NEC Kicks Off Jazz50 Celebration

On October 17, 2019 NEC kicked off Jazz50 celebrations with Jazz Department Chair, Ken Schaphorst, conducting the NEC Jazz Orchestra with guest conductor Carl Atkins and pianist Alan Pasqua. In the second half of the concert, NEC alum Antonio Sanchez performed music from his most recent recording, Lines in the Sand, a reflection on the recent crisis at the border. The Celebration continued the next night, October 18, 2019 when the focus was on Cecil Taylor.

Cecil Taylor’s influence over jazz is indisputable. Preceding the Jazz50 concert on October 18 in Jordan Hall that featured a series of piano solos featuring NEC faculty and alumni Ran Blake, Bruce Brubaker, Ethan Iverson, Matthew Shipp, and Dan Tepfer, jazz department chair Ken Schaphorst moderated a panel discussion on Cecil Taylor’s legacy. Together with Schaphorst, board member and alum Marvin Gilmore, faculty member Joe Morris, and previous Jazz Department Chair, Carl Atkins, offered compelling insight into Taylor’s life and work. ​Experience the panel discussion on Facebook Live.

Jazz50 is a year long celebration of the Jazz Studies department at New England Conservatory and an opportunity not just to reflect on a half century of leadership in jazz education at NEC, but also to celebrate the importance of jazz in both the history and future of American music. Join the continuing celebration in the new year.