|
D.D. Jackson
Composer for Television, Film & Media
Jazz Pianist, Composer & Educator
Greetings!
It's been a busy past few months and perhaps an appropriate time to update you on my recent activities, from my work writing for a new PBS t.v. show, to upcoming performances this month in New York City, Canada, and Italy, to my educational activities. As always, this newsletter is to keep you abreast of these and my other creative activities, and to (of course) encourage you to keep me in mind for any of your composing, arranging, production and performing needs!
|
|
|
Upcoming Performances this Month
While I've generally been keeping a lower performance profile of late as I work writing music for media and spending time with family, I do have a few interesting performances of note coming up this month:
 | |
Milford Graves
|
On Wed., June 12th, 2013 at 8:30 pm, I am excited to be appearing as pianist with legendary drummer Milford Graves and tenor saxophonist Kidd Jordan as part of the "Transition Trio" at the 2013 Vision Festival in NYC.
 | |
Hamiet Bluiett
|
I will also return to the same festival on Sun. June 16th, 2013 at 7:30 pm as a member of baritone saxophonist Hamiet Bluiett's "Bio-Electric Ensemble", featuring special guest: my 12-year old "wunderkind" prodigy piano student Matt Whitaker (Bluiett recently heard Matt stealing the show at "A Great Night in Harlem" benefit at the Apollo Theater and HAD to ask him to join us!) Here's the Visionfest's complete schedule.
 | |
Keith Jarrett
|
On Sat. June 15th at 8 pm at the 2013 Barrie Jazz & Blues Festival (near Toronto) in "From Koln to Carnegie", I will be giving a solo concert tribute to two seminal Keith Jarrett performances: his Koln Concert (1975) and Carnegie Hall concert (from 2005). It's part of a series of annual solo piano performances I've been honored to give at the festival for the past several years.
 | |
poet Amiri Baraka
|
I will also be appearing in Bologna, Italy on Thurs., June 27th, 2013 as a member of legendary poet Amiri Baraka's group in commemoration of the anniversary of Ustica - a flight that disappeared on that same date in 1980 under mysterious circumstances.
For more on my activities as jazz pianist/composer/performer, visit my Jazz Website by clicking below:
 | |
Jazz Website
|
|
PEG + CAT Announces Premiere Date
As I mentioned last time, I'm thrilled to be part of a small team of  composers (including Emmy award-winning writers J. Walter Hawkes and Martin Erskine) writing original music/songs for PEG + CAT, a brand new t.v. show on PBS Kids created by Jennifer Oxley ( Little Bill, The Wonder Pets!) and Billy Aronson ( Rent, Postcards from Buster). I've been busy writing multiple episodes for the show these past few months, and they recently announced that it will premiere on Monday, Oct. 7th, 2013, as part of PBS Kids' daily morning slot of programming.
 | | Composing for Media Website |
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
Education News
Recently, my teaching duties at Hunter College wrapped up for another semester. Highlights include the release of our 4th annual Hunter Popular Music Combos CD (which I produced, mixed, and edited, featuring 6 original (and very competitive and professional-sounding!) compositions by the students developed largely in class, plus pieces by Thelonious Monk, Pat Benatar, and Galactic.
Hear the entire Pop CD here.
My Hunter students were also thrilled to participate in an end-of-year concert featuring guest drummer J.T. Lewis (a former bandmate of mine, and also past drummer for Sting, Tina Turner, Don Pullen and many others):
 | |
Hunter student Rene Reyes (l) with J.T. Lewis (r).
|
This was preceded a week earlier by a visit by Billboard Magazine Editor and friend Bill Werde, who gave the students a useful "reality check" concerning what it really takes to make it in the music business (two choice quotes I'll paraphrase: "most people don't truly know what hard work actually is" and: "you've got to burn for it!"...)
 | |
Billboard editor Bill Werde at Hunter
|
I was also excited to hear that Hunter student Melinda Ademi (featured on last year's CD), made it all the way this year to American Idol's Top 20 - performing, in part, material we had previously worked on in class.
 | |
directing the HSA Jazz Combo
|
My duties directing the Harlem School of the Arts Advanced Jazz Combo and privately teaching its wunderkind 12-year old prodigy pianist Matt Whitaker also continued in full force. Recent highlights included the group's performance at a special HSA ceremony in honor of Herb Alpert's $5 million+ gift to the school and the school's physical building being re-named "The Herb Alpert Center", and an appearance at a special "Cultural Medallion" ceremony in honor of Miles Davis, which took place at Miles' long-time former Upper Westside NYC residence (where many of his most famous pieces were developed):
 | |
members of the HSA Jazz Combo being interviewed by NY1 after playing at the Miles Davis Medallion Ceremony
|
Members of the Combo were also excited to have the opportunity to sit in with such Miles Davis-associated luminaries as trumpeter Wallace Roney and saxophonist Gary Bartz.
|
|
