Janell Brown, left, Kia Lebron, Kim Trusty, and Janayla Chavarria do voice warm-ups before a rehearsal for the musical conclusion of “Jazz is a Rainbow,” summer program designed to teach young people the roots of black jazz.

It is with great excitement that we announce that with the support and encouragement of Mr. George Wein and Festival Productions, Carefusion-the Corporate Sponsor, Jamie Aebersold and a number of jazz musicians and jazz lovers, our 'BIRDS: Kids to Newport" project will take place again this year on August 7th. Last year we accompanied an excited bus full of under served Providence, Rhode Island, children to their first jazz festival...and the first such trip ever sponsored by the Festival. As the children listened to the music and met with Esperanza Spaulding after her performance, the glow in their eyes lit up all of Newport...yes, even during the day!

As we promised long ago, if necessary we'll start with one bus and we'll do our best to encourage supporters to bring this once in a lifetime experience to these kids. Hopefully the days of explaining why this is so important to these children are over. This is a modest beginning, a continuing endeavor sustained by the glow in the eyes of those children. For that glow reflects, we believe, a glow in their minds and their hearts. This "BIRDS: Kids to Newport" event will occur amidst a two-week long, historical/theatrical project, "The Wonderful World of Louis Armstrong," in association with Ocean State Learning.

Mike Palter. BIRDS: KIDS TO NEWPORT.
PO BOX 31. Manchester by the Sea 01944 USA. Tel: 978 526-8620