Boston Globe Jazz & Blues Festival 2003

[jazzwoman]

Hotline: 617-929-8756
www.boston.com/jazzfest

Press contacts:
Sue Auclair ~ Sue Auclair, Publicity!
617-522-1394/jazzwoman@earthlink.net
BMaynard Scarborough ~ Boston Globe Public Affairs
617-929-2035/pr@globe.com


For Immediate Release: April 2, 2003

Boston Globe Jazz & Blues Festival

June 15 - 22, 2003

Artist Lineup Announced

Herbie Hancock, Aretha Franklin, Buddy Guy,

Jane Monheit, Arturo Sandoval, Roy Hargrove

and Others To Perform!

Boston--April 2, 2003--The Boston Globe today announced the artist lineup for the 2003 Boston Globe Jazz & Blues Festival, which features some of the biggest names in jazz, jazz/rock, blues, Latin jazz and rhythm & blues. The festival will be highlighted by superstar jazz pianist Herbie Hancock; the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin; blues legend Buddy Guy; young and sultry jazz chanteuse Jane Monheit; trumpet titan Roy Hargrove; Cuban jazz legend Arturo Sandoval; cutting-edge jazz saxophonist Joe Lovano; the contemporary jazz/rock sounds of Medeski, Martin & Wood; avante garde jazz/rock guitarist John Scofield; and many, many others in a citywide celebration of music and the commencement of the long-awaited summer season.

The festival kicks off on Sunday, June 15, with a multi-stage carnival atmosphere at Faneuil Hall Marketplace where shops and food stands already beckon and the festival dresses it all up party-style with eight fabulous bands on two stages, from noon to 6:00 p.m.

Sweet Willy D & The Continental Walk, Phil Wilson’s Berklee Rainbow Band featuring Syncopation, Barrence Whitfield & The Savages and Craig Ball’s White Heat Orchestra featuring Steve Marvin are all scheduled to perform on Stage One beginning at noon. On Stage Two beginning at 12:30 p.m. will be The Aardvark Orchestra with Mark Harvey directing, Cercie Miller & Friends Celebrating Latin Jazz, The James Montgomery Blues Band and The Stan Strickland Experience. In addition, a face painter, a fake tattoo artist and a tattoo and airbrushing specialist will be on hand to paint and embellish the all-day festival crowd!

On Monday, June 16, at 7:30 p.m. the festival moves over to bigger quarters at the expansive and elegant FleetBoston Pavilion. Chicago blues titan Buddy Guy takes the stage with his polka dot guitar, his down-home soulful vocals and his kickin’ band along with special guests, Los Lobos.

Tuesday, June 17, promises to be an exciting day at the festival. The annual Copley Square free after-work concert series is back! The fun begins at 4:00 with the Steven Kirby Quintet, then Blue Note Recording Artist Joe Lovano and his Quartet take the stage at 5:30 p.m. The festival then moves back to the beautiful FleetBoston Pavilion at 8:00 p.m. for an evening with the one and only Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin!

The free Copley Square early evening performances continue on Wednesday, June 18, with Dare Recording Artist Robert Randolph and the Family Band at 5:30 p.m.

On Thursday, June 19, at 5:30 p.m. the fun in Copley Square continues with Verve Recording Artist Roy Hargrove, who’s known for his alternately strident and sweet trumpet flair. Then the festival fever jumps back to the FleetBoston Pavilion with a contemporary jazz/rock show featuring Medeski, Martin & Wood and the John Scofield Band, beginning at 7:30 p.m.

On Friday, June 20, at 5:30 p.m. N-Coded Music Recording Artist Jane Monheit fills the Copley Square outdoor stage with her sensuous and skillful improvisatory jazz vocals.

On Sunday, June 22, it’s the festival grand finale at the MDC Hatch Memorial Shell alongside the Charles River on Storrow Drive. The fun will kick off at 2:00 p.m. with an opening act that’s still to be announced. Then at 3:30, Cuban trumpet king Arturo Sandoval and his fiery big band take the stage. The day and festival come to a climactic close at 5:00, when the great jazz pianist Herbie Hancock performs with his Quartet, featuring Boston’s own Terri Lynn Carrington on drums, Scott Colley on bass and Gary Thomas on saxophone.

TICKET INFORMATION: The only shows for which tickets are required are those at FleetBoston Pavilion. All other shows are free. Tickets for Buddy Guy and Los Lobos on June 16 are $30 each. Tickets for Aretha Franklin on June 17 are priced at $50, $45, and $40. Both shows go on sale April 5 at 10:00 a.m. Tickets for Medeski, Martin & Wood and the John Scofield Band on June 18 are $30 each and go on sale April 18 at 10:00 a.m. The box office at FleetBoston Pavilion is open Monday through Friday from noon until 5:00 p.m. and on show days from noon until one hour after the performance begins. The Orpheum Theater box office provides box office services for FleetBoston Pavilion events during its normal business hours, Monday-Saturday from 10:00 am until 5:00 pm. Tickets may also be purchased by phone through Ticketmaster by calling 617-931-2000 or 508-931-2000; at any Ticketmaster outlet; or online at www.ticketmaster.com.

[michaelr]

Yes, Boston is embarrassing itself again with a totally lame festival that is being presented under the guise of being a jazz fest. The Globe should really just give up on this. There was actually a time when they brought in AEC, Roscoe Mitchell, Butch Morris... But those days are long gone.

[Gentle Giant]

I agree. The free shows are a nice touch, but the ticketed events are not in jazz-friendly venues, and they don't come close to representing the breadth of what's really happening in jazz. I mean, you can't argue with Aretha in any context, but she's the class of the list and I'm sorry but she ain't jazz. Roy Hargrove for free is probably the best thing here.

The real drag is most of these people are local and you can see them anyway. Even Lovano, though he's not in the clubs that often, is a Beantowner these days. Carrington, Strickland, Cercie, James Montgomery...shit, they're everywhere almost any day of the week.

What's so hard about getting some serious names to come to the Athens of America? An average week at the Regattabar, Scullers, or Ryles outclasses this festival hands down.