The BMI/New York Jazz Orchestra

The evening also featured a competition to choose the winner of the BMI Foundation’s ninth annual Charlie Parker Jazz Composition Prize, given to the writer of the best new work composed in the BMI Jazz Composers Workshop. Composer Jeff Fairbanks won the competition for his song “Bi Bim Bop,” and received a cash award along with a $3,000 commission to compose a new piece for the following year’s concert. Last year’s Manny Albam Commission winner, Jose Bevia, premiered his commissioned work, “Abstractions.” The Commission is named in memory of the Workshop’s co-founder and longtime musical director.

Pictured (l-r): BMI Vice President, Corporate Communications and Marketing, Robbin Ahrold; saxophonist Jane Ira Bloom; composer Jim McNeely; Manny Albam Commission winner Jeff Fairbanks; and jazz authority Dan Morgenstern.

This year’s judges include noted jazz authority Dan Morgenstern; soprano saxophonist/composer and 2007 Guggenheim Fellowship recipient Jane Ira Bloom; and Latin jazz trombonist/composer Luis Bonilla, member of the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra and sideman to musical greats such as Dizzy Gillespie.

The BMI Jazz Composers Workshop is led by internationally renowned composers Jim McNeely and offers a unique collaborative environment for professional jazz musicians with an emphasis on composition for the large jazz (big band) ensemble. The Workshop – a well-known forum for creative excellence – provides an environment where composers are free to explore new avenues in the creative process, while at the same time honing their skills. McNeely has performed with and written for Chet Baker, Stan Getz, Joe Henderson and the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band, among others; is a six-time Grammy Award nominee; and The New York Times has called his writing “exhilarating”.

Carter, Rollins and Blakey join other BMI jazz legends inducted in previous years, including Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, Lester Young, Billie Holiday, Bill Evans, Stan Getz, Art Tatum, Clark Terry and Freddie Green.

Roach, a BMI affiliate since 1961, was born Jan. 10, 1924 in New Land, N.C., but later moved to the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn where he began playing drums at the age of 10. As a teenager, Roach worked with composer Duke Ellington and jammed with saxophonist Charlie Parker, which led to his contribution to bebop, a jagged and unpredictable jazz styling. Roach recorded over 70 albums, paired with such legends as Dinah Washington, Charles Mingus, Dizzy Gillespie and Sonny Rollins. Money Jungle, with Mingus and Ellington, is regarded as one of the finest trio albums recorded.

In 1952, Roach co-founded Debut Records and released Jazz at Massey Hall, and the bass-and-drum improvisation Percussion Discussion. Roach’s advocacy for civil rights was heard through his music with We Insist! - Freedom Now and a recorded duet including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s, “I Have a Dream” oration. He received eight honorary doctoral degrees and a MacArthur Foundation “genius” grant, cited as a Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters in France. He also served as a faculty member at the University of Massachusetts.

Roach is survived by five children: sons Daryl and Raoul, and daughters Maxine, Ayl and Dara.

BMI songwriters dominate the selections, representing 58% of the individuals and groups. The variety and superiority of the material attests not only to the wide-ranging talents of BMI songwriters but also the consistency of BMI’s involvement with all eralms of music throughout the course of its history. The diversity of styles and genres included is remarkable, ranging from folk (Woody Guthrie) to rap (Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five), jazz (Miles Davis) to punk (Sex Pistols), blues (Howlin’ Wolf) to country (Hank Williams), rhythm & blues (Sam Cooke) to soul (Aretha Franklin), disco (Chic) to folk-rock (Fairport Convention), the over-the-top (Velvet Underground & Nico) to the indefinable (Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band).

As with any list, arguments are invited and disagreements encouraged. The following are BMI’s representatives in Mojo’s decisions, including their number in the final grouping.

For the complete list, consult mojo4music.com or rocklistmusic.co.uk/mojo.html.

BMI Songwriters on the MOJO List:

Animals: “The House of the Rising Sun” [#86]
Anthology of American Folk Music [#8]
Beach Boys: Pet Sounds [#21]
The Beatles: “I Want To Hold Your Hand” [#2]
                       Revolver [#40]
                      Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band [#16]
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band: Trout Mask Replica [#51]
Chuck Berry: “Johnny B. Goode” [#12]
Big Youth: Screaming Target [#76]
David Bowie: The Rise and Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And the Spiders From Mars [#31]
                       Low [#64]
James Brown: “Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag” [#15]
Jeff Buckley: Grace [#37]
The Byrds: Sweetheart of the Rodeo [#57]
Ray Charles: “What’d I Say” [#9]
Chic: “Good Times” [#54]
John Coltrane: My Favorite Things [#60]
Sam Cooke: “You Send Me” [#47]
Miles Davis: Kind of Blue [#43]
Lonnie Donegan: “Rock Island Line” [#38]
Nick Drake: Five Leaves Left [#78]
Brian Eno: Discreet Music [#68]
Fairport Convention: Liege & Lief [#58]
Aretha Franklin: “I Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You” [#18]
Gang Of Four: Entertainment [#77]
Gnarls Barkley: “Crazy” [#100]
Davy Graham with Alexis Korner: 3/4AD [#35]
Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five: “The Message” [#29]
Woody Guthrie: Dust Bowl Ballads [#13]
Billie Holiday : “Strange Fruit” [#67]
Buddy Holly: “That’ll Be The Day” [#52]
Howlin’ Wolf: The Rocking Chair Album [#23]
Michael Jackson: Thriller [#33]
Carole King: Tapestry [#74]
John Lennon: Plastic Ono Band [#55]
The Libertines: Up The Bracket [#94]
Little Richard: “Tutti Frutti” [# 1]
Love [#66]
MC5: Kick Out The Jams [#69]
New York Dolls [#39]
Nirvana: “Smells Like Teen Spirit” [#27]
Nuggets [#42]
N.W.A.: Straight Outta Compton [#61]
Oasis: Definitely Maybe [#89]
Charlie Parker: “Koko” [#26]
Pixies: Surfer Rosa [#79]
Elvis Presley: “Heartbreak Hotel” {#3]
R.E.M.: Murmur [#75]
Rolling Stones: “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” [#19]
                          “Sympathy For The Devil:” [#48]
Ronettes: “Be My Baby” [#45]
Sex Pistols: “God Save the Queen” [#10]
The Shadows: “Apache” [#84]
The Smiths: This Charming Man [#80]
Sonic Youth: EVOL [#85]
The Stone Roses [#99]
The Stooges: Funhouse [#36]
Television: Marquee Moon [#97]
Upsetters: Blackboard Jungle Dub [#59]
The Velvet Underground & Nico [#7]
The Who: “My Generation” [#44]
Hank Williams: “Move It On Over” [#30]
Link Wray: “Rumble” [#41]

More information about Jazz Appreciation Month is available in the press release below.

John Hasse, Director of Music at the Smithsonian, BMI Corporate Relations Vice President Robbin Ahrold, Rona Sebastian (President, Herb Alpert Foundation),legendary jazz photographer and donor William Claxton, Stanton Davis (American Federation of Musicians), Sandra Gibson (CEO, Association of Performing Arts Presenters), Charles Fishman (Dizzy Gillespie's last manager; President of the Duke Ellington Jazz Festival), renowned jazz portrait artist LeRoy Neiman, and Angela Martinez (Program Director, Association of Performing Arts Presenters).

At a special ceremony today, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History kicked off Jazz Appreciation Month with a tribute to three prominent trumpeters: Dizzy Gillespie, Louis Armstrong and Herb Alpert, as well as donations from photographer Bill Claxton and artist LeRoy Neiman.

Now in its sixth year, JAM is an annual event that pays tribute to jazz both as a historic and living American art form. Throughout the month, the Smithsonian will present numerous events, including performances, film and displays in venues around Washington, D.C.

“Jazz is a truly American style of music that has played an important role in our heritage,” said Brent D. Glass, director of the National Museum of American History. “Through the Smithsonian’s Jazz Appreciation Month activities, we will highlight jazz and its history and expose audiences to this significant piece of American culture.”

Four donations were recognized at today’s JAM kick off event:

• Business records and personal ephemera belonging to John Birks ‘Dizzy’ Gillespie, one of the greatest jazz trumpeters of the 20th century. The collection was donated by Charles Fishman, Gillespie’s manager from 1985 to 1993, who won a Grammy for producing “Dizzy Gillespie and United Nations Orchestra” and founded the Duke Ellington Jazz Festival in Washington, D.C.

• Twenty-two photographs by acclaimed fashion and jazz photographer Bill Claxton of jazz greats, including Ray Charles, Miles Davis and Chet Baker.

• Support for JAM from the Herb Alpert Foundation as the lead sponsor of Jazz Appreciation Month, with a donation of $300,000 to be used during the next three years.

• Use of celebrated American artist LeRoy Neiman’s conté-crayon drawing of Louis Armstrong, which is featured on the official 2007 JAM poster. This is the second year Neiman has donated image for this purpose. The museum and its JAM partners will distribute 250,000 posters around the country to promote local JAM activities.

This year, Carlos Santana and Herb Alpert have added their voices to those of other prominent musicians, including Geri Allen and Wynton Marsalis, in recording radio public service announcements produced by BMI. The PSAs will be distributed nationwide.

In a first this year, the museum will partner with leading online social network Care2 www.care2.com to co-host a discussion board that simultaneously resides in both the smithsonianjazz.org and Care2 communities, enabling music fans on both web sites to join together in one large conversation about jazz.

The Smithsonian Women’s Committee is supporting the 2007 JAM public programs throughout the institution with a special grant, and WAMU Radio, 88.5 FM, is the media partner in the nation’s capital, providing public service announcements.

Los Angeles born Herb Alpert is a notable musician known for co-founding – with Jerry Moss – A&M Records, for years the world’s largest, most successful independent label and home to artists including Stan Getz, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Carole King and Sting. Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass’ 1962 debut “The Lonely Bull” was also A&M’s inaugural release. The band’s infusion of Latin and jazz sounds into pop music resulted in hits including the Grammy winners “A Taste of Honey” and “What Now My Love.” As a solo artist, Alpert is known for “Rise” which won nine Grammys.

Claxton, who hails from Pasadena, Ca., first gained fame in the 1950s, photographing artists for the Pacific Jazz record label and went on to have his work featured on album and magazine covers internationally. Throughout his career, Claxton has produced insightful portraits of many jazz legends, often capturing musicians in spontaneous, intimate moments, reflecting his vision of photography as “jazz for the eye.”

Born in South Carolina in 1917 as the youngest of 10 children, Gillespie taught himself to play the trumpet at age 12. In the 1940s, Gillespie helped develop an innovative style known as bebop, featuring intricate improvisations, complex harmonies and rapid rhythms. Gillespie played with such jazz greats as Ella Fitzgerald, Charlie Parker, Duke Ellington and John Coltrane and mentored young musicians, including Miles Davis. Known for his beret, horn-rimmed glasses, bent horn and puffed cheeks, Gillespie has had an enormous impact on subsequent generations of trumpeters.

LeRoy Neiman, born in St. Paul, MN., operates his studio out of New York. Growing up on the street during the Depression, his first commission was for the local grocer, drawing calcimine pictures of food items on the store windows. Neiman became interested in jazz during the 1970s. He created art for numerous program covers and posters for the Newport Jazz Festival, the Kool Jazz Festival and Jazzmobile, and painted jazz greats Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, Charlie Parker and Miles Davis.

The National Museum of American History launched JAM in 2001 and it has since grown to include celebrations in all 50 states and 20 other countries. This year the Smithsonian will present a record 29 events, including five performances by the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, the museum’s resident big band.

In commemorating JAM 2007, the museum collaborated with a diverse group of 28 organizations, institutions, associations and federal agencies that have provided financial and in-kind support and organized programs and outreach of their own. The Smithsonian operates the world’s most comprehensive set of jazz programs. The museum is home to incomparable jazz collections that include 100,000 pages of Ellington’s unpublished music and such objects as Fitzgerald’s famous red dress, Gillespie’s angled trumpet and Benny Goodman’s clarinet. A complete schedule of JAM events is available at http://americanhistory.si.edu.

The National Museum of American History collects, preserves and displays American heritage in the areas of social, political, cultural, scientific and military history. Documenting the American experience from Colonial times to the present, the museum looks at growth and change in the United States. The museum is closed for major renovations and will re-open in summer 2008. The public may visit the museum’s Web site at http://americanhistory.si.edu or call (202) 633-1000 or (202) 633-5285 (TTY) for general Smithsonian information.

Workshop member Bryan Knox conducts his composition entitled "Seasick."

BMI's 2006 Charlie Parker Prize winner Asuka Kakitani conducts her award-winning composition, "Dance 1," during a special BMI Jazz Composers Workshop concert at the IAJE Convention. Kakitani's piece was one of six presented in the hour-long concert by the BMI/New York Jazz Orchestra.

In addition to BMI’s presence as a first-time IAJE exhibitor, a highlight of the company’s participation at this year’s four-day gathering included a special performance by members of the esteemed BMI Jazz Composers Workshop. The Jan. 12 concert featured award-winning works and some of the best compositions from the BMI/New York Jazz Orchestra, a 16-piece modern repertory ensemble made up of leading Workshop members.

BMI’s Jean Banks (center) with jazz virtuoso Joe Lovano and Workshop Musical Director Jim McNeeley, both 2007 Grammy nominees

BMI also sponsored IAJE’s 7th Annual Gala Dinner on Jan. 10, honoring Dr. David Baker with the Lawrence Berk Leadership Award and composer Michel Legrand with the IAJE Presidents Award.

Gala honoree Dr. David Baker (center) is congratulated by BMI’s Robbin Ahrold and Workshop Musical Director Jim McNeeley

Now in its second decade, the BMI Jazz Composers Workshop is led by internationally renowned composers Jim McNeely and Michael Abene, and offers a unique collaborative environment for professional jazz musicians with an emphasis on composition for the large jazz/big band ensemble. The Workshop—a well-known forum for creative excellence-provides an environment where composers are free to explore new avenues in the creative process, while at the same time honing their skills.

BMI’s Leslie Morgan and Mark Barron greet an IAJE Conference attendee at the BMI booth

BMI is a long-time supporter of IAJE, whose mission is to ensure the continued worldwide growth and development of jazz and jazz education through research, financial assistance and advocating for jazz in all appropriate forums. The association’s role as the leading voice for the global jazz community is reflected in the 2007 IAJE Conference with programming for educators, musicians, students and industry executives, providing professional development and training for all segments of its membership.

The special IAJE showcase will feature award-winning works and some of the best compositions from the BMI/New York Jazz Orchestra, a 16-piece modern repertory ensemble made up of leading Workshop members. Composer Asuka Kakitani, winner of the BMI Foundation's 2006 Charlie Parker Jazz Composition Prize and the 2006 Manny Albam Commission, will conduct her winning piece entitled "Dance I." Charlie Parker Prize finalists Javier Arau and Tom Goehring will also take the stage to conduct their works, as will Workshop members Michele Caniato, Jeff Fairbanks and Bryan Knox.

Now in its second decade, the BMI Jazz Composers Workshop is led by internationally renowned composers Jim McNeely and Michael Abene, and offers a unique collaborative environment for professional jazz musicians with an emphasis on composition for the large jazz/big band ensemble. The Workshop-a well-known forum for creative excellence-provides an environment where composers are free to explore new avenues in the creative process, while at the same time honing their skills.

With a rich history in both jazz music and music education, BMI is a long-time supporter of IAJE, whose mission is to ensure the continued worldwide growth and development of jazz and jazz education through research, financial assistance and advocating for jazz in all appropriate forums. The association's role as the leading voice for the global jazz community is reflected in the 2007 IAJE Conference with programming for educators, musicians, students and industry executives, providing professional development and training for all segments of its membership.

Workshop Associate Musical Director Michael Abene, saxophone legend Joe Lovano, slide trombone master Robin Eubanks, Charlie Parker Jazz Composition Prize winner Asuka Kakitani, jazz authority Dan Morgenstern and Workshop Musical Director Jim McNeely

"Dance 1" was chosen from among five outstanding works nominated by the Workshop's musical directors. The prestigious judging panel, made up of three leading members of the jazz community, included jury foreman Dan Morgenstern, a celebrated jazz critic and writer, and Director of the Institute for Jazz Studies at Rutgers University; Grammy Award-winning saxophone legend Joe Lovano, winner of the Berklee School of Music's first endowed chair, the Gary Burton Chair for Jazz Performance; and slide trombone master Robin Eubanks, a member of both Dave Holland's quintet and big band, who teaches jazz trombone at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music.

Charlie Parker Jazz Composition Prize winner Asuka Kakitani conducts her winning piece, "Dance 1"

The BMI Jazz Composers Workshop is led by internationally renowned composers Jim McNeely and Michael Abene, and offers a unique collaborative environment for professional jazz musicians with an emphasis on composition for the large jazz (big band) ensemble. McNeely has performed with and written for Chet Baker, Stan Getz, Joe Henderson and the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band, among others, and is a six-time Grammy Award nominee. Abene is the Dean of the Manhattan School of Music, and has composed and arranged for Dizzy Gillespie, Buddy Rich, Chick Corea and others; he is also a well-known record producer.

From Left to Right: Robbin Ahrold, Michael Abene, Asuka Kakitani, and Jim McNeely. Photo by Frank J. Oteri

The Workshop, a well-known forum for creative excellence, provides an environment where composers are free to explore new avenues in the creative process, while at the same time honing their skills. The annual summer concert features the BMI/New York Jazz Orchestra, a 16-piece modern repertory ensemble made up of leading Workshop members.

photos by Robbin Ahrold]]> 2006-07-06T18:00:00-05:00 http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/334830 Artists, Albam, Manny, Brubeck, Dave, Corea, Chick, Davis, Miles, Eubanks, Kevin, Hampton, Lionel, Hancock, Herbie, Jones, Norah, McNeely, Jim, Mingus, Charles, Monk, Thelonious, Parker, Charlie, Redman, Joshua, Rogers, Sherisse, Watson, Bobby, Whitfield, Mark, Musical Styles, Jazz BMI Jazz Composers Workshop, now in its second decade, will highlight the best of new jazz compositions created during the last year at its 18th Annual Summer Showcase Concert. The concert is free to the public, and will be held on Thursday, July 6 at Merkin Concert Hall (Abraham Goodman House at 129 West 67th Street) at 8:00 p.m. The concert will feature the BMI/New York Jazz Orchestra - a 16-piece modern repertory ensemble made up of leading Workshop members. Seating is first-come, first-served; doors open at 7:30 p.m.

The evening will also announce the winner of the BMI Foundation's seventh annual Charlie Parker Jazz Composition Prize, given to the writer of the best new work composed in the BMI Jazz Composers Workshop. This year's judges include jazz virtuosos Robin Eubanks and Joe Lovano, and noted jazz authority Dan Morgenstern.

The winning composer will receive a cash award and the $3000 Manny Albam Commission to compose a new piece for the following year's concert. Named in memory of the Workshop's co-founder and longtime musical director, last year's Manny Albam Commission winner, Sherisse Rogers, will premiere her commissioned work during the showcase.

The BMI Jazz Composers Workshop is led by internationally renowned composers Jim McNeely and Michael Abene, and offers a unique collaborative environment for professional jazz musicians with an emphasis on composition for the large jazz (big band) ensemble. The Workshop - a well-known forum for creative excellence - provides an environment where composers are free to explore new avenues in the creative process, while at the same time honing their skills. McNeely has performed with and written for Chet Baker, Stan Getz, Joe Henderson and the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band, among others, and is a six-time Grammy Award nominee. Abene is the Dean of the Manhattan School of Music, and has composed and arranged for Dizzy Gillespie, Buddy Rich, Chick Corea and others; he is also a well-known record producer.

BMI's impressive roster of jazz artists includes such legends as Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis, Dave Brubeck, Lionel Hampton and Charles Mingus, as well as today's new jazz stars like Herbie Hancock, Norah Jones, Kevin Eubanks, Joshua Redman, Mark Whitfield and Bobby Watson.

The BMI Foundation, Inc. is a not-for-profit corporation founded in 1985 to support the creation, performance, and study of music through awards, scholarships, commissions and grants. Tax-deductible donations to the Foundation come primarily from songwriters, composers and publishers, BMI employees and members of the public with a special interest in music. Because both the Foundation staff and the distinguished members of the Advisory Panel serve without compensation, over 95% of all donations and income are used for charitable grants.]]> 2006-06-01T18:00:00-05:00 http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/334787 Artists, Brubeck, Dave, Davis, Miles, Eubanks, Kevin, Hampton, Lionel, Hancock, Herbie, Holiday, Billie, Jones, Norah, Mingus, Charles, Monk, Thelonious, Parker, Charlie, Redman, Joshua, Watson, Bobby, Whitfield, Mark, Musical Styles, Jazz Jazz Appreciation Month, or JAM for short, kicked off this April with a special fifth anniversary ceremony held at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. Sponsored by BMI and presented by the Smithsonian, the annual, month-long celebration pays tribute to this living art form by raising awareness of jazz and its history through performances, dance, film, programs and displays at the museum.

Donors gather with representatives of the national JAM partner, sponsor, and collaborator organizations. Back row: Jean Banks, BMI; Gale Monk; Thelonious Monk, Jr.; Dan Schuman, U.S. State Department; John Stevenson, Voice of America; Wayne Brown, National Endowment for the Humanities; Sandra Gibson, Association of Performing Arts Presenters; Mara Walker, Americans for the Arts; Cynthia Minnick, U.S. Department of Defense; Dwan Reese, National Endowment for the Humanities; Jennifer Adams, PBS; Barry Robinson, representing IAJE; Kristin Wilson, Association of Public Television Stations; Carol Sue Fromboluti, U.S. Department of Education; Patricia May, American Library Association. Front row: Dr. John Edward Hasse, National Museum of American History; Dr. Brent Glass, National Museum of American History; Fran Morris Rosman, Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation; Dr. Jonathan D. Katz, National Assembly of State Arts Agencies; Roger Whitworth, representing the American Federation of Musicians and the Music Performance Fund; Herman Leonard; Paul Kerlin, MENC; Bill Pace, Chamber Music America; Cheryl Davis; Vince Wilburn, Jr.; Vince Wilburn, Sr. Smithsonian. Photo by Hugh Talman

On hand were the families of legendary BMI jazz artists Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk who donated objects and manuscripts from their estates. Jazz photographer Herman Leonard also donated some of his photographs.

"Jazz is truly an American form of music that has played and continues to play an important role in our history from its birth in the South in the late 1800s and early 1900s to its later fusion with other forms of popular music," said Brent D. Glass, Director of the National Museum of American History. "Through the museum's Jazz Appreciation Month activities, we highlight jazz and its significant history, while exposing audiences to this significant piece of American culture."

Miles Davis (1926-1991), a trumpeter and composer, helped pioneer a wide variety of jazz music from cool jazz to hard-pop to jazz-rock fusion, while becoming the most dominant figure in jazz during the second half of the 20th century. The seven-time Grammy award-winning artist began his career playing with jazz greats such as Charlie Parker, Benny Carter and Billy Eckstine, but he would go on to create his own distinct lyrical style that was often lonely and introspective. Davis recorded the best-selling jazz album in history, Kind of Blue (1959). Donations from the Davis family included a Versace suit that Davis wore during the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland in 1991; a sheaf of parts for "Summertime," arranged for Davis by Gil Evans based on George Gershwin's "Porgy & Bess"; and an electronic wind instrument used by Davis.

Thelonious Monk (1917-1982) is often regarded as one of the greatest composers in jazz history, creating such classics as "Round Midnight," "Blue Monk" and "Criss Cross." Credited with helping pioneer bebop as a form of jazz, he was also an accomplished pianist who created an iconic sound through unorthodox voicings and an unusual approach to rhythm. In 1964, Monk was featured on the cover of Time magazine-one of five jazz musicians to ever make the cover. He recently received a special posthumous citation from the Pulitzer Prize board. Donations from the Monk family included one of his iconic skull caps; a handwritten manuscript for "Four in One," which was first recorded in 1951; and other articles of clothing worn by Monk, including a jacket, vest and ties.

Jazz photographer Herman Leonard began his career in the 1940s in the jazz clubs of Broadway, 52nd Street and Harlem, N.Y. Throughout the years he developed relationships with and photographed many jazz greats, including Dizzy Gillespie, Billie Holiday and Duke Ellington. Leonard's extensive portfolio extends beyond jazz, though, as he has photographed other American icons like Albert Einstein, Harry S. Truman, Clark Gable and Marlon Brando. Leonard's donation consists of 20 black-and-white photographs, including images of Louis Armstrong, Holiday, Gillespie, Lena Horne and Tony Bennett.

The donated items join the museum's collection of memorabilia from other jazz musicians, including Ella Fitzgerald, Lionel Hampton, Artie Shaw and Ellington, and are showcased in a special display "Miles & Monk: New Jazz Acquisitions," which opened March 30.

April was chosen for JAM to honor the birthdays of such jazz legends as Ellington, Fitzgerald, Puente, Charles Mingus and Gerry Mulligan. Throughout the entire month, the museum highlights jazz music through concerts, programs and displays. Schools, colleges, museums, concert halls, libraries and public broadcasters are encouraged to offer special programs of their own every April.

The Smithsonian operates the world's most comprehensive set of jazz programs, including Jazz Appreciation Month. It collects jazz artifacts, documents, recordings and oral histories; curates exhibitions and traveling exhibitions; operates its own big band, the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra; publishes books and recordings on jazz; offers fellowships for research in its collections; and offers concerts, educational workshops, master classes, lectures, seminars and symposia.

With an impressive roster of jazz legends that includes Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis, Dave Brubeck, Lionel Hampton and Charles Mingus, as well as today's new jazz stars like Herbie Hancock, Norah Jones, Kevin Eubanks, Joshua Redman, Mark Whitfield and Bobby Watson, BMI has supported jazz from the start and continues today with programs such as the BMI Jazz Composers Workshop, the BMI Foundation's Charlie Parker Jazz Composition Prize and the BMI/Thelonious Monk Institute Jazz Composers Competition.