Zoot Fest, to Honor Jazz Musicians Zoot Sims and Al Cohn, Slated For November 10 at ESU

Posted by: admin on November 1, 2013, No Comments

Music fans, particularly jazz enthusiasts, have the chance to enjoy world-renowned jazz musicians while helping fundraise for East Stroudsburg University’s Al Cohn Memorial Jazz Collection at the third edition of Zoot Fest on Sunday, November 10.

The event, which is meant to celebrate and honor the memories and music of the great partnership of Zoot Sims and Al Cohn, begins at noon and continues until 6 p.m. in ESU’s Keystone Room. It serves as a major fundraising event for ESU’s Al Cohn Memorial Jazz Collection, which is housed in the Kemp Library. The event also indirectly benefits community outreach partner COTA Camp Jazz, specifically its “Library Alive” and “Scholastic Swing” programs.

This unique gathering of talented jazz musicians, jazz aficionados and scholars is their testament to the importance of the Al Cohn Memorial Jazz Collection. It is a celebration of an era of jazz development and the passing of that knowledge on to new generations.

Because seating in the Keystone Room is limited, purchasing tickets in advance is strongly recommended. The $50 per person admission fee includes the program plus a lunch buffet with drinks, dessert and other refreshments. A $25 ticket for students with ID will include lunch, soft drinks and special seating.

The featured musicians are: Walt Bibinger, Joe Cohn, Bill Crow, Jim Daniels, Jerry Dodgion, Bob Dorough, Marion Evans, Bill Goodwin, Tony Marino, Ed Laub, Joe Locke, Joe Lovano, Bucky Pizzarelli, Lew Tabackin, Phil Woods and the COTA Festival Orchestra. More musicians will be announced closer to the event.

The program’s outline will begin with opening remarks from ESU President Marcia G. Welsh. Ph.D., and will be followed by a musical greeting and tribute to Sims and Cohn from Pizzarelli, Laub and Bibinger.

A panel discussion, Culled from the Herd – Woody Herman’s Sphere of Influence, moderated by Goodwin, begins after the tribute. Panel members include ex-Woody Herman band mates Lovano and Jim Daniels and other special guests.

At the conclusion of lunch, there will be a workshop discussion and performance of music for saxes and rhythm composed and arranged by Cohn in the tradition of Woody’s Second Herd. Another Four Others will feature tenors Tabackin, Lovano and Adam Niewood; baritone Jay Rattman; pianist Skip Wilkins; bass player Evan Gregor; and drummer Tom Whaley. They will be joined by the COTA Cats Junior Zoots from the Delaware Water Gap Celebration of the Arts educational program.

A Jam Session á lá Zoot will follow, hosted by Goodwin. Old friends and special guests Woods, Cohn, Crow, David Liebman, Dorough and others will perform.

Locke, a vibraphonist, and his group, will perform. Locke, widely considered to be one of the major voices of his instrument, is known to be a soloist capable of stunning, physical power and broad emotional range.

The afternoon will conclude with Library Alive, featuring music from the Al Cohn Memorial Collection. Guests will be entertained by a unique, repository of swing personified and will be performed by the Grammy nominated Woods and the COTA Festival Orchestra – fresh on the heels of the release of their new CD “New Celebration.”

Dedicated to preserving all forms of jazz from all eras, The Al Cohn Memorial Jazz Collection (ACMJC) was founded in 1988 to honor the life and legacy of Cohn, a legendary saxophonist, arranger, composer and conductor, and long-time resident of the Poconos. This collection includes the Zoot Sims Collection, donated by his wife Louise. The collection is housed in the Kemp Library on the ESU campus and consists of jazz recordings, oral histories, sheet music and arrangements, photographs, books, videos, and original art and memorabilia.

Its official jazz magazine, The Note, is published twice a year and distributed to a world-wide readership. For more information about the ACMJC, visit www.esu.edu/alcohncollection.

For tickets to Zoot Fest, visit www.esufoundation.org/zootfest2013 or call Colette LaMarche at 570-422-3467.