MUSIC

THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

The Ensemble Theatre and Cool Jazz Forever present Spring Break Jazz Celebration, in honor of the great American legacy called JAZZ.  Sunday March 14, 2010, in The Ensemble Theatre/Performance Center, 3535 Main St., Houston, TX 77002.  This event will benefit the  The Ensemble's Young Performers Program

Featuring jazz pianist and NAACP Image Award nominee, Marcus Johnson (pictured) with Houston "Sax Man" Dean James. The opening act will be The Conrad Johnson Youth Trio under the direction of Elfrida Brown.  The Conrad Johnson Youth Orchestra will be performing in Carnegie Hall in New York City on June 13th.

Marcus Johnson:  During the past decade, Johnson has developed a reputation as a stellar showman, wowing audiences with his emotive displays of keyboard dexterity, while mixing his jazzy beats with R&B, go-go, Latin funk, a taste of salsa and a sip of hip hop. It’s an unbridled genre that has allowed him to cultivate both mature smooth jazz fans as well as the younger urban-contemporary audiences.

Bringing jazz to the masses is a challenge that any lesser man might wince as too daunting. But to Johnson, his faith, his music and his ideas are the rock from which he plans to stand and raise jazz steady and unbowed.

Dean James:  Born & raised in San Francisco , James picked up the sax at the age of 15. Inspired by such greats as Charlie Parker, Grover Washington Jr. and David Sanborn, James became particularly motivated to master the horn and pursue his musical career. Furthering his musical education, James attended the Berklee College of Music where he studied Jazz and Classical Music. James returned to the Bay Area where he joined the David Eshelman Big Band and later played as a sideman on the Gospel circuit for Daniebelle Hall, Daryl Coley, and Rickey Grundy to name a few.

After moving to Los Angeles in 1985, James became a popular session player in the competitive studio world and a sideman for R&B artists such as Vesta Williams, Cherelle, Gary Taylor as well as working with Smooth Jazz artists Peter White, Bob Baldwin, Rob Mullins, and Norman Connors.

The Ensemble Theatre has a rich heritage in the city of Houston providing excellent tehater productions featuring local and national talent.  The Ensemble Theatre was founded by George Hawkins in 1976 to preserve African-American artistic expression and enlighten, entertain and enrich a diverse community.  The Young Performer's Program under the direction of Artistic Director Eileen J. Morris is dedicated to the artistic education of the youth in the Greater Houston Community.  The program provides an arts outlet for children ages 7 to 17.  The Young Performer's Program is avital resource in Houston, and needs to be supported to preserve Mr. Hawkins' legacy.

Cool Jazz Forever is a full service production company from Arlington, Texas that is passionate about the future arts community in Houston.  They have partnered with The Ensemble Theatre and KPVU/Prairie View to present a jazz fundraiser to celebrate the present and future of jazz.

The evening includes:

6:30PM Platinum VIP Reception with refreshments provided by Garvin Schwarts of Creative Crepes and cash bar.

8:15PM Conrad Johnson Jazz Trio

8:50PM Marcus Johnson and sax man Dean James take the stage