Wynton Marsalis joins the Lewis Nash All-Stars for April 11 benefit concert at MIM April 11, 2012

World-renowned trumpeter Wynton Marsalis and the Lewis Nash All-Stars will perform a benefit concert at 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 11, 2012, in the Musical Instrument Museum Music Theater (MIM), 4725 E. Mayo Blvd., Phoenix, AZ 85050. The evening supports The Nash, the Valley’s new jazz center. Both musicians are donating their time and talent for the concert.

The event is co-produced by Jazz in Arizona, a nonprofit organization, and MIM. Seating is limited. Tickets are $150, $200 and $250 and available at www.jazzinaz.org. A pre-concert cocktail hour begins at 5:40 p.m., and a hosted reception follows the concert.

Proceeds benefit The Nash, a new jazz education and performance venue owned by Jazz in Arizona. The Nash honors jazz luminary and Phoenix native, Lewis Nash, “perhaps the most talented drummer of his generation,” according to The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz. The center opens April 11, 2012, in downtown Phoenix. A portion of the proceeds supports the MIM Field Trip program.

“We’re thrilled by the generosity of Lewis and Wynton,” said Joel Goldenthal, executive director of Jazz in AZ. “This brand new, non-profit center, in the heart of the Roosevelt Arts District, will be a resource in our community for music education, preservation of music history and live jazz performance. The Nash puts Phoenix on the jazz map.”

Phoenix native Lewis Nash has been named by Modern Drummer magazine as the “Most Valuable Player” in jazz. He has toured and recorded with the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band and the Lincoln Center Orchestra. Lewis Nash has one of the most extensive discographies in jazz, having worked with a range of artists from Stan Getz, Dizzy Gillespie and Oscar Peterson to Natalie Cole and Diana Krall. Also a highly esteemed jazz educator, Nash conducts clinics, lectures and workshops throughout the world.

New Orleans native Wynton Marsalis is an internationally acclaimed musician, composer, bandleader and educator, and a leading advocate of American culture. He is the world’s first jazz artist to perform and compose across the full jazz spectrum, from its New Orleans roots to bebop and modern jazz. The first jazz musician in history to win a Pulitzer Prize, Marsalis serves as Artistic Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City.

For more information on the event or sponsorship opportunities, contact Barbie Baugh, event chair, 602-525-2687.