In association with the newly released DVD Anthology “JAZZ TAP ORIGINALS,” A Collection of Live Performances 1979 – 2012, Artistic Director Lynn Dally has selected seven original works from the Jazz Tap Ensemble repertory for the new Living Legacy Project. For the first time ever, as directed by Dally and experienced JTE company members including Bessie award winner Sam Weber, dancer/choreographer Derick K. Grant, and JTE’s longtime Musical Director, drummer Jerry Kalaf, these dances will be made available for reconstruction on dedicated tap dance ensembles in professional, educational, and community settings.

With great enthusiasm for the quality and invention of JTE’s choreographic repertory over the years as well as a sincere desire to share the working methods inherent in its creation, especially the importance of the dance/music relationship to the artistic process, as well as the use of improvisation generated by choreographic and rhythmic themes, we are now prepared to offer:

CARAVAN
choreography Lynn Dally, music Duke Ellington/Juan Tizol
First performed by the original company of three dancers & three musicians in Los Angeles & San Francisco 1979; performed across the U.S., Kennedy Center, London, Paris, and inaugural U.S. State Dept USIA Tour in southeast Asia 1985. Recreated for the “Caravan Project” JTE’s gifted teens debut in Los Angles at LATC 1990. Initially inspired by early Thelonious Monk recording of Ellington’s celebrated repertory.

DOXY
choreography Eddie Brown, music Sonny Rollins, arr. Sam Weber & Jerry Kalaf (Disc 3)
Rhythm tap legend Eddie Brown created this piece specifically fort the JTE. It became a company favorite and was performed around the world for nearly twenty years.

ORACLE
choreography Lynn Dally, music Dave Holland
Original cast: Sam Weber, Derick K. Grant, Dormeshia Sumbry, Lainie Manning, and Lynn Dally.

HANDS ON
choreography Sam Weber, percussion score Jerry Kalaf (Disc 2)
All percussion piece in which dancers and musicians play throughout.

ALL BLUES
choreography Lynn Dally, music Miles Davis (Disc 1)
A signature piece.

GROOVE
choreography Gregory Hines, music Jerry Kalaf (Disc 5)
A gift from Mr Hines.

CON ALMA
choreography Lynn Dally w/ Sam Weber, music Dizzy Gillespie (Disc 2)

For more specific information on these dances, or to discuss requirements for reconstructions as they relate to your situation, please contact Lynn Dally directly through this website.

Also refer to Lynn Dally and the Jazz Tap Ensemble in TAP DANCING AMERICA: A Cultural History, by Constance Valis Hill, Oxford University Press, 2010 where a description of “All Blues” and its import for tap choreography is featured.