CENTRAL BROOKLYN JAZZ CONSORTIUM LAUNCHES SPRING FESTIVAL

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Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams presents proclamation to Bob Cunningham

[Music]

The Greek style marble rotunda of Brooklyn’s Borough Hall reverberated with the spirit of past launchings of Central Brooklyn Jazz Consortium’s (“CBJC”) Spring Festival.  The camaraderie among the guests was genuine and so was the jazz.   Many of the guests are long-time supporters of CBJC.

Founded in 1999, CBJC is made up of patrons, entertainment venues, musicians, community organizations and faith-based institutions. The 16th Annual Central Brooklyn Jazz Festival, “Where Jazz Lives” runs from April 17 thru May 17, 2015.  This is New York’s longest continuously running grassroots festival dedicated to Jazz.

New York City Councilman Robert Cornegy, sent a congratulatory letter to CBJC which said, “I want to congratulate the Central Brooklyn Jazz Consortium (CBJC), an organization committed to the development and preservation of jazz music and related art forms throughout Brooklyn… I give my continued support to this worthy organization and the services it provides to my city council district. Keep on Swinging.”

To start things off, legendary bassist Bob Cunningham was presented with a proclamation in recognition of more than fifty years of outstanding music to the world of jazz by Brooklyn Borough President, Eric Adams.  Bob thanked CBJC and said that when it was organized around 1999, he was skeptical about its staying power.  CBJC’s founder, the late Torrie McCartney, convinced him to stay and use his master status to promote the art form.  In a humble tone, he said, “and I’m glad I did.”

After presenting the proclamation to Bob Cunningham, Brooklyn Borough President Adams said, “Jazz is a major part of the energy of Brooklyn, and I’m looking forward to expanding it.  The goal is to locate all the live jazz locations throughout Brooklyn with the guidance and assistance of Bob Myers.”

CBJC Board member, Michael Howard, had this to say about the organization.  “For 16 years I watched the Festival evolve from one week to a month.  The Board of Directors consisted of Jitu Weusi; Elma Carroll; Torrie McCartney and Viola Plummer.  Their organizing provided a solid foundation for the current board, which keeps the founders’ spirits alive.”

For the first time, as part of International Jazz Day, CBJC will broadcast live stream on Apr 30, 1-5:00 PM. on UNESCO’s global jazz celebration in Paris-France, at Brooklyn’s Borough Hall, 209 Joralemon Street.  Two of the featured performers are Dianne Reeves and Herbie Hancock.  Admission is free.

On hand for the premier of the 2015 Festival was vocalist Steve Cromity; the Director of Jazz Mobile, Robin Bell Stephens; drummer Wayne “Cooke” Broadnex; pianist Rudy Mwongozi; blues singer Bereather Ready, founder and CEO of Jazz 966 Sam Pinn; and recording artist and musician Eric Frazier.

A group to look out for is Majid.  This “Young Lion” (a term old school jazz folks coined for the up and coming young musicians) jazz quartet provided the upbeat music for the launching.  The leader, Majid, plays the violin and is a product of Juilliard School of Music.  The group has been together for about three years.  They have released a CD titled “Majid Sfumat Symphony Volume 1, where you’ll hear jazz infused with hip-hop rapping.  It’s innovative and fantastic!  To hear the smooth new sound, go to SoundCloud\majid-2.

For more information, go to www.cbjcjazz.org or 718-773-2252.  Start the season off on the jazz note!

 

 

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