This morning, Jordan had Bob Kames in to tell us more about the 2011 Bob Kames Jazz Festival.
The Jazz Festival runs April 2 on the UWM campus; Concert with Jon Faddis at 7:30pm in the Helen Bader Concert Hall
The mission of the Bob Kames Foundation and the annual Jazz Festival is to encourage children to get involved with music at a young age, and to keep a love for Jazz - "America's music" - alive among people of all ages. This is the first year the Bob Kames Foundation has partnered with the Jazz Studies program at UW-Milwaukee.
The festival will include competitions, master classes and clinics for high school and middle school Jazz ensembles. The Festival typically hosts 17 to 19 bands and 6-10 combos, with an average of 400 kids performing each year. At 7:30pm on April 2nd, Jon Faddis will perform a concert in the Helen Bader Concert Hall with the Milwaukee Jazz Orchestra. Also, one student ensemble will be chosen during that day's competitions to perform on stage with Jon Faddis that evening.
The Bob Kames Foundation provides at least $3,000 in grants and scholarships per festival, plus additional funds to support music programs through our summer program and Bingo fundraisers. To date, they have provided tens of thousands of dollars to music departments, scholarships and fund raising efforts.
You can learn more about the Bob Kames Foundation and the Jazz Festival on their web site: http://www.bobkamesfoundation.org/
To hear more with Bob, listen below...