Freedom Trails, Legacies of Hope is thrilled to announce that trumpet extraordinaire Russell Gunn is coming home as the Marquee Artist for the Lifting the Legacy: Miles, MO' Music & Juneteenth Jazz Concert on May 26, 2006 at the Blackmon Entertainment Plaza.

Blackmon's is located at 127 Collinsville Ave. in East St. Louis, IL. The Grammy-Award-nominated Gunn is a recording artist with eleven CDs to his credit. Russell's much anticipated new release is due out on October 24th 2006. Tentatively titled The Blue Pill (Highnote Records), the CD is a collection of jazz standards with the Russell Gunn “funky twist".

The concert is a collage of art disciplines and people merging for what may appear, at first glance, to be a wonderful tribute to the legendary Miles Davis to celebrate his 80th birthday. Anne Walker of Freedom Trails says, “This could easily be a stand-alone concert for Miles, but that's only the first part of the story of dedicated people with little resources, making an against the grain effort to revive a culture, a tradition (jazz) and a city."

On Saturday, May 6, Rev. Ron Myers, MD, took a 7-hour drive from the Mississippi Delta to East St. Louis to do a jazz praise workshop at St. Paul Church, located at 1500 Bond Ave. The Delta and East St. Louis have a lot in common. Myers sees lots of poverty in the Delta. And, as a native of Chicago, Illinois, he knows poverty is no stranger in East St. Louis. What will be uncommon is if the formula of distress + distress equals revitalization. The whole effort is to give an injection of energy into East St. Louis' jazz heritage. In addition to being a medical doctor and jazz musician, Myer's is founder and director of the National Juneteenth Observance organization. His web site is http://www.juneteenthjazz.com. Juneteenth is a landmark in history, a celebration of freedom and the end of slavery in America. Juneteenth Jazz is dedicated to the preservation of the unique aesthetic expression of freedom through jazz, and the spiritual essence of a people whose lives continue to be the creative catalyst of all America's music.

What is jazz praise? That's a question Myers first answered on a thesis paper in college. Since then, he has shared his theory on jazz worship in workshops across the country. For 10 years, he was Chaplin for the International Association for Jazz Education. Referring to Psalms 150, he espresses to the group of St. Paul singers, the Genesis Arts Ministry and Steps to Zion praise dancers that the Bible instructs us to praise the Lord with all kinds of instruments. These singers and dancers will “Wade in the Water" during Doc Myer's segment of the Lifting the Legacy Concert on May 26th.

Russell Gunn will conduct a concert related workshop at 1 PM on May 23rd at East St. Louis Sr. High School's auditorium. Russell is a Lincoln High School graduate and protege of Professor Ron Carter. East Side is located at 4700 State St. This workshop will be motivational as well as technical. Russell will address work ethics, diversity, confidence, as well as convey his personal musical journey. This will include his musical accomplishments, noting the people he has performed with in demonstration of a multi-dimensional musician and how that applies to all aspects of life. Homework for the workshop is to visit Gunn's web site at http://www.russellgunn.com. While designed for the students of District 189, the public is welcome. John Barnes and Delano Redmond are Band Directors at the school.

As it is shaping up, the May 26 Concert promises to deliver a unique blend of jazz music and entertainment that will appeal to a broad range of jazz tastes. Former jazz radio personality “Edie Bee" Anderson and SIU-E Music Chair, trumpeter Prince Wells will guide us through this exciting program. Miles' music was ever-changing. This concert will reflect aspects of those changes. Myer's explores earlier facets of Mile's music, while Gunn will present some of his later flavor. If Miles could be present at this concert, I'm sure he would push the hip-hop envelope, as Gunn has been known to do.

Gunn will be accompanied by locally acclaimed artists Reggie Thomas on piano, Montez Coleman on drums, John King on bass, Amos Brewer on sax--and who knows who else will show up? Myers' group includes Rolla Armstead on sax, Dr. London Branch on bass, Aye Aton on drums and Sayeed Jamal on sax. Rolla, now an accomplished Milwaukee legend, was born in Alton and his mother did housework in the Miles Davis home. Branch was a former professor of Music at Jackson State University and teacher for Gunn. Aton was a former drummer for Sun Ra.

Both workshops are supported in part by the International Association for Jazz Education. As host, Freedom Trails is supported in part by the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunities and the Illinois Arts Council. All artists are available for interviews. Gunn will be in East St. Louis on May 22nd.

Since East St. Louis City Council gave a thumbs up on a resolution to honor Miles with a street sign, it will be erected at 17th & Kansas, where Miles grew up. The late, long presiding State Senator Kenneth Hall, lived in the same block. The honorary sign is to read: An honorary “Hall"Mark: Miles Davis Way, to honor both Davis and Hall. The definition of hallmarking meaning a mark indicating quality or excellence and it is substituting for the word tribute. Neighbors in the 1600 & 1700 blocks of Kansas signed a petition in favor of the street sign.

An honorary name change ceremony will be held on Miles' birthday, Friday, May 26 at noon at the corner of 17th & Kansas. A trumpet fanfare is planned. All trumpet players are welcome to come blow.