Jazz House Kids: A Montclair Phenomenon

Walking through Nishuane Park on Saturday afternoon, passersby heard something surprising: the sultry sounds of live jazz.  The music drifting through the trees was sophisticated and soulful, a delicious treat on a hot afternoon.  But as curiosity-seekers approached the grass-and-stone "stage" near the firehouse, they were in for another surprise.  The musicians playing this wonderful music were kids. 

To be exact, they were Montclair's own "Jazz House Kids."  What they were performing was the result of months of hard work -- their Jazz House Kids 2010 Summer Music Festival.

Jazz House Kids is a self-described "creative space where young people, their families and teachers can share, appreciate and learn about the jazz experience." The JHK website eloquently calls their physical space, "a mobile house, constantly in play, with wheels that turn on improvisation as it negotiates its way toward that incandescent goal: the celebration of jazz."

What this translates to, practically-speaking, is an artist residency program, a workshop series and most recently, a summer camp for budding musicians age 8-18.  At a time when many arts organizations are facing budget cuts, Jazz House Kids is flourishing.  Supported by private donations and generous funding from many sources (including The Prudential Foundation, The Geraldine Dodge Foundation, the NJ Council for the Arts, the Newark Arts Council, and . . . the list goes on) Jazz House Kids is nothing short of a phenomenon.

"Jazz House Kids" is a quality program that teaches musicality as well as American history," states Mary Curtain Creaser, Board member and Senior Vice President of JHK.  "It makes the kids better musicians and better people."

The kids seem to agree.  Says Margarethe Laurenzi, mother of 12-year-old Alex, a Jazz House alto sax player, "The kids are not competitive.  They're cooperative.  They're being taught by first class professional musicians who get them working every day from 9-4."

"And they continue when they get home," marveled Juanita Thompson, mother of 13-year-old Isaiah, a jazz pianist.  "Every day after camp Isaiah was doing research on composers and different forms of jazz, figuring out chords, writing his own music.  I couldn't stop him.  It was fantastic."

For students like Isaiah and Alex, practicing music isn't a chore, it's a passion.  For them, Jazz House Kids has been a dream come true.

"When I was five years old I saw Luther Vandross live," remembers Isaiah.  "I was in shock.  He was so amazing.  It inspired me to become a musician."

"I felt my passion was more towards the saxophone," Alex confides cheerfully.

In fact, professional musicians tend to describe the process of "finding" their instrument as more intuitive and emotional than logical.  This was corroborated by one of the professionals on hand at Saturday's Festival -- none other than world-renowned bassist, Christian McBride.

"You feel it the same way you do when you meet a person," he said, drawing thoughtfully on a cigar as he listened to the young musicians play.  "There's an aura, an energy to the instrument.  If you pick any random person, someone who has never played music, and show him some instruments, one will feel more comfortable to that person, both physically and emotionally.  It's a connection."

Though McBride became an international music sensation at an early age, he didn't consider teaching an option until much later in life.  "When I picked up an electric bass for the first time, I knew what I was going to do with my life," he said. "But being a professional made me realize that I wanted to work with kids.  I grew up in Philly and I remember how I idolized the musicians who came through town. Wynton Marsalis was the most significant.  He was so cool.  He wore these great suits and used words we had never heard.  We all wanted to be like that."  McBride feels Marsalis' influence changed his life.  "He came to Philly to do a clinic," he remembers.  "My teacher introduced us.  I asked him if we could play J-Mood together.  He couldn't believe I knew that song.  A couple of nights later, he invited me onstage to play with him.  I was 14.  I've never been so scared in my life." 

Understanding what a profound influence master musicians have on impressionable young minds, McBride and his wife, jazz singer Melissa Walker, founded an organization to introduce children to the art form they loved.  The organization became, of course, Jazz House Kids.

In light of that, it wasn't a surprise when, after the kids were done playing, McBride and Walker took the stage on Saturday afternoon – along with a host of other jazz aficionados, such as: Mike Lee, Freddie Hendrix, Oscar Perez, Steve Myerson, Bruce Williams, Anthony Ware, Radam Schwartz, Mike Richmond, Jason Jackson, Steve Johns and Ed Palermo.

The audience of several hundred was enthralled.  All in all, it was a truly wonderful afternoon for musicians and music lovers alike. 

Jazz House Kids performed recently at "Dizzy's Club Coco-Cola", part of the Jazz at Lincoln Center program in New York.  Locally, they have appeared at The Citadel at the Salvation Army Plaza and Trumpets Jazz Club.   Programs at Jazz House Kids continue throughout the year for children of all levels, ages 8-18.  Next summer, the Jazz House Kids Summer Camp plans to offer a program that exposes children who have never played a musical instrument to jazz. For more information call: 973-744-2273 or log on to:  http://www.jazzhousekids.org