WASHINGTON, March 31, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- April
is Jazz Appreciation Month, and the Smithsonian's National Museum
of American History will launch the celebration with a special
announcement of the LeRoy Neiman Foundation's donation of a
$2.5 million endowment towards the
expansion of jazz programming.
Artist LeRoy Neiman (1921–2012)
was best known for colorful paintings and illustrations that
presented scenes of sports and entertainment. Among his work is a
distinctive body of paintings of American jazz legends and music of
the 1950s to 1960s. He established the LeRoy Neiman Foundation in
1986 and donated more than $20
million to art institutions, and his legacy continues with
financial support to the museum's jazz programming, including
today's donation.
In addition, the foundation is donating Neiman's painting, "Big
Band," an epic jazz painting he considered as one of the greatest
in his career. The painting is 9-by-13 feet and features 18 iconic
jazz musicians, and it will be unveiled just inside of the museum's
Constitution Avenue entrance.
On the site of this new installation, the museum will develop
the LeRoy Neiman Jazz Cafe on the first floor of the museum by the
Constitution Avenue entrance. Designed to be a permanent space to
celebrate the museum's jazz collections, visitors will be welcomed
by Neiman's "Big Band," as they enter. A second phase of
renovations, slated to open this fall, will include a newly
redesigned interior and iconic jazz visuals from the museum's jazz
collections and JAM-related materials.
The museum will announce its new five-year plan for jazz
programming, made possible by the Neiman Foundation gift, and the
detailed calendar of jazz activities for April 2015, including a special performance in
commemoration of Billy Strayhorn's
centennial by the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra (SJMO),
the museum's big band in residence.
As part of the JAM 2015 kickoff, the museum will also receive
several other significant acquisitions, including the upright bass
and archives of jazz musician and double bassist, Ray Brown, who is known for his work with
Ella Fitzgerald, Oscar Peterson and others. In addition, the
museum will receive the complete collection of the prodigious jazz
photographer, Duncan Schiedt, as
well as a print of the iconic Ella in Flight poster, also by
Neiman.
This year's JAM includes an array of programs in venues around
Washington, D.C., exploring the
themes of "Lush Life: Billy
Strayhorn's Centennial" and risk-taking in jazz. Highlights
include the March 31 "Are Americans
Risk-Takers?" conversation featuring 2015 Latin Jazz Grammy-award
winner Arturo O'Farrill and the
April 11 concert "Lush Life:
Billy Strayhorn's Centennial" by the
SJMO. To download the museum's complete schedule of events for JAM,
visit: www.smithsonianjazz.org
In addition to numerous free performances, visitors to the
museum will also be able to view two rarely seen objects featured
in the museum's first-floor Artifact Walls near the Neiman
painting: Gene Krupa's bass drum and
Duke Ellington's Wurlitzer electric
traveling piano.
The lead sponsor for JAM 2015 is the LeRoy Neiman Foundation.
Additional funding is provided through a generous annual donation
by the Argus Fund and continued support from the Ella Fitzgerald
Charitable Foundation. JAM at the museum is supported by a diverse
group of organizations, corporations and federal agencies through
outreach, financial and in-kind support. The museum launched JAM in
2001 to pay tribute to jazz as a living and historic art form. It
has since grown to include celebrations in all 50 states and 40
countries.
The National Museum of American History is home to unparalleled
jazz collections, including 100,000 pages of Ellington's
unpublished music, John Coltrane's
saxophone, and Fitzgerald's famous red dress. The 17-member SJMO,
led by conductor and artistic director Charlie Young, explores the jazz masters who
shaped the development of American jazz and defined is character.
Information is available at www.sjmo.org.
Through incomparable collections, rigorous research and dynamic
public outreach, the National Museum of American History explores
the infinite richness and complexity of American history. For more
information, visit http://americanhistory.si.edu. The museum is
located on Constitution Avenue, between 12th and 14th streets N.W.,
and is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30
p.m. Admission is free. For Smithsonian information, the
public may call (202) 633-1000.
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SOURCE Smithsonian's National Museum of American History