Drummer Matt Wilson and his Arts and Crafts ensemble with JLCO saxophonist Ted Nash will lead audiences through an interactive, hour-long program on the most fundamental and revolutionary component of jazz: improvisation. Wilson, along with Terell Stafford on trumpet, Gary Versace on keyboard, and Martin Wind on bass, will compete to become the Next Improv Chef, demonstrating the skills necessary to be a great improviser on and off the bandstand: good listening, teamwork, resourcefulness, originality, and courage. In doing so, they will explore how jazz musicians communicate with their instruments and invent music in the moment.

Free pre-concert activities at 12:15pm and 2:15pm including a visual arts workshop, Bill Wurtzel’s Funny Food and Jazz Improv Workshop with bassist Jay Leonhart, and an instrumental workshop for young musicians ages 8 and up.

In this exciting interactive concert, drummer Alvin Atkinson and friends invite families to join the Second Line parade and express their own personal style through movement and song as they learn the language of New Orleans jazz. Together they’ll explore collective improvisation, call and response, grooves, and learn about the instruments in the band, all while enjoying New Orleans classics like “Audubon Zoo” and “St. Louis Blues.”

Free pre-concert educational activities, 12pm & 2pm.

This event is part of the Jazz for Young People Series; click here to subscribe.

Included with your Jazz for Young People concert ticket/subscription purchase is a one-year subscription to Time Out New York Kids.