2011 Jazz Heritage Series Published Sept. 20, 2011 By MSgt Julianna Arnold & TSgt Tyler Kuebler The USAF Band Joint Base Anacostia Bolling, D.C. -- This Fall, there will be three exciting opportunities to see the Airmen of Note and featured guest artists perform as a part of the 2011 Jazz Heritage Series. All of the concerts are free; no tickets are needed. The concerts are at Lisner Auditorium, The George Washington University, 730 21st Street N.W., Washington, D.C. beginning at 8 p.m. The series kicks off on Saturday, Oct. 15, featuring vocal sensation Carmen Bradford. Bradford was the featured vocalist in the legendary Count Basie Orchestra for nine years, and has remained at the forefront of vocal jazz through the present day. With her critically-acclaimed albums and her inspired live performances, Bradford has truly contributed to the perpetuation and preservation of the great American art form called jazz, and continues to do so at each and every performance. Also featured on this performance is the winner of the 2011 Sammy Nestico Award, Scott Ninmer. Composer Scott Ninmer studies jazz composition at the Manhattan School of Music with Jim McNeely and is a member of the BMI Jazz Composers Workshop. He is a recent graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, studying jazz trombone and composition with Jim Pugh. Ninmer was selected the winner of the Jazz Education Network (JEN) Student Composition, Downbeat Magazine's Student Music Awards, and the ASCAP Foundation Young Jazz Composer Awards. The next concert is on Friday, Nov. 4, featuring Grammy-winning saxophonist Kirk Whalum. He has performed and recorded with an incredibly diverse array of artists, as well as being involved with a number of film scores. Whalum's philosophy is best summed up in his own words, "The music I like to play and write encompasses the four elements I grew up with: Memphis R&B, gospel, rock, and jazz. The emphasis, though, is on melody, period." The final concert is on Friday, Nov. 18, featuring Trumpet legend Doc Severinsen. He is known around the world as the musical director of the famed Tonight Show with Johnny Carson from 1967 through 1992. Before his Tonight Show tenure began, he toured with other top bands of the day, including Tommy Dorsey and Benny Goodman. Whatever the setting, Severinsen continues to be a favorite of audiences across America. The Airmen of Note has performed its popular Jazz Heritage Series since 1990. Since its inception, music critics and concertgoers alike have praised the series. Throughout its long history, the Airmen of Note has regularly performed and recorded with the leading artists in the jazz world. The list of guest artists featured with the Note truly reads like a "who's who" of the jazz music industry. Today, the Airmen of Note continues this long-standing tradition in part through its Jazz Heritage Series performances. The series features internationally acclaimed jazz musicians join the Airmen of Note in bringing high-quality music to audiences in the nation's capital. If you are unable to make it to the live performances, check our website for more details about the live radio broadcast. The Airmen of Note's Jazz Heritage Series provides a wonderful opportunity for the public to experience the Air Force's high level of professionalism through concerts featuring masters of the only American-born art form--jazz music.