Camille Thurman (L) with Clint Holmes (R)

Vegas Valley Students Learn the “Joi” of Jazz, Scat and the First Lady of Song

By Stacey Gualandi

I have never seen – nor heard – so many young (jazz) hands clapping with such appreciation as I did during Jazz Outreach Initiative’s (JOI) “Jazz for Young People” Concerts at Reynolds Hall at The Smith Center!

Over three thousand enthusiastic students from the Clark County School District were bussed in to experience two back-to-back performances with the acclaimed Jazz Vegas Orchestra and world-renowned saxophonist and vocalist Camille Thurman.  She definitely answered this year’s theme, “Who is Ella Fitzgerald?” and then some.

From Bebop to Improv to Scat, these up-and-coming jazz lovers quickly got into the swing of the First Lady of Song’s life story.

Thurman, glowing in her gold satin/silk gown, brought the late Ella Fitzgerald to life by transporting the audience through the legendary improv virtuoso’s first jazz hit “A-Tisket, A-Tasket,” to making bebop history with “How High the Moon,” to her pinnacle scat style with Louis Armstrong.

To my excitement, celebrated singer Clint Holmes shared the stage with Thurman for a rousing duet from Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess from the Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong collaboration.

“I measure our success by the smiles, and I see a lot of smiles at everything we do,” said JOI Executive Director Donny Thompson. “It just tells me that we’re doing something right.”

Thompson said this is the second year of the program hosted by Channel 8’s Nathan Tannenbaum (who joined the orchestra on flute!), thanks to JOI’s outstanding partnership with The Smith Center’s education and outreach division.

“Jazz for Young People” Concerts are licensed to JOI through Jazz at Lincoln Center, which hosts its own Jazz for Young People Concerts across the globe.

“It was always our dream to do this the way that Jazz Lincoln Center does: by bussing all the kids in. We just lacked the ability to do that until this relationship with the Smith Center, which also sponsors our ‘Swingin’ Strings’ program that we just launched this semester, and the ‘Buzzin’ in Brass’ program that we’ve been doing for several years,” said Thompson. “Those folks are just so behind us on everything that we’re doing. It’s just a wonderful partnership.”

The hour-long concert covered a lot of territory, and plans include introducing future youth audiences to jazz greats Thelonious Monk and Miles Davis.

“First and foremost, we really want students to take away an understanding that jazz is truly America’s original art form and that there’s history behind it and that a lot of the jazz history follows the history of the United States of America in all of its ups and downs,” said Thompson.

Not only did all of these students walk away from the free experience with a new appreciation for jazz, but I learned so much, too!  (Who knew Marilyn Monroe was such a huge friend to Ms. Fitzgerald?  I didn’t!!)

For Thompson, the opportunity to teach jazz brings endless rewards.

“My other jobs that I’ve had feed my family; Jazz Outreach Initiative’s mission feeds my soul.”

Now YOU can win the ultimate jazz fan experience through JOI’s online raffle! A trip for 2 to Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis in Chicago! It includes airfare, hotel, concert and backstage meet-and-greet!

Just go to: https://www.jazzoutreachinitiative.org/give