For four days, the 31^st IAJE conference was the center of the Universe. The glorious Universe of jazz, that is. 8,000 jazz educators, musicians, writers, vendors and music advocates all swarmed to the New York Hilton and Sheraton Hotels. Old friends and colleagues caught up in the lobby, new arrivals waited in line to register, and piles of flyers began to take over any free counter space. The Universe was officially open for music..and business.

The conference hosted 125 clinics and panels, with topics such as 'Tips for Arranging and Improvising in Clave', Music Copyright Do's and Don'ts', 'Has the Internet Helped Jazz', Contributions and Influence of Latino Musicians in Jazz' and 'What does it Take to Get Played on the Radio'. Of course, there were all the side bars once a panel had finished. There was a Master Class with Take 6, student jams, composer workshops and panels on festival history, racism in jazz journalism and historical views of various jazz composers and arrangers. It was impossible to attend everything, especially if you took advantage of after-hour clubs in NYC. Arriving at 9AM, if at all, was not easy.

Close to 150 performances took place. Music by the Jazz at Lincoln Center Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra was a who's-who of favorites including Mario Rivera, director Arturo O'Farrill, Milton Cardona, Reynaldo Jorge, Andy Gonzalez, Papo Vazques, Luis Bonilla, Ray Vega and more. The tight arrangements and musicianship were amazing. The Grammy nominated Michel Camilo Trio fired up the stage, followed by the David Sanchez Sextet. And this was just the first night of performances!

Three floors of vendors selling magazine subscriptions, instruments, books, cds, music gear and more opened for swift business as well. Many vendors have give-aways so if you were into T-shirts, it was possible to pick up an entire wardrobe!

Awards and commissioned pieces were also presented at evening performances.  Funk-Off, a funky marching band from Italy gave roving performances in lobbies and floors of both hotels. Hot and energetic, this ensemble danced and played their, well, instruments off.  Paquito d'Rivera and Hubert Laws gave a performance of Brazilian tunes, accompanied by the New York Voices. More music followed by the venerable Dave Brubeck, Billy Tailor Trio and Clark Terry.

Educator and musician Bobby Sanabria hosted a descarga  with Chris Washburne, Mark Levine, Jane Bunnett, Bryan Lynch, John Santos, John Calloway, John Benitez, Luis Bonilla and many, many more. Though time was short for this venture, great sounds blended and emerged triumphantly.

Often, the best time had was standing anywhere with one other person and pretty soon you have more people joining in as discussions abound on any multitude of topics. Or, meal plans and after-hour plans were made. As was often heard, the IAJE is a great place for photo ops and networking. Make sure to bring you business cards if you plan on attending in 2005 in Long Beach, CA. The Universe of jazz will expand and open once again. In the meantime, in the words of festival impresario George Wein, go out, hear or play some jazz and have fun!

Visit the GALLERY to view images from IAJE 2004.

 

 

Review ©2004 by Julia Sewell
No reproduction of any kind without permission.
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