International Jazz Day Celebration! Featuring Naomi Uyama, the TJI Ellington Band & the AZ Swing Cats
($10, $20, $30 tickets + fees | 6pm-10pm) The Tucson Jazz Music Foundation and The Century Room present a special celebration for International Jazz Day AND International Dance Day on the Hotel Congress Plaza! Featuring musical performances by the national award-winning Tucson Jazz Institute Ellington Big Band and Naomi & Her Handsome Devils, PLUS DANCE LESSONS and performances by the AZ Swing Cats and Naomi Uyama!
April 30th was proclaimed as International Jazz Day by UNESCO in 2011 and has been celebrated ever since in major cities around the world. International Dance Day has been celebrated on April 29th since 1982, and will also be acknowledged at this very special event that combines jazz music with swing dance – from an era where everyone danced to big band music!
Award-winning international superstar swing dancer and band leader Naomi Uyama will be featured as both a dancer (teaching a beginner’s swing dance lesson at 6 pm) and a bandleader (performing with her band at 8 pm.) Naomi has been called a “velvet-voiced chanteuse” by Time Out New York and been featured at every major swing dance festival around the world. She has assembled an amazing 7-piece band to perform her arrangements of classic swing repertoire — specifically designed for dancers!
The Tucson Jazz Institute Ellington Big Band directed by Brice Winston is an award-winning, all-city student jazz ensemble. Their mission is to create educational and performance opportunities for young musicians to reach their highest potential. The TJI Ellington Big Band has established itself as one of the leading high school jazz groups in the country, earning recognition from Downbeat Magazine and winning the #1 positions in national competitions such as the Jazz at Lincoln Center Essentially Ellington Jazz Festival in NYC, The Next Generation Jazz Festival in Monterey CA, and the Fullerton Jazz Festival in Fullerton CA. They are gearing up for a trip to NYC (May 6-12) to compete in the Essentially Ellington competition (produced & organized by Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra led by Wynton Marsalis / Jazz Academy) and have prepared a set of classic swinging big band songs especially for dancers!
The Arizona Swing Cats represent Tucson’s Lindy-Hop Community and are a student-run club at the University of Arizona that specializes in swing dancing. They are providing the dance floor (THANK YOU) and will be on hand to dazzle with their dance moves and offer a dance partner to interested audience members!
The Tucson Jazz Music Foundation, a 501(c)3 organization, is proud to present this celebration in support young musicians, jazz music and swing dance! The Foundation has made possible $10 student tickets, with students 18 and under FREE. General Admission is $20, while Preferred Seating is $30. All tickets include a dance lesson with Naomi Uyama at 6pm (don’t be late!). This event will be held on the Hotel Congress Plaza Stage.