Press Release

Jazz Foundation of America Celebrates a “History of the Music”

Elmsford , NY – (July 9, 2007) – The Jazz Foundation of America proudly hosted its 6th Annual A Great Night in Harlem on May 17, 2007, for over 400 guests at the Apollo Theater. The gala evening and “History of the Music” concert raised over $1 million to aid the Jazz Foundation of America in its service of jazz musicians in need, including those affected by Hurricane Katrina. Corporate Audiovisual Services coordinated all audio, video, lighting and staging elements for the awards dinner and after-party. The awards dinner and after-party were held in a 40 x 100 foot tent erected in a schoolyard across the street from the Apollo Theater.

The “History of the Music” concert featured nationally and internationally recognized musicians who brought the audience from pre-slavery music to today’s jazz, rhythm, and blues. Among the dozens of showcased musicians were the Mardi Gras Indian Chiefs, the Original New Orleans Liberty Brass Band, the Duke Ellington Orchestra, percussionists Candido and Roy Haynes, and Paul Shaffer. Program honorees included pianist Dave Brubeck; Francis A. Forte, M.D. and Jay C. Nadel, overseers of a project providing free medical care to jazz musicians in need; R. Jarrett Lilien, creator of the E*TRADE FINANCIAL Musicians’ Emergency Hoursing Fund; Dr. Agnes Varis, who helped put New Orleans jazz musicians back to work after Hurricane Katrina; James Zucker, an attorney who provides pro bono legal work to the Jazz Foundation; Dr. Maitreya Padukone, a dentist handling dental emergencies for jazz musicians; Various photos from the Jazz Foundation of America's 6th Annual A Great Night in Harlem held recently at the Apollo Theater Steve Shapiro, an attorney representing jazz musicians in eviction and lease matters; and Billy Kaye, a veteran jazz drummer.

“The dinner and after-party for this gala were all about lighting,” explains Ed Morrell, Corporate Audiovisual Services project manager for the event. “On a very low budget, we created a dramatic effect that captured the mood of the evening.” Morrell’s team lighted the tent with 20 Spectra Pars around the perimeter, shining on the ceiling in different combinations of ambers and blues to create the look and feel of a vintage jazz club. They computerized the lighting to enable them to create different looks for the dinner and the after-party. Adding to the dramatic appearance inside the tent were uplit posters on the walls, pin spotlights on each table, and programmable Intellabeam moving lights that projecteddesigns on the floor, ceiling, and walls.

Corporate Audiovisual Services handled video for the event as well. CAVS chose screens with rear projection for the slide show of sponsor logos, live camera images of the awards ceremony, and live music at the after-party. This ensured that celebrants could see vibrant video images both during the bright late afternoon and at night, enabling them to feel part of the event. The Corporate Audiovisual Services crew also videotaped the event and made DVD copies for post-event .

Morrell describes A Great Night in Harlem as a high profile audio event as well. Morell and his crew chose an Apogee sound system with 24 channel mixer, full processing system for the band and DJ, and an array of wired and wireless microphones for the stage, announcements, and presentations. “The concert performers needed the right acoustic environment but with an invisible audio package. We placed speakers at the stage and also used point source audio to create a subtle sound that could be heard by everyone in the tent. Our team chose audio equipment that could be adapted to the spontaneity of the evening and the changing array of musicians on stage at any time.”

Corporate Audiovisual Services constructed a stage and set up an elegant lucite podium for the awards. On the sides of the tent, technicians set up stretch fabric triangles with up lighting to add a design element to the set. “The tent was one of the most beautiful tents that I’ve ever seen at an event,” says Carol-Ann Ross, owner of Swag Events in Manhattan. “Everyone loved the event, and we plan to do a similar gala in the same location next year.”

About the Jazz Foundation of America

The Jazz Foundation of America has been around for 18 years, saving elder jazz and blues musicians who never asked for help from anyone. Until 2005, the Jazz Foundation handled approximately 500 cases a year. Since Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005, it has served more than 3,000 cases.

Corporate Audio Visual Services is located at:
111 North Lawn Avenue,
Elmsford, NY, 10523;
telephone 914.592.9700, fax 914.592.1727,
e-mail: corpav@corporate-av.com .