The annual Labor Day Weekend Tanglewood Jazz Festival will take place September 4-5 at the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra in Lenox, Massachusetts. Jazz greats highlighting this year's festival include Kurt Elling, John Pizzarelli and Jessica Molaskey, The Legendary Count Basie Orchestra, the Eddie Daniels-Bob James Quartet, the Laurence Hobgood Trio, the Julian Lage Group, the Donal Fox Quartet and more.
On Saturday, Sept 4, at 2 pm, the Tanglewood Jazz Festival will open with an encore performance of John Pizzarelli and Jessica Molaskey taping their nationally broadcast radio program, “Radio Deluxe." Their guests from the jazz/pop/Broadway worlds will be announced in the near future. Saturday at 8 pm, the Laurence Hobgood Trio will perform followed by Grammy winning vocalist, Kurt Elling.
Sunday, Sept 5, the festival will open with the Legendary Count Basie Orchestra(tm) followed by the Eddie Daniels-Bob James Quartet in a special program they call “Broadway Boogie." The festival closes Sunday night at 8 pm with performances by the Julian Lage Group followed by the Donal Fox Quartet with a very special guest to be announced.
For the first time, the Tanglewood Jazz Festival will host a video contest for four performance slots in the popular Jazz Caf. Submissions may be made online May 6 through June 15. Winners will be announced July 1. Jazz Caf performances are presented prior to each main stage concert in a relaxed, cabaret style setting and are free with a ticket to the main stage concert.
Artists are asked to submit a link to their video and electronic press kit though the music website, Sonicbids at http://www.sonicbids.com/tanglewoodjazzfestival. A ten dollar submission fee guarantees the artists consideration by the judges and a status response from the festival's judging panel.
Artists selected to perform will receive national publicity and promotion for their appearance in the Jazz Caf and a nominal travel fee. Artists who have headlined at a jazz festival or similar event, or in a large concert hall venue will not be accepted for consideration. There are no restrictions on age.
The Jazz Cafe at the Tanglewood Jazz Festival has become a premier venue for rising stars on the verge of national recognition, and has been instrumental in launching the careers of many young artists including Esperanza, Grace Kelly, Sachal Vasandani, and more.
The judging panel will consist of the following experts in the jazz world:
James Gavin, author of the newly published book, Stormy Weather: The Life of Lena Horne (Atria Books/Simon & Schuster) which received a rave review by the New York Times Book Review. Gavin has written features for the New York Times, Vanity Fair, Time Out New York and Entertainment Weekly on subjects ranging from Annie Lennox to the death of John F. Kennedy. He is currently hosting and narrating a touring concert tribute to Lena Horne, featuring jazz singers Rebecca Parris and Paula West.
Lois Gilbert, owner, Jazzcorner.com. Lois Gilbert founded JazzCorner.com in 1996: the largest portal of official websites for hundreds of musicians and organizations on the internet, as a way to unify the jazz community. JazzCorner.com has been cited by the New York Times, The LA Times and other major publications around the globe as one of the top ten premier destinations for jazz on the internet.
Christopher Loudon, jazz vocal writer for Jazz Times magazine. When the rest of the baby-boomers were wrapped up in the Beatles and the Stones, Christopher Loudon was discovering Sinatra, Fitzgerald and Bennett. Since 2003, Loudon has critiqued upwards of 500 vocal albums and shaped about a dozen profiles in JazzTimes, including Diana Krall, Jamie Cullum, Nancy Wilson, Curtis Stigers and Dianne Reeves.
Jane Monheit, jazz vocalist. As runner up in the 1998 Thelonious Monk Jazz Institute's vocal competition, Monheit has, over the last dozen years, become one of the world's premiere vocal interpreters and all around musical talents. A darling of jazz critics and a recognizable face in the mainstream media, the photogenic raven-haired beauty has also been a natural for numerous TV appearances including “Emeril," “The View," “the Late Show with David Letterman," “Good Morning America," and “Legends of Jazz" with Ramsey Lewis. Her latest CD is The Lovers, The Dreamers and Me (Concord 2009). She last appeared at the Tanglewood Jazz Festival in 2008 with Mark O'Connor's “Hot Swing."
Steve Schwartz, host and producer, WGBH Boston. Steve Schwartz has been part of WGBH Radio for twenty-five years, bringing a wealth of jazz programming knowledge to the airwaves. Jazz on WGBH with Steve Schwartz, which airs Fridays at 8pm on WGBH 89.7, provides Steve a venue for his many talents as a producer and host. In addition to his on-air duties, Schwartz produces the live jazz performance series Live from Fraser Performance Studio, heard each month on Jazz with Eric Jackson and occasionally, on his own program. This series features live, in-studio performances by nationally known and locally-based musicians.
Dawn Singh, Manager, Tanglewood Jazz Festival. After 20 years specializing in jazz publicity, Dawn Singh began her Tanglewood career in 2003 as publicist and jazz marketing expert. In 2008 she was named manager of the festival and assumed the responsibilities of programming and coordinating production and marketing duties with the staff at the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Her extensive background in the jazz field provides a broad knowledge of performers, writers, and broadcasters as well as new talent and trends in the music business.
Sachal Vasandani, jazz vocalist. A veteran of the Tanglewood Jazz Caf, Sachal Vasandani made his Mack Avenue Records debut in 2007 with the exceptional CD, Eyes Wide Open. This 12-song collection of stirring originals and smart covers is an eye-opener to a fresh, young talent who displays a singular, deep-brewed voice and possesses an uncanny sensibility to straddle the fine line between jazz and pop.
The Tanglewood Jazz Festival is sponsored by JazzTimes.com and Jazzcorner.com.
For more information on the Tanglewood Jazz Festival and the Jazz Cafe Video Contest judges, visit tanglewoodjazzfestival.org.
On Saturday, Sept 4, at 2 pm, the Tanglewood Jazz Festival will open with an encore performance of John Pizzarelli and Jessica Molaskey taping their nationally broadcast radio program, “Radio Deluxe." Their guests from the jazz/pop/Broadway worlds will be announced in the near future. Saturday at 8 pm, the Laurence Hobgood Trio will perform followed by Grammy winning vocalist, Kurt Elling.
Sunday, Sept 5, the festival will open with the Legendary Count Basie Orchestra(tm) followed by the Eddie Daniels-Bob James Quartet in a special program they call “Broadway Boogie." The festival closes Sunday night at 8 pm with performances by the Julian Lage Group followed by the Donal Fox Quartet with a very special guest to be announced.
For the first time, the Tanglewood Jazz Festival will host a video contest for four performance slots in the popular Jazz Caf. Submissions may be made online May 6 through June 15. Winners will be announced July 1. Jazz Caf performances are presented prior to each main stage concert in a relaxed, cabaret style setting and are free with a ticket to the main stage concert.
Artists are asked to submit a link to their video and electronic press kit though the music website, Sonicbids at http://www.sonicbids.com/tanglewoodjazzfestival. A ten dollar submission fee guarantees the artists consideration by the judges and a status response from the festival's judging panel.
Artists selected to perform will receive national publicity and promotion for their appearance in the Jazz Caf and a nominal travel fee. Artists who have headlined at a jazz festival or similar event, or in a large concert hall venue will not be accepted for consideration. There are no restrictions on age.
The Jazz Cafe at the Tanglewood Jazz Festival has become a premier venue for rising stars on the verge of national recognition, and has been instrumental in launching the careers of many young artists including Esperanza, Grace Kelly, Sachal Vasandani, and more.
The judging panel will consist of the following experts in the jazz world:
James Gavin, author of the newly published book, Stormy Weather: The Life of Lena Horne (Atria Books/Simon & Schuster) which received a rave review by the New York Times Book Review. Gavin has written features for the New York Times, Vanity Fair, Time Out New York and Entertainment Weekly on subjects ranging from Annie Lennox to the death of John F. Kennedy. He is currently hosting and narrating a touring concert tribute to Lena Horne, featuring jazz singers Rebecca Parris and Paula West.
Lois Gilbert, owner, Jazzcorner.com. Lois Gilbert founded JazzCorner.com in 1996: the largest portal of official websites for hundreds of musicians and organizations on the internet, as a way to unify the jazz community. JazzCorner.com has been cited by the New York Times, The LA Times and other major publications around the globe as one of the top ten premier destinations for jazz on the internet.
Christopher Loudon, jazz vocal writer for Jazz Times magazine. When the rest of the baby-boomers were wrapped up in the Beatles and the Stones, Christopher Loudon was discovering Sinatra, Fitzgerald and Bennett. Since 2003, Loudon has critiqued upwards of 500 vocal albums and shaped about a dozen profiles in JazzTimes, including Diana Krall, Jamie Cullum, Nancy Wilson, Curtis Stigers and Dianne Reeves.
Jane Monheit, jazz vocalist. As runner up in the 1998 Thelonious Monk Jazz Institute's vocal competition, Monheit has, over the last dozen years, become one of the world's premiere vocal interpreters and all around musical talents. A darling of jazz critics and a recognizable face in the mainstream media, the photogenic raven-haired beauty has also been a natural for numerous TV appearances including “Emeril," “The View," “the Late Show with David Letterman," “Good Morning America," and “Legends of Jazz" with Ramsey Lewis. Her latest CD is The Lovers, The Dreamers and Me (Concord 2009). She last appeared at the Tanglewood Jazz Festival in 2008 with Mark O'Connor's “Hot Swing."
Steve Schwartz, host and producer, WGBH Boston. Steve Schwartz has been part of WGBH Radio for twenty-five years, bringing a wealth of jazz programming knowledge to the airwaves. Jazz on WGBH with Steve Schwartz, which airs Fridays at 8pm on WGBH 89.7, provides Steve a venue for his many talents as a producer and host. In addition to his on-air duties, Schwartz produces the live jazz performance series Live from Fraser Performance Studio, heard each month on Jazz with Eric Jackson and occasionally, on his own program. This series features live, in-studio performances by nationally known and locally-based musicians.
Dawn Singh, Manager, Tanglewood Jazz Festival. After 20 years specializing in jazz publicity, Dawn Singh began her Tanglewood career in 2003 as publicist and jazz marketing expert. In 2008 she was named manager of the festival and assumed the responsibilities of programming and coordinating production and marketing duties with the staff at the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Her extensive background in the jazz field provides a broad knowledge of performers, writers, and broadcasters as well as new talent and trends in the music business.
Sachal Vasandani, jazz vocalist. A veteran of the Tanglewood Jazz Caf, Sachal Vasandani made his Mack Avenue Records debut in 2007 with the exceptional CD, Eyes Wide Open. This 12-song collection of stirring originals and smart covers is an eye-opener to a fresh, young talent who displays a singular, deep-brewed voice and possesses an uncanny sensibility to straddle the fine line between jazz and pop.
The Tanglewood Jazz Festival is sponsored by JazzTimes.com and Jazzcorner.com.
For more information on the Tanglewood Jazz Festival and the Jazz Cafe Video Contest judges, visit tanglewoodjazzfestival.org.
For more information contact Dawn Singh Publicity.
