For immediate release:

THE LUCKMAN JAZZ ORCHESTRA
JAMES NEWTON, CONDUCTOR
Celebrates Three Wonderful Years of
Performance With Two Special Offerings
During Jazz Appreciation Month

LOS ANGELES, CA – The Luckman Jazz Orchestra, conducted by James Newton, will perform a program, entitled “Reflections of a Journey,” at the Luckman Fine Arts Complex, Cal State L.A., on Saturday, April 24, at 8:00 p.m., in conjunction with Jazz Appreciation Month.

As a prelude to the “Reflections of a Journey” performance which wraps up the orchestra’s third season, the LJO will be broadcast on KKJZ 88.1 FM, Thursday, April 22, at 8:00 p.m., live from the Luckman Theatre. The radio program will air during the KKJZ Thursday evening time slot hosted by James Janisse (in studio) and Helen Borgers (on site).

Newton has selected music for the April programs that will offer a glimpse into future endeavors the LJO will undertake next season, plus material from the critically acclaimed LJO repertoire, including works by Antonio Carlos Jobim, Charles Mingus, Wayne Shorter, Newton, and Duke Ellington/Billy Strayhorn. For the finale, the orchestra will perform Duke Ellington’s The Queen’s Suite in six movements.

According to Newton, conductor and musical director/manager of the Luckman Jazz Orchestra, “The three years that the LJO has been in existence have been very fruitful and extremely rewarding. The orchestra has demonstrated a versatility and sensitivity to many different styles of the jazz tradition.

“The LJO will continue to explore the works of West Coast composers such as Ellington and Strayhorn, Mingus, and Eric Dolphy. One of Los Angeles’ greatest treasures in the history of jazz, Dolphy’s music will be the focus of a survey by the orchestra beginning next season, a project supported by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).

“Our recent trip to Brazil exposed us once again to the immense breadth and richness of that musical tradition, leaving an indelible mark on our approach to the future. The Brazilian rhythms have exerted a powerful influence, expanding our repertoire in new directions, and giving some of the older compositions new sparkle.

“Like perhaps many other musicians, I have felt that Brazilian music best demonstrates how melody, harmony, African rhythms and multicultural strains come together in a visionary fashion. The success of Brazilian music is one of the most powerful models for music of the future. In the months to come, we will continue our journey with explorations of the work of Caetano Veloso, and of course the grand master, Jobim. The Brazilian aesthetic has become a crucial part of the orchestra’s sound, as the audiences will hear reflected in our April programs.”

About the Luckman Jazz Orchestra
The Luckman Jazz Orchestra, conducted by James Newton, is a professional performing ensemble of the Harriet & Charles Luckman Fine Arts Complex, California State University, Los Angeles. Founded by Clifford Harper, executive director of the Luckman Complex, the orchestra features some of the top jazz musicians in Los Angeles. The LJO is both a cutting-edge and repertory jazz orchestra, committed to honoring the legacy of jazz while reaching for new vistas that push its musical expression onto a higher path. Los Angeles Times’ jazz critic Don Heckman has described it as “one of the country’s finest musical organizations.”

“When I became executive director of the Luckman,” recalls Harper, “James Newton was the first person I talked to about establishing a jazz orchestra attached to the Complex. It took six years to make that happen – to create a home for a premier jazz orchestra that could perform as many times a year as possible.”

Newton, an award-winning flutist, composer, educator, and conductor, is musical director and conductor of the Luckman Jazz Orchestra, and a professor of music at California State University, Los Angeles. Following its critically acclaimed debut in February 2001, the orchestra has continued to take risks and reach new heights with concerts at the Luckman, guest performances at other venues, and the recording of its first CD in June 2003. Since its inception, the Luckman Jazz Orchestra has received funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, the American Express Company, the City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department, and California State University, Los Angeles.

Recent and Upcoming LJO Engagements
The Luckman Jazz Orchestra recently performed the Sacred Music of Duke Ellington at Walt Disney Concert Hall with the Los Angeles Master Chorale and voices from the Faithful Central Bible Church Heritage Chorale in March, garnering excellent press and providing a new audience for the orchestra. On the horizon are concerts in Berlin and Bordeaux this summer through the City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department’s International Cultural Exchange Program, and several concerts next season, including an exploration of the works of Eric Dolphy.*

April is Jazz Appreciation Month
Jazz Appreciation Month (JAM) celebrates jazz as both a historical and living American art form. The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History launched the annual program in April 2002. Celebrations are planned throughout the nation. Visit www.smithsonianjazz.org for information.

WHAT: Luckman Jazz Orchestra Concert – “Reflections of a Journey”
James Newton, Conductor
WHEN: Saturday, April 24, 2004, 8:00 p.m.
WHERE: Harriet & Charles Luckman Fine Arts Complex, Cal State L.A.
5151 State University Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90032
TICKETS: $37.50, $32.50, $27.50. Discounts are available for: students, seniors, groups.
Box Office: (323) 343-6600 / Ticketmaster: (213) 365-3500 or www.ticketmaster.com
INFO: www.luckmanfineartscomplex.org

*The Luckman Jazz Orchestra’s Eric Dolphy survey project is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts, which believes that a great nation deserves great art.

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