The City of Atlanta Bureau of Cultural Affairs is reintroducing the Montreux Atlanta Jazz Festival. Budget cuts cancelled the 2002 Festival but hasn’t stopped the re-emergence of this great gathering of musical talent. This year’s line up includes James Brown and Cassandra Wilson, two giants within their respective music genres.
“We couldn’t stand by and let this exciting annual tradition drop from the radar screen of music lovers,” said Camille Russell Love, Director of the Bureau of Cultural Affairs. “Returning with James Brown and Cassandra Wilson will surely catch the attention of music enthusiasts across the region.”
Cassandra Wilson will appear at Chastain Park Amphitheatre on Saturday, August 30th. The show opens at 7:30 with pianist and composer Randy Weston.
Ms. Wilson was born in Jackson Mississippi in 1955 and is one of the best singers on today’s jazz scene. Her sultry voice lends itself to the sometimes simple, sometimes complex blues, jazz and folk songs that she croons. She can cover a song, write new lyrics to an existing song and of course, write the most riveting original tunes of anyone out there.
Randy Weston has been a pianist and composer for forty years. He is most heavily influenced by the wisdom of the ancient world where the combination of spirit, art, science and entertainment dictated one’s life. His style of play is deep and complex reflecting music’s spiritual essence, carrying the listener on a journey from the ancestors to the future. “For me, the most compelling aspect of African culture is its music, magnificent in its power and diversity with drums - African rhythms - always at the heart,” as articulated by Randy Weston.
James Brown will perform at Chastain Park Amphitheatre on Sunday August 31st. The show opens at 7:30 with vocalist Francine Reed.
Born in South Carolina during the Great Depression, James Brown overcame the adversities that were indicative of the times to become an icon of the music industry. With his signature one-three beat, James Brown directly influenced the evolutionary beat of soul music. He is one of the most sampled artists to date and has more honors attached to his name than any other performer in music history.
Francine Reed is one of Atlanta’s most treasured performers. Adored by all that hear her magnificent voice she has gained national exposure through her collaborations with Lyle Lovett and Willie Nelson. When questioned about performing live Francine states, “I have a tendency to be more improvisational and feed off the musicians and the crowd. Then I can kick it up a notch. But how it comes about, I don’t really know. I just open my mouth and sing from the heart. I’m really blessed.”
Tickets available at all Ticketmaster outlets, <www.ticketmaster.com> and at 404-249-6400.
Chastain Park Amphitheatre is a facility of the City of Atlanta’s Bureau of Cultural Affairs, a division of the Department of Parks Recreation and Cultural Affairs. Funds raised from the Montreux Atlanta Musical Festival will be used to support future Bureau of Cultural Affairs performing arts programs.