Featured Artist 2/24/20 – 3/1/20.
We wrap up our Black History Month programming this week with music by Indiana composer David Baker. Born in Indianapolis, Baker served as professor of jazz studies at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, founding the jazz studies program. From 1991 to 2012, Baker was conductor and musical and artistic director for the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra and has more than 65 recordings, 70 books, and 400 articles to his credit.
Baker has been widely recognized for his musical contributions. He received the James Smithson Medal from the Smithsonian Institution, an American Jazz Masters Award, and a National Association of Jazz Educators Hall of Fame Award. He was also awarded with a Sagamore of the Wabash and received a Governor’s Arts Award from the State of Indiana. Baker also held leadership positions in several arts and music associations. The Indiana Historical Society named Baker an Indiana Living Legend in 2001. The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts named him a Living Jazz Legend in 2007.
Be sure to connect to CMI Streaming’s Local Classical channel this week for the music of David Baker.
Photo by Spectrum Creative Group
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