school time PERFORMANCE SERIES stefon harris Photo by Jay Savulich Generous support for SchoolTime provided, in part, by

school time PERFORMANCE SERIES stefon harris Photo by Jay Savulich Generous support for SchoolTime provided, in part, by

about the performance in the spotlight: interview with stefon harris Educator, vibraphonist, and composer Stefon Harris is the Jazz Education Advisor at NJPAC. His passion and artistry explore the rich heritage of jazz through cultural connections and compositions. This interactive concert features jazz standards and original compositions. In 1999, the Los Angeles Times called him one of the most important young artists in jazz. Four-time Grammy Award nominee, recipient of Lincoln Center s Martin E. Segal Award and eight-time Jazz Journalist award-winner, Stefon was named winner of the 6th Annual Downbeat Critics Poll for Vibes (2013). He earned a B.M in Classical Music and a M.M in Jazz Performance from Manhattan School of Music. He returned back to Manhattan School of Music in 2017 where he now serves as Associate Dean and Director of Jazz Arts. Mr. Harris was instrumental in the Ninety Miles Project, a jazz album and documentary filmed in Havana, Cuba, released by Concord Picante Records in May 2010. The CD features fellow American jazz artist Christian Scott, and David Sánchez, as well as Cuban composers and artists Rember Duharte and Harold Lopez Nussa. Jazziz Magazine stated that the hyperkinetic polyrhythms laid down by pianist Rember Duiharte s group on the opening track, Nengueleru, clearly distinguishes this set from a conventional Latin-jazz date. In his review of the album, Dave Gelly of the Observer wrote It s well known that standards are ferociously high in Cuba, and the sheer sophistication of the musical dialogue is hugely impressive. The 2009 release of Urbanas was collaboration by the group Blackout. Mr. Harris has been with the group for about six years, and has spoken about how important it is for him to perform with a consistently ensemble, all of whom contributed ideas from their own musical disciplines and cultural backgrounds to the album. The Boston Globe calls Urbanas electric but with a pacing feel still of a classic jazz record. It was named the Year s Best New Jazz by NPR and received a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Jazz Album. Having toured worldwide with his bands and as a member of the SF Jazz Collective, Mr. Harris teaches at New York University and is Artist in residence at the Brubeck Institute (CA), Rutgers University (NJ) and New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC). He also held that title Fontana Chamber Arts (Kalamazoo) and The Lied Center (Lincoln, NE). In December 2011, he presented a TED talk entitled There Are No Mistakes on the Bandstand. Mr. Harris has served on the Executive Board of Directors for Chamber Music of America and was the first musician elected to the WBGO-FM Board of Directors. Stefon Harris passionate artistry, energetic stage presence, and astonishing virtuosity have propelled him into the forefront of the current jazz scene. Widely recognized and lauded by both his peers and jazz critics, he is committed to exploring the rich potential of jazz composition and blazing trails on the vibraphone. WHAT IS THE VIBRAPHONE? The Vibraphone is a percussion instrument similar to the xylophone and marimba as it is an instrument in which mallets are used to strike metal bars made of aluminum in order to create a sound. The player uses mallets (beaters), either one or two in each hand. There are different ways of holding the mallets. Usually they are held between the thumb and index finger, using the other fingers to help control the sticks. Playing with four mallets is harder, but allows the player to play the harmony and melody of a song at the same time. There are tubes underneath each bar called resonators which make the sound louder. Like the piano, a fellow member of the percussion family, the sound can be controlled via an electric motor powered by a pedal. The pedal powers the fans in the ventilators and makes a very strong, vibrating sound, which gives the instrument its name as well as provides control of the length of the notes. Known as a Vibraharp when the instrument was first invented in the United States in 1921, the initial use of the instrument was to add to the large arsenal of percussion sounds used by vaudeville orchestras for novelty effects. By the 1930 s, the vibraphone transitioned into its current life as a jazz instrument. The use of the vibraphone in jazz was pioneered by Drummer Paul Barbarin, with the pianist and Chicago bandleader Luis Russell. The first Jazz musician to use the vibraphone on a jazz recording was the drummer Lionel Hampton in 1930. Tell us more about your work as a musician. How do you feel your sound compares with other jazz artist? What makes you unique? I grew up listening to a wide variety of styles of music from gospel, rap, r&b, jazz to classical music. This wide array of influences is very apparent in the music that I create. Jazz is an art form which expresses an authentic representation of one s life experiences. We create music that is essentially beyond genre and is much more deeply connected to purpose. My work as a musician extends beyond the stage. My core value as an artist is to highlight the transformative power of empathy. When we are on stage playing a concert the musicians are deeply connected to one another through an intense focus on empathy/listening. I take this core value of empathy into the classroom as an educator. It is also quite evident in articles that I ve written and in speeches that I have given in the corporate world and beyond. Why do you believe students should know Jazz standards? Which are the standards you return to, time aftertime? One of the core functions which art serves in our society is to create an opportunity for people to come together. When a group of musicians get together it is important that we have a shared vocabulary of songs. The song serves as a vehicle for our collective creative expression. One of the most common song forms is called the Blues. Since the birth of jazz in the early 1900 s composers have consistently used this form. Examples of tunes which use the blues form include: Now s The Time (Charlie Parker) Sandu (Clifford Brown), Blue Monk (Thelonious Monk), Take The Coltrane (Ellington/Strayhorn), C Jam Blues (Duke Ellington). The Blues is extremely popular in large part due to its pliability. There are literally hundreds of ways to address this seemingly simple 12 bar musical form. Many students don t know much about jazz. What do you want them to learn from your performance? Jazz is fundamentally about communication. It is an art form which gives each individual musician the opportunity to tell his or her unique story while listening to and supporting their fellow band mates. Most of jazz is improvised in the moment and is completely different every time. The music is a beautifully spontaneous combination of each individual s voice. The end result is a sound that could not have been created without the musicians coming together as a team. What we create collectively is far greater than what we could ever imagine as individuals. In jazz, the whole is truly greater than the sum of its parts. How does your professional training and experience inform your performance? Creative improvisation requires the ability to quickly adjust to what s happening in the moment. Jazz musicians must master their instruments and understanding of the mechanics music in order to adjust to an unpredictable environment. If the music suddenly starts to move very quickly we need the technical facility to keep pace with the increasing tempo. The same is true of one s ability to understand and adjust to unpredictable harmonic surprises. How would you like young audiences to approach Jazz? Young audiences should connect with jazz on an emotional level. The most important thing to understand is how the music makes you feel. There is not a right or wrong answer to that question. You don t need to know the history of jazz in order to understand whether it makes you happy or sad. Simply let go and enjoy the ride! What advice would you give to aspiring musicians? You should never forget that the goal is to tell your own story. The reason that we study harmony, rhythm and the master musicians who have come before us is so that we can learn to express ourselves with greater emotional depth. The point of our studies is not to learn how to imitate, but rather to increase our ability to articulate. Jazz is merely a platform, the story is yours. 2 Stefon Harris www.njpac.org/education Stefon Harris www.njpac.org/education 3

The P.E.R.F.O.R.M. activities will enable students to get the most out of a SchoolTime performance TEACHER FOCUS STUDENT ACTIVITY PREPARE for the performance EXPERIENCE the performance REFLECT, RESPOND and READ Introduce the concepts and history of jazz. Play video and audio of jazz artists, especially those playing jazz standards. As you are waiting for the performance to begin, ask your students to experience the performance with all of their senses. How does the performance make them feel? What parts of the performance speak to them most strongly? Reflect on the performance and lead the class in a discussion. How did the history of this art form come alive through the musical choices selected? Pick a jazz standard to explore more fully from www.learnjazzstandards.com/blog/50-jazzstandards-you-need-to-know/ and/or www. jazzstandards.com/compositions/index.htm. Explore the period of time it was written, the artist who first performed it, and anything else you can learn about it. Make a short presentation in class on how this particular standard contributed to this uniquely American art form. Observe how the performance unfolds. Does hearing jazz while learning about its roots and history make it come alive in a way that researching it could not? Observe how the audience around you reacts. How does listening to this type of performance make them feel? Go back to your research on your chosen jazz standard. Was the standard you selected performed? Re-read the materials keeping the performance you just saw in mind. Discuss what new information you ve learned about jazz. standards NJ ARTS STANDARDS NATIONAL ARTS STANDARDS NJ Arts Standards 1.1 The Creative Process 1.2 History of Arts & Culture 1.3 Performance 1.4 Aesthetic Response & Critique National Arts Standards 1: Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work. 5: Develop and refine artistic techniques and work for presentation. 6: Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work. 7: Perceive and analyze artistic work 8: Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work. 11: Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural, and historical context to deepen understanding COMMON CORE STANDARDS/ NJ SOCIAL STUDIES STANDARDS English Language Arts SL 5-12.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions SL 5-12.2 Interpret information presented in diverse media SL 5-12.4 Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas RL 5-12.7 Compare and Contrast Social Studies 6.1.12.D.14.f Determine the influence of multicultural beliefs, products and practices in shaping contemporary American culture FIND THE STANDARDS For more detailed information on the standards, visit these websites: COMMON CORE STANDARDS - www.corestandards.org/ NJ SOCIAL STUDIES STANDADS - www.state.nj.us/education/cccs/2014/ss/ NJ ARTS STANDARDS - www.state.nj.us/education/cccs/2009/1.pdf NATIONAL ARTS STANDARDS - www.nationalartsstandards.org FOCUS ORIGINATE REHEARSE MAKE MAGIC Why is jazz quintessentially an American art form? Are there other forms of music that you would consider to be distinctly American in nature? Prepare the students to work with rhythm to create their own improvisation. Instruct them to use the various different types of beats used in historic jazz, using drums or even just by beating on their desks. They can then speak or scat with the rhythm to create something from their imagination and life experiences. By playing in this way, they can create a new artistic expression inspired by the art form they ve just experienced. Introduce the concept of rehearsal which allows students to build confidence and grow as an artist. Create a stage area and an audience area in the classroom. Introduce and reinforce positive response and constructive critiquing. In small groups, discuss how you and your classmates can use the various rhythms of jazz to make something that is personal and meaningful to you. Decide if you want to work alone or in a group. By using drums or merely beating your fingers on your desk, play with the various different types of jazz, everything from the blues to bebop, Dixieland to ragtime to swing. Consider starting out with one of the jazz standards you researched or heard performed, then improvising upon it. Speak or sing to the rhythm to create a new type of expression. Work in pairs or a group and see what you can come up with using this form of improvisation. Have someone write down the work when you feel you ve achieved something fresh and original. Use your imagination and take a risk both are a part of creating art! It s time to practice. You might have improvised at first, but now it s time to prepare to share with an audience. As you work with the rhythms and accompanying lyrics or melodies you ve settled on, see if you can improve upon them. Practice again, to further refine and polish your ideas. It s time to share your creation. After you re done, be sure to talk with your audience to hear what they thought. Listen to their reactions. Were they were inspired by your creation? RESOURCES WEBSITES AND VIDEOS Stefon Harris Stefon Harris website includes videos, reviews, audio and more www.stefonharris.com Stefon Harris: TED Talk There Are No Mistakes on the Bandstand www.ted.com/talks/stefon_harris_there_ are_no_mistakes_on_the_bandstand#t65235 History of the Vibraphone and Famous Vibraphonists Feeling The Vibes: The Short History Of A Long Instrument www.npr.org/2008/11/17/96965180/feeling-thevibes-the-short-history-of-a-long-instrument Wikipedia Vibraphone https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Vibraphone Terry Gibbs biography www.allmusic.com/artist/terrygibbs-mn0000028692/biography Jazz Profiles with NPR: Terry Gibbs www.authentichistory.com/1600-1859/3-spirituals/ Bobby Hutcherson, Vibraphonist With Coloristic Range of Sound, Dies at 75 www.nytimes.com/2016/08/17/arts/ music/bobby-hutcherson-dies-jazz.html?_r=0 Blue Note Artists: Bobby Hutcherson www.bluenote. com/artists/bobby-hutcherson Roy Ayers Website www.royayers.net/default.aspx Wikipedia: Roy Ayers https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Roy_Ayersy On Jazz and Jazz Standards Learning with Jazz by Lucille Renwick, Scholastic http://teacher.scholastic.com/professional/music/jazz.htm 50 Standards You Need To Know www.learnjazzstandards.com/ blog/50-jazz-standards-you-need-to-know/ Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz www.jazzinamerica.org PBS Jazz Series Web site www.pbs.org/jazz/ The Smithsonian Institute www.si.edu.ajazzh/programs.thm Jazz Timeline www.jazzinamerica.org/jazzresources/timeline The Institute of Jazz Studies www.libraries.rutgers.edu/jazz BOOKS The Jazz of Our Street by Fatima Shaik (Dial Books for Young Readers, 1998) If I Only Had a Horn: Young Louis Armstrong by Roxane Orgill (Houghton Mifflin, 1997) Mysterious Thelonious by Chris Raschka (Orchard Books, 1997) Hip Cat by Jonathan London (Chronicle Books, 1996) What a Wonderful World by George David Weiss & Bob Thiele (Simon & Schuster, 1995) Mama Don t Allow by Thatcher Hurd (Harper Collins, 1985) I m Going To Sing: Black American Spirituals by Ashley Bryan (Mac- Millan, 1982) 4 Stefon Harris www.njpac.org/education Stefon Harris www.njpac.org/education 5

cultural connections who s who of jazz vibraphonists Born in New Orleans in the early 20th century, the roots of jazz music reach deep through the African-American slavery experience. Its early innovators took inspiration from African and European music traditions, then over the years, different musical influences began to emerge in the music mixing and melding elements of Latin music, Caribbean culture, rack, acid and more. These days, jazz has branched into many forms and variations. Jazz evolved from slave songs and spirituals the folk music of the African-American slavery experience. In New Orleans in the 19th century, African slaves would meet at Cong Square where their drumming, dancing and singing recalled the lands and cultures of their origins. After the Civil War, the first jazz bands emerged, with ragtime played on tinny pianos and brass bands trumpeting on the streets. The rhythms, blues-y feel and individualistic style of the music still harkened back to African roots, but the instrumentation and harmonies were European. The improvisation at the heart of every jazz form, evolved from both traditions. supports and responds in a spontaneous conversation. Together they create a powerful communication that is the essence of any jazz performance. When practiced by jazz masters like Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Ella Fitzgerald, Buddy Rich and Thelonious Monk, these unique performances reach the level of true art. Jazz today reaches an international audience and its performers hail from cultures and traditions around the world. Some of these performers are great vibraphonists including Lionel Hampton, Red Norvo, Milt Jackson, Terry Gibbs, Bobby Hutcherson, Roy Ayers, Gary Burton, Steve Nelson, Joe Locke, Bryan Carrot, Jay Hoggard, Warren Wolf, Jason Marsalis, and of course Stefon Harris to name a few. Acclaimed Vibraphonist, Stefon Harris has come from a long vibraphone tradition that dates back to the instrument s birth in 1921. Read below for the who s who of Vibraphonists and explore the YouTube links for examples of their work. Lionel Hampton Hamp s Boogie Woogie: www.youtube.com/ watch?v=bjsv9akngpg Lionel Hampton was born in 1908 in Louisville, Kentucky, and was raised by his mother. He spent his early childhood in Kenosha, Wisconsin, before he and his family moved to Chicago, Illinois, in 1916. As a teenager during the 1920s, Hampton took xylophone lessons from Jimmy Bertrand and started playing drums. Lionel Hampton began his career playing drums for the Chicago Defender Newsboys Band while still a teenager in Chicago. One of his trademarks as a drummer was his ability to do stunts with multiple pairs of sticks such as twirling and juggling without missing a beat. During this period he began practicing on the vibraphone. In 1930, Louis Armstrong came to California and hired his band, asking Hampton if he would play the vibraphone on two songs. This moment jumpstarted his career as a vibraphonist and popularized the use of the instrument, which was invented only ten years earlier. During the early 1930s, he studied music at the University of Southern California. In 1934 he led his own orchestra, and then appeared in the Bing Crosby film Pennies From Heaven (1936) alongside Louis Armstrong wearing a mask in a scene while playing drums. one of the most admired and accomplished vibraphonists in jazz. Hutcherson was inspired to take up the vibraphone around age 12 when he heard Vibraphonist Milt Jackson on a record with with Thelonious Monk, Percy Heath, Kenny Clarke and Miles Davis. He studied piano with his aunt as a child. He worked until he saved up enough money to buy his own set of vibes. Still in his teens, Hutcherson began his professional career in the late 1950s working with tenor saxophonist Curtis Amy and trumpeter Carmell Jones, Eric Dolphy and tenor saxophonist Charles Lloyd at Pandora s Box on the Sunset Strip. Mr. Hutcherson s career took flight in the early 1960s, as jazz was slipping free of the complex harmonic and rhythmic designs of bebop. He was fluent in that language, but he was also one of the first to adapt his instrument to a freer postbop language, often playing chords with a pair of mallets in each hand. He was part of a wave of young artists who defined acclaimed jazz label Blue Note Records foray into experimentalism. Mr. Hutcherson had a clear, ringing sound. More than Milt Jackson or Lionel Hampton, his major predecessors on the vibraphone, his range of sound was one reason for the deep influence he left on stylistic inheritors like Joe Locke, Warren Wolf, Chris Dingman and Stefon Harris. Jazz has been called America s only true Roy Ayers Everybody Loves the Sunshine: www.youtube.com/ art form, perhaps for its sheer democracy. watch?v=1glduusjiia There is no conductor in most jazz Roy Ayers, Jr. was born in Los Angeles, CA on September, performances. Like classical music where Terry Gibbs Opus One: www.youtube.com/ 10 1940. He had a natural affinity to music as his mother the composer s vision and expectations watch?v=tyt2wq67dte Ruby Ayers was a schoolteacher and local piano instructor are key, jazz performers add an element One of the most hyper of all jazzmen, Terry Gibbs is an and his father Roy Sr., a sometimes-parking attendant and of their own unique musical sound and exciting and competitive vibraphonist and band leader for trombonist. Roy began to demonstrate his musical aptitude style, Improvisation. While they work Television. After spending three years in the military during by age five, playing boogie-woogie tunes on the piano. hard to master their instrument using World War II, Gibbs regularly played on 52nd Street, the Roy s destiny as a vibraphonist was sealed when his family technical precision and expertise, their mecca of jazz clubs during that era. Gibbs, along with the attended a concert featuring the great Lionel Hampton s Big goal is never to sound like someone else. late Milt Jackson, mastered the vibraphone in step with Band. During Hamps customary stroll down the aisle to The structure of jazz music is built on the new sound of jazz: bebop. In New York City on furlough thank his audience for attending, he noticed an ecstatic fiveyear-old individual expression. Often, musicians from the Army during World War II, Terry was entranced by boy. Hampton, impressed by the child s enthusiasm, perform improvised solos while the group the music of Charlie Parker. Gibbs spent two solid weeks at walked over and presented a young Roy with the gift of a Minton s absorbing the new bebop style. lifetime- a pair of vibe mallets. Ayers had stints during his After his discharge, Terry headed straight to 52nd Street teens playing flute, trumpet and drums before embracing where he learned to play vibes in a bebop quintet that the vibes as his instrument of choice at age seventeen. featured tenor saxophonist Allen Eager and drummer Roy began his Vibes studies independently. He eventually Max Roach. Even today, Gibbs points to Dizzy Gillespie s discovered that Bobby Hutcherson, a rising vibraphonist, percussive, drum-like approach to trumpet playing as the lived in his neighborhood and began to work under Bobby s primary musical influence in his life. Gibbs won acclaim tutelage. Ayers began his career as a post-bop jazz artist, as the #1 Vibraphonist in the world in both the DownBeat releasing several albums with Atlantic Records, before his and Metronome polls from 1950-1955. Gibbs settled in tenure at Polydor Records beginning in the 1970s, during Los Angeles in 1957, worked in the studios leading jazz which he helped pioneer jazz-funk. Being a key figure in the orchestras and was the musical director of The Steve Allen acid jazz movement, a mixture of jazz into hip-hop and funk, Show during the 1960s. Ayers has been dubbed by many as The Godfather of Neo Photo by Jay Savulich Soul. He is most well-known for his signature compositions Bobby Hutcherson Aquarian Moon: www.youtube.com/ Everybody Loves The Sunshine and Searchin, and is also watch?v=bkh5agvoql8 famous for having more sampled hits by rappers than any Bobby Hutcherson, born January 27, 1941, in Los Angeles, is other artist. 6 Stefon Harris www.njpac.org/education Stefon Harris www.njpac.org/education 7

NJPAC STAFF LISTING (PARTIAL LISTING) John R. Strangfeld, Chair John Schreiber, President & CEO Alison Scott-Williams, Vice President of Arts Education Danielle Thompson, Administrative Assistant to the Vice President of Arts Education Kristina Watters, Manager of Operations and Systems Caitlin Evans-Jones, Director of Partnerships, Performances, and Professional Development Rosa Hyde, Manager Arts Education Performances Patricia Sweeting, Coordinator, Performances and Recruitment Jennifer Tsukayama, Senior Director of Arts Education Jamie M. Mayer, Director of In-School Programs Victoria Revesz, Manager of In-School Programs Kyle Conner, Coordinator of In-School Programs Mark Gross, Director of Jazz Instruction Alexis Almeida, Coordinator of Music Programs and New Initiatives Tara Baker, Office Manager, Arts Education Raven Oppong-Boateng, Program Assistant, Arts Education Teacher Resource Guides Michelle Cameron, The Writers Circle LLC Judith Lindbergh, The Writers Circle LLC Lia Di Stefano, Graphic Design, liadidadesign.com BRING THE ARTS TO YOUR SCHOOL In-School Residencies: Drama + Social Studies. Dance + Math. It all adds up in NJPAC s In-School Residencies in which professional teaching artists partner with educators to bring the arts into the classroom. Each 7- to 10-week program culminates in a student performance or an interactive family workshop. All programs address state and national standards. NJPAC is the regional provider in New Jersey for international arts programs like the Wolf Trap Institute s Early Learning Through the Arts Program and Dancing Classrooms Global. Assemblies: NJPAC presents engaging school assembly programs that are presented by professional artists that invite students into the enchanting world of live performance. NJPAC s assembly series promotes cultural awareness and invigorates learning by presenting works that are connected to your s school s curriculum. STUDY THE ARTS AT NJPAC After School and Saturday Programs: NJPAC s after school and Saturday programs are geared towards students at every level from those who dream of starring on Broadway to those who are still learning their scales. Students work with professional artists to build technique and develop their own creative style in chorus, contemporary modern dance, hip hop, jazz, musical theater and symphonic band. Summer Programs: Want to begin to explore the arts? Or immerse yourself in the study of one genre? Then join us at NJPAC next summer in one of seven programs that spark the creativity in every child through the study of music, dance and theater. NJPAC Arts Education programs are made possible through the generosity of our endowment donors: The Arts Education Endowment Fund in honor of Raymond C. Chambers, The Joan and Allen Bildner Family Fund, Albert and Katherine Merck, and The Sagner Family Foundation Generous annual support for NJPAC Arts Education Programs is provided by: NJ Advance Media/The Star-Ledger, McCrane Foundation, Inc., care of Margrit McCrane, John and Suzanne Willian/Goldman Sachs Gives, MCJ Amelior Foundation, Amy Liss, Jennifer A. Chalsty, Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies, Panasonic Corporation of America, and Atlantic, Tomorrow's Office, Stewart and Judy Colton For more information or to schedule an appointment, please call our education sales team at 973-353-7058 or email us at artseducation@njpac.org. Visit us at www.njpac.org/education. New Jersey Performing Arts Center One Center Street Newark NJ 07102