Contact: Michael Mazur
Mazur Public Relations, Inc. [email protected] Tel: (609) 890-4550 Cel: (609) 462-9905
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 1, 2005
IMPROVISATIONAL VIOLIN MASTER JOHN ELLINGTON BLAIR PERFORMS FREE CONCERT IN HARLEM
NEW YORK – Improvisational violin virtuoso and Vietnam veteran John Ellington Blair is giving back to the hospital that once helped him by playing a free concert this Saturday, April 2 at the C.S. 154 Auditorium in Harlem.
Blair, who was wounded in Vietnam, had hip replacement surgery last year at the Veterans’ hospital. “This is a way of giving back to the people that helped me,” said Blair.
Blair has been playing violin for over 50 years. He attended the Eastman School of Music, and during that time, discovered the music of master of tenor saxophone John Coltrane, which inspired Blair to learn to play the music known as “jazz.”
After Blair was injured in Vietnam, he was sent to a Washington, D.C. Veterans’ Hospital to recuperate.
“It’s interesting how life unfolds,” said Blair. “As I got better, I started to play the violin in the hospital and word spread. Instead of going back to Vietnam, I was requested to be a part of President John F. Kennedy’s orchestra.”
Blair also performed for Lyndon B. Johnson’s administration as part of the Air Force Strolling Strings, playing light classical violin pieces.
After his tenure at the White House, Blair went on to perform and record with hundreds of artists, including Miles Davis, Quincy Jones, Isaac Hayes, Barbra Streisand, Roberta Flack, B.B. King, Tito Puente, etc., etc. He also co-invented the world’s first custom designed electric violin, viola and guitar combination now known worldwide as “the vitar.” The late John Wilson of the New York Times once proclaimed, “John Blair is the best jazz violinist in the world.”
Blair’s latest release, “The Master Creed,” is available through his website (www.vitarmaster.com) and other select outlets (www.theorchard.com) (www.cdbaby.com).
The concert will be presented by the Veterans Quality of Life Action Network (VQLAN). The C.S. 154 Auditorium is located at 250 W. 127th Street in Harlem. Blair will perform from 12 noon to 3 p.m. ###
Mazur Public Relations, Inc. * P.O. Box 2425 * Trenton, N.J. 08607 * USA Tel: (609) 8.1 2550 * Fax: (609) 890-4556 www.mazurpr.com
Mazur Public Relations, Inc. [email protected] Tel: (609) 890-4550 Cel: (609) 462-9905
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 1, 2005
IMPROVISATIONAL VIOLIN MASTER JOHN ELLINGTON BLAIR PERFORMS FREE CONCERT IN HARLEM
NEW YORK – Improvisational violin virtuoso and Vietnam veteran John Ellington Blair is giving back to the hospital that once helped him by playing a free concert this Saturday, April 2 at the C.S. 154 Auditorium in Harlem.
Blair, who was wounded in Vietnam, had hip replacement surgery last year at the Veterans’ hospital. “This is a way of giving back to the people that helped me,” said Blair.
Blair has been playing violin for over 50 years. He attended the Eastman School of Music, and during that time, discovered the music of master of tenor saxophone John Coltrane, which inspired Blair to learn to play the music known as “jazz.”
After Blair was injured in Vietnam, he was sent to a Washington, D.C. Veterans’ Hospital to recuperate.
“It’s interesting how life unfolds,” said Blair. “As I got better, I started to play the violin in the hospital and word spread. Instead of going back to Vietnam, I was requested to be a part of President John F. Kennedy’s orchestra.”
Blair also performed for Lyndon B. Johnson’s administration as part of the Air Force Strolling Strings, playing light classical violin pieces.
After his tenure at the White House, Blair went on to perform and record with hundreds of artists, including Miles Davis, Quincy Jones, Isaac Hayes, Barbra Streisand, Roberta Flack, B.B. King, Tito Puente, etc., etc. He also co-invented the world’s first custom designed electric violin, viola and guitar combination now known worldwide as “the vitar.” The late John Wilson of the New York Times once proclaimed, “John Blair is the best jazz violinist in the world.”
Blair’s latest release, “The Master Creed,” is available through his website (www.vitarmaster.com) and other select outlets (www.theorchard.com) (www.cdbaby.com).
The concert will be presented by the Veterans Quality of Life Action Network (VQLAN). The C.S. 154 Auditorium is located at 250 W. 127th Street in Harlem. Blair will perform from 12 noon to 3 p.m. ###
Mazur Public Relations, Inc. * P.O. Box 2425 * Trenton, N.J. 08607 * USA Tel: (609) 8.1 2550 * Fax: (609) 890-4556 www.mazurpr.com
For more information contact All About Jazz.
