{"id":4405,"date":"2023-02-20T14:41:00","date_gmt":"2023-02-20T22:41:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/?p=4405"},"modified":"2026-08-30T21:24:24","modified_gmt":"2026-08-31T04:24:24","slug":"joi-ful-jazz-tsunami-hits-vegas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/wordpress\/joi-ful-jazz-tsunami-hits-vegas\/","title":{"rendered":"JOI-ful Jazz Tsunami Hits Vegas!"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Chic<\/span><\/div>
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This article was printed in<\/em>
\nChic Compass Magazine - Issue 13<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>

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\"Best of the Best\" JOI Jazz Orchestra in a light-hearted moment before performing Duke Ellington's <\/em>Nutcracker Suite.<\/em>
\nPhoto by Joseph Donato\/Cashman Photo Enterprises<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>

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JOI-ful Jazz Tsunami Hits Vegas!<\/h1>\n

BY KENDALL HARDIN<\/p>\n<\/div>

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Five years ago, one of Sin City\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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 \u201cinformances.\u201d And it\u2019s still growing!<\/p>\n

How did this Big Bang happen? As a licensed affiliate of New York\u2019s prestigious Jazz at Lincoln Center (JALC) program, JOI seized on JALC\u2019s 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 \u201cLincoln Center West\u201d suddenly established roots in Sin City!<\/p>\n

Three Amigos Form a Band of Brothers<\/strong><\/h2>\n

As unique as the New York connection is, JOI couldn\u2019t 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\u2019s education and performance programs, and Executive Director Donny Thompson, who provides the dauntless business oversight to build the organization\u2019s nonprofit board and infrastructure as JOI surges from infancy.<\/p>\n

The \u201coperations team\u201d connects every Tuesday (often remotely) to accommodate Kenny\u2019s national and international touring appearances. But the vision drives the intensity of JOI\u2019s 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<\/em> by Duke Ellington with star headliner Clint Holmes and emcee Nathan Tannebaum.<\/p>\n

Essentially Ellington 2023<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Each February, JOI presents its Essentially Ellington Regional Festival<\/em> for high school bands as the capstone to all of JOI\u2019s work. The program features arrangements, artists, clinicians, and special guests from Jazz at Lincoln Center, along with the UNLV School of Music\u2019s Division of Jazz and Commercial Music as co-host.<\/p>\n

Essentially Ellington<\/em> focuses on promoting jazz as America\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s extensive catalog. This distinctive festival is remarkable in that it is non-competitive, focusing on supporting each participant\u2019s musical collaboration and growth rather than jockeying for awards.<\/p>\n

Routes to Jazz Roots<\/strong><\/h2>\n

JOI\u2019s 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\u2019s 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\u2019s largest instrument retailer.<\/p>\n

In JOI\u2019s vernacular, an instrument with lessons isn\u2019t just a gift to a student in need. \u201cIt feeds a passion to experience life\u2019s lessons of teamwork, problem-solving, improved academics, and musical mastery,\u201d according to Gary Cordell. \u201cIn the end, our initial investment in lessons pays dividends to both JOI\u2019s students and the soul of our community.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>

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Jazz Routes recipient 6th-grader Giovanni Fetes receives his trumpet from Donny Thompson and Gary Cordell. Photo by Joseph Donato\/Cashman Photo Enterprises<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>

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Celebrating a Rich Legacy While Shaping the Future<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter four years of JOI\u2019s 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,\u201d cited Kenny Rampton, who has performed alongside Wynton Marsalis in the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra for over a dozen years.<\/p>\n

JOI Jazz Orchestra (JOIJO) is comprised of \u201cfirst call\u201d 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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Reaching Out to Make a Difference<\/strong><\/h2>\n