PRESS RELEASES
It Takes A Village
Newly Formed Non-Profit Sam First Celebrates the Spirit and Legacy of LA Jazz Icons Billy Childs and Ruth Price
It Takes A Village
The Village Studios, Los Angeles
Saturday, September 13 at 6:00PM
Sam First, the Los Angeles based boutique jazz club and audiophile imprint Sam First Records (now housed under a newly formed nonprofit), announce the appropriately themed benefit program It Takes A Village, a celebratory evening honoring pianist, composer Billy Childs and the pioneering concert presenter and jazz singer Ruth Price. Both Childs and Price have masterfully and creatively served the Southland’s jazz ecosystem by way of their peerless innovations for the better part of a half-century.
It Takes A Village is being produced by Sam First which has newly shifted to 501c3 status as a club which has been in operation since 2017. The highly anticipated event is set for Saturday, September 13 at 6:00 PM at The Village Studios, the iconic recording complex that has been at the heart of legendary music making for six decades in West Los Angeles.
Childs is one of the most critically acclaimed pianists in contemporary jazz and among America’s most awarded and commissioned modern classical composers. He writes music for small and large jazz groups, chamber ensembles, choral groups and symphony orchestras. His albums have earned him 16 GRAMMY® nominations and five GRAMMY® Awards. Among the distinguished artists Childs has recorded and performed with are Yo-Yo Ma, Renee Fleming, Freddie Hubbard, Wynton Marsalis, Sting, Leonard Slatkin, Dianne Reeves, the Ying Quartet, Joshua Bell, Jack DeJohnette, Dave Holland, Ron Carter, and Chris Botti. His commissions include works for the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, The Kronos Quartet, The Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, The Los Angeles Master Chorale, The American Brass Quintet, and The Dorian Wind Quintet.
“Ruth Price is a Los Angeles treasure,” Childs says. “Some of the most memorable musical experiences I’ve had – both as a performer and as a member of the audience – have taken place at her iconic creation, The Jazz Bakery. The current cultural landscape of the Los Angeles jazz scene has been significantly fostered and brought to the forefront largely by the existence of the Bakery. The degree to which Ruth has contributed to the music scene here is incalculable; she is an LA institution, and I have the profound honor of calling her a dear friend.”
Price is an American jazz singer and the founder and Artistic Director of the legendary Jazz Bakery. Her dedication to creating a space for jazz to be heard and appreciated has earned her recognition as a treasure to the LA jazz community. She is also recognized for her contributions to the California Jazz Foundation, which supports musicians in need. Price is also an Adjunct Associate Professor, Jazz Vocals for the UCLA Herb Albert School of Music.
Price, who founded The Jazz Bakery in 1992, says that at the time, Childs was not yet the fully established phenom he has become. “But I loved him since I first heard him,” she enthused. “He played at the Jazz Bakery many times. Whenever we bump into each other, he never fails to reminisce about playing for Oscar Brown Jr. He really loved that experience. I also remember he would almost always stay after his concert was over and play the Jazz Bakery piano. I don’t know if at the time he had one he liked at home or not, but I believe several of the first major pieces he composed may have had their roots in those after-hours solo explorations. He deserves all the kudos that have come his way.”
Executive & Artistic Director, David Robaire states, “Billy Childs and Ruth Price embody the very best of our field — visionaries whose work exemplifies deep community connection, lasting influence and unmistakable grace. As a lifelong jazz enthusiast whose passion was ignited in early-2000s Los Angeles, I spent countless nights at the Jazz Bakery’s beloved Culver City home. And many of those evenings were spent watching Billy Childs literally reshaping the language of jazz and classical music, before my very eyes. On behalf of both myself and Sam First, it is a true honor to recognize and celebrate the enduring impact that both Billy and Ruth have had on the cultural fabric of the LA jazz scene.”
Sam First, a recently formed 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization is dedicated to supporting and expanding jazz as a musical form and tradition. Its mission is to provide a vibrant center for regional, national, and international practitioners of jazz and to foster the growth and engagement of the jazz community in Los Angeles. As a space designed without an elevated stage, Sam First removes the boundary between performers and audiences to promote in-person collaboration, the formation of new relationships, and the creation of original music that risks and pushes boundaries.
For more information, please visit https://www.samfirstbar.com/events/it-takes-a-village-sam-firsts-second-benefit.
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Don Lucoff · don@dlmediamusic.com
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