NCCU professor of jazz and voice studies, Lenora Zenzalai Helm, is releasing her fifth CD, the Chronicles of a Butterfly at a live concert at Durham’s Hayti Heritage Center, Friday, September 18, 2009, at 8 p.m.

The dropping of the CD coincides with the kick-off of a 12-concert tour series.

Branford Marsalis produced Chronicles of a Butterfly from music originally recorded in 2007 at the Hayti Center. The new CD features pianist, Mulgrew Miller, bassists Neal Caine and John Price and guitarist Doug Wamble. At the September 18 event, Helm will be joined by faculty from the music department of NCCU, Ed Paolantonio on piano; Baron Tymas on guitar and A.J. Brown, acoustic bass. Guest performers include Ira Wiggins, saxophone and flute, and members of the NCCU Vocal Jazz Ensemble.

A portion of the concert earnings will be donated to families in crisis. The first to benefit will be a female soldier, serving in Iraq, whose family home burned, impacting her husband and two young children.

For more information about the concert, a guest reception and after-party, please contact the Hayti Box Office, (919) 683-1709, ext. 21, or online at <www.LenoraHelm.com>.

North Carolina Central University is the first publicly supported liberal arts college for African-Americans and this year, U.S. News & World Report ranked NCCU among the top ten HBCUs in the country. As NCCU celebrates its Centennial Year, a diverse student body of more than 8,500 students is enrolled in programs such as law, business, library science, nursing, education, and biotechnology.