Capture the sound: Have a listen to these talented students, you won’t believe they aren’t professional composers and musicians. At least not yet.
Harlem School of the Arts (HSA) is going into the recording studio and YOU can be a part of it. Help HSA record an album of original jazz, pop and R&B compositions, all written and performed by HSA’s advanced music students! These young people are the next generation of great musicians.
The Next Generation: This year has brought together a unique group of top young artists, all of whom have their own fresh and unique sound the likes of which HSA may not see again. They have played at the legendary Minton’s Jazz Club in Harlem, the Apollo, and with Grammy award winning artists like Arturo O’Farrill at HSA’s own annual gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center. HSA is so proud of these talented young musicians and we want to capture their sound at this pivotal point in their lives. Many are going on to study music in college and pursue careers in the industry. They may never play together again. So let’s send them off with an album full of memories!
Here’s what we’re recording: The album features ORIGINAL jazz, pop and R&B compositions – ALL written and performed by Harlem School of the Arts’ talented student composers, musicians and vocalists.
The outstanding students at the Harlem School of the Arts’ Jazz and Contemporary Studies program include members of the Advanced Jazz Combo that Chair D.D. Jackson directs, the composition class he teaches, plus vocal students of HSA Music Director and Vocal Chair Yolanda Wyns. The CD will be produced by D.D. Jackson and the Harlem School of the Arts.
You decide if it lasts forever. Support their music. You can help them capture this moment and impact their lives. Become a part of HSA Music History by supporting the Kickstarter Campaign to capture their sound and make their album a reality! We need to record and master the album, create the CD artwork, duplicate the CD and upload the album, and distribute to the general public. It will only cost $25,000 to professionally produce this album. But we only have 30 days to do it. This is where your support can make a difference. Please join us today and share with friends and family to help us reach this goal!
Give and get back. Of course you’ll have our grateful thanks, but check out the gifts available at each donation level. We are happy to try and accommodate any requests. And please leave a comment.
Meet the artists:
Brandon Brown (violin, vocals, songwriter)
Foster Brown (acoustic bass)
Gabrielle Garo (flute, alto sax)
Dominique Gervais (drums)
We’ani McDonald (vocals)
Warner Meadows (piano, keys)
Ella Moore (vocals, guitarist, songwriter)
Christian Smith (drums/congas)
Virginia Turner (vocals)
Matthew Whitaker (keys, Hammond B3, piano)
To read more about the artists, visit our site: http://hsanyc.org/untitled-meettheartists/
Meet the Producer:
D.D. Jackson (Chair of Jazz and Contemporary Studies, Director of the HSA Advanced Jazz Combo and producer of the CD)
D.D. Jackson is an accomplished jazz pianist and Emmy-nominated composer/producer whose work spans 12 CD’s, featuring almost entirely original material, ranging from his Juno Award-winning solo piano CD “…so far” to his larger-scale meditation on the events of 9/11, “Suite for New York”. Jackson has performed all over the world and recorded with some of the most distinguished names in jazz and beyond, including Jack Dejohnette, James Carter, David Murray, and (most recently) Questlove and “The Roots” on their Grammy-nominated CD “Undun”, and on “And Then You Shoot Your Cousin” (for which he also wrote/produced/performed). Jackson is also a composer for such hit television shows as multiple-Emmy-winners “Peg+Cat” (PBS), and “The Wonder Pets” (Nickelodeon). Jackson is also a Visiting Lecturer at Hunter College and serves as Chair of Jazz and Contemporary Studies at the Harlem School of the Arts. For more information visit http://ddjackson.com and http://ddjacksoncomposer.com.
About Harlem School of the Arts:
For 50 years, the Harlem School of the Arts (HSA) has transformed the lives of tens of thousands of young people through world-class training in the arts. HSA’s mission empowers youth mainly from under-served communities in Harlem to find and develop the artist and citizen within themselves. HSA stands apart among the premier arts institutions in New York City, as the sole provider of quality arts education in four distinct disciplines – music, dance, theatre, and visual arts.
HSA’s environment teaches discipline, stimulates creativity, builds self-confidence and adds a dimension of beauty to students’ lives. HSA annually serves nearly 4,000 children through on-site instruction and its vital partnerships with NYC schools.
HSA boasts an impressive alumni base of Tony-award winning actors, celebrated operatic voices and jazz musicians, visual artists, dancers, and inspired citizens who cite HSA as the platform from which they launched careers in law, business and other professional fields. For more information, visit www.hsanyc.org.
Without your help, what we’re recording will never be heard. We’ve played this music together for most of the semester and we are really tight, so we know the recording will go smoothly. We then need to master the album, create the CD artwork, produce the CDs and send them out.