Festival Preview - Jazz

Box office opens for Monterey Jazz 2011

fpadmin2 — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 22:35:58 +0000

With the lineup announced last week for Monterey Jazz Festival 2011, the box office is now open for arena packages and single-day and weekend grounds passes. The latter is a bargain at $125 and covers all festival activities except the main stage. Arena packages are priced at $225-$315 depending on seat location. All kinds of options for upgrades and discounts are available. Make sure to check the festival tickets page for full information.

Savannah Music Festival wows again with its eclectic 2011 program

fpadmin2 — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 02:01:02 +0000

The Savannah Music Festival showed what makes it one of the most interesting North American music festivals when it announced the bulk of its schedule and lineup for the 2011 festival, running March 24-April 9 in multiple venues around Savannah GA.

As it is each year, the program is strong in a wide range of genres, including classical, acoustic, blues, R&B, jazz and world music. About the only major festival genres not included are mainstream rock and country. The offerings in each musical category, while not as deep as at festivals dedicated to a single style, are generally very appealing.

In bluegrass/Americana, the offerings include Punch Brothers with Chris Thile, The Infamous Stringdusters, Tim O'Brien, and Doyle Alexander & Quicksilver.

Among jazz artists, Bela Fleck with The Marcus Roberts Trio, Dianne Reeves, John Pizzarelli and Jessica Molaskey, and The Ike Stubblefield Trio stand out.

The R&B and blues categories bring in Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, Allen Toussaint, Maceo Parker, James Hunter and James Cotton, among others.

Of spin and sponsors: Once again, Wein needs a new backer for jazz festivals

fpadmin2 — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 22:02:25 +0000

By kindofblue

The announcement put as positive a spin on things as possible: "George Wein Announces Sponsorship Opportunities for 2011 Newport Jazz Festival." But it wasn't hard to look beneath the upbeat surface and find the bad news.

Two years after the medical-services company CareFusion stepped in to keep the Newport festival afloat — after the bash’s longtime sponsor, JVC, pulled the plug — Newport Jazz (along with a few other Wein festivals, notably the one in New York) is once again sponsorless. Calling that an opportunity may be smart marketing, but it sounds more like an emergency to me.

Wein’s comeback from the brink is a remarkable story, and there’s no reason to doubt that he can do it again. But the man just turned 85, and it’s a shame that he has to. Then again, for a promoter who has often thrived on adversity, this is pretty much business as usual.

In the old days, it was possible to stage an event like the Newport Jazz Festival without corporate sponsorship. These days it isn’t.

Monterey Jazz shines spotlight on violin prodigy

fpadmin2 — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 23:08:00 +0000

Rising star violinist Alex Hargreaves will be awarded the fourteenth Jimmy Lyons Scholarship to study tuition free at Berklee College of Music during the upcoming Monterey Jazz Festival. The prize is named for the late festival founder Jimmy Lyons, and is one way that the non-profit festival supports jazz education.

I've had a chance to see Hargreaves develop his musical talent as a teenager since winning a national old-time fiddling contest at age 15. He has performed at many of the progressive acoustic music festivals that I favor, playing alongside artists like Darol Anger, Sarah Jarosz and Crooked Still.

Eighteen-year-old Hargreaves released his first album of original compositions earlier this year, featuring musicians like Mike Marshall, Bela Fleck and others.

I'm pleased to see Monterey Jazz Festival recognizing musical talent from a less traditional region of the jazz spectrum, improvisational acoustic string-band music. Berklee has been awarding degrees for several years now to students of traditionally bluegrass instruments.

Younger generation makes a statement at Newport Jazz 2010

fpadmin2 — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 00:00:41 +0000

Youth and adventurousness were well served at the 2010 Newport Jazz Festival. Age and experience, not so much.

Which is fine with me. Which is as it should be. And which helped make for an amazingly good festival.

It’s obviously getting harder and harder for the festival to book the kind of household-name jazz stars who were once its bread and butter, for the simple reason that as time goes on there are fewer and fewer of them around. And most of the big names who are still alive and active and capable of selling a lot of tickets, even the ones that are thought of as still in their prime, are eligible for Social Security. (Herbie Hancock, one of the stars of this year’s festival — I caught only the tail end of his set, including a disappointingly by-the-numbers “Chameleon” — is 70. His fellow keyboardist Chick Corea, who led a remarkable all-acoustic, all-star quartet with Kenny Garrett on sax, Christian McBride on bass and Roy Haynes on drums, is 69.)

Ocean Beach Music and Arts Festival

jamestaylor2324 — Mon, 24 May 2010 02:51:45 +0000

26 bands will get together for the 2010 Ocean Beach Jazz Festival, the newest installment of a festival that took a one-year hiatus last year.

The headliners include Maceo Parker, Charlie Hunter and Bonerama.

For more information about the festival, check out obmusicfest.org.

Jazz invades the nation's capital

fpadmin2 — Thu, 20 May 2010 21:22:53 +0000

Jazz breaks out all over Washington DC June 1-13 as the DC Jazz Festival, formerly known as the Duke Elliington Jazz Festival, comes to town. More than 100 free and ticketed performances are scheduled for this sixth annual event. Top jazz stars Paquito D’Rivera, Dianne Reeves, Poncho Sanchez, Eddie Palmieri and Roy Hargrove are among the raft of musicians performing at the festival.

The festival's marquee events include a tribute concert at The Lincoln Theatre to jazz master James Moody featuring Kenny Barron, the Dizzy Gillespie All-Stars, Regina Carter, Roy Hargrove, Paquito D'Rivera and more. Other notable concerts are staged at Carter Barron Ampphitheatre, Kenny Center Terrace Theater, Bohemian Caverns and the Goldman Theater.

George Washington University's Lisner Theater hosts two double-bill concerts with noted performers. A free series of events, Jazz in the 'Hoods, will bring jazz performances to 30 venues across the city.

Russian River names jazz and blues headliners

fpadmin2 — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 18:58:50 +0000

Omega Events used to run two festivals—a jazz and a blues festival—at Johnson's Beach on the Russian River in Guerneville CA. Beginning last year, they're now combined into one big weekend, running this year September 11-12 at the popular vacation spot north of San Francisco in Sonoma County.

As per its custom, Omega will roll out its lineup a few artists at a time, having started off with the headline acts for the two days. Saturday is jazz day, and the program will be anchored by smooth saxaphone favorite David Sanborn with special guest organist Joey DeFrancesco.

For blues day on Sunday, attendees will enjoy the ever-popular Doobie Brothers as the festival closer. After many years, the Doobies are about to release an all-new studio CD, which will be featured along with the band's repertoire of hits from the 70s and 80s.

FP Russian River Jazz and Blues Festival page | RRJBF website

Upgrade your experience at Monterey Jazz Fest

fpadmin2 — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 00:46:48 +0000

Monterey Jazz Festival introduced several new ticketing options designed to encourage patrons to upgrade their experience at the historic festival.

For the first time, single day tickets will be sold for the festival arena, where the headline acts perform. The passes are priced at $99 for the double-session (afternoon and evening) Saturday and Sunday shows and $66 for the Friday evening concert. Previously, only all-festival Arena passes were sold, so this option should appeal to more casual fans who might have bought Grounds tickets only in the past.

For the more serious fan who wants an upgrade from his or her existing Arena package, a new VIP Premier pass is available as an additional item for $65 per day or $100 for the weekend. The Premier pass gives holders access to the Arena through a special gate, access to the festival Clubhouse for artist meet-and-greets, a pay bar, and private restrooms, and a gift bag of festival goodies.

Lineup added: Rochester International Jazz Festival

fpadmin2 — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 00:12:59 +0000

Festival: Rochester International Jazz Festival
Lineup announced: March 30
Headliners: Gladys Knight, Herbie Hancock, Jeff Beck
Notables: Alison Brown Quartet, Amy Lavere Trio, Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba, Bernie Williams, Booker T & The MGs, Jane Monheit, John Pizzarelli, Keb' Mo', Los Lonely Boys, Marc Broussard, Mose Allison, Nils Landgren Funk Unit, Rosie Ledet & the Zydeco Playboys, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue

Comparing the lineups at Newport Jazz and Monterey Jazz festivals

fpadmin2 — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 22:22:27 +0000

The two longest running and most prestigious U.S. jazz festivals—Newport Jazz Festival in early August in the east and Monterey Jazz Festival in mid-September in the west—announced their 2010 programs in recent days. Let’s take a comparative look at the lineups.

The first observation is the nature and number of artists in common. At the headliner level, both festivals are featuring the all-star Freedom Band with Chick Corea, Kenny Garrett, Christian McBride and Roy Haynes. In the category of honoring giants of the genre, 80-year-old piano great Ahmad Jamal appears at both festivals.

Both bookings are basically gimmes. As long as their agents had them available, the top festivals were going to sign them. Other acts on both bills are the Jazz Mafia’s Brass, Bows and Beats; Berklee Global Jazz Septet; and up-and-coming vocalist Gretchen Parlato. George Wein’s Newport All-Stars, a fixture at Newport, will also appear at Monterey this year.

Lineup added: Freihofer's Saratoga Jazz Festival

fpadmin2 — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 17:31:26 +0000

Festival: Freihofer's Saratoga Jazz Festival

Lineup announced: March 21

Headliners: Gladys Knight, Al Jarreau and The George Duke Trio

Notables: Ahmad Jamal, Al Di Meola's World Sinfonia, Ann Hampton Callaway, Juan De Marcos & The Afro Cuban All Stars, Ramsey Lewis, Sax for Stax, Stefon Harris & Blackout, Taj Mahal

Tickets on sale for NYC Jazz Festival marquee shows

fpadmin2 — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 21:14:11 +0000

Many of the Carefusion New York Jazz Festival events are held at smaller venues with tickets priced at $25 or less, but the festival's marquee concerts are held at Carnegie Hall's Isaac Stern Auditorium or at Town Hall, with multiple ticket levels ranging from $25 to $100 per seat.

The Carnegie Hall shows are Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock and Jack DeJohnette, June 17; An Evening with Chris Botti, June 19; The Genius of Joao Gilberto, June 22; Herbie Hancock, Seven Decades: The Birthday Celebration (with guests Terence Blanchard, Ron Carter, Bill Cosby, Dave Holland, Lang Lang, Joe Lovano, Wayne Shorter and others to be named), June 24; and Cesaria Evor with special guest Lura, June 25. The Town Hall concert on June 23 is with Punch Brothers featuring Chris Thile and Julian Lage Group.

Tickets for those six concerts and many other festival events are now on sale now at the festival website.

Ravinia releases monster summer lineup of popular and classical music

fpadmin2 — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 01:56:43 +0000

Ravinia Festival, the Chicago area concert series that claims to be America's longest running music festival, announced its popular music schedule, supplementing the previously released Chicago Symphony Orchestra repertory season schedule.

The most in-demand tickets could be for two performances by Sting backed by the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra as well as shows by Crosby, Stills & Nash, Sheryl Crow, and Carrie Underwood.

But there are a huge number of major stars in every popular music genre, including Backstreet Boys, Big Head Todd And The Monsters, Bobby McFerrin, Buddy Guy, Cheap Trick, Colbie Caillat, Dave Brubeck Quartet, Earth, Wind & Fire, Garrison Keillor, George Benson, Jethro Tull, John Hiatt & The Combo, Nancy Wilson, Nelly Furtado, Peter and Paul, Poi Dog Pondering, Procol Harum, Sheryl Crow, Soulive, Squeeze, Steve Martin and The Steep Canyon Rangers, The B-52s, The Beach Boys, The Bodeans, The Cat Empire, The Four Tops, The Levon Helm Band, The Moody Blues, The Ramsey Lewis Trio, The Swell Season, The Temptations, Train, and Vince Gill.

Wein returns to New York with fresh ideas and energy

fpadmin2 — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 01:56:58 +0000

George Wein is apparently indestructible — and New York City is very lucky that he is.

Three years ago Wein, the man who gave the world the Newport jazz and folk festivals, sold his company, Festival Productions, to a new entity, Festival Network. He was retained in an ill-defined capacity — the company called him producer emeritus — and, though he vowed to remain active, it wasn’t unreasonable to assume that he was being kept around as not much more than a figurehead, and that he was essentially if not formally retired. After a half-century as one of the towering figures in a business he had helped create, surely he had earned the right to take it easy.

He didn’t, though. The 2008 Newport and JVC New York jazz festivals bore his stamp if not his name; to the casual fan and even many of the performers, Wein appeared to be still very much in charge.

Then, last year, the jazz hit the fan.

Lineup posted for Miami's Jazz in the Gardens

fpadmin2 — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 01:08:38 +0000

Headliners: Mary J. Blige, John Legend

Notables: Robin Thicke, Teena Marie, Joe Sample, Boyz II Men, Cassandra Wilson, David Sanborn

Comment: Only in its fifth year, Miami's Jazz in the Gardens has followed the model of Jazz-Aspen or Jazz + Sonoma in programming for a well-heeled corporate audience with two nights of big-name light jazz and R&B performers. It runs March 20-21 at Sun Life Stadium (formerly Dolphins Stadium) in Miami.

Every flavor of jazz gets a hearing at Wein's returning New York flagship festival

fpadmin2 — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 01:29:49 +0000

After a year's absence, George Wein's flagship New York City jazz festival is back in a big way, under new sponsorship but with a trademark program covering the most important developments in contemporary jazz.

The rebranded CareFusion Jazz Festival New York runs 10 consecutive days June 17-26 in large and small venues throughout the city. Tickets for many of the shows are priced at $20 or less (some are free), enabling fans to enjoy multiple events and enjoy a complete festival experience.

In all, the program offers 44 concerts, including headline shows in major concert halls, intimate sessions in clubs, themed shows with multiple artists and special events such as discussions and late-night jams.

Among the highlights is a celebration of Herbie Hancock's 70th birthday with the honoree and special guests Terence Blanchard, Bill Cosby, Joe Lovano and Wayne Shorter; a double bill with the McCoy Tyner Quartet and Stanley Clarke Band; and an evening with smooth jazz superstar Chris Botti.

Ticketing opens for Tanglewood Jazz

fpadmin2 — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 22:49:39 +0000

Ticket sales opened for the 2010 Tanglewood season, including the Tanglewood Jazz Festival, on February 14. The season begins on June 26 with a live broadcast of Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keilor and follows with a full schedule of performances by the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Boston Pops throughout July and August. The prestigious summer series also includes a handful of popular music concerts, including a much anticipated joint appearance by James Taylor and Carole King.

The season ends over Labor Day weekend with the annual running of Tanglewood Jazz, featuring performances by Kurt Elling, John Pizzarelli, The Lengendary Count Basie Orchestra and lots more. Reserved seating prices range from $18 to $115; one day lawn passes are priced at $34. For complete information

LA jazz joint hosts 40th anniversary festival

jamestaylor2324 — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 06:46:52 +0000

The famous Los Angeles jazz club The Baked Potato, the oldest continually running jazz club in California, is putting on a festival in honor of the 40th anniversary of its opening in 1970.

Some of the club's regulars have included Al Jarreau, Larry Carlton and Steve Lukather.

The festival, which will not actually be held at the club but at the John Anson Ford Amphitheater in the Hollywood Hills, will run from Saturday, May 22 to Sunday, May 23. Throughout these two days, attendees will see 17 artists, including Carlton and Lukather.

To find out more information about the festival and purchase tickets, go to this link.

Daily music schedules are out; pick your best day for NO Jazzfest

fpadmin2 — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 21:21:23 +0000

New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival announced its daily breakouts for the 2010 festival, making it possible to evaluate which weekend or which days you would most like to attend. Following are the first dozen names listed for each of the festval's seven days.

Friday, April 23: Lionel Richie, Black Crowes, Dr. John, Steel Pulse, George Clinton & Parliament/Funkadelic, Baaba Maal, Elvin Bishop, Chocolate Milk, Jon Cleary, Frankie Ford, Deacon John, Joe Lovano

Saturday, April 24: Simon & Garfunkel, My Morning Jacket, Drake, Better Than Ezra, Ledisi, Sam Bush, the funky Meters, Campbell Brothers, Smokie Norful, Cowboy Mouth, Big Sam’s Funky Nation, Walter “Wolfman” Wahington & the Roadmasters

Sunday, April 25: Allman Brothers Band, Anita Baker, Darius Rucker, Jonny Lang, The Levon Helm Band, Juan Luis Guerra y 440, Imagination Movers, Keely Smith, King Sunny Ade & His African Beats, Blind Boys of Alabama, Marcia Ball, Shawn Colvin

Simon and Garfunkel adds luster to Jazzfest first weekend

fpadmin2 — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 15:19:49 +0000

New Orleans Jazzfest scored a coup with its announcement of a rare performance date by legendary vocal duo Simon and Garfunkel for April 24, 2010, the second night of this year's festival. It will be the first appearance for the duo at Jazzfest (though Paul Simon has made notable appearances before), and it will be the only U.S. performance by Simon and Garfunkel in 2010.

Chief festival producer Quint Davis noted Simon's previous history at the festival, which is considered by many to be the most important U.S. music festival. “From his early visit to the Festival to experience the Neville Brothers in the 80’s, to the thrill of his epic performance of Graceland, leading up to his never-to-be-forgotten closing-day set at the first post-Katrina Festival, Paul Simon has woven himself into the fabric of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival,” Davis said.

Spoleto takes chances with diverse 2010 program

fpadmin2 — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 23:35:34 +0000

Spoleto Festival USA reaffirms its place among the most important performance arts festivals with its diverse and risk-taking 2010 season program announced this week.

Lineup posted: Spoleto Festival USA

fpadmin2 — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 23:03:34 +0000

Alisa Weilerstein, Bassekou Kouyate and Ngoni Ba, Brooklyn Rider, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Charleston Symphony Orchestra Chorus, Christian Wolff, Dawn Upshaw, Die Roten Punkte, Emmanuel Villaume, Erik Friedlander, Fabiana Cozza, Geoff Nuttall, Heather Buck, Hsin-Yun Huang, Joe Miller, Joseph Flummerfelt, Julian Lage, Leszek Mozdzer, Lizz Wright, Nailor "Proveta" Azevedo, Neely Bruce, Norma Winstone Trio, Pierre Vallet, Sergei Pavlov, Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra, St. Lawrence String Quartet, Stephen Prutsman, The Colla Marionette Company, The Ebony Hillbillies, Westminster Choir, Wolfgang Rihm

FP Spoleto Festival USA page

Wordle graphic displays 2010's most-booked artists

fpadmin2 — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 20:47:35 +0000

You know how much we like tag clouds at Festival Preview, so we were a sucker to try out the cloudmaker Wordle with our booking data to see how it would look. This graphic displays artists booked as featured performers at multiple 2010 festivals, with the size determined by the number of bookings. The data is current as of January 1, 2010.

View the chart on the Wordle site here.

The first thing you notice is the preponderance of country and bluegrass artists. That is because festivals of those genres announce their lineups earlier than rock festivals and some other categories. We plan to display more charts and rankings of our booking data, so you should see familiar rock names in future displays.

Connick and Cole top list for Jazz Aspen's 20th anniversary season

fpadmin2 — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 20:29:45 +0000

Smooth vocal jazz and R&B will be the order of the day at the 20th anniversary Jazz Aspen Snowmass June Festival this year as popular crooners Harry Connick, Jr. and Natalie Cole headline the opening (June 25) and closing (July 3) night concerts for the 10-day festival.

A third of the four big concerts will feature festival artist-in-residence Christian McBride with Grammy winning vocalist Dianne Reeves and other Jazz All-Stars on June 26. Headliners for the Sunday, June 27 concert were not yet named. All headline concerts take place at the Benedict Music Tent in Aspen.

FP Jazz Aspen Snowmass June Festival page

Jamaica Jazz and Blues lineup posted

fpadmin2 — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 23:34:11 +0000

Headliners: Gladys Knight, Jennifer Hudson, Queens Project

Full lineup: Billy Ocean, Gladys Knight, Hall and Oates, Jennifer Hudson. Joe Roy Jackson, Jon Secada. Joss Stone. Machel Montano, Max Klezmer Band, Maxi Priest. Monty Alexander, Queens Project, Robin Banks, Roy Ayres, The Whispers. Third World

See festival page for full details and interactive lineup.

Rochester Jazz adds two venues and puts 2010 Club Pass on sale

fpadmin2 — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 23:05:31 +0000

Rochester International Jazz Festival will add two new venues for its 2010 season, making a total of 11 stages of music for the June 11-19 festival. All venues are accessible to holders of a festival Club Pass, an incredible bargain considering that the festival will stage 180 individual shows at the 11 venues in 2010. Many of the venues are within walking distance of each other.

The new venues are Abilene Bar and Grill, which will host the festival's roots and Americana series, and the Rochester Club Ballroom, which will present native Italian and Italian-American performers. Each venue will present two shows per night.

Individual tickets are also available to most shows for $20-$25, but a Club Pass is definitely the way to go. They are on sale now at the festival website at a holiday special price of $115. After January 1, the price goes up to $135 and it tops out at $150 after April 2.

For complete information

All About Jazz on SFJazz spring season lineup announcement

jamestaylor2324 — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 04:06:24 +0000

All About Jazz has a great first take on the initial program announcement for the 11th annual San Francisco Jazz Festival Spring Season:

The unique and spectacular five-month-long concert series begins on February 19 and continues through June 12. The season will present some of the most illustrious names in jazz, world and related music. See the full schedule beginning on page 6.

For the whole article, click here.

Jazz Fest lineup runs broad and deep

fpadmin2 — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 01:01:05 +0000

New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival will return with seven days of the best in American music as the festival begins its fifth decade April 23-25 and April 29-May 2 at the Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans.

The festival today rolled out its massive roster of festival performers, grouped by weekend—more than 300 artists covering the gamut of musical styles including gospel, blues, traditional and contemporary jazz, rock, R&B, Cajun, country, zydeco and much more.

It is challenging to summarize a Jazzfest lineup just because of the sheer size of it. While it certainly glitters with plenty of marquee names, it is more the depth and the breadth of the lineup that stands out.

Led by festival producer/director Quint Davis, Jazz Fest’s booking philosophy is to present the highest caliber performers on the contemporary musical scene. It also has a specialty in showcasing the native musical styles of the festival’s home town.

Week by week

27th Annual San Francisco Jazz Festival

jamestaylor2324 — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 21:56:49 +0000

Frank Consola at the jazz blog All About Jazz has a great review of the 2009 San Francisco Jazz Festival:

There is much to enjoy at the San Francisco Jazz Festival. In addition to bringing together high-caliber jazz talent to showcase a wonderful cross-section of diverse sounds, the Festival provides the visitor with one of the world's great cities as its panoramic backdrop. Few places are as unique and charming as the City on the Bay, and the performances are presented in various venues around the city, allowing jazz fans to explore the treasures of this romantic city, from the elegant architecture to the profound flavors of its ethnic neighborhoods.

To read the whole article, click here.