River City Jazz Masters
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ARTS COUNCIL ANNOUNCES 2011-2012 SEASON OF RIVER CITY JAZZ MASTERS SERIES Join Us at the Manship Theatre for the 5th Annual Season |
Baton Rouge - The Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge in collaboration with the River City Jazz Coalition is proud to announce the River City Jazz Masters Series 2011-2012 season. In its fifth year, the Series will present six concerts in the intimate and acoustically stunning Manship Theatre. All of the concerts will feature highly acclaimed talent and superior musicianship. This season includes an amazing array of jazz artists who represent a variety of musical styles. This season offers something unique and extraordinary for every imaginable taste. |
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| McCoy Tyner Quartet |
On Wednesday, September 21, 2011, the River City Jazz Masters Series season kicks off with the eight-time Grammy Award winning and NEA Jazz Master pianist, McCoy Tyner leading his quartet. |
| John Pizzarelli |
| The Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge and the Manship Theatre jointly present world-renowned jazz guitarist and singer, John Pizzarelli, performing two shows on Thursday, October 13, 2011 at 7:00 and 9:00 PM at the Manship. John Pizzarelli has been called "madly creative" by the Los Angeles Times and "the genial genius of the guitar" by The Toronto Star. He has established himself as one of the prime interpreters of the Great American Songbook and beyond, bringing to his work the cool jazz flavor of his brilliant guitar playing and singing. |
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| Joe Lovano and US5 |
| We welcome saxophonist and composer Joe Lovano and US 5 to the Manship Theatre, with shows at 7:00 and 9:00 PM on Thursday, October 20, 2011. Joe Lovano and US 5's latest record, Bird Songs, has been nominated by NPR as Favorite Album of 2011. The Jazz Journalists Association named Bird Songs Album of the Year and awarded US 5 Small Ensemble of the Year for 2011. US 5 consists of Lovano on saxophones and reed instruments, James Weidman on piano, 2011 Grammy winner for best new artist, Esperanza Spalding on bass, and Otis Brown III and Francisco Mela on drums and percussion. The secret to Joe Lovano's success is his fearless ability to challenge and push the conceptual and thematic choices of artistic expression, seeking new ways to further define jazz. He has long experimented with varying ensembles and formats, including playing unaccompanied saxophone and gongs, as well in duets, trios, quartets, quintets, his Wind Ensemble, Street Band and Nonet, all reflecting his searching and dynamic personality. |
| Diane Schuur |
| The River City Jazz Masters Series continues in the new year with two-time Grammy Award winning, extraordinary jazz vocalist and pianist, Diane Schuur. Her performances on Thursday, January 12, 2012 are at 7:00 and 9:00 PM in the Manship Theatre and are sponsored by the Louisiana Lottery. A longtime disciple of Dinah Washington and other legendary jazz singers of the '40s and '50s, Schuur has built a stellar career by embracing not only the jazz of her parents' generation, but also the pop music of her own youth during the late 1950s and '60s. In a recording career that spans nearly three decades - and includes two Grammy Awards and three Grammy nominations - Schuur's music has explored nearly every corner of the 20th century American musical landscape. |
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| Terence Blanchard & Pancho Sanchez |
| On Thursday, April 26, 2012, trumpeter Terence Blanchard & percussionist Pancho Sanchez perform Cubano Be! Cubano Bop! - a hot new tribute to the legacy of the original Conga King, Chano Pozo, and his co-conspirator in Latin Jazz, Dizzy Gillespie. Don't miss Blanchard and Sanchez, with the backing of the Poncho Sanchez Latin Jazz Band, as they unleash an unforgettable evening of high-energy Afro-Cuban jazz in the Manship Theatre at 7:00 and 9:00 PM "As Elvis is to rock and James Brown is to soul, Poncho Sanchez is to salsa." -Los Angeles Times "[Terence Blanchard] plays the most coolly expressive trumpet in jazz, transmuting the instrument's repertoire of smears, growls, peeps, and blasts into an astonishingly fluid language both luxurious and controlled." -Vanity Fair |
| Patti Austin |
| A sophisticated vocalist whose style is steeped in jazz, Patti Austin made her debut at the Apollo Theater with Dinah Washington at age four and had a contract with RCA Records when she was only five. She was on tour with bandleader Quincy Jones at age nine and then toured with Harry Belafonte. She continued to perform throughout the '70's, '80's, and '90's, winning a Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Album in 2008. After two sell-out shows in 2009, Patti Austin returns to Baton Rouge to wow audiences again. The final performances in the River City Jazz Masters Series featuring this phenomenal Grammy Award winning jazz vocalist, take place on Thursday, May 17th,2012. Shows are in the Manship Theatre at 7:00 PM and 9:00 PM. |
| Tickets for all of the performances are $45 and $25 and can be purchased through the Manship Theatre box office at (225) 344-0334 or online at www.manshiptheatre.org. More information about the River City Jazz Master Series is available from the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge at (225) 344-8558 or on the website at www.artsbr.org. The River City Jazz Masters Series is made possible through the support of numerous sponsors, including Cox Communications, the Baton Rouge Area Convention and Visitor's Bureau, The Baton Rouge Area Foundation, Lee Michael's Fine Jewelry, IBERIABANK, Louisiana Lottery, CapitalOne Bank, 225 Magazine, Entergy, Whole Foods Market, Peoples Health,WRKF, Around Town TV Show, Louisiana Homes & Gardens Magazine, South Arts, NBC 33, FOX 44, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Louisiana Division of the Arts, the Department of Culture Recreation and Tourism and many others. |
The Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge is a catalyst for the arts, providing arts education, jobs, programs and events in an 11-parish area in and around Baton Rouge. ### For more information about this topic, contact Derek Gordon at dgordon@acgbr.com or Malcolm Robinson at mrobinson@acgbr.com 225.344.8558 427 Laurel Street Baton Rouge, LA 70801 |