“Best of the Best” JOI Jazz Orchestra in a light-hearted moment before performing Duke Ellington’s Nutcracker Suite.
Photo by Joseph Donato/Cashman Photo Enterprises

JOI-ful Jazz Tsunami Hits Vegas!

BY KENDALL HARDIN

Five years ago, one of Sin City’s renowned trumpeters forged a deal with another celebrated jazz icon to form the Jazz Outreach Initiative. JOI was born, and a colossal new musical wave barreled toward the West Coast, crashing to a stop in Las Vegas.

The young organization was the vision of Vegas native Kenny Rampton, currently a full-time musician with The Jazz at Lincoln Center (JALC) Orchestra in New York City. He drew inspiration from his friend and fellow trumpeter from New Orleans, JALC Artistic Director Wynton Marsalis.

Founded to fill a need for heightened exposure to contemporary jazz studies and awareness, the organization focused on three pillars of education, performance, and community outreach by engaging students and audiences of all ages and backgrounds.

In its short lifespan, JOI has exploded like a supernova for jazz. Overnight, it established two orchestras – the Las Vegas Youth Jazz Orchestra (for students 11 to 19) and the JOI Jazz Orchestra, a professional big band comprised of Las Vegas top-tier jazz musicians and mentors. The company then launched its Band Directors Academy, Jazz for Young People Concerts, and Essentially Ellington event, plus a bevy of outreach programs, including festivals, clinics, master classes, and local school “informances.” And it’s still growing!

How did this Big Bang happen? As a licensed affiliate of New York’s prestigious Jazz at Lincoln Center (JALC) program, JOI seized on JALC’s impressive program curriculum and learning curve, creating its own feisty trajectory designed to revitalize a community of world-class jazz in Vegas. A kind of “Lincoln Center West” suddenly established roots in Sin City!

Three Amigos Form a Band of Brothers

As unique as the New York connection is, JOI couldn’t have happened without the intersection of three guys who grew up together as alumni of Bonanza High School, Nevada School of the Arts, and UNLV. The three uber-talented musician friends later reconnected with the perfect skill set to advance JOI. The founding vision and star power of Kenny Rampton united with VP/Co-Founder Gary Cordell, who heads up all of the company’s education and performance programs, and Executive Director Donny Thompson, who provides the dauntless business oversight to build the organization’s nonprofit board and infrastructure as JOI surges from infancy.

The “operations team” connects every Tuesday (often remotely) to accommodate Kenny’s national and international touring appearances. But the vision drives the intensity of JOI’s programming. The Las Vegas Youth Jazz Orchestra recently joined the CSN Big Band in a fall concert at the Nickolas Horn Theatre. During the holidays, JOI wowed a sold-out crowd at the Starbright Theatre with a knock-out performance of The Nutcracker Suite by Duke Ellington with star headliner Clint Holmes and emcee Nathan Tannebaum.

Essentially Ellington 2023

Each February, JOI presents its Essentially Ellington Regional Festival for high school bands as the capstone to all of JOI’s work. The program features arrangements, artists, clinicians, and special guests from Jazz at Lincoln Center, along with the UNLV School of Music’s Division of Jazz and Commercial Music as co-host.

Essentially Ellington focuses on promoting jazz as America’s unique art form in schools. The event is the largest of its kind in the country, drawing in high school jazz bands of all levels from the Clark County School District and across the Southwest to perform the music of Duke Ellington and other big band composers. Participating bands receive valuable professional feedback from JALC clinicians and other jazz professionals.

This year’s program highlights Kenny Rampton as festival artistic director and world-renowned jazz luminaries such as Rodney Whitaker, Camille Thurman, and Jeff Hamilton. As part of the two-day festival, JOI sponsors a celebratory dinner at UNLV for clinicians and educators, followed well into the evening by an epic pizza party and jam session for students.

The second night concludes with a spirited awards ceremony, followed by the award-winning UNLV Jazz Ensemble I on stage with guest artists and high school soloists performing music from Ellington’s extensive catalog. This distinctive festival is remarkable in that it is non-competitive, focusing on supporting each participant’s musical collaboration and growth rather than jockeying for awards.

Routes to Jazz Roots

JOI’s Jazz Routes Program awards donated and brand-new instruments to local at-risk students who demonstrate musical talent. As a unique bonus, Jazz Routes recipients also receive a year’s worth of donor-sponsored lessons to launch them on their musical journey. A professional musician with extensive teaching experience is carefully matched with each student in partnership with Music & Arts, the nation’s largest instrument retailer.

In JOI’s vernacular, an instrument with lessons isn’t just a gift to a student in need. “It feeds a passion to experience life’s lessons of teamwork, problem-solving, improved academics, and musical mastery,” according to Gary Cordell. “In the end, our initial investment in lessons pays dividends to both JOI’s students and the soul of our community.”

Jazz Routes recipient 6th-grader Giovanni Fetes receives his trumpet from Donny Thompson and Gary Cordell. Photo by Joseph Donato/Cashman Photo Enterprises

Celebrating a Rich Legacy While Shaping the Future

JOI creates programming opportunities for kids to play in public. While education is foundational to building musical talent, performances build confidence, depth, and strength for aspiring young musicians. To that end, the company has created two major jazz orchestras: one at the top of its game that performs the canon of jazz for inspiration and one that helps shape the superstar players, arrangers, and composers of tomorrow.

“After four years of JOI’s amazing growth, it was time to launch a professional big band which could further support our mission and vision in the way that Jazz at Lincoln Center does,” cited Kenny Rampton, who has performed alongside Wynton Marsalis in the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra for over a dozen years.

JOI Jazz Orchestra (JOIJO) is comprised of “first call” local musicians who also serve as volunteer mentors for students of the Las Vegas Youth Jazz Orchestra. The orchestra is a professional showcase for accomplished musicians to perform charts from jazz’s greatest musicians, composers, and arrangers – while also featuring music from highly talented local composers and arrangers such as Rachel Eckroth, Jorge Machine, Nathan Tanouye, and Barry Ross.

Las Vegas Youth Jazz Orchestra (LVYJO) members receive all music, instruction, jazz language classes, comps to JOI events and concerts, a specially assigned mentor, and masterclasses from world-renowned jazz luminaries – all for just $125 per semester.

Reaching Out to Make a Difference

• Jammin’ with JOI provides students with a free program that meets every Tuesday during the summer. Students from middle school through high school join seasoned professionals to study jazz language and play with the pros and other students across Southern Nevada in a fun, relaxed, and supportive atmosphere. Students do not have to register, can come any time, and are welcome to bring friends.
• Buzzin’ In Brass is the brainchild of Gary Cordell, in partnership with The Smith Center. This highly acclaimed program targets Title 1 “at risk” elementary schools and is designed for kindergarten through 5th-grade students. Buzzin’ In Brass introduces a love for jazz through live performances of the JOI Brass Quintet. The “informances” are engaging, fun, and interactive – in high demand by both local music specialists and school administrators.
• Jazz for Young People (J4YP) provides narrated one-hour-long concerts designed for secondary school students. Students learn life lessons through the narration of the lives of famous jazz artists who succeeded despite cultural obstacles and social prejudice. Licensed from Jazz at Lincoln Center, the JOI Sextet performances are informative and interactive.
• JOI in Schools sends highly qualified professional mentors into Clark County School District band rooms at no cost, thanks to the generous support of JOI donors.
• JOI’s Annual Band Director Academy provides an intensive in-person training program for jazz band teachers designed and hosted by Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York. Registered middle school and high school band directors learn from masterclass educators and world-renowned artists from across the country. The course is approved for graduate-level credit, pay step increases, and state licensure renewal.
• Jazz Language Classes are offered weekly to students of the LVYJO and the general public that teach the language of jazz basics, covering topics from improvisation and transcriptions to chord structures and progressions. Students explore the expansive jazz lineage through active listening and self-expression to create their own compositions.
• “The JOI of Arranging” classes with Grammy nominee Rachel Eckroth are currently available through a collaboration with the Nevada School of the Arts at NSA’s downtown campus.

JOI Annual Summer Soiree at Monzu Italian Oven + Bar

Partnering with the Community

Armed with inspired, competent leadership and an exciting array of innovative mission-driven programs, JOI has now reached out to build alliances, coalitions, and donor support with businesses and other nonprofits throughout the Las Vegas Valley.

Kudos to the JOI team for building a doggedly-dedicated powerhouse board that totally supports the organization’s goals with time, expertise, and financial support. Already JOI’s partnerships reach deep into the community with UNLV, CSN, Nevada School of the Arts, the Clark County School District, Music & Arts, KUNR 91.5, and scores of new corporate and individual sponsors and donors.

One can’t underestimate the contacts and connections of the Three Amigos either. Gary Cordell’s background spans that of a trumpeter, arranger, and composer. But his long teaching career inside the school district allows him to call on virtually every band director and music specialist within miles to funnel the best students into JOI’s programs.

Kenny Rampton’s colossal musical stature allows him to call on star peers when performing in town, asking them to drop by rehearsals or meet students at their shows. He’ll often have living composers Skype in to work with students as they interpret their musical charts. Who else can match that kind of gravity and respect?

Donny Thompson, a musical child prodigy, has come full circle as a successful performer, small businessman, corporate banker, and crackerjack executive, having just received his master’s degree in nonprofit administration from Louisiana State University in 2020 – providing the perfect managerial fit.

The JOI Jazz Alliance is the company’s newest spinoff as the company’s volunteer organization dedicated to supporting JOI’s mission and purpose through service, fundraising, volunteering, and event planning.

Vocalist Jonathon Karrant performs with the Las Vegas Youth Jazz Orchestra

A New World of Jazz for the New World

If the bottom-line goal of JOI is to reboot or reinvent a world-class community of jazz in Las Vegas, then JOI is well on its way.

“The culture of jazz is healing for a community. It’s a great uniter,” claims Donny Thompson. “Jazz tells the story of America – good and bad – with democracy always shining on a Big Band stage.

“You not only hear inspired improvisation,” he continues, ”but you see each artist collaborating and supporting each other by listening and reacting in real-time – without a conductor. That’s the genius of jazz.”

Or, as Wynton Marsalis so eloquently sums up, ”How great musicians demonstrate mutual respect and trust on the bandstand can alter your outlook on the world and enrich every aspect of your life – understanding what it means to be a global citizen in the most modern sense. Jazz music is the power of NOW.”

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Visit jazzoutreachinitiative.org to:

• Join the JOIful Notes Newsletter
• Become a JOI Jazz Alliance Volunteer
• Donate a musical instrument
• Become a corporate sponsor
• Make an individual donation
• Check out upcoming classes and performances
• “Adopt” a young musician for a year
• And more!

Jazz Outreach Initiative (JOI) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with a Platinum Shield rating from GuideStar.

“Connecting the language of music to the language of life!“

KENNY RAMPTON

Growing up in Las Vegas was such a gift. My dad was a first-call percussionist for the Relief Orchestras that gave the House Bands a night off. He often took me to rehearsals so I could meet the best of the best musicians.

When I was about 11, I picked up the trumpet, and my dad introduced me to Doc Severinson, who was performing in town. I remember I asked him, “How much do you practice?” And he told me, “The more you play, the more you need to practice.”

My mother was a teacher, pianist, and organist at our church. She had me sit on the organ bench while she played at church, and that’s how I learned to read music. My mother was also a staunch advocate of early music in the schools.

I was exposed to such a high level of music at such a young age – and I want other kids to have that opportunity. I am the player and person I am today because of how I was raised.

I had the kind of education you couldn’t buy. It is a profound discipline to study music at an early age. You become a better person. Research shows it helps with brain development and one’s approach to mastery and success.

I’ve had so many great experiences with my travels as a musician to share with young talent. I realized how the music industry of my dad’s era uplifted the community, and I wanted to do something to help my hometown. I love Las Vegas, and after seeing what Lincoln Center was doing and working with Wynton Marsalis – probably the top name in jazz today – I wanted to pay back to the community.

Once I reached out to folks, JOI just took off – with support from all sides. I want JOI to grow into an amazing program like that of Jazz at Lincoln Center. But most importantly, I want JOI to be an umbrella for the entire community to support – one that helps each of us learn and grow. I’m here for the long run. I’ll never step back as long as we keep moving forward!