Flushing Town Hall To Host Miles Davis Centennial Tribute
By MOHAMED FARGHALY
mfarghaly@queensledger.com
The legacy of Miles Davis will take center stage in Queens this month as some of the nation’s most celebrated jazz musicians gather for a special tribute marking what would have been the iconic bandleader’s 100th birthday.
On March 20, Flushing Town Hall will host NEA Jazz Masters: A Tribute to Miles Davis at 100, a concert led by trumpet virtuoso Jimmy Owens, who famously played alongside Davis when he was just 15 years old. The performance will bring together four recipients of the nation’s highest honor in jazz, awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts, for an evening celebrating Davis’ enduring influence on the genre.
Owens will be joined by fellow NEA Jazz Masters Donald Harrison on alto saxophone, Kenny Barron on piano and Terri Lyne Carrington on drums, along with rising talents Michael Howell on guitar and Kenny Davis on bass. Together, the ensemble will revisit landmark works from Davis’ expansive catalog, which reshaped modern jazz and influenced generations of musicians worldwide.
“The concert tribute to Miles Davis is going to look at his early life and compositions, and compositions from his later performing life,” says NEA Jazz Master and concert leader Jimmy Owens. “Miles Davis set a pattern of creativity that affected all musicians. Many of the musicians who performed with him became established leaders in their own right after they left Miles Davis’ band.”
The concert continues a long-running tradition at Flushing Town Hall, which first launched its NEA Jazz Masters series in 2006 with performances by jazz legends including Jimmy Heath, Clark Terry and Billy Taylor. Over the years, the venue has welcomed an array of prominent artists whose work helped define the sound of jazz both in New York City and beyond.
“This is the centennial of Miles Davis’s birthday,” said Clyde Bullard, Flushing Town Hall’s jazz producer. “Miles Davis left many milestones that will forever be in the annals of music history.”
Bullard noted that Davis’ influence stretches across decades of music, from the landmark 1959 album Kind of Blue to his collaborations with arranger Gil Evans on projects such as Sketches of Spain.
“There’s so much music to cover because he gave that much volume to jazz history and music in general,” Bullard said. “The music that he created has become like a template for a lot of jazz ensembles.”
For Owens, the concert carries a personal resonance. As a teenager, he had the rare chance to perform with Davis at Harlem’s famed Smalls Paradise, an experience that shaped his musical path. Revisiting Davis’ work decades later, Bullard said, makes the tribute especially meaningful for the veteran trumpeter.
“For Jimmy Owens, this is like heaven to be able to recreate the music of one of his greatest influences,” Bullard said.
Bullard added that bringing together legendary Jazz Masters with younger musicians reflects the broader mission of the series.
“We’re continuing a legacy,” he said. “We set a standard that whatever show we do is of world-class quality, and this show will be exactly that.”
The concert begins at 8 p.m. at Flushing Town Hall, with tickets available in advance through the venue’s website. Organizers say audiences can expect a dynamic live interpretation of Davis’ music, honoring a figure widely regarded as one of the most influential artists in jazz history. For more information and to purchase tickets for the 8 PM performance, visit www.flushingtownhall.org.
“We are thrilled to welcome the NEA Jazz Masters concert back to Flushing Town Hall and to Queens, where jazz has such a deep and meaningful history,” says Ellen Kodadek, Executive and Artistic Director of Flushing Town Hall. “This concert is always a highlight of our season, and we are deeply grateful to Jimmy Owens for our longtime partnership and for bringing so much musical talent together on our stage. It is an honor to present these outstanding artists and to share this special evening with our community.”
