16th Annual Kids Jazz Concert Series | April 4th – May 2nd, 2009

Free Jazz Series Celebrates 16 Years

NEWARK,
NJ,  – WBGO-FM/Jazz88.3 kicks off the 16th annual Kids
Jazz Concert Series, bringing jazz culture and performance to young
people in New York and New Jersey on Saturday afternoons, beginning
April 4 and ending May 2. These free interactive, hour-long programs
give young people opportunities to learn about the distinct qualities
of jazz, and why it is a reflection of our community, nation and world.
Top jazz and blues artists produce special programs tailor-made for
young people. The 12:30 pm performances include Q&A sessions with
the artists, a prize drawing and gifts.

Just one of the many
youth initiatives that WBGO produces, the Kids Jazz Series has seen a
significant growth in attendance each year. The Series takes place
twice a year in the spring and fall.

Spring Program 2009
April
4: Robbi K & Friends – Celebrate Difference!, Newark Museum, 49
Washington Street, Newark, NJ; (973) 596-6550. Robbi K & Friends’
Jazz Quotes is a multiple language, interactive concert with Robbi K on
piano and vocals backed by Bakithi Kumalo (from the Paul Simon Band) on
bass, master trumpeter Jimmy Owens, internationally-renowned
vibraphonist/mallet percussionist Bryan Carrott, Mark Gatz on sax and
Mark Portugal on drums. Don’t miss the global expedition of music that
digs into melodies of the blues and world grooves, along with plenty of
jazz favorites and some original Robbi K compositions.

April
18: Steve Turre – The Blues & Jazz, NJPAC, Victoria Theater, One
Center Street, Newark, NJ; (888) 466-5722. One of the world’s
preeminent jazz innovators, trombonists and seashellists, Steve Turre
was born to Mexican-American parents and grew up in the San Francisco
Bay area where he absorbed daily doses of mariachi, blues and jazz. He
continually evolves as a musician and arranger and has a strong command
of all musical genres. When it comes to his distinct brand of jazz, he
always keeps one foot in the past and one in the future.

April
25: Steven Kroon Sextet – World Rhythms in Jazz, Montclair Museum, 3
South Mountain Avenue, Montclair, NJ; (973) 746-5555. One of the
world’s most diverse percussionists, Steven has performed with Diana
Krall, Aretha Franklin, The Temptations, Bill Cosby, Bette Midler,
Spyro Gyra and more than 20 years with Luther Vandross. With roots
grounded in Puerto Rico and Curacao, he studied Afro-Cuban percussion
and Brazilian rhythms; it’s no wonder that his program features rhythms
from around the world.

May 2: Winard Harper – Music as
Conversation, Flushing Town Hall, 137-35 Northern Blvd., Flushing, NY;
(718) 463-7700. Constantly in reverence of his predecessors while
remaining innovative in his own right, Winard has become one of the
most celebrated drummers in jazz. He is a virtuoso on the drum set as
well as the balafon, the West African equivalent of the marimba. He is
passionate about jazz. “This music is powerful, ” he says. “It can do a
lot of good for people. If they’d spend some time each day listening to
it, we would see many changes in the world.” Hear how music is
conversation and watch as young people learn a whole new language.

Adults must be accompanied by a child. All concerts are held in handicapped accessible venues.

Sponsors
for the WBGO Kids Jazz Series are Prudential, NJPAC’s Wachovia Jazz for
Teens, PSE&G and New Jersey State Council on the Arts.

For more information, contact (973) 624-8880 or visit wbgo.org.

***