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Wall Street Journal applauds the ABBPS

From Keeping the Big Band Sound Alive by Nat Hentoff, in The Wall Street Journal (Feb. 3, 2010).

Characteristically, Ms. Carr has researched, pondered and created a specific agenda for the ABBPS. It will not only provide educational clinics and master classes to students from elementary school through college, but also assist young music teachers, many of whom have not had any experience with this music but are expected to teach public-school jazz bands or music ensembles. “We plan to focus on schools that don’t have enough funding for a curriculum that would support, in whole or part, big-band education or performances,” she says.

But to bring vivid pleasure to all this orientation, the ABBPS will, Ms. Carr continues, “perform live concerts in schools, playing selected arrangements from our library and getting young people excited about this music. Kids needs to hear this music played live.”

Read the full article here or  click here to download a PDF version.

Meet our resident Blogger…

salt-city087

Keep up with big band news, stories and history with our blogger, Arnold “Arnie” Koch, former manager of the famous Salt City 5/6 band. For almost the entire two decades of their existence, beginning as their Talent Scout on Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts, Arnie Koch was the Salt City Five/Six Personal Manager. Under his management, the band had four recording contracts (Jubilee, MGM, Roulette and Audiophile) and two major talent agencies: Music Corporation of America and Associated Booking Corp. They played in about every major jazz club in the U.S. During this time, Arnie managed to represent Roy Liberto’s Bourbon St. Six, and Red Richard’s and Vic Dickenson’s Saints and Sinners.Fortunately for his family, Arnie never had to give up his day job with General Electric in public relations. (Photo of Salt City 5/6 members, left to right: Arnie, Don, Will & Jack)