Jazz trumpeter Collins “Bo” Berry performs during Jam Session at Birmingham’s Carver Theatre. (Marika N. Johnson, For The Birmingham Times)
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Story and Photos by Marika N. Johnson
Birmingham’s Carver Theatre last week hosted a Swinging Jazz Jam Session featuring an All-Star High School Sextet and other invited musicians held in partnership with the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz, the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame, and the Birmingham City Council.
Students from the Birmingham area joined local artists José Carr and Bo Berry to perform and improvise.
Musicians from the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz traveled from Los Angeles to participate. The program pairs six of the nation’s top high school jazz musicians with local students, allowing them to learn from some of the best in the genre. Peers of the program and local students learn to play music and form friendships. Program organizers say the results speak for themselves.
“Most importantly, they’re saying, ‘Hey, we’re doing something with our lives. You need to do something with yours. It doesn’t have to be music like it is for us; it could be engineering or computers or medicine, or law or sports, but find a passion for something, believe in yourself, work hard and go for it,” said Dr. JB Dyas, vice president of education and curriculum development at the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz.
This year musicians visited schools in Montgomery, AL and ended their visit in Birmingham with stops at A.H Parker High School, Wenonah High School and Alabama School of Fine Arts. “For two to three weeks each year, we visit schools where kids teach kids through peer-to-peer conversations about jazz,” Dyas said. “We show them that there’s more to music than just hip-hop and rock.”
Dyas also spoke about the values jazz represents. “Jazz teaches teamwork, diversity, and the connection between hard work and accomplishment. A jazz ensemble is one of the best examples of democracy—individual freedom with responsibility to the group. It also shows us the vital importance of really listening to one another.”
The event was a celebration of jazz education, uniting musicians across generations in their shared love for the genre.
