Festival News

More Performers Added to Toronto Jazz Festival

Source: All About Jazz
May 4, 2009

Several new shows have been added to this summers line-up making the 23rd edition of the TD Canada Trust Toronto Jazz Festival a little bigger and a lot more eclectic as it takes over the city from June 26 July 5, 2009. With the addition of Room Eleven, Van der Graaf Generator, Alain Caron Band and The Bug, these groups push the boundaries of jazz with their mix of progressive rock, pop, blues and dubstep.

Room Eleven 07/01, Supermarket

A ...

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Jam Cruise 8 Lineup: STS9, Word, Kdtu, Hips

Source: JamBase
May 3, 2009

Jam Cruise 8 Artist Lineup Announced

Jam Cruise 7 by Smith Jam Cruise 8 will set sail January 3-8, 2010 on board the beautiful MSC Poesia. Departing Port Everglades in Ft Lauderdale, the boat will visit the tropical ports of Ocho Rios, Jamaica and George Town, Cayman Islands over the course of five glorious days and nights.

Jam Cruise 8 will feature the following artists:

STS9 The Word feat. John Medeski, North Mississippi Allstars & Robert Randolph Zappa plays Zappa ...

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Triple-Clarinet Set Puts Woodwinds in Jazz Fest Spotlight

Source: All About Jazz
May 3, 2009

Mozart didn't know Jazz Fest, but he knew about the power of the clarinet. He wrote some of his most gorgeous concertos for the instrument, knowing its clear, clean timbre could lift melodies to soaring heights with the right person behind the reed. Evan Christopher, Tim Laughlin and Gregory Agid all know a thing or two about the clarinet, too. The three musicians, known collectively as “Clarinet Woodshed," led a mid-day Jazz Tent audience through the instrument's full jazz range. ...

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Midnite Disturbers: Jazz Fest's Mystery Masters

Source: All About Jazz
May 2, 2009

At the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, some of the best music happens miles from the Fairgrounds, hours after the crowds have gone and the last of the crawfish bread has been consumed.

It happens with the arrival of Midnite.

At 1:18 a.m., Bonerama -- a brass-funk rock band lead by three trombones -- has just finished a 90-minute set that started with a soulful, passionate original tune written by bandleader Mark Mullins, and concluded with a cover of ...

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New Orleans' Ponderosa Stomp: Bringing Music History to Life

Source: Michael Ricci
May 2, 2009

Before Kansas City was recorded by everyone from the Beatles to Peggy Lee, the song was first released in 1952 as K.C. Loving by an obscure Houston pianist named Little Willie Littlefield.

The single became a regional hit in the Los Angeles area, where Littlefield was recording for Federal Records, but it would be up to Wilbert Harrison, Trini Lopez, James Brown and Hank Ballard to turn Kansas City into a top 25 hit on the national pop and R&B ...

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Tony Bennett Donates Instruments During Jazz Fest

Source: All About Jazz
May 1, 2009

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Jazz crooner Tony Bennett handed out dozens of new instruments Thursday to students at a charter school founded in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, hoping the tubas, trumpets and trombones would be used to carry on New Orleans' vibrant musical tradition. Meanwhile, the second half of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival got under way. As Bennett shook hands with students and posed for photographs, some of the $100,000 worth of instruments were laid out ...

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Giant Steps Jazz Guitar Weekend

Source: All About Jazz
April 30, 2009

World famous guitarist and TV/radio celebrity John Etheridge and Oxford-based guitarist, band-leader and promoter Pete Oxley will be running their highly successful Jazz Guitar Weekend for the fourth successful year 31st July to 2nd August 2009. Highlights of the weekend include an icebreaker event on Friday night, a concert at The Spin Jazz Club on Saturday and the opportunity to perform in a masterclass on Sunday, leading a professional rhythm section. For those choosing the tuition track, there are sessions ...

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25,000 Expected for Jazz Festival

Source: All About Jazz
April 30, 2009

Over 25,000 people are expected to attend the 8th annual City of Derry Jazz and Big Band Festival. The festival runs from Thursday to Sunday and features 170 events at venues across the city. This year's headline acts include Jools Holland and his Rhythm and Blues Orchestra, Soweto Kinch, and jazz pianist Eri Yamamoto. “The city is set to come alive to the sounds of all things jazz," said the Mayor of Derry, Gerard Diver. “I know that many of ...

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