Randa Weiner, Les Dames d’Aspen, Edward P. Bass, Doug & Kim Borror, Richard & Kitzia Goodman, Nicole Giantonio, Don & Barbara Rosenberg, Jeffery & Elisha Zander, Mary Jane Miller Women in Jazz Fund. As of 11.20.14.

Special thanks to JAS Café Sponsor:

The MISSION of JAS is to present and preserve jazz and related forms of music through world-class performances, events and education programs. A 501c3 organization, since 1996 JAS has donated over $6 million to music education in the Roaring Fork Valley and beyond.

4

JAS Café Downstairs @ the Nell

DECEMBER 19-20 (Friday & Saturday)

JAS 25th Kick-Off James Horowitz Trio

with special guests

Stacey Kent, JimTomlinson, Jimmer Bolden & Mitchell Long

PLUS: JAS Stories

The JAS Founder is back where he started, behind the keys, with a program of Jazz, Brazilian & Blues with friends Stacey Kent, Jim Tomlinson, Jimmer Bolden, Mitchell Long and JAS stories to kick-off the 25th Anniversary season of JAS. Stacey Kent, along with husband Jim Tomlinson on saxophone, performs a beguiling repertoire that ranges from jazz interpretations of the Great American Songbook to Brazilian bossa nova and French chanson. “Her voice is sometimes a whisper, sometimes confiding a murmur, sometimes an exhilarated exclamation; but whatever the idiom or the mood, individual listeners frequently feel that Stacey’s music was intended for their ears only” —Bang & Olufsen Magazine Performing twice at Jazz in Marciac, JAS’ sister festival located in southern France, is just one of the career highlights for Jimmer Bolden, a powerful, passionate vocalist. The most recent highlight is the release of his new recording “I’m Glad I Thought About You,” a collection of diverse arrangements of marvelous standards. Jim Horowitz says of Bolden, “Jimmer has a big voice… a honey voice, a fantastic presence and tremendous range.” BAND MEMBERS INCLUDE: James Horowitz, Piano Mitchell Long, Guitar Paul Romaine, Drums Mark Simon, Bass

8

JAS Café Downstairs @ the Nell

JANUARY 2-3 (Friday & Saturday)

Nicole Henry Generously Hosted by MarrGwen & Stuart Townsend

Since her debut in 2004, Nicole Henry has established herself as one of the jazz world’s most acclaimed vocalists, possessing a potent combination of dynamic vocal abilities, impeccable phrasing, and powerful emotional resonance. Her passionate, soulful voice and heart-felt charisma earned her a 2013 Soul Train Award for “Best Traditional Jazz Performance,” and three Top10 U.S. Billboard and HMV Japan jazz albums. Heralded by The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Japan Times, El Paris, Jazz Times, Essence and more, Ms. Henry tells real stories through repertoire from the American Songbook, classic and contemporary jazz, contemporary standards, blues and originals. BAND MEMBERS INCLUDE: Nicole Henry, Vocals Pete Wallace, Piano Eric England, Upright Bass David Chiverton, Drums Aaron Lebos, Guitar

Presented by

2014-15 Winter Season

9

JANUARY 16-17 (Friday & Saturday)

Bria Skonberg Hailing from Chilliwack, BC and now living in New York City, award winning trumpeter/vocalist/composer Bria Skonberg is “poised to be one of the most versatile and imposing musicians of her generation.” —Wall Street Journal. In 2013 she earned a Jazz Journalists’ Association nomination for “Up and Coming Jazz Artist of the Year” and has been included in DOWNBEAT Magazine’s Rising Star Critics’ Poll the last two years. She has recently been honored with a New York Bistro Award for “Outstanding Jazz Artist” and swept the 2014 Hot House Jazz Magazine Awards in all categories nominated: Best Jazz Artist, Best Trumpet, Best Female Vocalist and Best Group for the Bria Skonberg Quartet. Best known for her knowledge of classic jazz and pursuit of worldwide adventure, Bria is now creating a style rooted in hot jazz, world percussions, soul, and electronic effects available on her newest album Into Your Own. She currently tours the world, headlining major clubs and festivals as well as programming music education workshops for all ages. BAND MEMBERS INCLUDE: Bria Skonberg, Trumpet & Vocals Evan Arntzen, Reeds Sean Cronin, Bass Darrian Douglas, Drums Dalton Ridenhour, Piano

10

JAS Café Downstairs @ the Nell

JANUARY 30-31 (Friday & Saturday)

Sara Gazarek Championed by some of jazz music’s most celebrated figures, Sara Gazarek has emerged as a strikingly original artist with limitless potential. With three highly acclaimed CD’s under her belt at the young age of 30, Sara has been hailed by the LA Times as “the next important jazz singer,” and “impeccable,” by the Winnipeg Free Press. Sara continues to seamlessly combine the intimacy of singer/songwriter stylings with the musical and improvisational elements of jazz. Blessed with a gorgeous, translucent voice, excellent pitch, and supple sense of time, Gazarek is steeped in the jazz tradition, but is not afraid to embrace the music that moves her generation. Her newest CD, Blossom & Bee (2012, Palmetto) was released to rave reviews, as Nick Mondello of Jazz Times has noted “‘Blossom & Bee’ has all the beauty, bite and superb workings of a winner. It’s as good – or better – than some recent Grammy®-nominated or winning female vocalist efforts.” Sara is currently on faculty at the University of Southern California, leading the award-winning vocal jazz ensemble there and teaching privately. Sarah is an alumni of the JAS Academy, the national education program that Jazz Aspen Snowmass hosted for 12 years. The JAS Academy was the nation’s only all-scholarship jazz summer residency program, uniting the finest young jazz artists with the world’s “jazz legends.” BAND MEMBERS INCLUDE: Sara Gazarek, Vocals Josh Nelson, Piano Hamilton Price, Bass Zach Harmon, Drums

2014-15 Winter Season

11

FEBRUARY 12-13 (Thursday & Friday)

The Headhunters From the instant funk classic “Chameleon” to the rare-groove sound of “God Make Me Funky,” The Headhunters have redefined modern funk, world music, and jazz as one of the most innovative groups in history. Following the release of the groundbreaking Head Hunters (1973) the first album to garner gold status in jazz history, the band toured and recorded for several years with legendary pianist Herbie Hancock, releasing the masterpieces Thrust, Flood and Manchild. In 1976 the Headhunters ventured out on their own recording multiple classic albums.

Today The Headhunters have new materials and an exciting live performance that engages the audience, including a mixture of the band’s original hits. Bill Summers & Mike Clark are original and founding members of the Headhunters. The band has toured extensively world-wide in recent years. BAND MEMBERS INCLUDE: Bill Summers, Percussion & Vocals Mike Clark, Drums Donald Harrison, Sax Chris Severin, Bass Stephen Gordon, Keyboard

Presented by

12

JAS Café Downstairs @ the Nell

FEBRUARY 26-27 (Thursday & Friday)

Frank Vignola & Vinnie Raniolo with special guest Andreas Öberg

Generously hosted Stan & Isabelle Starn Frank Vignola is one of the most extraordinary guitarists performing before the public today, including performances at the New York Pops and Boston Pops. Guitar legend Les Paul named Vignola to his “Five Most Admired Guitar List” for the Wall Street Journal. Vignola’s jaw-dropping technique explains why the New York Times deemed him “one of the brightest stars of the guitar.” He has also toured with Madonna, Leon Redbone, Ringo Starr, Wynton Marsalis and Mark O’Connor. At age 26, Vinny Raniolo has already performed at some of the top venues in the world with his music. He has been on numerous recordings with Bucky Pizzarelli, Tommy Emmanuel, Tony Trishka, Matt Flinner, and Ken Peplowski to name a few. Frank and Vinnie tour together world-wide doing over 100 shows annually. Andreas Öberg is a Swedish virtuoso guitarist, gold & platinum songwriter, producer/vocal producer and educator. Andreas has written songs on several #1 chart topping releases in Japan and Korea and to this day has sold more than 1.5 million physical records worldwide.

2014-15 Winter Season

13

MARCH 13-14 (Friday & Saturday)

Poncho Sanchez Generously hosted by Pete & Sam Louras If music were about pictures, percussionist Poncho Sanchez’s music would be best described as a kaleidoscopic swirl of some of the hottest colors and brightest lights to emerge from either side of the border. At any given show, on any given record, fragments of Latin jazz, swing, bebop, salsa, soul, funk, and other infectious grooves collide and churn in a fiery swirl, with results that are no less than dazzling. Although born in Laredo, Texas in 1951 to a large Mexican-American family, Poncho Sanchez grew up in a suburb of LA where he was raised on an unusual cross section of sounds that included straight ahead jazz, Latin jazz, and American soul. By his teen years, his musical consciousness had been solidified by the likes of John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Cal Tjader, Mongo Santamaria, Wilson Pickett and James Brown. Along the way, he taught himself to play guitar, flute, drums and timbales, but eventually settled on the congas.

At 24, after working his way around the local club scene for several years, he landed a permanent spot in Cal Tjader’s band in 1975. Sanchez remained with Tjader until the bandleader’s death in 1982. That same year he signed with Concord for the release of Sonando!, an album that marked the beginning of a prolific musical partnership that spans 30 years and 26 albums! Whether it’s salsa, straight ahead jazz, Latin jazz, or even elements of soul and blues, the mesmerizing array of sounds and colors from Sanchez’s youth have telegraphed across the decades and continue to inform his creative sensibilities to this day. “There’s room for a lot of different sounds in our music,” he says. “I think people have come to know that is what Poncho Sanchez is all about. We put it all together in a pot, boil it together and come out with a big stew. This isn’t some marketing strategy to sell records. These are the sounds I grew up with. So when I play this music, I’m not telling a lie. I’m telling my story. This is the real thing”. BAND MEMBERS INCLUDE: Poncho Sanchez, Congas/Vocals Francisco Torres, Trombone /Musical Director Ron Blake, Trumpet & Flugelhorn Joey De Leon Jr, Timbales Rob Hardt, Saxophones & Flute Andy Langham, Piano Rene Camacho, Bass Angel Rodriguez, Bongos & Percussion Larry Sanchez, Sound Engineer/Production

14

JAS Café Downstairs @ the Nell

MARCH 20-21 (Friday & Saturday)

Jon Cleary Trio Jon Cleary, English by birth, started his journey picking up the guitar at the age of five, surrounded by musicians in his family. His first performance in public was at the age of eleven and by fourteen he was gigging on the UK pub circuit. He arrived in New Orleans at seventeen and got his first piano job subbing for the now legendary pianist James Booker at the Maple Leaf Bar. He further honed his skills when drafted as a sideman for the likes of Johnny Adams, Earl King and Snooks Eaglin and found himself playing long, late night gigs in the clubs of New Orleans and the road shacks of country towns in Louisiana, Texas and Mississippi. Since then he has pursued his own career, delighting audiences around the world as a band leader and solo performer, earning a solid reputation as being, amongst other things, a ‘musicians musician’. He is acknowledged as a leading practitioner of what he calls ‘his hobby’, New Orleans style piano. Jon is a powerful and distinctive vocalist while also having earned respect as a songwriter and arranger. He has been a sideman for the likes of Taj Mahal, Dr John, John Scofield and had a long association with Bonnie Raitt who described him as, “the ninth wonder of the world.” Through it all he has continued to work behind the scenes as a multi-instrumentalist and an all-around session musician whilst developing a firm reputation as an artist with his own distinct sound.

2014-15 Winter Season

15

JAS IN-SCHOOLS AVERAGE ROARING FORK VALLEY PUBLIC MUSIC SCHOOL BUDGET:

$1400

JAS YEARLY EXPENDITURE:

$150,000+

JAS IN-SCHOOLS Educating Students

JAS Local Education Initiatives complement existing public school music programs and replace programs where schools suffer losses in music education. The goal is to ensure that these schools maintain band and music programs in their curriculum. In 2013 over 1400 students were reached through JAS LEI programming! Including:

» 976 Hours of In-Schools Faculty Assistance from Professional Musicians 202 Hours of Private Lessons provided to 70 students » Instrument Donations include guitars, saxophones, clarinets, bass, mini-cello & drum sets » Sponsorship of the JAS District 8 Honor Jazz Program featuring 95 Students » Sponsorship of JAS Band Battle featuring 65 students » Sponsorship of three summer camp programs with 45 student participants » Funding of 6 students through the JAS Student Assistant Program

$6 Million+ to Music Education Since 1996

16

JAS Café Downstairs @ the Nell

JAS IN-SCHOOLS JAS In-Schools Faculty Assistance Program: provides funding to bring local musicians into classrooms to offer student assistance in an instrument that is not their teachers discipline, or in classes that are too large for the teachers to provide individual instruction.

JAS Summer Camps: three sessions of camps including beginner, intermediate and advance each summer. Tickets for Teachers: provides complimentary performance tickets to teachers and students throughout the Roaring Fork Valley school districts to the JAS Experience’s, JAS Downstairs @ the Nell programs, and more.

Pays to Play: fund allowing youth to take private music lessons in any discipline from an instructor recommended by JAS. JAS pays for the first three hours of lessons to increase opportunities for music education while supporting the economy of local musicians. Stuff for Students: supports local schools through instrument and equipment grants and funds to repair broken instruments throughout the school year.

HONOR JAZZ BAND

‘09

JAS District 8 Honor Jazz Program: students from across the Western Slope of Colorado are nominated by their instructors to attend a weekend of workshops, sectionals and public concerts with a faculty from accredited music programs at CU, DU and Mesa State College Band Battle: students from elementary, middle and high schools from throughout the Valley and beyond compete in four hours at this popular annual event. Winners receive a day’s worth of recording time at the Great Divide Studios . JAS Student Assistance Program: provides grants for public music teachers to receive administrative assistance from an upper level student, thereby allowing them more time to focus on teaching vs. the administrative tasks that are often so overwhelming.

JAS Outstanding Student Awards: provides gift certificates for music supplies to deserving students at each Valley Middle & High School as well as an annual Instructors Award.

J A S

BEAT LAB

JAS Beat Lab The Beat Lab is an opportunity for small groups of students to compose music using the Berklee Pulse program. The program was designed to introduce students to the concepts and creation of electronic music and tracks while simultaneously having them create the music that is being used for these tracks. It is an applied education involving them on the instrument they play, learning how to arrange their music with the instruments from other members in the group. Alliance with Berklee College of Music: JAS Aspen Snowmass is a member of the Berklee College of Music’s “Berklee City Music,” a nonprofit music education program that harnesses the energy of contemporary music to reach underserved 4th to 12th graders across the country. The heart of this music education program is the Berklee PULSE, or “Pre University Learning System Experience,” which supports guided teaching and learning of popular music through the use of an innovative, online music education resource.

For more information on how you can help support JAS In-Schools Music Education Programming please visit jazzaspensnowmass.org or call 970.920.4996. 2014-15 Winter Season

17

JAS 25TH ANNIVERSARY HIGHLIGHTS With a mix of new artists and returning favorites, exciting collaborations, memorable special events and more, JAS’ 25th Anniversary is promising to be special! Take a look at a few of the highlights and expect MANY MORE exciting announcements soon!

JAS at the Wheeler

Wednesday, February 4

“Strings Attached” featuring: Dianne Reeves, Russell Malone, Romero Lubambo

A four-time Grammy® winner, Dianne Reeves has recorded and extensively performed with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra and Wynton Marsalis, who said of Reeves, “She has one of the most powerful, purposeful and accurate voices of this or any time.” This special “Strings Attached” date features Ms. Reeves in a stunning collaboration with two guitar virtuosos. The group last played at JAS in June 2008.

[Tickets: aspenshowtix.com, 970.920.5770]

Saturday, February 14

Marcus Roberts

“We call him the genius of the modern piano...because he is!” says Wynton Marsalis of pianist Marcus Roberts. He’s able to play jazz in any style, from Fats Waller to Thelonious Monk to Ray Charles and everywhere in between. He has performed with symphony’s all over the world with his long time mentor, Maestro Seiji Ozawa, including the Berlin Philharmonic.

Monday, July 6 - Benedict Music Tent

Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra featuring Wynton Marsalis

Presented in collaboration with the Aspen Music Festival & School Tickets & Info: aspenmusicfestival.com, 970.925.9042 Wynton Marsalis is an internationally acclaimed jazz musician, composer, band-leader, and educator. By creating and performing an expansive range of brilliant new music for groups across the jazz spectrum, Wynton has expanded the vocabulary for jazz and created a vital body of work that places him among the world’s finest musicians and composers. The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, led by Marsalis, is made up of 15 of the finest soloists, ensemble players, and arrangers in jazz music today. 2014-15 Winter Season

19