Only Joint High School Jazz Concert of the year celebrates CD release, tickets available now
Nine high school jazz bands in the Cultural Corridor will join forces onstage Tuesday, April 6 at 6:30 p.m. at Prairie High School in Cedar Rapids, in celebration of the release of a compilation CD featuring the work of all nine bands.
Tickets for the “Corridor Jazz Project” Celebration Concert are available at the nine participating high schools, West Music in Coralville and in Marion and online at www.kcck.org. Cost is $10, $5 when purchased from a participating school. Proceeds benefit the jazz bands at the schools.
The Corridor Jazz Project is a jazz education and mentoring program for jazz band students, created by Jazz 88.3 KCCK, the public radio station operated by Kirkwood Community College.
Schools participating are Jefferson, Kennedy, Prairie, Washington and Xavier High Schools in Cedar Rapids, Linn Mar and Marion High Schools in Marion, Iowa City High and Iowa City West High. Guest artists include Andy Classon, Director of Jazz Studies at Drake University, David Kobberdahl of Valley High School in Des Moines, Dave Rezek, also of Des Moines, Jay Ramsey, saxophone instructor at UNI, jazz vocalist Craig Boche, Urbandale High School jazz director Myron Peterson, Eric Thompson of Cedar Rapids Washington, John Rapson, director of jazz studies at the University of Iowa, and Al Naylor, trumpet instructor and Coe and Kirkwood.
The program matches each school’s top jazz band with a professional jazz player, who will perform as a guest soloist with the band during the concert. The song was professionally recorded earlier this year by Karrleton Recording and Catamount Studios. CDs will be made available to each school to sell and keep the proceeds. CDs will also be available for sale to the public at the concert, through KCCK, at Barnes & Noble in Cedar Rapids and at Real Records in Iowa City.
“The Corridor Jazz Project is the only collaboration of its kind in the state,” said KCCK General manager Dennis Green. “It’s a wonderful opportunity for the kids to learn from a pro and gives them the only chance they have all year to share the stage with all the other schools in the Corridor.”
Along with the music, there was also a contest among the high school for a student to design the artwork for the cover of the CD. KCCK received over 100 submissions for the contest and the winning design was submitted by Allie Boteler of Marion High School. The top 12 entries will be on display during the concert.
Tickets for the April 6th concert are available online at http://tinyurl.com/CorridorJazz, and at West Music in Coralville and Cedar Rapids. They can also be purchased through the participating schools for $5 each. Proceeds benefit the participating school’s instrumental music department.
Support for the Corridor Jazz Project comes from Rockwell Collins, M.C. Ginsberg Jewelers and West Music.
For more information, visit www.kcck.org or call 319-398-5446. Information is also posted on