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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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The Eubie Blake National Jazz Institute and Cultural Center Celebrates and Remembers the Achievements of Women in Music with Exhibit "Memories of Ethel's Place" and Third Annual Women History Month Concert "Women in Jazz: The Feminine Perspective" |
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BALTIMORE, MD – The Eubie Blake Center will honor international recording artist Ethel Ennis in an exhibit, "Memories of Ethel's Place" from Thursday, March 18, 2010 to Saturday, May 1, 2010. Photographs, films, memorabilia and other items will be on display. Ethel Ennis is an internationally jazz artist, entrepreneur, cultural ambassador, and civic activist. She performed in and around Baltimore throughout her childhood and teens, but her music career took off in 1958 when Benny Goodman selected her as the female vocalist to tour with his “all-star band” throughout Europe, culminating at the Brussels World's Fair. Ennis set a precedent when she sang the national anthem a cappella at Richard Nixon's inauguration and she continued to perform at the White House throughout Nixon's and Carter's presidencies. In 1984, Ennis opened Ethel's Place, a venue for nationally-known, and occasionally, local jazz performers. The club broadcast live shows on public television across the country on New Year's Eve in both 1985 and 1987. Ethel performed with Joe Williams, Ray Brown and Milt Jackson, Phil Woods, Gerry Mulligan, Toots Thielemans, Wynton Marsalis, McCoy Turner, and Stephane Grappelli in these memorable broadcasts. In 1988, Ennis and husband Earl Arnett made the difficult decision to sell Ethel's Place in order to “devote their creative energies to words and music.” The month long celebration continues Women's History Month with its third annual concert and conversation, titled “Women in Jazz: The Feminine Perspective,” celebrating and remembering the achievements of women in music featuring Sandy Asirvatham, piano/vocal Amy Shook, bass Rhonda Robinson, flute/vocal Gabrielle Murphy, saxophone and Frank Russo, drums on Sunday, March 28, 2010 4:00 PM. Admission is $10 per person. This program will pay homage to key figures of a vibrantly prolific jazz culture nurtured in Baltimore and beyond from the early 20th century to present. Camay Murphy, retired director of the Eubie Blake Center and daughter of jazz legend Cab Calloway, will reminisce about her multi-talented aunt Blanche Calloway, who by anyone’s standards was a fascinating woman. One of the most outstanding African-American women of her era (1920-40), Blanche was the first black woman bandleader to take an all-male band on a musical tour through the south, and also broke through many color/gender barriers during her lifetime. "The primary goal of 'Women in Jazz: The Feminine Perspective' is to enable women to actively participate in the public discourse about Baltimore’s music industry’s past and present,” says Troy Burton, Executive Director of The Eubie Blake Center. “The dynamic history that is unveiled during the concert, coupled with the opportunity to give women a platform to share jazz experiences, make this annual event uniquely exceptional.” ### For more than three decades, the Eubie Blake National Jazz Institute and Cultural Center has sought to bring creative expression and urban consciousness to Baltimore through visual and performing arts education and development opportunities for children, youth and adults in our community. |
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Maysa
Valentine's
Day Concert
2 Shows: 5:50PM and 8:00PM
For information call
410.225.3130
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 13, 2010
Contact: Troy Burton
Executive Director
Office: 410-225-3130
Fax: 410-225-3139 Fax
Email: eubieblake@rcn.com
The Eubie Blake National Jazz Institute and Cultural Center Host
A Baltimore Native Maysa for Valentine's Day With A Romantic Evening of Love Songs at Eubie Live!
BALTIMORE, MD – It is a rare yet phenomenal feat to create a unique niche in adult soul and jazz music that takes listeners to a higher emotionally charged level. This is clearly what internationally acclaimed singer and song stylist, Maysa, accomplishes with her newest musical project A Woman in Love. The Eubie Blake National Jazz Institute and Cultural Center, Blue Roses Entertainment Group and WEAA 88.9 FM hosts Maysa for a special Valentine’s Day event of romantic love songs on Sunday, February 14, at 5:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. at Eubie Live! 847 North Howard Street in Baltimore. Admission to the event is $100 per couple and $65 per single. Ticket price include a wine and cheese reception for the gallery exhibition “Love’s Theory”, signature drinks and sweet valentines dessert. Proceeds from the performance will benefit the Eubie Blake Center’s Summer Cultural Arts Program for Youth. |
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The Eubie Blake Center’s Summer Cultural Arts Program for Youth program provides special opportunities for students, grades 4- 12, to develop their interests and abilities in vocal music, jazz workshop, dance, theatre, drama and the visual arts. For three weeks, youngsters work with professional teaching artists to rehearse and present a final musical production. Students are challenged to produce a complete product in three weeks, which will be presented to a public audience. They are trained to use higher level thinking skills in order to master this task. The program encourages youngsters to concentrate, focus, persevere and finally to reach success. Last year, students demonstrated independent thinking generated by the program. Several students met independently every morning before class to compose and perform original musical scores. The 2009 Summer Arts Program at the Eubie Blake Center had 50 youth enrolled for classes in musical theatre workshop (vocal music, drama, and dance), jazz workshop and visual arts. The musical theatre workshop presented a closing performance “Alice in Harlem” at The Baltimore Theatre Project. The visual arts students presented in the Eubie Blake Gallery an exhibition “Memories of Us.” The jazz workshop students produced a five-song CD. The fee for each student to attend this summer gifted and talented session is $450 for the three weeks. In many cases, the parent could only afford to pay $50 of the tuition; even though quite small, they were still able to make some financial investment. The Maryland State Department of Education in the past has provided support for this program with a $25,000 grant to cover program expenses. In the summer of 2009 the Maryland State Department of Education cut all funding for summer programming leaving The Center to its own resources for maintaining a summer program for youth |
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Historically jazz singers have always sung repertoire that transcended musical genres. Singer Maysa does just that every time she steps to the microphone. Maysa is a true original. Blessed with a remarkably beautiful and instantly recognizable voice, the vocalist possesses the ability to know just where to take a song and what to do to unearth the heart of it and drive it home. The songbird, who was a member of Stevie Wonder’s Wonderlove and who was the lead vocalist for the celebrated British jazz/funk group Incognito, has just nabbed a Soul Train Award for “Soul Approved Underground Singer.” For Maysa, singing is truly a labor of love. “I love singing for people and I love helping people get through life’s hard times and celebrations,” confesses the powerhouse vocalist. |
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A Woman in Love is available in stores January 26, 2010.
The Eubie Blake National Jazz Institute and Cultural Center is open Wednesday 1 p.m. - 6 p.m., Friday from 12 noon to 6 p.m., Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Sunday by appointment.
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For more than three decades, the Eubie Blake National Jazz Institute and Cultural Center has sought to bring creative expression and urban consciousness to Baltimore through visual and performing arts education and development opportunities for children, youth and adults in our community.


