Those attending the Monterey Jazz Festival Cabaret at UConn’s Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts at 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 5 and 6 will enjoy great jazz while having the opportunity to help relief efforts in Haiti.
Many within the UConn community have already offered support for Haiti, and the administration is coordinating assistance for the beleaguered island nation among UConn students, faculty, and staff through its Office of Community Outreach. Jorgensen is inviting its patrons to help as well.
Donations for Haiti relief will be collected during the Jazz Festival event. Since one of the greatest needs in Haiti is money for specific medicines, surgical supplies, and prosthetic limbs, both cash and checks will be accepted and forwarded to Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières). This international, independent medical humanitarian organization has an excellent reputation for providing on-the-ground relief and has very little overhead. It was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1999.
The Jan. 12 earthquake that destroyed Haiti’s capital of Port-au-Prince has been followed by a series of high-magnitude aftershocks. The continuing devastation has left residents in desperate need of food, water, medicine, and shelter. News reports continue to stress the ongoing need. As University President Michael Hogan observes, “It’s clear that there will be a long period of recovery for those suffering from the losses incurred by this disaster.”
Jorgensen director Rodney Rock says the arts community has always been in the forefront of community relief efforts, ranging from Band Aid’s music to the Clothes Off Our Back’s auctioned celebrity outfits. “Artists and performers often give from the heart as well as from the pocketbook,” he says.
Rock echoes the words of President Hogan in noting, “Our UConn community continues to demonstrate that we not only have special talents to offer, but that we also care deeply about others. We think our audiences feel the same way.”
This year’s Monterey Jazz Festival Cabaret features Kenny Barron on piano, drummer Jonathan Blake, violinist Regina Carter, vocalist Kurt Elling, Kiyoshi Kitagawa on bass, and guitarist Russell Malone. Their smooth, timeless entertainment will be live at Jorgensen, located at 2132 Hillside Road on the UConn campus in Storrs. Light, cabaret dinner fare and desserts ($3-$10; cash bar) are available, with the best jazz around, in a cozy, candlelit nightclub setting. Doors open at 7 p.m.
Tickets are $34, $38 and $45. For tickets and information, call the Box Office, Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., at 860-486-4226, or order online. Convenient, free parking is available across the street in the North Garage.
