Diet Coke 'Women in Jazz' Festival at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola

NEW YORK, August 22, 2005 - Calling all jazz lovers! Diet Coke, the world's leading diet soft drink, and Jazz at Lincoln Center, the not-for-profit arts organization dedicated to enriching the artistic substance and perpetuating the democratic spirit of America's music, today announced the first-ever Diet Coke Women in Jazz Festival at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola, a celebration of the great contributions women performers have made to jazz music.

In association with NYC & Company, New York City's tourism marketing organization, the festival will feature nightly performances by some of the most influential women in jazz today as well as up-and-coming jazz artists beginning September 6 through October 2, 2005. Held at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola located in the new home of Jazz at Lincoln Center, Frederick P. Rose Hall, the festival will be part of the 2005-06 programming season, “Jazz from Coast to Coast."

“Jazz music is constantly evolving and women have long been instrumental in shaping the landscape of the jazz scene," said Derek E. Gordon, President and CEO of Jazz at Lincoln Center. “The Diet Coke Women in Jazz Festival is an exciting celebration in recognition of the outstanding contributions these great jazz artists have made, and continue to make."

Coca-Cola is committed to the encouragement and development of female jazz artists of the future. Toward that aim, Coca-Cola will underwrite tickets for the IAJE's “Sisters in Jazz" Upstarts! night performance on September 26th for distribution to local area high school music students. “New York City is the jazz capital of the world, and Diet Coke is delighted to help bring this first-time festival to the Big Apple and support creative music and the arts," said Chuck Fruit, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of The Coca-Cola Company.

“From Harlem to Queens, New York City has always been at the center of the jazz music evolution," said Cristyne Nicholas, President & CEO of NYC & Company. “This festival will further establish New York City as the premier destination for experiencing live jazz music."

Reservations and additional information about the Diet Coke Women in Jazz Festival at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola can be found at www.jalc.org or by calling (212) 258-9595. Artists and schedule subject to change.

Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola is accessible through the Jazz at Lincoln Center marquee entrance on the corner of Broadway at 60th Street. The club is located on the 5th floor. Doors open at 6:00pm for the 7:30pm set and guests may arrive at 8:45-9:00pm for the 9:30pm set. Sets begin at 7:30pm and 9:30pm, with an 11:30pm set on Friday and Saturday nights only. After Hours sets are at 11:00pm Tuesday through Thursday, and at 12:30am on Friday and Saturday. Tuesday through Sunday, there is a $30 cover charge for music. On Mondays for the student UPSTARTS! programming, there is a $15 music charge. After Hours set cover charge is $10. There is no additional music charg! e for patrons who stay after the last artist set. Student rates with valid ID: Sunday 9:30pm set $15, Monday 7:30pm and 9:30pm sets $10, Tuesday and Wednesday 9:30pm set $15, After Hours hang set $5. Standard food and beverage minimum of $10 applies at tables, $5 minimum is required at the bar. Food and beverage minimum applies to student rates.

Jazz at Lincoln Center opened Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola in October 2004 to critical acclaim and popularity with musicians and music fans. The intimate club features artists from around the world seven nights a week in a spectacular setting with views of the Manhattan skyline. Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola also features a full menu by Jazz at Lincoln Center's exclusive facility caterer, Great Performances in collaboration with Harlem's Spoonbread Catering, reflecting the diversity of jazz.

Jazz at Lincoln Center received a leadership grant from The Coca-Cola Company towards the creation of the world's first performing arts center designed specifically for jazz, Frederick P. Rose Hall. In recognition of the company's commitment to this authentic art form, Jazz at Lincoln Center named the 140-seat jazz club performance venue in the new facility Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola. The late Mrs. Lorraine Gillespie, Dizzy's wife, said, “I know that my husband would be proud and honored that many musicians will further their careers and the awareness of jazz as an art form in a place that bears his name."

The artists scheduled to perform include:

September 6 - 11: Angela Bofill

September 6: After Hours: Angelica Sanchez Trio

September 7: After Hours: Julie Hardy Quintet

September 8: After Hours: Tuliva - Donna Cumberbatch Duo

September 9: After Hours: “Sweet Sue" Terry Quartet

September 10: After Hours: Judi Silvano

September 12: Upstarts! Stephanie Nakasian with Hod O'Brien featuring Veronica Swift
Tia Fuller Quintet

September 13: Marian McPartland
After Hours: Deanna Witkowski Quartet

September 14 - 15: Rita Coolidge
September 14: After Hours: Leni Stern Quartet
September 15: After Hours: Lenore Raphael Trio

September 16 - 17: Toshiko Akiyoshi Trio with Special Guests
September 16: After Hours: Mamiko Taira and the Dan Nimmer Trio
September 17: After Hours: Sasha Dobson Duo

September 18: Tessa Souter Quintet
Cynthia Scott with John DiMartino Trio feat. Patience Higgins

September 19: Upstarts! Carol Sudhalter & Friends
Lenora Zenzalai Helm

September 20 - 21: Claudia Acuña Quartet
After Hours: Jane Bunnett Duo

September 22: Basie, Blues and Beyond: Karrin Allyson, Nancy King w/Bruce Barth Trio and guests
After Hours: Anat Cohen

September 23 - 24: Sherrie Maricle & DIVA Jazz Orchestra with Ann Hampton Callaway and other guests
After Hours: Paulette McWilliams

September 25: Lynne Arriale Trio
Nnenna Freelon and Friends

September 26: Upstarts! Terri Lyne Carrington & Special Student Guests

September 27: Helen Merrill Quartet
After Hours: Carolyn Leonhart

September 28: Jane Ira Bloom Quartet
Cindy Blackman Quartet
After Hours: Jamie Baum Quintet

September 29: Joanne Brackeen
Bertha Hope Quartet
After Hours: Erica vonKleist Trio

September 30 - October 1: Barbara Carroll Trio with Special Guests
After Hours: Ayako Shirasaki

October 2: Karen Briggs Band
Lee Ann Ledgerwood Trio

About The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company is the world's largest beverage company. Along with Coca-Cola, recognized as the world's best-known brand, the Company markets four of the world's top five soft drink brands, including Diet Coke, Fanta and Sprite, and a wide range of other beverages, including diet and light soft drinks, waters, juices and juice drinks, teas, coffees and sports drinks. Through the world's largest distribution system, consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy the Company's beverages at a rate exceeding 1 billion servings each day. For more information about The Coca-Cola Company, please visit our website at www.coca-cola.com.

About Jazz at Lincoln Center's Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola
Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola, one of the three main performance venues located in Jazz at Lincoln Center's new home at Frederick P. Rose Hall, is an intimate 140-seat jazz club, set against a glittering backdrop with spectacular views of Central Park that provides a hip environment for performance, education and other special events. The club also includes fine dinner, dessert and late night menus by New York culinary creators Great Performances and Spoonbread Inc. Jazz at Lincoln Center is a not-for-profit arts organization dedicated to jazz and advances a unique vision for the continued development of the art of jazz by producing a year-round schedule of performance, education, and broadcast events for audiences of all ages. For more information, please visit www.jalc.org.

About NYC & Company
NYC & Company, the city's official tourism marketing organization, is a private, membership-based non-profit dedicated to building New York City's economy and positive image through tourism and convention development, major events and the marketing of the city on a worldwide basis. For more information, please visit www.nycvisit.com.