Dianne Reeves, Sonny Rollins and Chick Corea to Headline 2003 Ella Fitzgerald Music Festival
News Release - February 17, 2002
contact:
Margaret Yancey
myancey@cnu.edu
757-594-7942
Vocalist Dianne Reeves, saxophonist Sonny Rollins and pianist Chick Corea are the jazz artists scheduled to perform at the sixth annual Ella Fitzgerald Music Festival on April 30, May 1-3 at Christopher Newport University, announced President Paul Trible.
"Together with our sponsor, the City of Newport News, we are pleased to, once again, bring some of the biggest names in jazz to the community and the campus of Christopher Newport University in honor of Ella Fitzgerald," Trible said. Ella Fitzgerald, "The First Lady of Song," was born in Newport News in 1917.
The festival will kick off on Wednesday, April 30 as we showcase the incredible talent that exists on the CNU campus! Our own award winning Jazz Ensemble promises an exciting evening of big band music and jazz standards. The CNU Vocal Jazz Ensemble will also perform, singing in a variety of styles from swing to bebop. This evening of high energy and enormous talent is always a sell out.
One of the most significant and important vocalists of this decade, Dianne Reeves, will perform on Thursday, May 1. With 11 recordings and three Grammy nominations to her credit, this Blue Note/EMI artist thrills audiences far and wide ¬ from New York to London to Japan. Born in Detroit in 1956 and raised in Denver, Reeves says that music was a treasured gift from her family. Her eclectic style ranges from pop, to rhythm and blues, to soul, to marvelous jazz standards. She has performed with music legends such as Harry Belafonte, Sergio Mendes and Kenny Garrett, just to name a few.
Grammy Award winner, saxophonist Sonny Rollins, will be with us on Friday, May 2. At an age when most would be content to "tread water" this jazz legend enters his sixth decade as a professional musician in resplendent form. Like Louis Armstrong and all the great jazz improvisers, Rollins has a unique gift for transforming the most unlikely of songs into extraordinarily expressive vehicles. Nurtured by Thelonious Monk, he has worked with such greats as John Coltrane and Miles Davis and easily sustains his standing as the living nonpareil of jazz improvisation.
We will conclude this year's festival on Saturday, May 3 with the Chick Corea New Trio. Chick Corea's four decade career is the stuff of jazz loreÞ."an amalgamation of influential, limit-stretching musical experiences." Born in Massachusetts in 1941, Chick began playing the piano at the age of four. His father's career as a bandleader in the 30's and 40's provided him with a childhood filled with the sounds of Beethoven, Chopin and Bach along with the recordings of Charlie Parker, Bud Powell and Dizzy Gillespie. According to Chick, his "interests change and vary as the years go along, with different emphases all the time." He has had the good fortune to work with the likes of Gary Burton, Sarah Vaughn, Stan Getz, Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock.
Back again for the fourth year, Jae Sinnett, drummer/composer and host of WHRV-FM's nightly jazz show, will serve as emcee for the festival. Sinnett has performed with some of the biggest names in jazz and has over 20 years of jazz performing and teaching experience.
All performances will be held at 8 p.m. in the Gaines Theatre on the CNU campus. Tickets are $35 each for Dianne Reeves, Sonny Rollins and Chick Corea. The tickets for the performances by the CNU Jazz Ensemble and the Vocal Jazz Ensemble are $5. Beginning Monday, November 25, you may purchase tickets at the CNU Box Office or by calling 757/594-8752. Tickets will also be available from Ticketmaster (757/671-8100).
As in years past, workshops will be conducted throughout the Newport News schools in the spring. Bill Brown, CNU Director of Jazz Studies and Dr. Lauren Fowler, CNU Director of Vocal Jazz Studies, will be performing and providing interactive experiences for middle and high school students. "Education is a key component of this festival. The partnership that we have formed with the City of Newport News will enable hundreds of young people to be exposed to jazz and learn more about Ella Fitzgerald," Trible said.
For the sixth year, the Ella Fitzgerald Music Festival is proud to be a part of the Virginia Arts Festival.
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