Happy Holidays to all of our wonderful supporters! As we look ahead to a very exciting continuation in 2025 of the meteoric success of Jazz Outreach Initiative, it's a time to reflect on the incredible growth JOI experienced in 2024 with your help! Together, we are fulfilling the motto we've used since early 2017, "Let's Make a Difference!" And what a difference you've made... Here are a few highlights, but even these are just the tip of the iceberg!
JAN 2024: JOI Jazz Orchestra Continues Residency at Notoriety -
The big band has grown a loyal following at Notoriety along with the tourists looking for great live music! JOI enjoys a fantastic relationship with owner Ken Henderson and the whole team there! The band performed twice monthly and welcomed guests Clint Holmes, Marlene Ricci, Linda Woodson, Laura Taylor, Jonathan Karrant, Naomi Mauro, and others and also supported Ann Parenti's Forgotten Song Foundation and Chic Compass event!
FEB. 2024: Essentially Ellington 5th Annual Las Vegas Regional High School Jazz Band Festival - Licensed to JOI by Jazz at Lincoln Center and collaborated with UNLV School of Music Division of Jazz & Commercial Music, this is a premier event not just for us, but for the entire community! High school big bands came in from across the western U.S. and here in CCSD with nearly 600 students for two full days and nights of performances, education, masterclasses, clinics, jam sessions, and fun! The final Saturday evening concert featured the award-winning UNLV Jazz Ensemble I (Prof's Dave Loeb and Nathan Tanouye), outstanding student soloists, a cheer-tunnel for the attending bands emceed by Nathan Tannenbaum, recognition for bands and sections, a special presentation of our new "Fred & Gee Katen Spirit of Ellington Award," and an outstanding performance by the "Essentially Ellington All-Stars" featuring Kenny Rampton (Trumpet), Victor Goines (Tenor Saxophone), Curt Miller (Trombone), Sherrie Maricle (Drums), John Belzaguy (Bass), and Helen Sung (Piano). Nearly 40 JOI Jazz Alliance volunteers supported the weekend effort under the leadership of Bob and Shirley Kramer.
FEB. 2024: BAND DIRECTOR ACADEMY - Following the success of the Essentially Ellington festival, band directors joined us that Sunday for Band Director Academy, another program licensed to JOI by Jazz at Lincoln Center. This mini west-coast version of the much larger multi-day program at JALC in NYC has been lauded by band directors who appreciate some of the same curriculum presented locally. This "teach the teacher" program also included opportunities for their bands to also participate in clinics and a tour of the UNLV Campus. The courses were taught by Kenny Rampton, Helen Sung, Sherrie Maricle, Victor Goines, and Scott Brown and qualified attendees for Nevada teacher pay step increases and licensure renewal. Going forward, it will also include optional college credit.
MARCH 2024: Buzzin' in Brass -
This long-time program sponsored by The Smith Center with additional support from individual donors brought jazz education to thousands of Title I elementary school kids in spring and fall 2024! This is one of the best 100% free programs available to CCSD!
APRIL 2024: JOI Jazz Orchestra Celebrates Henry Mancini's 100% Birthday at Myron's at The Smith Center! The concert featured iconic music from one of America's most prolific TV and film composers and included guest artists Clint Holmes (JOI Advisory Board) and Kenny Rampton (JOI co-founder and Artistic Director)!
ALSO IN APRIL, the orchestra expanded to 30 pieces for Metropolitan Theatricals Las Vegas's multi-day run of Stephen Sondheim's hit musical, "Follies!" Follies brought together legendary showgirls, iconic vocalists and Broadway stars and an incredible production staff. Among a number of nominations across the entire production, Dave Loeb and the orchestra were each nominated in the category of Best Music Direction and Orchestra Performance in the BroadwayWorld Las Vegas Awards!
MAY 2024 brought JOI to the airwaves to expand its reach and awareness of local talent and jazz in Las Vegas by debuting "The JOI of Jazz" radio show the 3rd Sunday of each month on KUNV 91.5 FM Jazz & More, and a dozen podcast and music streaming services. Underwritten by long time JOI supporter D'Agostino's Trattoria, host Donny Thompson interviews local jazz recording artists and plays their music. The podcast has officially been streamed in 10 countries.
JUNE 2024 Co-Founder and VP of Education & Programming, Gary Cordell and his mentor team (including teacher Eddie Rich) returned to our central valley annex for "Jammin' With JOI," a free summer outreach and education program for kids to explore, learn, and play jazz. This exceptional program has helped fuel membership in our Las Vegas Youth Jazz Orchestra as well as providing a safe and inclusive environment for young musicians to experience jazz free of pressure and always with guidance from professional and fellow student mentors.
SEPT 2024 JOI Jazz Orchestra rebrands as the Jazz Vegas Orchestra! After carefully deliberating our branding with professional guidance from board members, members of the community, and others, the Jazz Vegas Orchestra allows us to redefine Las Vegas as a center for jazz culture and exceptional jazz artistry nationally and globally.
The Jazz Vegas Orchestra continued its meteoric public acceptance as a premier professional jazz ensemble with twice-monthly performances at Notoriety and Myron's at The Smith Center. We even invested in gorgeous band fronts!
MOVIE PRODUCTION: Through the generosity of local philanthropists, award-winning Hollywood documentary film maker, Kevin Abrams and his Alpine Labs production company were brought in to film "Second Chair, Stage Left" featuring Jazz Outreach Initiative prominently along with its band members, students, and other local musicians to document the history of music in Las Vegas. The film has been submitted to Sundance Film Festival and is in final edits before release.
OCT 2024 the Jazz Vegas Orchestra thanked the Joe Williams Every Day Foundation with a sold-out performance at Myron's at The Smith Center showcasing the legendary singer's music. Guest vocalists Michelle Johnson, JWEDF board members and vocalists Naomi Mauro and Clint Holmes, and
surprise guests Kenny Rampton and Don Cunningham along with the band's own Jimmy Tripi wowed the audience with iconic music and even some history about Joe from frequent emcee and official band member, Nathan Tannenbaum. JOI Exec. Dir. Donny Thompson asked the audience to stand and raise a toast to Ed Foster who along with capturing the history of jazz in Las Vegas through his camera lens for decades, also helped create the foundation which provides grants and scholarships to local students and UNLV along with their support of JOI's education and outreach programs which match its own mission.
NOV 2024 - a Moonshot Moment for JOI!
Given the enormous success with Buzzin' in Brass and our strong relationship with and admiration from our friends at The Smith Center, JOI was able to relaunch one of our founding programs licensed to us by Jazz at Lincoln Center, "Jazz for Young People." Previously presented as a sextet traveling to local secondary schools, it
was long our wish to offer this the same way Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra does as it tours the globe... a full big band and a theater filled with thousands of kids. In November, Kenny Rampton and Gary Cordell's enormous effort did just that... with more than 3,000 young people bussed in from schools across the county at no cost to CCSD and featuring the Jazz Vegas Orchestra with
Clint Holmes and Nathan Tannenbaum again as vocalist and emcee and Gary Cordell as narrator in "What is Jazz?". The double performance will add a third soon for sensory-inclusive audiences and another full presentation is also planned for the future! OH... did we mention it was at the city's most beautiful performing arts center, REYNOLDS HALL at The Smith Center?!
NOV 2024 The Jazz Vegas Orchestra returned to Sun City Summerlin's lovely Starbright Theater for its annual "JOI to the World" Christmas Concert. Before the show, we again set the mood by sponsoring holiday caroling in the lobby from the Green Valley High School Madrigals. Again this year, the band featured music from Ellington/Strayhorn's "The Nutcracker Suite," The Glenn Miller Orchestra's "In the Christmas Mood," and other pieces including many arranged by members of the band such as Nathan Tanouye. Nathan Tannenbaum returned as favored emcee and performed a commissioned piece just for him on flute, "Oh 'Nate' Tannenbaum", and local sensation, Kelly Clinton-Holmes debuted with the band along with JOI Artistic Advisory Board Member and iconic Grammy® nominated singer/songwriter headliner, Clint Holmes.
That same evening, we did a JAZZ ROUTES presentation to Jaxon and Madden who received donated instruments and music lessons for a year courtesy of our donors. This is perhaps the only instrument donation benefit which includes the most expensive part of the instrument, learning how to play it. And the audience was so moved by it, afterwards individuals stepped up and donated close to $5,000 for lessons for kids who are presented to us in need.
DEC 2024 we rounded out the year the way we came in, with a Buzzin' in Brass at John F. Miller elementary school, a Title 1 school focused entirely on mentally and physically challenged children. It was an incredible experience to return to this school and witness what the power of music does to these precious souls!
That weekend, the Las Vegas Youth Jazz Orchestra and LVYJO Jazz Messenger Combo presented its fall concert under the new direction of JVO Mentor John Summers. The student big band founded in spring 2020 is a diverse mix of middle and high school student musicians including several honor band members who also receive instruction on the art of jazz language, arranging, leading a combo, and more. In fact, many of the songs performed were arranged and lead by the students! JVO Mentors Eddie Rich (also teacher), Yolandus Douglas (drums/percussion), Gary Cordell (head of education and programming), Sonny Hernandez, and others all support making this a unique opportunity for jazz students.
But one of these talented kids wasn't done yet... because as he's done numerous times so generously before, acclaimed vocalist Jonathan Karrant (JOI Advisory Board) invited one of the students (saxophonist Andrew Fulmer) to perform with him on stage and talk about his JOI experience at Jonathan's show at Myron's at The Smith Center!
And finally, we bookended an incredible 2024 with a brand-new monthly residency for the Jazz Vegas Orchestra at Vic's jazz club. Sponsored by Signature Jazz Cruises introduced to us by recently elected board member, Bob Bruderman, himself a frequent Jazz Cruiser, Vic's offered a nearly 2 full hour "Dinner Show" experience remeniscient of the days when dinner and show were a single event! It was an incredible evening of food, drinks, and outstanding Christmas big band music!
SO WHAT'S NEW FOR 2025??
Even more exciting things planned for 2025 including now Jazz Vegas Orchestra the 1st Wed of each month continuing at Notoriety, then the 3rd Wed of each month at Vic's, four planned themed concerts at Myron's at The Smith Center including the first one in March featuring "Women Jazz Composers" and our close friend and legendary founder of the Diva Jazz Orchestra, drummer Sherrie Maricle. The Las Vegas Youth Jazz Orchestra will perform its spring concert and the combo will continue its professional gigs for high profile and private events around town. And our Las Vegas Regional Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Festival will be Feb 14-15... watch for more on that soon!
AND NOW... Enjoy a special gift from your Jazz Vegas Orchestra as they perform (from Vic's) a great arrangement from JVO lead trombonist, Nathan Tanouye!
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