Howard Rees is a Canadian

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

pianist and educator. He has performed with jazz musicians Charles McPherson,"Art of Jazz Celebration 2006"
''Jazz Times'', May 23, 2006, By Willard Jenkins

Ray Drummond Ray Drummond (born November 23, 1946 in Brookline, Massachusetts) is an American jazz bassist and teacher. He also has an MBA from Stanford University, hence his linkage to the Stanford Jazz Workshop. He can be heard on hundreds of albums and co- ...

Barry Harris Barry Doyle Harris (December 15, 1929 – December 8, 2021) was an American jazz pianist, bandleader, composer, arranger, and educator. He was an exponent of the bebop style. Life and career Harris was born in Detroit, Michigan, on December ...

, Akira Tana,

Leroy Williams Leroy Williams (February 3, 1941 – June 1, 2022) was an American drummer, mostly known for his work in jazz. Williams first began playing drums as a teenager in the 1950s. From 1959 to the middle of the 1960s he played with singer Judy Roberts, ...

, Earl May,

Kenny Burrell Kenneth Earl Burrell (born July 31, 1931) is an American jazz guitarist known for his work on numerous top jazz labels: Prestige, Blue Note, Verve, CTI, Muse, and Concord. His collaborations with Jimmy Smith were notable, and produced the 1965 ...

and

Jaki Byard John Arthur "Jaki" Byard (; June 15, 1922 – February 11, 1999) was an American jazz multi-instrumentalist, composer, and arranger. Mainly a pianist, he also played tenor and alto saxophones, among several other instruments. He was known for hi ...

. He is the founder of Canada's oldest independent jazz school,"Jazz project gives inner-city kids a chance"
''Canadian Jewish News'', By Jordan Adler, February 3, 2014 the "Howard Rees' Jazz Workshops" , and continues to teach in Canada and abroad.

Early life and education

Rees apprenticed with the jazz pianist

from 1978 to 1984 in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

Career

In 1984, Rees founded the "Howard Rees' Jazz Workshops", a Toronto-based jazz school. The school, which has attracted over 2,500 students from around the world, is Canada's oldest independent jazz school. In 2005 Rees cofounded the Toronto organization Art of Jazz. As a member of its board of directors, he helped plan the Art of Jazz Celebration, an annual event which takes place at The Distillery on Toronto. He also helped to develop the Art of Jazz Community Voices, a 240-member choral group of young jazz singers, which gave a performance at Music Hall Theatre, and later at

Roy Thomson Hall Roy Thomson Hall is a concert hall in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Located downtown in the city's entertainment district, it is home to the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, and the Toronto Defiant. Opened in 1982, its circ ...

, in 2011. He also directs the Toronto Jazz Chorus. In 2008, Rees founded the "We Are One Jazz Project", a mentorship project that matches master musicians with children from lower income neighbourhoods. Through a partnership with the

Toronto District School Board The Toronto District School Board (TDSB), formerly known as English-language Public District School Board No. 12 prior to 1999, is the English-language public-secular school board for Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The minority public-secular franco ...

, students ages 9–12 attend weekly rehearsals, an finally take part in a public performance at the Toronto Centre for the Performing Arts, featuring a 400-voice children's choir, a big band, a string section, and a number of guest artists. In 2018 WAO (We Are One) has launched We Are One BELLEVILLE with the concert for the 2018-19 year being at

Centennial Secondary School (Belleville, Ontario) Centennial Secondary School is a publicly funded high school in Belleville, Ontario, Canada. The school is part of the Hastings & Prince Edward District School Board. Centennial prides itself on its "Double A" rating, specializing in Arts, Acade ...

. About 300 children participate in the We Are One Jazz Project each year.

Publications and online instruction

Rees has published several instructional volumes and videos about Harris' method. In 2011, Rees launched the website "Jazz School Online", featuring over 200 video lessons."Contrapuntal Improvisation: Recommended resources"
by Neil Olmstead "Berklee Today". ''berklee.edu''.

References

External links

Howard Rees' Jazz WorkshopsWe Are One Jazz ProjectJazz School Online
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rees, Howard 1965 births Living people