2016 ANNUAL GALA BENEFIT CONCERT
THE KAYE PLAYHOUSE AT HUNTER COLLEGE
695 Park Ave, New York, NY 10065
(68th Street between Park & Lexington Avenues)
TUESDAY, JUNE 14, 2016
6PM VIP Reception
7:30PM Awards Presentation & Concert
Featuring:
RENÉ MARIE
In a span of two decades, 11 recordings and countless stage performances, vocalist René Marie has cemented her reputation as not only a singer but also a composer, arranger, theatrical performer and teacher. Guided and tempered by powerful life lessons and rooted in jazz traditions laid down by Ella Fitzgerald, Dinah Washington and other leading ladies of past generations, she borrows various elements of folk, R&B and even classical and country to create a captivating hybrid style. Her body of work is musical, but it’s more than just music. It’s an exploration of the bright and dark corners of the human experience, and an affirmation of the power of the human spirit.
Featuring:
MONTY ALEXANDER & HARLEM KINGSTON EXPRESS
In a career spanning five decades, pianist Monty Alexander has built a reputation exploring and bridging the worlds of American jazz, popular song, and the music of his native Jamaica, finding in each a sincere spirit of musical expression. In the process, he has performed and recorded with artists from every corner of the musical universe and entertainment world: Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Ray Brown, Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Rollins, Clark Terry, Quincy Jones, Ernest Ranglin, Barbara Hendricks, Bobby McFerrin, Sly Dunbar, and Robbie Shakespeare, among others. Among these earliest enthusiasts for his playing were none other than Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Miles Davis.
Honoring:
ROY HAYNES
For over 50 years Roy Haynes has influenced and innovated, shaping some of the greatest recordings in jazz while altering the very fabric and direction of jazz improvisation with his mercurial, intelligent, joyous drumming. Freeing jazz’s borders, infusing its lifeblood, steering it towards greater freedom and more distinctive expression, Roy Haynes is a national treasure who continues to forge new paths well into his 80s.
Honoring:
KENNETH J. KNUCKLES, Esq.
Jazz and Community Leadership Award
Kenneth J. Knuckles is a prominent business and civic leader who has distinguished himself over the past two decades as an attorney and public servant. Prior to becoming the Chief Executive Officer and President of UMEZ, a position he has held since January 2003, Mr. Knuckles served on UMEZ’s Board of Directors. Mr. Knuckles also spent seven years at Columbia University where he was the Vice President of Support Services. By expanding retail investment, supporting the growth of the culture and tourism industry, and providing greater assistance to small businesses, he believes the Empowerment Zone will continue to be the catalyst in the unprecedented revitalization underway in Upper Manhattan.
Regular price tickets (non-VIP) will go on sale through the Kaye Playhouse Box Office on May 9th.
Please call (212) 348-8300 or Click Here to purchase VIP tickets
Please call (212) 348-8300 or Click Here for Sponsorship Opportunities
