Jazz greats to play Buskirk

Four years ago, "Jazz from Bloomington" started out as a small volunteer organization whose goal was to work with national and local jazz musicians to enrich the understanding of the art form in Bloomington and surrounding areas.\nToday, JfB brings world-renowned jazz musicians Toots Thielemans and Kenny Werner to the Buskirk-Chumley Theatre at 7:30 p.m.\n"Jazz from Bloomington's mission is to promote and encourage the performance and appreciation of American's greatest contribution to world culture -- jazz," said David Miller, JfB's chairman of promotions and jazz trumpet player.\nOn his '80th Birthday Tour,' Jean Baptiste "Toots" Thielemans visits Bloomington to showcase his unique choice of instruments -- the harmonica. Born in Belgium in 1922, Thielemans has played with such jazz greats as Miles Davis, Benny Goodman and Milt Jackson. He also plays piano and guitar.\n"Toots is one of those rare performers who really can elicit the very recognition of what he plays within a few notes," Miller said. "He wrote the 'Sesame Street' theme, worked on music for the films 'Pawnbroker,' 'Midnight Cowboy' and 'Sugarland Express.' A lot of people don't realize that they've heard his music throughout their lives."\nThielemans has also played with Ella Fitzgerald, Paul Simon, Edith Piaf and other popular musicians. For his musical contributions, he has been made a Baron in his native Belgium and has even appeared on a postage stamp. \n"Toots is a living legend and Kenny is an amazing keyboardist," said Pat Harbison, JfB board president and IU Associate Professor of Music. "As with any cultural event, this is a fantastic thing." \nKenny Werner, Thielemans' long-time stage companion, has been playing the piano since a very young age. By age 11, he had recorded a single with a 15-piece orchestra and appeared on television playing stride piano. Although Werner started as a classical pianist, his need for improvisation led him to jazz. In addition to being a jazz musician, Werner teaches jazz and is currently artist-in-residence at New York University. His book, "Effortless Mastery," published in 1997, has become an influential guide to jazz improvisation. \n"One of the major goals of JfB is to have the opportunity to bring artists of this stature for people to be able to hear them in a live setting," Miller said. "The most stirring and inspirational experiences with jazz that I've had, had been in a live setting."\nJazz studies professors Tom Walsh on saxophone and Luke Gillespie on piano will open for Thielemans and Werner. \n"Since the featured event is a duo, Jazz from Bloomington wanted something comparable," Gillespie said. "When you're playing with just two people, there's a certain intimacy involved. In some ways, you're performing for the audience, but the performance involves having a musical conversation between the two performers. We're trying to capture the spontaneity involved."\nIn addition to the evening concert, Thielemans and Werner will each present a free clinic, open to the public, sponsored by IU Jazz Studies, as part of the David Baker Visiting Artist Lecture series. \n"The workshop is an opportunity to meet performers, listen to them talk about what they do, how they got where they are," Miller said. \nThielemans' workshop will be today from 12:30 to 2:15 p.m. in the Music Annex Building, MA 454. Werner's clinic on jazz improvisation, "Effortless Mastery" will take place Tuesday from 12:20 to 2:15 p.m. in Music Annex Building, MA 454.\nTickets for the concert are $16 general admission and $12 for JfB members. For ticket information, call the Sunrise Boxoffice (339-6741) located at the Buskirk-Chumley Theatre (114 E. Kirkwood Ave.). Tickets are also available at TD CD's and Bloomingfoods East.