Nov. 27, 2023 By Rachel Butler
Flushing Town Hall will be hosting its 17th annual NEA Jazz Masters concert next month.
The venue, which is located on Northern Boulevard in Flushing, has become known as a hub for great jazz music and performances.
The Dec. 15 concert will feature renowned trumpet player and Jazz master Jimmy Owens, who will lead a group of six talented musicians. Joining Owens on stage will be Gary Bartz on saxophone, Ron Carter on bass, pianist Joanne Bracken, Louis Hayes on drums and Wycliffe Gordan on trombone.
Ellen Kodadek, the executive and artistic director at Flushing Town Hall, said she is honored to welcome the musicians to the stage and looks forward to an evening of entertaining jazz.
“I feel truly privileged to welcome two of the newest NEA Jazz Masters — Gary Bartz and Louis Hayes — alongside the return of some seasoned masters and outstanding jazz talents to our stage,” Kodadek said. “Queens is the borough so many jazz legends have called home and our annual NEA Jazz Masters concert upholds the borough’s history as a go-to destination for jazz icons and audiences alike,,”
Flushing Town Hall began the tradition of hosting NEA (National Endowment for the Arts) Jazz Master with its first concert on Nov. 17, 2006. Since then, the venue has continued to showcase the best Jazz musicians that New York has to offer.
“This year, our NEA Jazz Masters concert will bring the arrangements of several NEA Jazz Masters and their own compositions to the stage,” Flushing Town Hall’s Jazz Producer in Residence Clyde Bullard said. “The repertoire will include music composed by Miles Davis, Horace Silver, Benny Golson and Dizzy Gillespie with some other swinging surprises.”
The concert will begin at 8 p.m. with a pre-concert workshop taking place from 5 to 6:30 p.m , during which the musicians will discuss times when they have played with Jazz icons and who they draw inspiration from for their music.
Tickets for the event are $32 for members and $40 for non-members. Students with valid IDs can also purchase tickets for $20. All ticket holders will have access to the pre-concert workshop.
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit the Flushing Town Hall website.