Calvin Jones BIG BAND Jazz Festival
Encyclopedia
Usually held the last Monday evening in April, the Calvin Jones BIG BAND Jazz Festival features big band
jazz
ensembles from three Washington, D.C.
area universities - University of the District of Columbia
(UDC), Howard University
, and the University of Maryland
. Both traditional and contemporary big band jazz arrangements make up the programs of the three ensembles.
Produced by the UDC Jazz Studies Program and the Felix E. Grant Jazz Archives, the festival began in 1987 as part of a citywide tribute to Duke Ellington
and was originally called the University BIG BAND Jazz Festival. In 2004 the official name of the festival was changed to the Calvin Jones BIG BAND Jazz Festival, in memory of Calvin Jones, director of UDC's Jazz Studies program and a legendary figure in the Washington, D.C. community.
In subsequent years the festival has been organized as A Tribute to Count Basie
(1988); A Celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area (1991); A Tribute to Dizzy Gillespie
and Dr. George Ross (1993) ; and A Tribute to Felix Grant
(1994). April 1996 marked the 10th Anniversary of the festival, and in 1999, UDC joined the city in celebrating the 100th Anniversary of Duke Ellington
's birth. Since 2002 the festival has celebrated Jazz appreciation month
(JAM) - an initiative launched by the Smithsonian Institution that serves as an annual affirmation of jazz. April 2006's festival marked the first with the new logo. On Monday, April 28, 2008 the jazz ensembles from the University of the District of Columbia (directed by Allyn Johnson), Howard University (directed by Fred Irby III) and the University of Maryland (directed by Chris Vadala) celebrate the festival's 22nd year.
BET on Jazz, the Cable Jazz Channel taped the 1998 festival and aired the program on BET on Jazz's-Jazz Scene. Washington D.C.'s Jazz Messenger-WPFW
89.3 FM broadcasts the festival live. UDC Cable Television in cooperation with the D.C. Office of Cable Television and Telecommunications tapes the festival for broadcast on UDC Cable Television. These broadcasts continue to give exposure to a festival that has been supported by area audiences since 1987.
Big band
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
ensembles from three Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
area universities - University of the District of Columbia
University of the District of Columbia
The University of the District of Columbia is a historically black, public university located in Washington, D.C. UDC is one of only a few urban land-grant universities in the country and a member of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund...
(UDC), Howard University
Howard University
Howard University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States...
, and the University of Maryland
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
. Both traditional and contemporary big band jazz arrangements make up the programs of the three ensembles.
Produced by the UDC Jazz Studies Program and the Felix E. Grant Jazz Archives, the festival began in 1987 as part of a citywide tribute to Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...
and was originally called the University BIG BAND Jazz Festival. In 2004 the official name of the festival was changed to the Calvin Jones BIG BAND Jazz Festival, in memory of Calvin Jones, director of UDC's Jazz Studies program and a legendary figure in the Washington, D.C. community.
In subsequent years the festival has been organized as A Tribute to Count Basie
Count Basie
William "Count" Basie was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. Basie led his jazz orchestra almost continuously for nearly 50 years...
(1988); A Celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area (1991); A Tribute to Dizzy Gillespie
Dizzy Gillespie
John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie was an American jazz trumpet player, bandleader, singer, and composer dubbed "the sound of surprise".Together with Charlie Parker, he was a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz...
and Dr. George Ross (1993) ; and A Tribute to Felix Grant
Felix Grant
Felix E. Grant was a disk jockey who specialized in jazz during a long career in radio and television in Washington, D.C.; primarily on station WMAL, the local ABC affiliate. In addition to playing records, he was distinguished for his many interviews with performers. Many of those interviews...
(1994). April 1996 marked the 10th Anniversary of the festival, and in 1999, UDC joined the city in celebrating the 100th Anniversary of Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...
's birth. Since 2002 the festival has celebrated Jazz appreciation month
Jazz appreciation month
Jazz Appreciation Month is a music festival held every April in the United States, in honor of jazz as an original American art form. JAM was created by John Edward Hasse, PhD, curator of the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History...
(JAM) - an initiative launched by the Smithsonian Institution that serves as an annual affirmation of jazz. April 2006's festival marked the first with the new logo. On Monday, April 28, 2008 the jazz ensembles from the University of the District of Columbia (directed by Allyn Johnson), Howard University (directed by Fred Irby III) and the University of Maryland (directed by Chris Vadala) celebrate the festival's 22nd year.
BET on Jazz, the Cable Jazz Channel taped the 1998 festival and aired the program on BET on Jazz's-Jazz Scene. Washington D.C.'s Jazz Messenger-WPFW
WPFW
WPFW, an FM station at 89.3 MHz, is the Washington, DC station owned by Pacifica Radio. The station first went on the air in 1977. Aside from syndicated Pacifica programs such as Democracy Now!, much of its programming is locally produced and dedicated to jazz, blues, classic soul music and...
89.3 FM broadcasts the festival live. UDC Cable Television in cooperation with the D.C. Office of Cable Television and Telecommunications tapes the festival for broadcast on UDC Cable Television. These broadcasts continue to give exposure to a festival that has been supported by area audiences since 1987.
Jazz Ensembles
- University of the District of Columbia
- Howard University Jazz Ensemble
- University of Maryland Jazz Ensemble