March 24, 2016 Concerts, Events Celebrate "Jazz at the Nation's Library"

In celebration of its 90th anniversary season, the "Concerts from the Library of Congress" series has joined with the Chicago-based Reva & David Logan Foundation to showcase the Library's major jazz collections in concerts, talks, workshops and a new commission that features some of the hottest figures and musicians on the international jazz scene. Bandleader Maria Schneider, pianist Abdullah Ibrahim and writer Dan Morgenstern each will be in residence at the Library of Congress this spring, through the generosity of the Reva & David Logan Foundation. Schneider and Ibrahim will be joined by their respective ensembles to offer a cross-section of contemporary jazz in concert.

Ibrahim and writer Dan Morgenstern will inaugurate the new Library of Congress Jazz Scholars program, which offers leaders in the field of jazz the opportunity to engage with the Library's jazz collections and present their findings in performance, interviews and scholarly presentations. Closing the season will be a special "Library Late" presentation of The Pedrito Martinez Group, whose leader was named one of the "80 Coolest Things in Jazz Today" by "DownBeat."

The centerpiece of the "Jazz at the Nation's Library" mini-series is a new big band commission for Maria Schneider, which will receive its world premiere in the Coolidge Auditorium on April 15. Funded by the Reva & David Logan Foundation, the commission commemorates the legacy of philanthropist David Logan (1918-2011), a jazz advocate whose impact is visible around the United States. Logan, who served on the Illinois Arts Council for 29 years, underwrote Ken Burns' documentary "Jazz" and supported the founding of the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts at the University of Chicago.

Maria Schneider's music has been hailed by critics as "evocative, majestic, magical, heart-stoppingly gorgeous, and beyond categorization." The multiple GRAMMY® award-winning composer and bandleader spends a week at the Library this spring for a special residency project that includes her mainstage concert, a workshop for local jazz students and a panel discussion on arts entrepreneurship.

South African icon Abdullah Ibrahim is a global ambassador for jazz, as both a pianist and composer. A onetime protégé of Duke Ellington, Ibrahim's talent and authenticity as a performer will be on display in a captivating concert with his Mukashi Trio. Ibrahim, who has worked tirelessly to expand music education and the jazz scene in South Africa, will lead a public jazz workshop featuring local jazz artists in the Bohemian Caverns Orchestra and students of the Levine Music Premier Jazz Combo.

Jazz guru Dan Morgenstern is legendary for his jazz criticism and scholarship. As the former editor of "DownBeat" magazine, Morgenstern's work set the bar for contemporary jazz studies. After a successful lecture appearance at the Library in December, Morgenstern returns to further delve into the Library's jazz holdings. His research will be incorporated into a series of blogs and interviews, as well as a lecture, "Freedom Now! Jazz and the Civil Rights Movement."

A master of Afro-Cuban folkloric and jazz music, Pedrito Martinez doesn't just play the obligatory handful of standard batá rhythms—he plays the monumentally complex "Oru seco" exquisitely on each drum, or on all three at once. He's also the world's first-call "rumbero"—playing, singing and dancing with dozens of groups and on over 100 recordings, and in films including "Calle 54" (2000) and "Chico and Rita" (2010).

The Reva & David Logan Foundation (www.loganfdn.org External) provides support to the arts, social justice, scholarship and investigative journalism. "Concerts from the Library of Congress" began its collaboration with the Logan Foundation in 2015. The foundation recently committed to support three years of jazz programming at the Library, via concerts, commissions and the jazz scholars program. This unprecedented support underscores the Library's commitment to collect and preserve jazz for research use and to make those collections available to the public at no cost through engaging artistic and scholarly presentations.

The "Concerts from the Library of Congress" series is made possible through the generous support of endowments given to the Library by private donors. The series is presented free of charge to the public but requires tickets for admission. Tickets for "Concerts from the Library of Congress" events are distributed through Eventbrite. Tickets may be accessed via www.loc.gov/concerts/ or via the free Eventbrite mobile app for iOS or Android devices (Eventbrite.com). Tickets are not required to attend pre-concert presentations.

Rush Passes for Sold-Out Events
Please note, some festival events will be listed as sold out. However, a limited number of rush passes will be available, at no cost, two hours before performances. Patrons are strongly encouraged to try for a rush pass at the door. Due to no-shows and returned tickets, some seats are often available for sold-out performances at curtain time. Rush passes are offered on a space-available basis. Seats are not guaranteed.

"Jazz at the Nation's Library" Event Listings

Events will take place in the Library's Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First Street, S.E., Washington, D.C., and its James Madison Building, 101 Independence Avenue, S.E., Washington, D.C.

Tuesday, April 12, 2016, 7 p.m., Montpelier Room, James Madison Building
Panel Discussion: "Artists' Rights and the Digital Marketplace"
Jazz composer and bandleader Maria Schneider will be joined by singer-songwriter Spree Wilson for a panel discussion on the linkage between artists' rights and the digital-music marketplace. Wilson is an acclaimed artist who co-wrote the song "Sin City" on the Good Music album "Cruel Summer," which appeared #1 on the U.S. top R&B/Hip Hop album chart. Moderated by Jennifer Cutting, folklife specialist, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress. This event was rescheduled from Wednesday, April 13, 2016. Tickets for the original date will be honored.

Friday, April 15, 2016, 8 p.m., Coolidge Auditorium Thomas Jefferson Building
Maria Schneider Orchestra
Schneider conducts her orchestra—a 17-member collective made up of many of the finest jazz musicians performing today—and unveils a new Library of Congress commission, created with support from the Reva & David Logan Foundation. There will be a pre-concert conversation (6:30 p.m., Whittall Pavilion) with Maria Schneider and jazz curator Larry Appelbaum.

Saturday, April 16, 2016, 2 p.m., Coolidge Auditorium Thomas Jefferson Building
Maria Schneider Workshop
Maria Schneider leads a jazz workshop with Washington-area bands: the Bohemian Caverns Jazz Orchestra, directed by Brad Linde, and the Levine Music Premier Jazz Combo. Schneider will focus on performance practices and lead a conversation about entrepreneurship in developing a music career.

Monday, April 18, 2016, 4 p.m., Coolidge Auditorium
Abdullah Ibrahim Workshop
Pianist and composer Abdullah Ibrahim conducts a workshop and Q&A session for local jazz students from George Mason University and Georgetown Day School.

Tuesday, April 19, 2016, 7 p.m., Montpelier Room, James Madison Building
Abdullah Ibrahim in Conversation
Larry Appelbaum, the Music Division's jazz curator, leads a conversation with Abdullah Ibrahim about his prolific life in jazz.

Thursday, April 21, 2016, 8 p.m., Coolidge Auditorium Thomas Jefferson Building
Abdullah Ibrahim Mukashi Trio
South African jazz pianist and composer Abdullah Ibrahim presents his Mukashi Trio in original works for piano, cello and woodwinds. Pre-concert lecture (6:30 p.m., Whittall Pavilion) by Dan Morgenstern, "Freedom Now! Jazz and the Civil Rights Movement"

Saturday, May 14, 2016, 9 p.m., Coolidge Auditorium Thomas Jefferson Building
Library Late: The Pedrito Martinez Group
Led by formidable front man and percussionist Pedrito Martinez, the Pedrito Martinez Group brings the best of Afro-Cuban folkloric and jazz music.