Cultural Intensive at The Arts Garage Summer Collaborative and all that Jazz

by Nicole Borgenicht

After much anticipation, the Delray Beach Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) and the Creative City Collaborative (The Collaborative) opened the doors to the Arts Garage in April with sold-out performances by South Florida jazz legends that included trumpet player Melton Mustafa, violinist Frederico Britos and saxophonist Jesse Jones, Jr. “There are terrific Jazz Artists at the Arts Garage! It has been the silver lining for Delray, as a setting for first class entertainment!” said Diane Colonna, Executive Director of the CRA. The mission of the Arts Garage is diverse. It is to collaborate with emerging artists and cultural innovators to facilitate an exchange of art and ideas, and to present cutting-edge, interdisciplinary performances and exhibitions. At the center of this program is Executive Director Alyona Ushe who has designed her career trail to impact communities and non-profit programs. “The Arts Garage is rapidly evolving into a multidisciplinary magnet for creativity, ingenuity and imagination,” says Ushe. “It is an urban place where culture thrives. Our collaboration with regional arts and culture organizations will bring an array of programming from a jazz series, to film, dance, spoken word, exhibitions and a series of collaborative arts courses.” The Summer Arts Collaborative is the next step in fulfilling this vision for the Arts Garage. Starting in June the new Summer Arts Collaborative brings accomplished arts professionals together to create personal and regional cultural expansion. At the forefront is The Collaborative Programming Manager and music theater instructor Mathew Farmer. His central theme is “truth in any art form” and bringing a unique blend of emotion and technique to Delray Beach. “The Summer Arts Collaborative works as a vehicle to support the mission behind the Arts Garage; it’s a multi purpose cultural hub to collaborate with other artists and merge with new talent. This opportunity to work with students and other established artists as one collaborative serves its purpose.” Innovative workshops are abound under the guidance of the multifaceted musical talent Drew Tucker of the Tucker Academy. From Urban Drumming to Guitar Ensemble he is taking the summer stage by storm, magnifying students’ gifts and aligning skills with creative expression. “Our approach to musical education is that it appeals to the whole student. Copious performance opportunities and ensembles help us create students who become game changers! I am a Cultural Iconoclast who doesn’t look solely to enhance culture but to shift it. The students need an outlet, the whole person needs to be engaged. We are ready....LETS MOVE!” Says Tucker. The summer series has an arrangement of symmetrical motifs at its core. An amalgamation of artists and patrons all recognize emotion and technique, education and performance, in a
collaborative cultural experience. This inventiveness materializes through exceptional professionals with a common goal. The following courses and workshops will be offered by the Summer Arts Collaborative: • Music Theater, Urban Drumming, World Drumming, Kids Drum Circle, Silly Strings, Piano 1, Guitar 1, Guitar Ensemble, Glee, Song Writing, Art Journaling, Creative Writing, Modern Jazz, Understanding Camera for Actors, and Stage Combat. Summer Arts Collaborative runs from June 13 - August 6, 2011. The Jazz Project Featuring legendary and legends-in-the-making jazz musicians is a major initiative of The Collaborative. The series will continue as The Jazz Project at the Garage and is designed as a vehicle to make Delray Beach an international destination for live jazz in South Florida. “The turnout and the feedback from our month long series of jazz performances were overwhelming,” said Thomas F. Carney, President of The Collaborative, “That speaks to the fact that there is great demand for high quality jazz.” On Saturday, June 11, The Jazz Project at the Arts Garage will feature the godfather of Jazz in South Florida, Ira Sullivan. Equally skilled on trumpet and a variety of reeds, he is one of the great talents in jazz. A five-time Grammy nominee, his talent has been called “Pure lyric,” “Fire,” “Formidable,” “Complex,” “Ornate,” Unparalleled,” “Haunting,” or, more simply, “Legend.” Reviewers say he is a musical genius. World class multi-instrumentalist Ira Sullivan plays trumpet, flugelhorn, peckhorn, tenor, alto, and soprano saxophones, flute, and an occasional round of drums, all of them impeccably. Ira is widely recorded and tours on the national and international jazz circuits. Multi award winning jazz duo Davis and Dow, will be featured two weeks later, on Saturday, June 26. They are soul mates that are two strong halves of one BIG sound. Davis and Dow tackle jazz and pop standards with a daring sense of abandon. Their style is deeply rooted in the classic jazz tradition but with a playfulness that keeps the music fresh and fun. Recognized as one of the finest and most versatile jazz singers of her generation, Julie Davis is everything from scat-singer to balladeer and Kelly Dow is a world-class guitarist. Stay tuned for other incredible talent throughout the summer, including the incredible jazz singer Dana Paul, nationally renowned saxophonists Ed Calle and Turk Mauro, and Brazilian sensation Rose Max. Arts Garage is located on the lower level of the Old School Square Parking Garage at 180 NE 1st Street in Pineapple Grove Arts District. For more information visit delraybeacharts.org or email The Collaborative info@delraybeacharts.org.

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