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Contact: Bruce Hutchinson
Ann Arbor Blues & Jazz Festival 734.845.1143 THE ANN ARBOR BLUES & JAZZ FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES THE 2003 LINEUP!Featuring Randy Weston and Deborah Coleman
A rare opportunity to see one of the remaining giants of Jazz, Randy Weston's African Rhythms Trio take the stage in the intimate setting of The Bird of Paradise for two nights, with performances at 8:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. In keeping with the Festival's mission of providing access to our performers, a Master Class with area students is still in the planing stages; details will be forthcoming when finalized.
In addition to these nationally acclaimed performers, the Festival presents, in conjunction with the Firefly Club, the 'Easy Street Jazz Band', Friday, Sept. 19th for Happy Hour, from 5 until 8 PM, featuring Paul Klinger, nationally recognized music scholar James Dapogny and the Firefly's own Susan Chastain. Tickets for Randy Weston and Deborah Coleman go on sale Saturday, Aug. 30th, at 9 AM at the Michigan Union Ticket Office and at all Ticketmaster locations. To charge by phone, (734) 763-TKTS. Tickets also available at the downtown Borders store and P.J.'s Used Records and CDs, in Ann Arbor. Randy Weston tickets are $30 each and are also available at the Bird of Paradise, Deborah Coleman tickets are $15 each and are also available at the Firefly Club. Easy Street, Brazil and Beyond and Gospel Brunch tickets at the door, only. Festival information at (734) 747-9955. The Ann Arbor Blues and Jazz Festival strives each year to provide the community with a unique and spirited program of music that is truly American and worthy of its legendary status. It remains one of the region's premier showcases for authentic blues and jazz in its many roots and variations. The Festival is proud to have the corporate support of WEMU 89.1, Main Street Ventures, the Metro Times, WDET, ArborFood, MondoDyne Web Works, Challis Road Development, LLC, Northridge Meadows Condominiums in Brighton, Hometown Newspapers, Downtown Home and Garden, Kinko's and Weber's Inn.
The Bird of Paradise is located at 312 S. Main Street, between Liberty and William Streets in Downtown Ann Arbor. Phone 734.662.8310.
The Firefly Club is located at 207 S. Ashley, between Liberty and Washington Streets in Downtown Ann Arbor. Phone: 734.665.9090. - 30 - |
With a professional resume that goes back to the late 1940s, and includes such luminaries as Cecil Payne, Max Roach, and Kenny Dorham, Randy Weston began his career as a disciple of Thelonius Monk. AMG's Richard Ginell writes "Weston has gradually absorbed the letter and spirit of African and Caribbean rhythms and tunes, welding everything together into a searching, energizing, often celebratory blend. His piano work ranges across a profusion of styles from boogie-woogie through bop into dissonance, marking by a stabbing quality reminiscent of, but not totally indebted to, Monk." Of particular interest to Weston was his collaboration with the Gnawa, the traditional musicians of Morocco. Involved with their cultural traditions for more than twenty years, he continues to record and participate in international festivals with the master Gnawa musicians. Writer Langston Hughes once said of Weston; "When Randy plays, a combination of strength and gentleness, virility and velvet emerges from the keys in an ebb and flow of sound seemingly as natural as the waves of the sea."
In 1993, Blues guitarist Deborah Coleman won a national amateur talent contest, and the rest, as they say, is history. The director recalls that Coleman delivered, "...a bone-rattling set to a capacity audience that almost shut down the contest..." Coleman is a highly charismatic stage performer who has earned a well-deserved reputation for raw energetic vocals, fiery guitar playing and crowd-pleasing shows.