A Tribe for Jazz presents an evening of jazz honoring Columbus’s premier children’s music educator Becky Ogden with a performance by The Jon Irabagon Quartet

Part of the mission of Columbus, Ohio based non-profit, A Tribe for Jazz is to preserve the legacy and advance the future of jazz through live performances, education and community engagement.

To that end, A Tribe for Jazz presents CELEBRATION! An evening of jazz honoring the life and legacy of community icon Becky Ogden and her contributions to youth education and the Columbus jazz community with special performances by acclaimed saxophonist Jon Irabagon and his heralded quartet (Matt Mitchell, Piano; Chris Lightcap, Bass; Dan Weiss, Drums), with special guest Miles Okazaki, and The Columbus Youth Jazz Program.

The Jon Irabagon Quartet will be presenting new music from their upcoming release “Rising Sun” on Irabbagast Records. To preserve the legacy of Becky Ogden, a community award will be given in her name by A Tribe for Jazz on an annual basis beginning in December 2022.

Rebecca “Becky” Ogden is Central Ohio’s premier children’s jazz educator. She is a recipient of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra Community Music Educator Award and is the founder of Peanut Butter and Jazz, a series of concerts dedicated to young children with the direct intention of teaching them to love and become our next generation of jazz fans. She was the founder of The Columbus Music Hall and is the host of Bungalow Jazz — a series of concerts performed in her home showcasing nationally renowned talent and Columbus’ most admired jazz musicians.

The Jon Irabagon Quartet Poised to be a major contributor to the world of cutting edge jazz and unbridled improvisation, the Jon Irabagon Quartet is a highly decorated and like-minded group that places equal balance between thorny, intricate composition and no-boundaries group improvisation, recalling the history of jazz and modern classical music and unapologetically combining these worlds into a personalized, group-focused vision. Though this ensemble has performed together in New York City, the group is excited to bring its indelible sound to more of the U.S. in 2022. Bandleader, Jon Irabagon won the Thelonious Monk Saxophone Competition in 2008 and was named one of Time Out New York’s 25 Jazz Icons. He started his own label, Irabbagast Records in 2012 to release his own wide-ranging work and has toured worldwide with luminaries such as Dave Douglas, Mary Halvorson, Barry Altschul, Ralph Alessi, Kenny Wheeler and Uri Caine.

CELEBRATION! will be held Saturday, December 18, 2021 at the Ohio History Center, 800 East 17th Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43211 in the auditorium. Doors open at 6:00 p.m.. The performances begins at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are $55 and are available through Eventbrite.

Visual/Media Opportunities In addition to the concert, interviews can be conducted with Stephanie Matthews, Executive Director of A Tribe of Jazz, Music Educator Becky Ogden, as well as The Jon Irabagon Quartet before the concert, when scheduled in advance. Interviews will be held in the green room.