Organist Adam Scone enjoys working with a variety of musical genres including jazz, funk, blues, and rock. Over the past five years, he has toured overseas, recorded eight albums, and worked with such artists as Jimmy Cobb, Ben Dixon, Bubba Brooks, and Fred Thomas. He is currently working on his debut recording as a leader.
Trumpeter Kevin Louis, a native of New Orleans, was inspired to pursue a career in music at age nine. He graduated from Oberlin Conservatory of Music with a bachelorÆs degree in jazz performance and is currently pursuing his masterÆs at Queens College in New York. His music repertoire includes gospel, jazz, funk, rhythm and blues, merengue, and salsa. Louis studied with such noted jazz musicians as Clyde Kerr Jr., Edward Jordan, Kenneth Davis, and Stacy Cole, among others.
Drummer Aaron Thurston toured the Middle East, South Asia, the Caribbean, and Central America as a 1999-2000 Jazz Ambassador. He has performed throughout Boston, where he entertained every Sunday for over two years at the famous WallyÆs CafT, the cityÆs oldest jazz club. In 1998 he moved to New York City where he has led and accompanied numerous artists on stage and in the studio.
The Kennedy Center and the Department of State (DOS) are now in the fifth year of a partnership created to showcase some of this countryÆs most talented musicians in performances that include contemporary American music. In 1997, the Kennedy Center and the DOS joined in presenting classical musicians as Artistic Ambassadors. In 1998, the Kennedy Center and the DOS jointly presented jazz musicians in the Jazz Ambassadors program, which will continue through the year 2002. The tours are designated for countries that are not often visited by American musicians. The 2001 Jazz Ambassador trios, whose overseas performances will highlight the work and improvisational musical style of Louis Armstrong, were selected from 75 trios who submitted applications and auditioned. As Kennedy Center/Department of State Jazz Ambassadors, The Aaron Thurston Trio will travel to Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, Malawi, Uganda, Mozambique, Swaziland, South Africa, Mauritius, and Madagascar from August 22 through October 16, 2001. In addition to public concerts, they will conduct master classes and lecture-recitals for local musicians.
8/21/01: The Aaron Thurston Trio
