Jazz at Lincoln Center was hopping this week. First, they hosted Jazz Congress, the annual convention that brings together all elements of the jazz community. Wednesday night at the Congress was capped by an emotional all-star tribute concert to the late, great guitarist Russell Malone. Thursday night the Congress concluded with the Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation (LAEF) holding their annual soiree at Dizzy’s Club. It was a New Orleans kind of night (full disclosure, I had to have the gumbo, which I highly recommend). The LAEF All-Star Sextet served as the house band and was composed of all Crescent City natives and long-time friends: LAEF President and Jazz at Lincoln Center Artistic Director Wynton Marsalis (trumpet), his childhood friend and fellow legend Terence Blanchard (trumpet), Branford Marsalis (saxophone), Darrell Lavigne (piano), Chris Severin (bass), and Herlin Riley, the session leader on drums and vocals. The Academy Award and Grammy Award winning Jon Batiste brought even more star power when he joined for two songs on piano and melodica, including one by his cousin and mentor Alvin Batiste. The group played traditional New Orleans numbers by their forefathers (and actual father, Ellis Marsalis) all night. WBGO host Sheila Anderson was the emcee. The jam was loose and authentic. The Marsalis brothers shone particularly on “Basin Street Blues”. Riley was joyful and entertaining and got a room of jazz big wigs on their feet at the end.
The Louis Armstrong Lifetime Achievement Award was given to Roger Dickerson, a New Orleans musician, composer, and educator, who tutored a who’s who of jazz musicians, including most of the house band. Blanchard and Branford Marsalis spoke movingly about Dickerson’s personal impact on their lives and music. Dickerson would take “the dreaded red pencil” to their compositions as teenagers, driving them to be better. The Satchmo Award™ was presented to JoAnne Brackeen, a prodigious pianist and teacher. She stayed on the bandstand for two of her own compositions, a solo piano number and one with the band.
“The Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation awards reflect Armstrong's Promethean legacy as the Founding Father of Jazz, celebrating his lifelong mission to elevate the human condition through the down-home nobility of his art,” said Jackie Harris, executive director of the Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation.
Roger Dickerson’s association with the Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong Summer Jazz Camp and the Thelonious Monk Institute at Loyola University allowed him to work directly with emerging artists, instilling in them the importance of technical precision, historical awareness, and creative individuality. Widely celebrated for his groundbreaking masterpieces, his works include A Musical Service for Louis: A Requiem for Louis Armstrong, the New Orleans Concerto for Piano and Orchestra (which both garnered Pulitzer Prize nominations), Symphonie Congo Squareand Preacher Man! Preacher Man!. Whether teaching in classroom, directing choirs, or mentoring young artists, Dickerson exemplified the highest ideals of education and artistry. His impact on the musical world continues through the many students, colleagues, and audiences he has touched.
Whatever the musical setting, NEA Jazz Master and Satchmo™ Award Recipient JoAnne Brackeen's unique style of playing commands attention. In addition to her captivating and complex improvisations, she has written intricate, rhythmically daring compositions in a wide stylistic range. A full-time professor at Boston’s Berklee College of Music and a guest professor at the New School in New York, she has led clinics, master classes, and artistic residencies worldwide. A child prodigy, who at age 11, learned to play the piano in six months, Brackeen was already performing professionally by age 12. Some of her musical constituents were Art Farmer, Dexter Gordon, Charlie Haden, Billy Higgins, Bobby Hutcherson, Scott Lafaro, and Charles Lloyd. Simultaneously, the Los Angeles Conservatory heard of her musicianship and offered her a full scholarship. She attended classes less than one week before deciding the bandstand was more significant. Brackeen moved to New York in 1965 where she worked with George Benson, Paul Chambers, Lee Konitz, Sonny Stitt, and Woody Shaw. She joined Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers in 1969, becoming the first and only female member of the group. Brackeen then performed with Joe Henderson and Stan Getz before emerging as a leader. The pianist has performed with Terence Blanchard, Michael Brecker, Ravi Coltrane, Jack DeJohnette, Eddie Gomez, Billy Hart, Horace "El Negro" Hernandez, Branford Marsalis, Cecil McBee, John Patitucci, Chris Potter, and Greg Osby. She has recorded more than two dozen albums as a leader and has appeared on nearly 100 additional recordings.
Passing the torch, education, and camaraderie were the big themes of the night. Pops would have loved it.
