Cyrus Chestnut, Either/Orchestra, Cindy Blackman, Billy Novick, Don Byron, Leo Genovese, Chick Corea, John McLaughlin, Grace Kelly, Kenny Garrett, Jerry Bergonzi, Christian McBride, Yoko Miwa, Jonathan Baptiste and Donal Fox are among the many names who'll perform in Boston, Cambridge and surorunding towns during Jazz Week '09, April 25-May 3. The theme: What's your jazz? JazzBoston organizers promise more free and low-cost events than ever before, all over the area, from Allston to Roxbury to the Back Bay, and from Somerville to Belmont to Framingham. Free concerts on Fan Pier as part of the Volvo Ocean racing festivities, a jazz meets salsa night at the Center for Latino Arts, and special menus as all the Restaurant Week eateries are promised. The New England Conservatory of Music, which celebrates the 40th anniversary of its Jazz Studies Program during the 2009 - 2010 academic year, is this year's Primary Sponsor of Jazz Week. Check the JazzBoston website, www.jazzboston.org, for all the details, or read on for the complete press release...
JazzBoston’s Jazz Week '09 Celebrates
Boston Scene’s Staggering Stylistic Diversity
Nine Days of Music Answer Question Posed by
2009 Theme: What's Your Jazz?
Mayors Thomas M. Menino of Boston,
E. Denise Simmons of Cambridge
Officially Proclaim April 25 – May 3 “Jazz Week”
What’s your jazz? Music lovers all across the Greater Boston area will get help answering that question during the third annual celebration of Jazz Week, which will feature more than 200 events of all styles in over 75 locations from April 25 to May 3.
Jazz Week ’09 highlights include:
· A series of free afternoon and evening programs at the Boston Public Library in Copley Square, including the Boston premiere of the historic film of masters who shaped the course of jazz, “The Music Inn”
· Special menu pricing and jazz-themed dishes at many of the same restaurants that participated in the city’s recent “Restaurant Week”
· A series of free jazz shows on Fan Pier as part of the Volvo Ocean Race festivities
· A free concert at the State House celebrating 40 Years of Jazz at New England Conservatory
· A special “Jazz Meets Salsa” night at the Center for Latino Arts
· Discounts and free tickets for selected shows at participating venues
· Live jazz at Fenway Park, including a jazz rendition of the National Anthem.
Officially proclaimed by Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino and Cambridge Mayor E. Denise Simmons, and coordinated and promoted by JazzBoston, Jazz Week ’09 will shine the spotlight on musicians of all generations, both internationally known and Boston-based, as they perform jazz of every style.
There will be more free and low-cost events than ever before, and they’ll take place in venues all over the Greater Boston area — from clubs, museums, and churches to libraries, universities, hotels, and community centers. Check the JazzBoston website, www.jazzboston.org, for Jazz Week ’09 updates.
Allston, Roxbury, Jamaica Plain, Hyde Park, Dorchester, the South End, and Back Bay are among the Boston neighborhoods hosting events, in addition to Cambridge, Somerville, Quincy, Salem, Belmont, Framingham, Brookline, Acton, Malden, Wellesley, and Newton. Participating for the first time are Amazing Things Arts Center, Icarus Restaurant, the Java Room, the Squealing Pig, Moonstruck Gourmet & Café, Restaurant Laura, Sky, Tryst Restaurant, the Bar at the End of the World, and Petit Robert Bistro.
Jazz Week ’09 will feature:
· Appearances by hundreds of visiting international artists and Boston-based musicians alike
Among them: Cyrus Chestnut, Either/Orchestra, Cindy Blackman, the Winiker Band, Billy Novick, Kurtis Rivers, Don Byron, Leo Genovese, the Fringe, Chick Corea, John McLaughlin, Grace Kelly, Gregorio Uribe Big Band, Bob Moses, Frank Wilkins, Allan Holdsworth, Dominique Eade, Kenny Garrett, Jerry Bergonzi, Edmar Casteneda, Stan Strickland, Christian McBride, Forbes Graham, Yoko Miwa, Jonathan Baptiste, Shelley Neill, Laszlo Gardony, Jason Palmer, Dave Bryant, Bern Nix, Donal Fox, Lisa Thorson, Kevin Harris, and George Garzone.
· “Jazz Week @ the Boston Public Library”
Presented by JazzBoston for the third consecutive year, this series of free weekday and evening programs will cover a range of topics for audiences of all ages at the Main Library in Copley Square, 700 Boylston St. Panelists include Danilo Perez, Ran Blake, Patricia Zarate, Gunther Schuller, Mark Harvey, Emmett Price III, Ted Casher, and George Schuller. This year’s topics:
– “Jazzin’ the Generations: How Life’s Lessons Can Be Shared Through Jazz”
– "Jazz History on the Big Screen: Boston Premiere of the Film 'Music Inn”
– “On the Road with Duke Ellington”
– “A World of Jazz: Learning in a Global Community”
– “Frank Wilkins Vocal Showcase.”
· Chefs Jam for Jazz Week
From April 25 to May 3, Boston area chefs will celebrate Jazz Week as JazzBoston teams up with the Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau and its member restaurants to promote great listening and dining experiences at affordable prices. Food and music lovers will find special prices for jazz-inspired two-course lunches and dinners at many of the same restaurants that participated in last month’s Restaurant Week Boston®. Check www.jazzboston.org for daily updates on restaurants participating in Jazz Week.
· Jazz Week @ Fan Pier
The Volvo Ocean Race at Fan Pier on Boston Harbor, which runs from April 25 to May 16, celebrates Jazz Week ’09 with a series of free evening concerts as part of their waterfront festivities. Visit www.volvooceanraceatfanpierboston.com for event details. Jazz performances will take place on Saturday, April 25, and Thursday, April 30 – Saturday, May 2.
· Free Jazz at the State House
The New England Conservatory of Music Honors Jazz Ensemble celebrates 40 years of jazz at NEC on the Grand Staircase of the State House with a free concert as part of Governor Deval Patrick’s “Lunchtime Cultural Series” on Thursday, Apr. 30, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.
· Jazz Meets Salsa
JazzBoston joins the Center for Latino Arts, HavanaClub, and SalsaBoston to host “Jazz Meets Salsa,” a special Latin jazz concert and dance party on Apr. 25 at the Jorge Hernandez Cultural Center, Boston, with a jazz cocktail hour and both salsa and swing dance lessons before the real dancing begins. Live music throughout by Alex Alvear and Manguito.
· Jazz Week @ Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble at the Prudential Center will showcase the dynamism and diversity of the city’s jazz scene from Apr. 25 to May 3 with a special selection of CDs from Boston-based artists, available at the store this week only, and a free in-store concert on Friday, May 1, at 6 p.m. by the Infrared Band. The performance is presented by JazzBoston in partnership with Somerville independent label Creative Nation Music in celebration of the label’s fifth anniversary.
· Special discounts and free ticket offers
To make live jazz especially accessible and affordable, JazzBoston is working with venues and presenters to offer discounts and free tickets for selected shows from Apr. 25 to May 3. Visit www.jazzboston.org for more information.
· Jazz Week @ Fenway Park
Red Sox Nation celebrates the music when trumpeter and Aardvark Jazz Orchestra director Mark Harvey performs the National Anthem on April 26 prior to the Sox-Yankees game. Pre-game entertainment inside the gates by a jazz ensemble from the Boston Arts Academy.
Visit www.jazzboston.org for updates on all Jazz Week ’09 events and the upcoming “What’s Your Jazz?” multimedia campaign.
The New England Conservatory of Music, which celebrates the 40th anniversary of its Jazz Studies Program during the 2009 - 2010 academic year, is this year's Primary Sponsor of Jazz Week. Scullers Jazz Club and the Joslin Diabetes Center are Lead Sponsors. Other sponsors include the Boston Pops Orchestra, Live Nation, The Beehive, and John Hancock. The Phoenix Media/Communications Group is the official print media sponsor of Jazz Week '09, and WGBH 89.7 FM is the official radio sponsor.
JazzBoston is a 501(c)(3)nonprofit organization dedicated to building and serving audiences for jazz music, fostering and expanding opportunities for jazz musicians, and raising Boston’s profile as a jazz city — a city that is a magnet for fans and musicians from all over the United States and the world. For more information and updates about Jazz Week ’09, which is coordinated and promoted by JazzBoston, visit the JazzBoston website at www.jazzboston.org.
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