Recife Conservatory
On Tuesday, we spent the day at the Recife Conservatory which has been teaching music to generations of Brazilians for many years. As a matter of fact, many of the current teachers were once students at the conservatory which makes the place more then a school. It is a family. We felt right at home. […]
Recife, Brazil
We arrived in Recife in the north eastern Brazil on Monday. No sooner did we arrive then we visited the famous school of Maracatou Drumming called Corpos Percussivos. We were instantly enthralled by the great energy in the room. The students were fully engaged physically, mentally and emotionally in the extraordinary rhythms and spirit of […]
Nora’s Ark Recording Project
Last week we recorded Nora’s Ark, the jazz musical by Clifford Carlson and myself. It was a dream come true after a 10 year journey from it’s first voyage at the Louis Armstrong Middle School in Queens, New York. The Jazz Drama Program, the non profit I co-founded, supported the project in collaboration with the […]
Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival, Workshops
The next couple of days I gave four workshops at the festival. One on the blues,”The Blues is the Roots, Everything Else is the Fruits.” We stomp/clapped, delved into the cultural and emotional roots of the blues, sang “Wade in the Water and the “What Gives You the Blues Blues.” Once we got on instruments, […]
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Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival, Jazz in the Schools
I just flew back from the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival in Moscow, Idaho. What a magnificent experience! Over eight thousand music students, phenomenal volunteer and business community support, incredible artists and teachers. I’ve never seen anything like it. On Monday I formed a pick up band with 5 music students and alums from the University […]
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Ask Eli’s friend, pianist and teacher John Kamitsuka…
When I was a teenager and even before, I sought out great teachers and great teaching. I always had an internal meter reading when someone was conscientiously engaging learning, and when they were shucking and jiving. I put it this way because I think learning is a state of mind. You need a particular environment […]
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The Jazz Drama Program In Mississippi
The trip to Mississippi was amazing. The photo above captures the sheer joy we felt at the culmination of the workshop performance of Nora’s Ark, the jazz musical by Clifford Carlson and me. Judi Holifield, Director of Whole Schools Initiative, sponsored by the Mississippi Arts Commission, brought me down to University of Mississippi at Oxford, […]
Litchfield Jazz Camp in Kent, Connecticutt
I was blown away by Litchfield Jazz Camp in Kent, CT. The atmosphere was pure learning. The young people were hungry and joyful. My colleagues on the faculty were giving it every minute. What a wonderful exchange. Playing, teaching, learning, discovering, experiencing, cooperating, uncovering, swinging, playing the blues and believing in the power of our […]
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White House Jazz Studio
Eli Yamin arrives at the East Gate Arriving at the White House today was a dream come true. I was invited to participate in the launch of the White House Music Series: Jazz Studio. It was the first ever jazz education event at the White House and we were given the run of the East […]
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