Champions of Jazz Gala Program 2015 by Newark Public Radio

WBGO Champions of Jazz Gala Ma nd a rin Orie nta l, Ne w Yo rk

April 6, 2015

Monday, April 6, 2015 at 7:00pm

NEWARK PUBLIC RADIO, INC. PRESENTS

WBGO CHAMPIONS OF JAZZ 2015 Honoring

STEPHEN N. IFSHIN AND

THE LEGACY OF

FRANK SINATRA

PROGRAM PERFO RMANCE BY

Frank Sinatra Jr. & His Band HOSTED BY

Tony Danza with special guests

Mont y Alexander Bob Cost as Program Producer

Creative Consultant

Stage Manager

Amy Niles

Carl Schmehl

Brandy Wood

Event Producer

Jennif er Spiegler

Major Gifts

Development

John Newcott

Scott McCraw

WBGO BOARD OF TRUSTEES Christopher Allegaert Milvia Burns Mindy Cohen Albert V. DeLeon Steven M. Edwards Brenda Feliciano Gregory Floyd Alan D. Holtz Stephen N. Ifshin Steven R. Kamen Henry Mauemeyer D. Nicholas Miceli Michael Ostroff Jonathan Otto Timothy L. Porter Dorothy K. Robinson

WBGO WOULD LIKE TO THANK Tony Bennett, David Bither, Milvia & Steve Burns, Mindy Cohen & David Bershad, Felicia Daniels, Julie Daurio, Pam Davis, Michael Gagliardo, Maxine Gordon, Leah Hoos, Annie Hurwitz , Stephen Ifshin, Jaz z House Kids, Andrea Kauffman, The Kitano New York, The Mandarin Oriental New York, Martin Mueller, Sean Newcott, Palm Bay Wines, Joe Picuri, Charlie Pignone, Sal Scognamillo, Sylvia Weiner, Two River Theater Sinatra: The Voice is pro vided co urtesy o f Penguin Rando m Ho use. Sinatra: The Chairman by James Kaplan will be published by Do ubleday in Octo ber.

HONOREES STEPHEN N. IFSHIN Steve Ifshin is Chairman of DLC Management Corp., which he co-founded in 1991. Mr. Ifshin oversees the operations of DLC’s construction management activities. Under his tutelage, DLC continues to be a leasing-driven operator of shopping centers, developing and maintaining strong relationships with national, regional and local tenants. Steve entered the real estate industry in 1965 in commercial sales with Wolf & Macklowe Company. From 1973-1989, he was the co-founder and President of N. Peter Burton & Company, a commercial brokerage and property management firm that he sold to Grubb & Ellis. Steve was also founder and Chairman of Empire State Land Company, a residential developer, and founder and Chairman of The Delphi Land Company, a town home community developer. Throughout his career, Steve has represented major corporations including Chase Manhattan Bank, The Dreyfus Company, Pepsi and Panasonic, and he has been responsible for some of the most influential real estate transactions in New York City, including the 1981 sale of the Ford Motor Building and the 1986 sale of the Tiffany Building. Steve received a BA from the University of Vermont and is the Co-Chair of the Board of Advisors for the University of Vermont’s School of Business Administration, and a director of the University’s Foundation. In addition, he has served as an adjunct professor at NYU’s School of Continuing Education in real estate. Steve came to jazz as a University student. While in his dorm, he heard Dave Brubeck’s Jazz Goes to College and was hooked. That inspired him to hear Brubeck when he played a nearby college, which then led to forays to Harlem and Small's Paradise. From then on, jazz became an integral part of his life, and he is an avid supporter of the jazz scene to this day. It was a connection made at the first Champions of Jazz Gala that brought Steve closer to WBGO and since then, he has distinguished himself not only as a champion of the music, but also of WBGO. During his three board terms and years as Chairman of the Board, WBGO has seen tremendous growth. Using his real estate background, he led the negotiations for the relocation of the WBGO transmitter as well as facilitated many structural advances. Ultimately it is his passion for the music and its people and the institution that is WBGO, making certain that this music has a solid future, that we honor Steve tonight.

HONOREES FRANK SINATRA Frances Albert Sinatra was born an only child in Hoboken, New Jersey. The popular music makers of his youth included Fats Waller, Benny Goodman, Fred Astaire, but it was a night out to a Bing Crosby concert with his girlfriend Nancy in 1935 that he knew that he had to be a singer. Before the year was out, he was touring the country leading the vocal group, The Hoboken Four. Before the end of the decade, he had recorded his first hit, “All or Nothing at All." By May of 1941, he was named Billboard Magazine’s male vocalist of the year. His rise was meteoric. 1951 ushered in his first Las Vegas appearance. He became an actor, appearing in 58 films, and producing eight motion pictures. He won three Oscars, two Golden Globes, 10 personal Grammys (and a total of 21 including those for his albums), an Emmy, a Cecile B. DeMille Award, and a Peabody. One of the most prestigious awards Sinatra received was the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award by the Motion Picture Society of America. This award, presented only a few times in the Academy`s history, is given to an "individual in the motion picture industry whose humanitarian efforts have brought credit to the industry." Sinatra`s charitable legacy is legendary. His pioneering fight against prejudice is one of the important facets that shaped his life from childhood on the streets of Hoboken, New Jersey. His short film, "The House I Live In" received a special Oscar in 1945. Frank Sinatra began the golden age in which American popular music became a universal language. Throughout his 60-year career, "Ol' Blue Eyes" performed on more than 1,400 recordings, was awarded 31 gold, nine platinum, three double-platinum and one triple platinum album by the Recording Industry Association of America. He was also awarded Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Grammys, The Screen Actors Guild, The Kennedy Center and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), as well as the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal. His contribution to our life and times extends far beyond his music, to embrace an exuberance, a zest for life, a sense of style and a glorious self-confidence that define, for all time, what it meant to be young at heart and have the world on a string. His spirit and vision continue to be defined by the wisdom and insight from the legacy of work he left behind.

WHO'S WHO Monty Alexander Alexander was bo rn in Kingsto n, Jamaica and felt the gravitatio nal pull o f music at an early age. Self-taught and unable to read traditio nal music no tatio n, Alexander’s seemingly uno rtho do x appro ach to piano wo uld no t prevent him fro m attaining widespread glo bal acclaim. First making waves in his ho meland, leading the gro up Mo nty and The Cyclo nes, Alexander’s two -fisted piano pyro technics wo uld send him into the musical strato sphere, perfo rming and/o r reco rding with legendary artists like Frank Sinatra, Milt Jackso n, Ray Bro wn and co untless o thers. A co mmanding career as a so lo artist wo uld so o n fo llo w, with Alexander reco rding o ver sixty albums as a leader himself.

Bob Costas Co stas has wo n 26 Emmy awards; the o nly perso n to win in news, spo rts & entertainment. He was named Natio nal Spo rtscaster o f the Year 8 times. In 20 12 he was elected to the Natio nal Spo rtscasters & Spo rtswriters Hall o f Fame. A New Yo rk Times best-selling autho r, Co stas is o ne o f o nly two spo rts bro adcasters to receive the Walter Cro nkite Award fo r distinctio n in jo urnalism. He has co vered every majo r spo rt o ver 30 years: Baseball Game o f the Week; Later with Bo b Co stas; pro grams o n HBO; ho sting 11 Olympics, 6 Super Bo wls, 7 Wo rld Series & 10 NBA Finals, the Kentucky Derby and the US Open Go lf Champio nship. Co stas is a native o f Queens, NY. He attended Syracuse University, majo ring in co mmunicatio ns. He began his bro adcast career at WSYR-TV & Radio in 19 73 at Syracuse, befo re jo ining KMOX radio in St. Lo uis in 19 74. Asso ciated with NBC since 19 8 0 , he currently ho sts Fo o tball Night in America, is prime-time ho st o f the Olympics and co ntributes to NBC’s Nightly News and The To day Sho w.

WHO'S WHO Tony Danza To ny Danza is currently lighting up the Bro adway stage with his critically acclaimed perfo rmance in the musical Ho neymo o n in Vegas, embo dying the "the co o ler-than-co o l spirit" o f Frank Sinatra (New Yo rk Times). Perhaps best kno wn fo r starring o n so me o f televisio n’s mo st belo ved and lo ng-running series, including Taxi and Who ’s the Bo ss, To ny Danza has been o ne o f America’s mo st ico nic televisio n, film, and stage stars fo r o ver thirty years. Amo ng To ny’s stage credits is his exciting run o n Bro adway in Mel Bro o ks’s hit musical The Pro ducers, playing Max Bialysto ck, his theatrical debut in Wro ng Turn at Lungfish (19 9 3), which earned him an Outer Critic’s Circle Award no minatio n, the critically acclaimed The Iceman Co meth, o ppo site Kevin Spacey, and Arthur Miller’s To ny Award winning play, A View fro m the Bridge. Danza’s bigscreen credits include ro les in Walt Disney’s Angels in the Outfield, She’s Out o f Co ntro l, The Ho llywo o d Knights, A Bro o klyn State o f Mind, and Do n Jo n.

Frank Sinatra Jr. Bo rn in New Jersey, raised in Califo rnia, and educated in the sho wro o ms o f Las Vegas and o n stages all o ver the wo rld, Frank Sinatra, Jr. in so ng and style, pays ho mage to his father, the singer, the man, and the music that defines the Sinatra legend backed by so me o f the best musicians in the business playing fro m his father’s o riginal charts. Beginning in 19 8 8 , at his father’s request, Frank served as co nducto r and musical directo r fo r his father’s final years o f live perfo rming. Currently, he enjo ys to uring in many co untries, o n the stages o f casino sho w ro o ms, perfo rming art centers, theaters, and the halls o f the wo rld's greatest sympho ny o rchestras. In May o f 20 15, Frank Sinatra, Jr. will be perfo rming his new multi-media sho w, Sinatra Sings Sinatra, As I Remember It, the Centennial Celebratio n. In sto ries, pho to s, video s and so ngs, Frank Sinatra Jr. delivers first-hand reco llectio ns o f life o n and o ff stage with his ico nic father.

FRANK SINATRA JR'S BAND Tyrone (Terry) Anthony, saxophone Antho ny studied at Berklee Co llege & Bo sto n Co nservato ry and has perfo rmed with Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr., To ny Bennett and to ured with the Wo rld Famo us Glenn Miller Orchestra. Terry reco rded That Face with Frank Sinatra, Jr.

Bob Chmel, drums Chmel graduated fro m Kent State University with a B.S. in educatio n and a Master’s degree in perfo rmance he became kno wn fo r his drumming in the award-winning KSU Jazz Band, led by Bill Do bbins. His credits include: the Glenn Miller band and the bands o f Artie Shaw, Benny Go o dman and the Wo o dy Herman Orchestra.

Jim Fox, guitar Fo x is a graduate o f the Berklee Co llege o f Music (Cum Laude, Distinguished Perfo rmance Faculty Award). In additio n to to uring and reco rding with Frank Sinatra, Jr., he has played o n TV sho ws and mo vies including: Cheers, The To night Sho w and Water fo r Elephants.

Tom Garling, trombone Garling attended the Berklee Co llege o f Music and the University o f Miami where he received his Master’s degree in Jazz Arranging and Co mpo sitio n. He to ured with Buddy Rich at the age o f twenty, until Rich’s death in 19 8 7, and has played fo r: Dizzy Gillespie, To ny Bennett and Frank Sinatra.

Walt Johnson, trumpet Jo hnso n was lead trumpet player fo r bo th Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra thro ugh the end o f their respective careers. He has played o n many TV sho ws, mo vies and reco rds and to o k the place o f Bill Chase o n the “Chase” Band.

FRANK SINATRA JR'S BAND Jef f Morrison, piano Mo rriso n began his musical educatio n at Juilliard in New Yo rk and finished at Berklee in Bo sto n. He’s perfo rmed with: Herb Po mo ro y, Milto n Burle, Dick Haymes, Jan Murry and has to ured with the Wo o dy Herman Band.

Paul Rostock, trombone Ro sto ck has been o n the faculty at Mo ravian Co llege since 19 9 1 as an instructo r o f do uble bass and bass guitar. He is an active freelance musician. Paul to urs and reco rds with Frank Sinatra Jr. and resides in Pennsylvania, where he perfo rms annually at the Delaware Water Gap Celebratio n o f the Arts jazz festival.

Mike Smith, saxophone Smith began jazz perfo rmance as an 11-year o ld band member. Eight years later he wo n the co veted Charlie Parker Scho larship to No rth Texas State University. He jo ined Frank Sinatra’s co re band during which time, he reco rded CD’s and made numero us televisio n perfo rmances and to ured with Frank, Sr. He is the lead alto player fo r Frank Sinatra, Jr. and is a recipient o f the Canno nball Adderley Award fo r Outstanding Alto Saxo pho nist in Jazz and a winner o f a Natio nal Endo wment fo r the Arts award.

PHOTOS

20 13 Champio ns o f Jazz Gala Music Directo r Michael Wo lff with Billie Lim and 20 15 Champio ns o f Jazz Ho no ree, Steve Ifshin

20 11 Champio ns o f Jazz Gala Ho no ree Jimmy Heath and Steve Ifshin

PHOTOS

Steve Ifshin and Natalie Co le at the 20 11 Champio ns o f Jazz Gala

PHOTOS

Co pyright Frank Sinatra Enterprises, LLC

ADS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS A&A Maintenance Enterprise, Inc., Ackman-Ziff Real Estate, Active Maintenance, Allegaert, Berger & Vo gel, LLP, American Realty Adviso rs, Arent Fo x LLC, The Banco rp Bank, BCG Adviso rs, BL Co mpanies, Jo nathan Blinken, Bo yle Co nstructio n Management, Inc., Bro adway Natio nal, Milvia & Steve Burns, C & K Pro perties & 2 Gateway Center, Perla Capriles, CBRE, Mindy Co hen & David Bershad, Co mplete So lutio ns & So urcing, Inc., Judith & Jo hn Day, Jo hn De Gio rgio , Albert DeLeo n, DLC Management, Steven & Ro bin Edwards, Brenda Feliciano & Paquito D'Rivera, Carmen So l Feliciano , Grego ry Flo yd, Alan D. Ho ltz, Hudso n Valley Bank, Stephen N. Ifshin, JazzHo use Kids, Kenneth Jo ckers, Jo rgensen Landscaping, Inc., Carl E. Kaplan, Lebenhart Seckendo rf Hasso n & Reilly CPAS LLC, M&T Bank, Michael Margitich, Henry & Caro l Mauermeyer, MCJ Fo undatio n, Mike's Brush & Bucket Inc., Ira and Susan Millstein, Guy Mo rris, Newpo rt Festivals Fo undatio n, Inc., NJM Insurance Gro up, Otterstedt Agency, Jo nathan Otto , PNC Bank, Timo thy L. Po rter, Prudential, Reso nance Reco rds, Do ro thy K. Ro binso n, Ro binso n Bro g Leinwand Greene Geno vese & Gluck P.C., Esther Ro senberg & Michael Ostro ff, Rutgers University – Newark, Mark Schulman, Sco bar Electrical Co ntracto rs, Inc., Sco gnamillo Family & Patsy's Italian Restaurant, Sills, Cummis & Gro ss, Sleepy's, Pauline Smith, Smith Bro thers Insurance, So bel & Co mpany, LLC, TD Bank, Tro pical Penguin, The University o f Vermo nt Fo undatio n, Visio nary Optics, Jeffrey Walker, Welby, Brady & Greenblatt, LLP, Nina Mitchell Wells, Zurich Insurance

ABOUT WBGO Newark Public Radio , WBGO Jazz8 8 .3FM was the brainchild o f an urban think tank who se members came to gether in Newark in the 19 70 s to affect change after the rio ts o f 19 6 7. Marshalling an extrao rdinary gro up o f city activists, and with the help o f the Co rpo ratio n fo r Public Bro adcasting, they established the first public radio statio n in New Jersey in 19 79 by co nvincing the Newark Public Scho o l System bo ard to transfer its underutilized bro adcast license to them. WBGO was bo rn as an independent, co mmunity-based, no t-fo r-pro fit, public radio statio n that wo uld champio n jazz-an American art fo rm that is also an impo rtant chapter in Newark's cultural histo ry. WBGO affiliated with NPR and went to a 24-ho ur bro adcast day in 19 8 0 when the o nly o ther full-time jazz statio n in the New Yo rk Metro market, WRVR (a co mmercial statio n), changed its fo rmat to co untry-western music. In 19 8 5, WBGO became a pro ducer o f syndicated pro gramming fo r the natio n's radio statio ns, and has a significant histo ry o f success. The mo st recent chapter in that histo ry debuted this Octo ber with Jazz Night in America , a gro und-breaking new pro gram ho sted by Grammy-award winning bassist Christian McBride. Co -created with NPR Music and Jazz at Linco ln Center, the pro gram is the mo st significant public media partnership in histo ry. While each episo de presents a live jazz co ncert reco rded acro ss the co untry, Jazz Night in America is abo ut sto rytelling. It invites the audience to listen and engage with the mo st impo rtant jazz musicians o f to day, while giving insight to the music thro ugh intimate co nversatio ns and rare archival tape wo ven thro ugho ut. The pro gram may be heard o n o ver 150 public radio statio ns acro ss the co untry—fro m Ancho rage, Alaska to Miami, Flo rida, and aro und the glo be o n wbgo .o rg and npr.o rg. WBGO’s dedicatio n to preserving the uniquely American art fo rm o f jazz fo r future generatio ns spawned the WBGO Kids Jazz Co ncert Series, launched in 19 9 4, and Kids Jazz @ Play , which began this February. WBGO’s new, in-scho o l engagement pro gram, Kids Jazz @ Play , brings live jazz into public scho o ls acro ss Newark. Created fo r grades 2 – 4 the pro gram is a fun, literacy-based multi-media pro gram that uses bo o ks such as When Louis Armstrong Taught Me to Scat to teach children the basics o f music educatio n and jazz histo ry. Led by WBGO o n-air ho sts, Kids Jazz @ Play gets yo ung to es tapping and feet sto mping, while creating a perso nal co nnectio n to the rich histo ry o f jazz and Newark. Over 4,50 0 students in 12 Newark public scho o ls will attend a Kids Jazz @ Play assembly pro gram in 20 15! WBGO’s daily bro adcast can be easily identified by the passio nate, extremely kno wledgeable and idio syncratic o n-air anno uncers, live bro adcasts and o n-air interviews with to day's ho ttest jazz and blues artists, and a news department who se drive time news repo rts and weekly magazine pro gram, the WBGO Journal , are frequently reco gnized fo r repo rting excellence. The WBGO Co mmunity Arts Calendar, which launched in March, is no w the definitive lo catio n fo r all the cultural o fferings Newark has to o ffer. Fro m the largest arts o rganizatio ns to the smallest gallery spaces, listeners in Newark, and aro und the glo be can hear abo ut the many cultural o fferings o f New Jersey’s largest city. The calendar is a vital co mmunity service, wo rking to sustain the lo cal creative eco no my by suppo rting arts o rganizatio ns, artists, and patro ns, and pro jecting a po sitive view o f Newark aro und the glo be no t o ften fo und in the mainstream media. WBGO’s studio s are lo cated at 54 Park Place in the heart o f do wnto wn Newark, New Jersey. The transmissio n antenna and to wer are lo cated at 4 Times Square. Since 19 9 6 , Jazz8 8 has streamed its signal o ver the Internet o n wbgo .o rg and has beco me a true o asis to tho usands o f listeners wo rldwide. Starting in 20 0 9 , the WBGO mo bile app became available fo r do wnlo ad. Members fro m as far away as Malaysia, Turkey, Germany, Japan, Israel, Italy, Mexico , Taiwan, Brazil, Great Britain and each o f the 50 states echo a So uth Africa listener’s email to us, "Yo u are so inspiring." There is mo re than 50 full and part-time staff at the statio n. Operating as a 50 1c3 o rganizatio n. WBGO is funded by mo re than 17,0 0 0 members each year, and by a co mbinatio n o f co rpo rate, business, fo undatio n, and go vernmental grants. Copyright © 2016 Playbill Online Inc. All marks used by permission.