cbellamy@heraldsun.com; 419-6744
DURHAM -- Anyone who has ever attended a concert put on by N.C. Central University's Jazz Studies Program knows the sophisticated sound of the school's Vocal Jazz Ensemble. The group usually performs during the first set, before the main event. This weekend, the members of the ensemble will get to step out on their own when they perform at the New York City Jazz Festival at Lincoln Center.
Ira Wiggins, who directs NCCU's Jazz Studies Program, "has allowed us to run alongside the big band ... but now the vocal program gets to step out separately," said Lenora Zenzalai Helm, who co-directs the Vocal Ensemble with Arnold George. "It's a big responsibility because we're usually covered and protected by the big band," she said.
The ensemble will arrive in New York on Friday for a series of clinics and rehearsals before performing Sunday. Janis Siegel, a founding member of the Manhattan Transfer vocal group, will be one of the clinicians. During their stay in New York, the ensemble also will perform at area high schools and do some recruiting for NCCU's program, Helm said.
To defray some of the costs of the trip, the ensemble will perform today in NCCU's B.N. Duke Auditorium. Admission is free, but donations will be accepted. Releases by local artists -- including Helm's recent CD "Chronicles of a Butterfly" and guitarist George Tisdale's CD "Liberation" -- will be on sale. All proceeds will go toward the trip.
At today's fundraiser, the ensemble will be previewing some of the compositions they plan to perform at the festival. They include Helm's arrangements of "Naima" by John Coltrane and "Cloudburst" by Jon Hendricks. Audience members will be asked to vote on which compositions they like the best, Helm added.
NCCU's Vocal Ensemble will be one of six ensembles from throughout the country at the Lincoln Center festival, "so we will be representing the Southeast region in terms of universities," Helm said. Performance at the festival is by invitation only, and NCCU received its invitation in September, she said.
Performing at the festival offers the students some important musical opportunities, Helm said. The clinic with Siegel is a chance to work with an artist whose music they sometimes perform. "This is what it's all about," she said, "affording the students the opportunity to be judged by the masters in their field."
Last year, NCCU's big band performed at the Newport and Detroit jazz festivals. This weekend's festival is another chance for NCCU's program to get some national exposure. "Because we're tucked away here in the Southeast, not everyone knows about us, " Helm said. Participation in the festival is "another way that we can help NCCU have the spotlight they need and deserve."
