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Angel City Jazz Festival Kicks Off 2 Weeks Of Music

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This weekend the 7th Annual Angel City Jazz Festival opens in Los Angeles. Rocco Somazzi founded the festival in order to present non-commercial jazz to an LA audience which had scant exposure to music from the more adventurous end of the jazz spectrum.

Back in 2008, 13 different bands, highlighted by the inimitable alto saxophonist, Arthur Blythe, performed on 2 stages, all in one day. The following year, Jeff Gauthier, founder of Cryptogramophone Records, violinist extraordinaire and leader of his own band, the Goatette, came on board as co-producer of the festival, which then moved on to the outdoor John Ford Amphitheater.

This year's theme, Full Circle, celebrates a return to the 2 stages at Hollywood's Barnsdall Art Park, where Angel City will present an afternoon and evening full of jazz, including the fiery tenor and soprano saxophonist Azar Lawrence and his quartet; the Michael White Trio; Craig Taborn; and rising star Josh Nelson. The day's musical festivities will conclude with the most important event, a benefit for Arthur Blythe, who is suffering from Parkinson's disease, and for whom many former collaborators are appearing in what is guaranteed to be an unforgettable musical experience.

The festival opens this Friday, September 19th with a free concert at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Opening the evening will be the winner's of this year's Young Artist's Competition, the Interstellar Quintet. Los Angeles bass master, Roberto Miranda, whose musical skills range from the Latin sounds he first heard from his musician father, to the avant-garde adventures he journeyed on with legends like pianist Horace Tapscott, clarinetist John Carter and trumpet virtuoso, Bobby Bradford, who will also perform on another festival evening. Miranda can also groove “in the pocket" which he has done for many years as a member of jazz legend, guitarist Kenny Burrell's band.

Also appearing at the Angel City Jazz Festival will be avant-gardists Anthony Braxton; Wadada Leo Smith; a duet featuring Grammy nominated pianist, John Beasely and the soul stirring vocalist and Director of the World Stage, Dwight Trible.

The efforts of Somazzi, Gauthier and Ruth Price of the Jazz Bakery, who is also presenting several of these concerts, are no less than Herculean when one considers the difficulty in drawing Angelenos to such challenging music. They all are deserving of “purple hearts" for their courage and determination in the face of such difficult odds!

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