The upcoming 33rd Annual Atlanta Jazz Festival kicks off on May 1 and will continue for 31 days of amazing music during the “31 Days of Jazz” this May. The month-long celebration culminates in Piedmont Park on Memorial Day weekend, Saturday, May 29 and Sunday, May 30, with music from local and nationally-renowned artists including Marcus Miller’s “Tutu Revisited the music of Miles Davis” featuring Christian Scott, Spyro Gyra, MF Production’s Celebration of Lionel Hampton featuring Diane Schuur & Jason Marsalis, Stanley Clarke Band featuring Hiromi and many more.
The City of Atlanta is known as a culturally diverse melting pot and has introduced artists from a variety of musical styles. One of the premier free jazz events in the country, the Atlanta Jazz Festival is a fantastic family-oriented event whose mission is to expose and educate audiences, young and old, to the rich heritage of the jazz genre and is the ideal way to unite jazz lovers from far and wide.
“The City of Atlanta is excited to bring such a talented group of jazz musicians to our culturally diverse city and we are delighted the festival is returning to Piedmont Park,” said Camille Russell Love, Director of the City of Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs. “Jazz is a very expressive artform that has been influenced by every single country and culture. We really try and bring in artists from every form to many diverse venues during the 31 Days of Jazz and Memorial Day weekend to celebrate that diversity and help Atlantans to experience new sounds and learn everything they can about jazz.
Recording artist, performer, composer, conductor, arranger, producer and film score composer Stanley Clarke is one of the most celebrated bass players in the world. Known for his ferocious dexterity and consummate musicality, he is a true musical pioneer and to many he is considered a living legend. The Stanley Clarke Band will be joined by Hiromi, heralded as one of the brightest new lights on the piano jazz landscape since her 2003 debut Another Mind.
Audience favorite, Spyro Gyra, a band from Buffalo, New York, who is jokingly named after the scientific term spirogyra, has been creating unique music for more than three decades. An instrumental hybrid, incorporating elements of R&B, Latin and Brazilian with accessible pop qualities and happy uplifting tones, Spyro Gyra spun out hits like their 1970’s breakthrough songs “Morning Dance” and “Shaker Song” that audiences still go crazy over.
Two-time Grammy Award winner Diane Schuur, and American jazz drummer and composer Jason Marsalis, will join forces to perform MF Production’s Celebration of Lionel Hampton. A longtime devotee of Dinah Washington and other legendary jazz singers of the ‘40s and ‘50s, Shuur’s rich, resonant vocals and mix of embracing both the jazz of her parents’ generation and the pop music of her youth, has led to an amazing career spanning nearly three decades.
Marcus Miller, along with featured artist Christian Scott, will be bringing to Atlanta one of the most important recordings in the history of jazz music: the Marcus Miller-written and Miles Davis-produced album Tutu. Miller notes that Tutu, originally recorded more than 20 years ago, was “music for that time,” and Miller has assembled a perfect combination of artists to play his "Tutu Revisited, the Music of Miles Davis" at the Atlanta Jazz Festival.
The Atlanta Jazz Festival Presented by American Family Insurance is proud to have the generous support of Publix, Coca-Cola, Anheuser Busch and the Loews Hotel.
WHAT: The 33rd Annual Atlanta Jazz Festival
Presented by American Family Insurance
WHEN: May 1 - May 31, 2010 (31 Days of Jazz);
Memorial Day Weekend Festival - May 29-30, 2010
WHERE: Various venues throughout Atlanta culminating in a 2-Day Festival in beautiful Piedmont Park
TIMES: Times vary per event – Full time schedule will be available at
www.atlantafestivals.com
COST: Free
ABOUT THE ATLANTA JAZZ FESTIVAL
Produced by the City of Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs, the Atlanta Jazz Festival builds on the success and heritage of previous festivals by continuing its expansion with a 31-day schedule. It is the mission of the Atlanta Jazz Festival to expose and entertain a diverse audience of jazz aficionados, young jazz enthusiasts and musical artists to the rich heritage and variety of jazz as an authentic form of traditional music. For 33 years, the festival has brought to Atlanta world-renowned performers such as Herbie Hancock, Miles Davis, Etta James, Hiroshima, Neville Brothers, Al Jarreau, Branford Marsalis & Wynton Marsalis, Nina Simone and Dizzy Gillespie. For more information, please call 404.853.4234 or visit www.atlantafestivals.com. The 2010 Atlanta Jazz Festival is a program of the City of Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs, a division of the Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs.
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For more information about this and services of the City of Atlanta visit our website at
www.atlantaga.gov or watch City Channel 26