vanguard gala press release
DESCRIPTION
The Guardians Institute was founded by Herreast Harrison, MA, in honor of her late husband, Big Chief Donald Harrison, Sr. Mrs. Harrison hopes to, someday, open a full-service facility that will house a museum/gallery, classrooms, a library, sports and recreation space as well as a performance space. A testimony to Mrs. Harrison’s will is the fact that she has already began classes and a youth book club without the benefit of major funding and without a permanent facility. Guardians Institute is dedicated to the development of our youth through literacy, physical fitness and New Orleans’ indigenous cultural arts. Children, K-12, participating in our programs attend free classes where they are instructed by community elders and leaders in various aspects or art, music, movement, history, literacy and finance. For more info: http://guardiansinstitute.org/About_Us.htmlTRANSCRIPT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WHAT: Guardians Institute’s 2014 Vanguard Gala WHEN: 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm
WHERE: 2003 Carondelet Street
McKenna Museum of African American Art
Tickets are $25.00 per person
The Guardians Institute will hold their inaugural fundraiser, Vanguard Gala on Saturday, February 15, 2014. The event will raisefunds to support the organization’s signature programs: Big Chief Donald Harrison Sr. Book Club, Family Saturdays, and Master Jazz Classes. The event will include special music performances by the Christian aTunde Adjuah Scott Quintet, Big Chief Brian Nelson, and special surprise guests. The evening of art, music, delectable culinary delights, and culture in one of New Orleans’ premier venues, McKenna Museum of African American Art will also include a silent auction. Items for the auction include; Silence of the Lamb movie posters signed by Academy Award winning director Jonathan Demme, original artwork, gift baskets, and frame ready photographs of members the Harrison Family who have been referred to as the First Family of Culture. Attendees will also be able to view the Donald Harrison, Sr.: The Legacy Continues exhibition. The special exhibit curated by the Guardians Institute includes; archival photos, original beaded artworks, paintings by Karen Ocker and Ronald Romanski, ceremonial attire by Big Chief Donald Harrison Jr. of the Congo Nation Afro New Orleans group, Mardi Gras Indian flag designed by Alonzo Wilson and featured on HBO’s Tremè Series, as well as photographs by Eric Waters, Jeffrey Ehrenreich, Ed Brown, Phillip Colwart, Skip Bolen, Freddye Hill and others. Sponsors of the event include: LeRoux’s Supper Club & Banquet Hall, Sucre King Cakes and Treats. # For more information, contact Michael Burd, Jr. via e-mail at [email protected]
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C H R I S T I A N A T U N D E A D J U A H
Christian Scott, also known as Christian aTunde Adjuah (born March 31, 1983, in New Orleans, Louisiana) is a two-time Edison Award winner (2010, 2012), Grammy Award nominated jazz trumpeter, composer, and producer. Scott’s Grammy
nominated international recording debut Rewind That (Concord Records) was called “arguably the most remarkable premiere the genre has seen in the last decade” by Billboard Magazine, earning Scott two prominent features on their cover, and
inclusion in their list of “Ones to Watch in 2006”.
Since 2002 Scott has released seven studio recordings and two live albums. Scott is known for developing the harmonic convention known as the “forecasting cell” and for his use of an un-voiced tone in his playing emphasizing breath over vibration at the mouthpiece; widely referred to as his “whisper technique.” Scott is also widely recognized as one of the progenitors of “Stretch Music”, a jazz rooted genre blind musical form attempting to “stretch” jazz rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic conventions to encompass as many other musical forms, languages, and cultures as possible. Through his partnership with Adam’s Instruments, Scott’s Siren Trumpet, Sirenette and Reverse Flugelhorn are revolutionizing brass instrument design all over the world. As NPR put it, "Christian Scott ushers in new era of jazz". He has been heralded by JazzTimes magazine as "the Architect of a new commercially viable fusion" and "Jazz's young style God".
Scott is the nephew of Saxophonist Donald Harrison Jr. and is considered to be a major inspiration for HBO's Treme series lead character Delmond Lambreaux. Lambreaux, is a hybrid of both Donald Harrison Jr. and Christian Scott.