Reverbiage: Stories from NPR tagged 'kennedy center'

Dizzy Gillespie All Stars In Concert

Fri, 02 Jan 2009 16:47:00 EST

Alumni of Gillespie's many different bands still get together to ensure that his dazzling songwriting gets heard with the power and verve it demands. The Dizzy Gillespie All Stars (the big-band edition) played a special celebration with the vocal quartet New York Voices, live from the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

Brick By Brick, Master Bricklayer Preserves His Craft

Sat, 20 Dec 2008 00:54:00 EST

Melvin Moore, 75, teaches beginner "brickies" this age-old craft. His masonry work can be seen at the Kennedy Center, the Library of Congress and buildings at nearly all the major universities in Washington, D.C.

A Jazz Piano Christmas 2008

Fri, 12 Dec 2008 10:27:00 EST

NPR presents an annual holiday tradition — with a Latin twist this year. Pianists Arturo O'Farrill, Eliane Elias, Rebeca Mauleon, Angel Echevarria and Ellis Marsalis visit the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., for jazz improvisations on holiday classics.

Jazz Vocalist Sheila Jordan Honored In Concert

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 10:35:00 EDT

With a stage adorned in roses, the Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival honors Sheila Jordan for a Lifetime of Service. The innovative vocalist shares songs and stories from the Kennedy Center with the young Russian-born singer Sophie Milman offering her talents on stage.

Jazz Imports: Anat Cohen And Mayuko Katakura

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 14:49:00 EDT

At the Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival, Anat Cohen leads a small group at the Kennedy Center. The award-winning reed player's flowing performances make her one of the best reasons to see jazz. Japanese pianist Mayuko Katakura opens the concert on JazzSet.

Luciana Souza: 'New Bossa Nova' In Concert

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 11:33:00 EDT

At the Kennedy Center's aptly-named Family Theater in Washington, D.C., a six-months pregnant Luciana Souza walked onstage and turned in profile to the audience to show off her belly. Hailing from Brazil, the Grammy-winning chanteuse sings material from The New Bossa Nova.

Arturo Sandoval And Cyrus Chestnut In Concert

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 14:04:00 EDT

Trumpeter Arturo Sandoval and his Afro-Cuban band show some Miami style and pianist Cyrus Chestnut sets the direction for his show with the title, "Spirituals to Swing." JazzSet mixes these two concerts from January 2008 from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.

The Great American Opera: 'Porgy and Bess'

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

The Washington National Opera presents George Gershwin's landmark opera, in a performance originally webcast live on NPR.org from the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. The show also includes interviews with director Francesca Zambello, conductor Wayne Marshall and more.

Legends Play 'Jazz in Our Time'

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 12:00:00 EDT

Last March, more than 30 lifelong jazz musicians were celebrated at the Kennedy Center for their contributions to a unique art form. JazzSet presents a recording of the concert companion to the awards ceremony, featuring Dave Brubeck, Nancy Wilson, and more.

Remembering George Carlin

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 11:45:00 EDT

In the 1970s, George Carlin's seven dirty words routine was the center of a famous obscenity case. More recently, the comic was named the recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, an award scheduled to be presented at the Kennedy Center in November. Carlin died Sunday of heart failure at the age of 71.

Daniela Schaechter at the Women in Jazz Festival

Thu, 01 May 2008 11:53:00 EDT

Daniela Schaechter, born in Italy, won the 2005 Mary Lou Williams Piano Competition at the Kennedy Center. The prize was a booking at the next year's Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival, now on JazzSet. Schaechter features music from her CD, I Colori del Mare Â� The Colors of the Sea.

Wilson's 'Century Cycle' Runs at Kennedy Center

Sun, 16 Mar 2008 17:07:00 EDT

For the first time, August Wilson's famed Century Cycle -- a series of 10 plays about the African-American experience -- will be presented under one roof. The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., will stage the works in chronological order this month.

Two Fair Ladies, Taking on a Grand New Role

Sun, 20 Jan 2008 00:00:00 EST

Two stage and screen veterans, both intimately associated with the role of Eliza Doolittle, have graduated to play My Fair Lady's deliciously imposing dowager, Mrs. Higgins. Liane Hansen goes backstage at the Kennedy Center for a chat with Sally Anne Howes and Marni Nixon.

The Accordian World Cup

Sat, 18 Aug 2007 17:30:00 EDT

This week, young musicians from around the world gather at the Kennedy Center in Washington for the world cup of accordian playing. Host Debbie Elliott gets a demonstration of the amazing technique of one of the contestants, Grayson Masefield, 19, of Auckland, New Zealand.

Play Tells Tale of Woman Silenced for Her Beliefs

Sun, 24 Jun 2007 16:16:00 EDT

In 1861, Elizabeth Packard was forcibly removed from her home and committed to an insane asylum because she disagreed with her Calvinist husband's religious beliefs. Playwright Emily Mann tells her story in the Kennedy Center's presentation of Mrs. Packard.

Jazz Piano Christmas XVII with Allen Toussaint

Fri, 15 Dec 2006 15:18:00 EST

Recorded at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, New Orleans keyboard legend Allen Toussaint headlines another stellar program. Jazz Piano Christmas mixes established jazz stars with promising newcomers to offer original and unique jazz interpretations of holiday favorites.

Jerry Herman on 'Mame,' One Grand Dame

Sun, 04 Jun 2006 12:20:00 EDT

Jerry Herman is the composer and lyricist for the musical Mame, which opened on Broadway in 1966. A 40th-anniversary production is playing at the Kennedy Center with Christine Baranski as Mame.

Traditions Old and New: 'Jazz Piano Christmas'

Fri, 16 Dec 2005 00:00:00 EST

Legendary pianists mix with promising newcomers at the Jazz Piano Christmas, recorded live at the Kennedy Center. The 16th edition of the annual concert features Hilton Ruiz, Marcia Ball and others playing jazzy renditions of holiday classics.

'Porgy and Bess'

Sat, 12 Nov 2005 00:00:00 EST

Hear the Washington National Opera perform George Gershwin's legendary musical in its entirety. The full performance originally webcast live on NPR.org from the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. The four-hour feature includes interviews with director Francesca Zambello, conductor Wayne Marshall and more.

A Thousand Fingers on the Keys

Sat, 08 Oct 2005 00:00:00 EDT

This week at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., 100 piano players took the stage to play together, in unison, all at the same time. The piano extravaganza was conducted by Leonard Slatkin.

Clothes Make the Woman: 1940s Style on Display

Thu, 24 Mar 2005 00:00:00 EST

From dresses and bathing suits to gowns and uniforms, clothes from the 1940s are on exhibit at the Kennedy Center in Washington. It was a time when the world was in turmoil, but U.S. designers found ways to make women look good.

Lorne Michaels: 30 Years of 'SNL'

Wed, 02 Mar 2005 00:00:00 EST

Lorne Michaels is the creator and long-time executive producer of Saturday Night Live, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. Last fall, Michaels was awarded the Kennedy Center's Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. The tribute was taped and will be broadcast on Wednesday, March 2, on PBS. It includes comic performances by Dan Aykroyd, Candice Bergin, Darrell Hammond, Tina Fey, Steve Martin, Conan O'Brien and others.

Jazz Ahead: The Future of a Genre

Sat, 17 Apr 2004 00:00:00 EDT

Singer Mari Anne Jayme and trumpeters Marlon Winder and Matt White are among a group of promising young musicians invited to Betty Carter's Jazz Ahead program at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Started by the late jazz singer in 1993, the annual event offers workshops and coaching for emerging artists. NPR's Cheryl Corley reports.