Spelman College Department of Music: Joseph Jennings

 

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Joseph Jennings

M.Mus.Ed, University of Illinois, Champaign

B.M., Southern University, Baton Rouge

Senior Professor, Spelman College Jazz Ensemble Director/Jazz Studies Coordinator

404.270.5478

Fine Arts Building, Office 116

Email | Website



Mr. Jennings is currently Director of The Spelman College Jazz Ensemble and Coordinator of Jazz Studies at Spelman College. Mr. Jennings’ teaching experience includes: Clark College, Mississippi Valley State College, Morehouse and Spelman College. His performing experience includes tours and performances with Johnny Taylor, Duke Pearson, Clifford Jordan, Edward Kid Jordan, Alvin Fielder, Freddie Waits, The Temptations, The Four Tops, Ruben Phillips and Nancy Wilson.


Mr. Jennings has been director of music at the Atlanta Center for Black Art, and artist-in residence at the Neighborhood Arts Center, also in Atlanta. He was the founder and director of the Neighborhood Arts Ensemble (a 22-piece big Band in Atlanta), leader of “The Joe Jennings Sextet,” founder and Director of the Metropolitan Atlanta Youth Ensemble--a jazz workshop for metropolitan youth and is the co-founder and director of the recording group, Life Force. Life Force was featured at the “North Sea Jazz Festival”, in 1991. Joe directed the Atlanta All Stars--the cultural ambassador music group to the 1994 Olympic Winter Games in Lillehammer, Norway. Mr. Jennings has written many compositions and arrangements and performed on and produced several recordings. His most recent release is Life Force Speaks on the Nu-Mu label.

His first recording “Fearless Warriors” was re-released on Sonorama Records, Düsseldorf, Germany, October 2007.


Joe has just completed his Nineteenth (19th) national tour with the Spelman College Jazz Ensemble, which included performances at the Kennedy Center, NJPAC (The New Jersey Performing Arts Center), the Schomburg center for Social Research in New York City, the annual African-American Music Awards ceremony sponsored by the Northern New Jersey chapter of the National Alumnae Association of Spelman College, Colleges, Universities and Cultural Centers throughout the United States.


Academy

* Founder of Kenyetta: A Festival of Women in Jazz.

* Currently teaching: Jazz History, Clarinet, Saxophone,  Jazz Improvisation I and Jazz Theory

* 2001-2007 Revived The Neighborhood Arts Ensemble (Big Band):

* Founder and Director of the Spelman Jazz Ensemble (1983).

* Founder, Kenyetta Music, Inc. 1993 (Spelman College Recording Label).

* 1978-81 Music Faculty Morehouse College: Jazz History, General Music, Clarinet, Saxophone.

* 1976-1978 Artist In Residence at The Neighborhood Arts Center, Atlanta, Ga.

* 1976-1997 Founder and Director of The Neighborhood Arts Ensemble

* 1970-1976 Music Faculty Clark College: Jazz Theory, Woodwind Lit. Clarinet,  Saxophone, Founder /Director of Thee Clark College Jazz Ensemble



Courses Developed

* Clark College: Jazz Improvisation, Woodwind Lit. Jazz Ensemble.

* Morehouse College: Jazz History, Jazz Improvisation.


*Spelman College: Jazz History, Jazz History and Analysis, Jazz Composition and Arranging, Jazz Theory, Jazz Improvisation I - IV, and Jazz Ensemble.



Performances Abroad

* Fort de France Martinique: Cultural Festival 1979

* Hamilton, Bermuda: Hats A Tribute to Harriet Tubman, 1983. Composed and Performed music, 2 week run.

* Den Hague Netherlands; North Sea Jazz Festival... performed original music with Life Force, 1992.

* Lillehammer, Norway: performed six (6) concerts of original music 1994 winter Olympics.



Compositions

* Pearl Clege’s Puppet Play (Just Us Theater Co,)

* Buddy Bolden’s Blues (Jomandi Theater Co.)

* Mari Evan’s Eyes (Spelman-Morehouse Players)

* Zorba and Lorraine (Spelman Morehouse Players)

* Many compositions recorded and performed by Life Force (ex. provided upon Request)

* Arranged 99% of music performed by the Spelman Jazz Ensemble 1983-2001

* Sound Track for Hat’s a Tribute to Harriet Tubman.

* Theme for Brown Silk, Magenta Sunset (Clark Players, 1986)

* Music for Aisha (Teleplay by Tony Riddle, 1987)

* The Lion and The Jewel  (Spelman Players, 1986)

* Johnnas Play by Walter Dallas (Proposition Theater Co., 1979)

* REFLEXIONS OF SPIRIT Commissioned by High Museum of Art (Atlanta) 2007



Video Productions

* Southern Encounters (A one hour special: Life Force featuring Cecil Bridge water) Funded by the Fulton County Arts Council.

* Atlanta Creative Music Association documentation of Atlanta Jazz musicians 1988



Productions

* Salsa Meets Jazz (NBAF) 1990

* Live At Lunch Series (NBAF) 1988-1994

* Piano Series (NBAF) 1998

* Midnight Jam (NBAF) 1990-1994

* The Ellington Strayhorn Hour (a series of (14) concerts) for the 1996 Olympic, Summer Games, Atlanta University Center, July 1996.

* Producer/Director, NBAF Youth Jazz Workshop (1998).

* NBAF Southeastern Jazz Festival. 1998

* Ist Wednesday Jazz series, Spelman College 1998-2001

* Life Force Young Audience programs (1984-2001)

* Spelman College Kenyetta Jazz Festival (April 2005 & 2007) Recordings

* As Long AS I’m Singing. (Freddie Cole, 1974)

* Hats: A Tribute top Harriet Tubman. (Jennings, 1982)

* Fearless Warriors. (Life Force, 1982)

* Southern Encounters. (Cecil Bridgewater/Life Force, 1983)

* Think of One. (Ojeda Penn)

* Tula Baba. (Life Force, 1993)

* Elegance With Soul, Reverence and Spelman College Jazz Ensemble, 1993, 1995, 1997 and Feelin’ Good by The Spelman Jazz Ensemble

* Life Force Speaks, Released April 2000.

* Re-release Fearless Warriors, Sonorama Records, Düsseldorf, Germany 2007



Panels and Boards

* Music Panel, Fulton County Arts Council 1984-88

* Music Consultant, National Black Arts Festival, 1988-94

* Board of Advisors, Southern Arts Federation Jazz Program

* Composition Grants Panel, Raleigh, NC. 1991

* Board member, Mayor’s Advisory to the Arts, Atlanta 1991

* Jazz Grants Committee, Raleigh, N.C. 1991

* Music Advisory Committee for the Cultural Olympiad, Atlanta, Olympic Games 1996

* Music Curator, National Black Arts Festival, 1998

* Grants Panel, Atlanta Bureau of Cultural Affairs, March 2000

* Southern Arts Federation Panel for Jazz South (Radio Program) 2001

* Board member, Quantum Productions

* Chairman of Board (Reach Complex) 2004

* Panel member for Atlanta Life Symposium  (African-American Art in Atlanta 40’s thru 70’s)



Awards

* Bronze Jubilee Music Award 1979 (WETV)

* International Association of Jazz Educators, Outstanding Service Award 1987

* Pi Kappa Lambda Music Honor Society, 1989

* Presidents Outstanding Service Award (Spelman College 1997)

* Mayors Fellowship for the Arts 1998

* Key to the City of Birmingham, Ala., 1996

* African American Classical Music Award, Newark, NJ (Northern NJ Spelman Alum) 2000.                                                             

*  WRFG Music Award for contributions to Jazz in Atlanta 2001

* Metropolitan Atlanta Music Association Stella Award 2002

* Decatur Chapter National Alumnae Association Angel Award, 2004

* Who’s Who in Black Atlanta 2007-2008



Recent Major Performances

2008                    Atlanta Jazz Festival (Featured) 2008

2007                    Atlanta Jazz Festival panel “Jazz and Civil Rights”(Piedmont Park Atl) May 28, 2007

2007                    Atlanta Jazz Festival Panel “Women in Jazz”  (Piedmont Park, Atl) May 27, 2007

2007                    Songs of Love for Spelman Jazz Ensemble and Glee Club (Kenyetta Festival) April 2007

2007                    NEA Ensemble performance (Morehouse Jazz Festival (Morehouse College) April 13, 2007

2006                    Life Force Concert (Tuskegee, Alabama) March 2007

2007                    Duke Ellington “Beyond Category” January 2007

2006                    Life Force Concert (Atlanta History Center) 2006

2006                    Commissioned Composition “Women of Gee’s Bend” (High Museum) July 2006

2006                    Atlanta History Museum (Olympic 10th Anniversary) July 15.

2006                    Guest Artist, High Museum, Gee’s Bend celebration, June 18.

2006                    Atlanta Jazz Festival (Hartsfield-Jackson Airport) May, 2006

2005                    High Museum of Art June 17th. Concert

2005                    Montreaux/ Atlanta Jazz Festival, Sept 9th.

2004                    Just Completed 14th year of performing at the Schomburg in Harlem.

2004                    Workshop/Performances Tifton Ga. Schools. For Tift county Arts Council.

2004                    Featured Jazz Legend. Atlanta Jazz Festival, May 29th Piedmont Park.

2004                    Hartsfield International Jazz Festival/Airport Series, May

2004                    Featured with LIFE FORCE at The University of The South