2020–2021
MUSIC AT EMORY
This virtual concert is presented by the Schwartz Center for Performing Arts schwartz.emory.edu/virtual-stage Box Office/Audience Information 404.727.5050 • schwartz.emory.edu
Photographs and Recordings Digital capture or recording of this concert is not permitted. Event and Program Information Available online at schwartz.emory.edu Cover Photo By Mark Teague Acknowledgment Eternal thanks to Donna and Marvin Schwartz for their many contributions.
2020–2021
MUSIC AT EMORY
Emory Jazz Fest 2021 Gary Motley, director of Jazz Studies
Bobby Broom, jazz guitar with Kenny Davis, bass, and Gary Motley, piano Friday, February 12, 2021, 8:00 p.m. Eastern
Master Class and Discussion with Bobby Broom Saturday, February 13, 2021, 11:30 a.m. Eastern
Jazz Fest 2021 is a Schwartz Artist-in-Residence program
Schwartz Center for Performing Arts Virtual Stage
Program Bobby Broom, jazz guitar; Kenny Davis, bass; and Gary Motley, piano Sweet and Lovely
by Gus Arnheim, Charles N. Daniels, and Harry Tobias
Jitterbug Waltz
by Thomas “Fats” Waller
Changes
by Gary Motley
No Hype Blues
by Bobby Broom by Leo Robin and Ralph Rainger
Easy Living Mandla
by Gary Motley
Stairway to the Stars
by Matty Malneck and Frank Signorelli
Oh, Lady Be Good!
by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin
Jazz Fest 2021 is a Schwartz Artist-in-Residence program. In addition to this concert, a virtual master class and discussion with the artists will take place on Saturday, February 13, 2021, 11:30 a.m. Eastern. Visit schwartz.emory.edu/virtual stage to register.
“Life is a lot like jazz. It is 4
Bobby Broom, jazz guitar Born in Harlem, New York, Bobby Broom was raised on the Upper West Side of New York City. He took up the guitar at age twelve and five years later, in 1977, he made his first appearance with Sonny Rollins and Donald Byrd at Carnegie Hall. Broom went on to regularly tour and record with Rollins from 1981 to 1986 and again from 2005 to 2010. During his early years, Broom also performed and recorded with trumpeters Tom Browne and Hugh Masekela; pianists Weldon Irvine and Dave Grusin; and Al Haig and Walter Bishop Jr., pianists who played in ensembles with jazz innovator and acclaimed saxophonist, Charlie Parker. By 1981 Broom had recorded his debut album as a leader, Clean Sweep, for GRP Records. The deal came after Broom declined an offer from Art Blakey to become the first and only guitarist in his famed group, the Jazz Messengers. Broom chose instead to work with friends who were actively recording and touring within the GRP Records circle—a decision that afforded him his first opportunity to record as a leader and subsequently introduced him to a broad new fan base. Later in the decade, Broom relocated to Chicago, and during the next 20 years continued to work with Rollins, Stanley Turrentine, Charles Earland, Miles Davis, Kenny Garrett, and Dr. John, among others. In 1986 Broom was recruited by jazz guitar icon and elder Kenny Burrell to be a member of Burrell’s Jazz Guitar Band. That three-guitar front-line group (including guitarist Rodney Jones) recorded two albums live at the Village Vanguard for Blue Note Records. At that time Burrell said, “Bobby is the most innovative guitarist I’ve heard in a long time.” Throughout his career, Broom has also been a dedicated jazz educator. He has a master of music degree in jazz pedagogy from Northwestern University. His first teaching experience was under the auspices of Jackie McLean at the Hartt School of Music—University of Hartford during 1982– 1983. Prior to being appointed as professor of jazz guitar at Northern
s best when you improvise.”
—George Gershwin
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Illinois University in 2019, Broom was a jazz faculty member at North Park University, DePaul University, and Chicago’s American Conservatory of Music for many years. He conducts clinics, master classes, and lectures nationwide and abroad; is a teaching artist with the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz; and has been a Ravinia Jazz Mentor to Chicago Public High School students for 21 years. He has also written editorial and instructional pieces for national magazines, DownBeat, JazzTimes, and Jazziz. Heralded as “one of the most musical guitarists of our times” by author and jazz critic Ted Gioia, Broom has spent the new millennium focusing on his musical output as a leader. He has recorded with both his Bobby Broom Trio and the disbanded, Deep Blue Organ Trio for the Premonition, Delmark, and Origin labels. His Plays for Monk was released in spring 2009, The Way I Play in April 2008, Deep Blue’s Wonderful! in 2011, and Folk Music in 2007. Broom was recognized as one of the top guitarists in DownBeat magazine’s annual readers’ poll in 2020 and 2015 as well as its critics poll for four years, from 2012–2014 and again in 2017. His Deep Blue CD, Wonderful!, reached number one on both US national jazz radio charts. His latest BBT release, My Shining Hour (Origin, 2014), received a New York Times review and placed at number three on the US national jazz radio chart. Throughout his career, Broom has continued to garner praise and encouragement from his peers and elders. Sonny Rollins has said, “Bobby is the reason I like the guitar.” Fellow guitarists also laud Broom, including those that he admires such as John Scofield, George Benson, and Pat Metheny, who cited Broom’s 2007 Song and Dance recording as “one of the best (jazz) guitar trio records ever!” Broom’s latest recording is with his new organ group, the Bobby Broom Organi-Sation, which was the opening act for Steely Dan’s 50-city, North American tour in 2014. The new recording, Soul Fingers, is arguably Broom’s most ambitious to date. Produced by the legendary drummer/producer Steve Jordan, Broom once again revisits the music of his youth, this time employing a wide range of instrumental palates, in addition to palpable group interplay, and his own, always soulful and singularly personal, guitar sound and style.
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Kenny Davis, bass A native of Chicago, bassist Kenny Davis’s career began with listening to R&B artists including Earth Wind & Fire, Brothers Johnson, and the Temptations, among others. Davis taught himself to play guitar and went on to study music theory with David Holder Sr. and earn a bachelor of arts degree in music education at Northeastern Illinois University. At Northeastern, Davis discovered jazz music and became part of the Chicago music scene, playing with Von Freedman, Ari Brown, and Fred Anderson. Later, he studied classical bass with Warren Benfield of the Chicago Symphony and also with Jeffrey Bradetich. His jazz influences include Ray Brown, Paul Chambers, Ron Carter, Jaco Pastorius, and Verdine White. Davis moved to New York in 1986, where he played with Out of the Blue (OTB). In addition to working as a studio musician, he began appearing with artists including Freddie Hubbard, Cassandra Wilson, Abbey Lincoln, Dianne Reeves, and Art Farmer, while studying with bassist Ron Carter. Davis showcased his skills as an arranger on the Grammy Award–winning CD, Blue Light Till Dawn, by vocalist Cassandra Wilson. In 2009, Davis released his first CD as a leader, Kenny Davis, on Daken Records. Davis’s touring roster has included performances with Herbie Hancock, Dianne Reeves, and Art Farmer. Davis was the bassist for the Tonight Show band from September 1999 through March 2002. Committed to jazz education, Davis received his master of music degree in 2006 from the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University, where he currently serves as professor of jazz bass.
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Gary Motley, piano Since embarking on a solo career in 1994, Gary Motley has been at the forefront of jazz in the southeastern United States, establishing himself as both a keyboard virtuoso and composer. His captivating, high-energy performances transport audiences back in time as Motley blends musicianship, creativity, and tradition. From straight-ahead to chamber music and occasional creations of symphonic works, Motley has explored many genres of music during his career while maintaining a relentless standard of excellence. Recognized by Downbeat magazine, the American Composers Forum, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Great American Jazz Piano Competition, Motley was recently cited by his home state for his artistic and educational achievements with his induction into the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame. In addition to his work as an artist, Motley is committed to jazz education and awareness. As professor of performance and director of jazz studies at Emory, Motley has developed the Robert Strickland Jazz Studio—an innovative, interactive teaching facility that integrates the rich heritage of American jazz with today’s technology practices. Motley is also a member of the Jazz Education Network and the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.
Schwartz Artists in Residence The Donna and Marvin Schwartz Foundation Artist-in-Residence program at Emory seeks to increase substantially the depth, diversity, and profile of performing arts education in the Emory and greater-Atlanta communities by providing opportunities for meaningful contact with performing artists, composers, and art scholars from throughout the world. Artists whose work reflects international and diverse cultural dimensions are engaged for extended periods of time during which they provide Emory and Atlanta-area students with teaching, master classes, lectures, and demonstrations alongside a public performance of their work. For more information, visit schwartz.emory.edu/SAIR.
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More events coming soon to the Schwartz Center Virtual Stage schwartz.emory.edu/virtual-stage ECMSA: Valentine’s Day Concert— Music of Love February 14, 2021 at 4 p.m.
What better way to celebrate Valentine’s Day than with music of love? Amy Beach’s Romance for violin; Romances by Robert and Clara Schumann; Brahms’s Intermezzo in A Major; and Dohnanyi’s Romanza for String Trio are performed by members of the Vega String Quartet and William Ransom, piano.
Danish String Quartet Candler Concert Series
February 19, 2021 at 8 p.m. The Danish String Quartet’s playing brings a rare musical spontaneity that gives audiences the sense of hearing even treasured canon repertoire as if for the first time. The Quartet’s palpable joy in performing has made the ensemble in-demand on concert stages worldwide.
ECMSA: Plus One
February 27, 2021 at 8 p.m. Enjoy the Vega String Quartet with guest first violin David Coucheron plus one additional musician for Mendelssohn’s delightful Viola Quintet in B-flat with Paul Murphy and Dohnányi’s powerful and dramatic Piano Quintet in C Minor with William Ransom.
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Music at Emory Music at Emory brings together students, faculty, and world-class artists to create an exciting and innovative season of performances and events. In a typical year, Music at Emory presents more than 150 events across multiple Emory venues; however, in this challenging season, we are committed to coming together virtually for a variety of musical offerings. For spring 2021 concerts, we remain steadfast in our mission and continue to present events virtually based on guidance from Emory University and public health officials. Please visit music.emory.edu for the most up-to-date schedule and announcements.
404.727.5050 music.emory.edu