Jarreau to headline Tatum jazz fest, Toledo OH

[Lois Gilbert]

Jarreau to headline Tatum jazz fest
Event takes place June 17 and 18 in International Park, Toledo OH

Grammy-award winning jazz vocalist Al Jarreau is scheduled to headline this year's Art Tatum Jazz Heritage Festival, which also will include tributes to three local musicians.

Jon Richardson, president of the Toledo Jazz Society board, said the organization has secured another $100,000 sponsorship from Daimler Chrysler that goes a long way toward making the June 17 and 18 event possible.

Other major sponsors include the University of Toledo and McDonald Financial Group. The festival will be held at its usual location in International Park on the east side of the Maumee River.

Mr. Richardson said Jarreau has committed to be the headliner for the festival. There is a verbal agreement, but the paperwork has not been signed, Mr. Richardson said.

Jarreau is best known for his 1981 hit "We're In This Love Together" and is the only vocalist to receive Grammy awards in three different categories: pop, R&B, and jazz.

Other artists tentatively scheduled to perform include Johnny O'Neal, Joey DeFrancesco, Jon Hendricks, Roomful of Blues, Karrin Allyson, Peter White, and Rance Allen.

Toledo jazz stalwarts Art Griswold, Chazz Mewhort, and Leon Cook will be honored in performances featuring a number of local musicians. O'Neal, who played Toledo native Tatum in the movie Ray, also will perform a Tatum tribute, Mr. Richardson said.

He said it's important to acknowledge the city's rich jazz heritage while continuing with the fourth year of an event that is the "cultural equivalent" of the annual Jamie Farr Ladies Professional Golf Association tournament. Last year, attendance at the festival was about 8,000, Mr. Richardson said.