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Al Jarreau, Spyro Gyra, Jonathan Butler and Patti Austin Headline Three-Night HSBC Jazz Festival in March

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New York, NY -- For the first time, The New York Observer, HSBC Bank USA, N.A. ("HSBC") and Fuel Outdoor are teaming up to present the HSBC Jazz Festival, a three-night musical event at the NOKIA Theatre Times Square on March 25, March 27, and March 28, featuring artists including Al Jarreau, Spyro Gyra, Jonathan Butler and Patti Austin.

Produced by Marquee Concerts, the festival kicks off with two acts that are sure to keep audience members coming back for more. In their premiere performance together, Grammy-nominated group Spyro Gyra and Billboard chart-topping artist Jonathan Butler will put on a high energy, captivating performance. The festival continues with the classic vocals of jazz great Al Jarreau with the new, fresh sounds of critically acclaimed trumpeter Christian Scott and rounding out the momentous weekend is Grammy Award-winning vocalist Patti Austin with power duo Tuck & Patti.

HSBC has long been a supporter of fine art and cultural events. Other HSBC sponsorships include: the recently announced HSBC Classical Season at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, as well as past sponsorships of The New York Times Taste of T and the inaugural sponsorship of WNYC radio's live events at Jerome L. Greene Performance Space (NEXT New York Conversation Series)

“The New York Observer has always been known for its coverage of culture and entertainment," said Jared Kushner, Owner of The New York Observer, “so we're excited to put our expertise of the arts into the creation of what will be a stellar musical event. Being able to do this with a company as well-respected as HSBC has been an added bonus to an already wonderful experience."

“This sponsorship demonstrates our longstanding commitment to and appreciation for New Yorkers, while celebrating the world class musical performances of the HSBC Jazz Festival with our customers, employees and the rest of the community," said Johanna Breman Tzur, Senior Vice President and Head of Brand and Advertising, HSBC - North America. “As 'The world's local bank,' we seek opportunities to bring internationally oriented culture and entertainment to the communities where we do business."

“Fuel Outdoor prides itself on the ability to make any campaign a successful one and is especially pleased to be teaming up with such esteemed organizations to introduce this exciting new festival to New York," says Sergio Fernandez de Cordova, Founder of Fuel Outdoor.


Performance Schedule:

  • March 25, 2010 8:00pm (Spyro Gyra and Jonathan Butler)
  • March 27, 2010 8:00pm (Al Jarreau with Christian Scott)
  • March 28, 2010 7:30pm (Patti Austin with Tuck & Patti)


Tickets are available now and can be purchased on Ticketmaster.com, at all Ticketmaster outlets, the NOKIA Theatre Times Square Box Office located at 1515 Broadway, or by calling Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000.


ABOUT THE ARTISTS

SPYRO GYRA
For more than three decades, Spyro Gyra has maintained the well-deserved reputation as a viable and highly versatile creative force. Since their earliest recordings in the mid 1970s, they have taken a fresh approach to their craft by borrowing from a range of sources and distilling them into an unmistakable signature sound. This innovative and eclectic sensibility has earned the band 10 GRAMMY nominations overall, and has fueled the sale of 11 million records -- including one platinum and two gold records. In the midst of the achievements and accolades, Spyro Gyra keeps moving and grooving, having logged over 5,000 high-energy performances in their prestigious and prolific career.

JONATHAN BUTLER
Jonathan Butler has led a life few could imagine. Born under the shadow of South African apartheid and raised in poverty, Butler while still in his teens, became the first non-white artist to be played on white mainstream radio and appear on national South African television. Nelson Mandela credits Butler's music as having inspired him during his long days of imprisonment. He has three decades of international acclaim and has topped the Billboard charts with Contemporary Jazz, R&B, and Gospel albums. His live performances are legendary - captivating and heart stirring.

AL JARREAU
Al Jarreau's distinctive voice has enthralled fans for more than 30 years. His passion, emotional honesty and astonishing sound have contributed mightily to the popularity jazz vocals enjoy today. Perhaps more than any popular vocalist, he embodies the notion of the voice as a pure instrument. Recognized with 6 GRAMMY Awards, he is the only vocalist in history to net GRAMMY Awards in three different categories (jazz, pop, and R&B, respectively). Jarreau is considered by many to be the greatest jazz singer alive.

CHRISTIAN SCOTT
Twenty six year old, New Orleans native, Christian Scott is a GEAMMY nominated jazz trumpeter, composer and producer. He has been heralded by JazzTimes magazine as “the Architect of a new commercially viable fusion" and “Jazz's young style God." NPR stated “Christian Scott Ushers in New Era of Jazz." Billboard Magazine called Scott's major label debut, Rewind That “arguably the most remarkable premiere the genre has seen in the last decade." The magazine highlighted Scott as one of the “10 Faces to Watch in 2006" and featured him on its cover twice that year. His critically acclaimed first album earned him the GRAMMY nomination for Best Contemporary Jazz Album in 2006.

PATTI AUSTIN
Native New Yorker Patti Austin made her professional debut at the Apollo Theater when she was 5 years old. Quincy Jones and Dinah Washington have proclaimed themselves her Godparents. She's had over twenty songs on the Billboard charts. She has sung duets with George Benson, Michael Jackson, Luther Vandross, and in 2008 won the GRAMMY for Best Jazz Vocal Performance.

TUCK AND PATTI
If ever a musical pair embodied the term “simpatico" it would be guitarist Tuck Andress and singer Patti Cathcart. More than 20 years into their marriage and musical partnership, Tuck & Patti continue to make beautiful and impressive music together while nicely preserving the art of minimalism. Tuck & Patti aren't your ordinary duet team, however. Patti Cathcart has one of the warmest, richest voices in jazz. Her honey-toned, nimble vocals are matched by her partner and husband Tuck Andress' guitar artistry. With his technique of plucking, strumming and slapping the strings, often with both hands, he makes the guitar sound like several people playing together, not just one.


ABOUT OBSERVER MEDIA GROUP
Observer Media Group offers its readers the most cutting-edge reporting available in a variety of platforms and written by an editorial staff known for its distinctive and discerning style and wit. With our weekly newspapers, The New York Observer and The Commercial Observer, the cultural email newsletter, Very Short List and websites, Politicker and observer.com, Observer Media Group is emblematic of journalism today -- a bridge spanning traditional and future media.

ABOUT HSBC BANK USA, N.A.
HSBC Bank USA, N.A. has more than 470 bank branches throughout the United States, with over 370 in New York State. The Bank also operates in Florida, California, Washington, D.C. Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Oregon, Washington, Maryland, Illinois, Connecticut and Virginia. HSBC Bank USA, N.A. is the principal subsidiary of HSBC USA Inc., an indirectly-held, wholly-owned subsidiary of HSBC North America Holdings Inc., one of the nation's largest bank holding companies by assets. Deposits in the United States are offered by HSBC Bank USA, N.A. Member FDIC.

ABOUT FUEL OUTDOOR
Fuel was formed in late 2003 to build a traditional Out-Of-Home ("OOH") advertising company in the New York City metropolitan area, and in December 2005 Fuel became a portfolio company of Och-Ziff Capital Management (NYSR-OZM), one of the world's largest alternative asset management firms. Fuel Outdoor has expanded its asset base both organically and through highly targeted acquisitions, and now has more than 4,000 Out-of-Home assets in nine of the top fifteen markets nationwide. Fuel has achieved this success by partnering with landlords and municipalities; by addressing the creative needs of advertisers and their agencies with high-impact media vehicles; and by following a consistent plan to steadily grow the base of its media assets to meet its advertising client's various needs. Today, Fuel offers clients an array of media forms including Metro Lights and shelter panels, billboards, walls, and scaffolds in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Boston, Washington D.C., Dallas and Miami.

ABOUT MARQUEE CONCERTS
Founded by Bill Zafiros and Sam Kimball, Marquee Concerts is one of the premiere concert promoters in the northeast, producing hundreds of events across all spectrums and genres. Marquee is constantly researching new music trends, recognizing today's up-and-coming entertainers, and expanding upon existing relationships to put on the best shows possible and remain a competitive mainstay in the concert promoters industry.

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