(l-r): past IAJE President Chuck Iwanusa, Rogers, Florence, ASCAP's Fran Richard, IAJE President David Caffey and IAJE Education Director Greg Carroll.

IAJE CONFERENCE

Honoring Count Basie
Two new jazz works composed in celebration of the centennial year of composer/bandleader/ arranger/pianist William "Count" Basie (1904-1984) were premiered at the 2005 IAJE (International Association for Jazz Education) Conference held January 5-8 at the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center in Long Beach, CA. The commissionees Bob Florence from Los Angeles, and in the Emerging Composer category, Sherisse N. Rogers from New York. Their new works, Eternal Licks & Grooves (Florence) and Chacagliatu (Rogers) were introduced by ASCAP's Fran Richard, and premiered at the Terrace Theater of the Long Beach Performing Arts Center by the Bob Florence Band, limited Edition, on January 6, at the opening Plenary Session of the Conference.

Onstage during the conference are Bob Florence and his band, Limited Edition.