WBGO Kids Jazz 2012

WBGO kicked off their Kids Jazz Concert Series on March 31st in Montclair - for the next two weeks the shows will be in Newark. These interactive, hour-long concerts give children opportunities to learn about the distinct qualities of jazz and why it's reflective of our community, nation and our world. The series includes Q&A sessions with the artists, small gifts, and a chance to win a door prize.

April 21st - Will Calhoun @ NJPAC (12:30pm)

Will Calhoun, the widely acclaimed drummer from the Bronx, NY, presents unique blend of improvisational and hard rock drumming that can be found on each of Living Colour's releases, including the ground-breaking multi-platinum debut, Vivid, and Stain, as well as their latest release, CollideØscope. A prolific song writer, Calhoun has co-written many Living Colour compositions and wrote the critically acclaimed song, Pride, on the Time's Up album and Nothingness on the Stain album. As a member of Living Colour, he received a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance by a group and another Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance. In addition to his work with Living Colour, Calhoun has recorded and/or toured with diverse artists including B.B. King, Mick Jagger, Jaco Pastorious, Harry Belafonte, Pharoah Sanders, Jack DeJohnette, Paul Simon, Lou Reed, The Allman Brothers, Lauryn Hill, Marcus Miller, Dr. John, Carly Simon, Herb Alpert, Rolling Stones guitarist Ron Wood, Wayne Shorter, Run-DMC and Public Enemy.

April 28th - Claire Daly @ Newark Museum (12:30pm)

Claire Daly will tell you that her life changed on September 23, 1971, when as a young musician playing saxophone for three months, she attended a performance of the Buddy Rich Band. When the saxophone section stood up for a solo, Daly's excitement stood up with them. After dragging her father to the stage door for autographs, she took one look at the tour bus and said, "I'd do anything to be on that bus." It was the kind of epiphany that only young enthusiasm can breed, but enthusiasm is still the motivating force in her musical life. After attending the Berklee College of Music, the baritone saxophonist set out to make a living as a musician. Her career has included anchoring the sax section in the Diva Big Band for seven years, freelancing in New York, recording five CDs with the composer/pianist Joel Forrester and their band, People Like Us, as well as her own CDs Swing Low, Movin' On and Heaven Help Us All. She is celebrating the release of the Mary Joyce Project: Nothing to Lose, a musical gift to her second cousin, who made a 1,000-mile journey from Juneau to Fairbanks, Alaska, in 1935. The piece was premiered at the Juneau Jazz and Classics Festival in May. In addition, she has performed on numerous CDs, film scores and jingles, as well as at festivals and venues around the world.

For more information on the Kids Jazz Concert series and WBGO-FM, visit www.wbgo.org