Jazz Break For School Vacation

Julie Cook, the director of Julie’s Piano Workshop, has announced a free preview of Spring Jazz Break, a class for children between the ages of 10 and 14 to be held during the school vacation week of April 16.

Interested persons are invited to drop by the 111 Church Hill Road studio in Sandy Hook between 1 and 3 pm on Sunday, April 9, to hear Gavin Newton-Tanzer play jazz, rock and blues, and to learn about the class.

Spring Jazz Break will introduce kids to the harmony and structure of the music they love to listen to and give them tools to begin playing it themselves. There will be a level for those who have never played before and one for those with some playing experience. Enrollment is limited, and students must have access to a piano or a keyboard between classes.

The teacher, Gavin Newton-Tanzer, recently moved to Newtown from Easton.  He studied classical piano for eight years with the Westport School of Music, then switched his focus to jazz four years ago, studying with Doug Canal, Alan Simon, and Chris Coogan.

Mr Newton-Tanzer has studied and performed at the Litchfield Jazz Festival for the past four years, and last summer at the Antibes Jazz Festival in France. He has performed at venues around the state and appears regularly at ShacoJazz Café in Norwalk.

A junior at Newtown High School, Mr Newton-Tanzer has been praised by his teachers as a gifted and serious jazz musician with a promising future.

For more information about the Spring Jazz Break, contact Ms Cook at 426-7924 or email Mr Newton-Tanzer at JazzMan122088@charter.net.