In celebration of Women’s History Month, East End Jazz, in collaboration with LTV Studios, will present a concert on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. featuring an all-star lineup of female musicians performing the works of iconic female jazz composers and performers.
The program will showcase such jazz luminaries as Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, Mary Lou Williams, Carla Bley, Alice Coltrane, Dorothy Fields, Irene Higginbotham, and more. “By performing the works of these legendary women, we can help to preserve and promote this rich musical tradition,” said Iris Ornig, a bassist, composer, and founder and director of East End Jazz.
The performers are Lauren Kinhan, a singer, composer, and arranger; Olivia Foschi, a singer and composer; Ada Rovatti, a saxophonist and composer; Kal Ferretti, a trumpet player; Miki Hayama, a pianist; Gary Kerkezou, a drummer, and Ms. Ornig, who discussed the genesis of the organization in a phone conversation.
“I’m a musician, and during the pandemic everything got basically crushed. I moved out here to East Quogue full time, and as the doors opened I realized that on both the North and South Forks there are no educational programs for jazz.”
She also realized that many people seemed uninterested in the genre. “If people ask me what my profession is, and I say I’m a jazz musician, they always have this weird look on their faces. I can see that for whatever reason, they don’t like jazz. That’s why I created East End Jazz.”
The LTV show is the largest group of musicians she has assembled, and it includes artists based on Long Island and in New York City. While there are four composers in the group, for this program Ms. Ornig wanted to focus on composers from the past.
In addition to writing and producing her own records, Ms. Kinhan tours as a member of the renowned New York Voices and is an adjunct music and performing arts professor at New York University.
Ms. Foschi, who is East End Jazz’s education director, has three albums to her credit, has performed in New York at the Blue Note, City Winery, and Zinc Bar, and has appeared at festivals and clubs throughout the United States, Europe, and Japan.
Ms. Rovatti, who was born in Italy and lives in East Hampton, has performed with the WDR Big Band, toured with the Brecker Brothers Band Reunion, and has released seven albums.
Though only 22, Ms. Ferretti has worked with the Christian McBride Big Band, the Mingus Big Band, Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Future of Jazz Orchestra, and has led her own band at Dizzy’s Club and the Bern Jazz Festival.
Originally from Kyoto, Japan, Ms. Hayama came to New York in 2003 and has established herself as a prominent performer. She has played with such jazz figures as Kenny Garrett, Ralph Peterson, Sean Jones, and Tia Fuller.
Born and raised in Greece, Ms. Kerkezou has performed with Christian McBride and Regina Carter. She is also an active educator, who beyond her drumming abilities is a classically trained violinist.
Since arriving in New York from Germany in 2003, Ms. Ornig has performed with a roster of influential contemporary jazz musicians, including Gretchen Parlato, Ambrose Akinmusire, Joel Frahm, and Kurt Rosenwinkel. She is a regular performer at the Blue Note, 55 Bar, Zinc Bar, and Jazz at Kitano in Manhattan.Asked if the LTV program will have an educational component, Ms. Ornig demurred, saying, “Some people complain that I talk too much.” Instead, the concert’s program will have a set list and information about the composers and why they are important.
East End Jazz is a nonprofit dedicated to enriching the cultural landscape of Long Island through the art form of jazz. It has held concerts at the Southampton Cultural Center, Hampton Library, the Bridgehampton Museum, and The Church in Sag Harbor, and Ms. Ornig co-organized the 2024 Music Series at the Arts Center at Duck Creek in Springs.
Tickets to Saturday’s program are $20 in advance, $25 at the door, and $50 for cafe table seating, which includes a drink ticket.
