The Herbie Hancock Institute National Peer-to-Peer Jazz Sextet

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Enjoy an evening of music with internationally acclaimed saxophone recording artist Don Braden and Kansas City jazz and blues vocalist Lisa Henry as they performalongside jazz's future “young lions” – the National Peer-to-Peer Jazz Sextet, comprised of six of the country’s most gifted high school music students. Sponsored by the Northwest Arkansas Jazz Society, this concert also will feature members of the Northwest Arkansas Jazz All-Stars Youth Ensemble. The musicians will perform standards, jazz classics and contemporary jazz, including compositions from Braden’s and Henry’s latest recordings.

This public performance is the culmination of a weeklong series of Peer-to-Peer jazz education programs by the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz in our local public schools. The National Peer-to-Peer Jazz Sextet will talk with their Arkansas peers about what jazz is, why it’s important to America and how a jazz ensemble represents a perfect democracy. They will also discuss the deeply-held American values that jazz represents: teamwork, freedom with responsibility, unity with ethnic diversity, the correlation of hard work and goal accomplishment, the importance of finding a passion early in life, being persistent and believing in yourself. Because when young people hear this important message from kids their same age, they are often more likely to listen.