Miami Art & Culture

The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County has also announced the highly anticipated return of  JAZZ ROOTS, an exclusive series produced by the Adrienne Arsht Center and legendary record/television producer and entrepreneur Larry Rosen,  for a dramatic 2009-2010 season following the sell-out debut season.  The 2008-2009 series has defied expectations by drawing more than 10,000 jazz lovers to five sell-out performances. The new JAZZ ROOTS season begins in November 2009 and runs through April 2010, showcasing legendary Grammy® Award winners performing various styles of jazz and tracing the beloved musical genre’s evolution along the way.

“Larry Rosen’s JAZZ ROOTS is the most important new concert and educational jazz series in America… It’s so important that Americans learn about their culture—and this series is simply imperative!” – Quincy Jones.

JAZZ ROOTS 2009-2010 brings to the stage some of the world’s legendary jazz musicians, including a generation of blues with legend Buddy Guy on November 6, 2009; a magical evening showcasing multi-Grammy and Academy Award-winning pianist and composer Dave Grusin with Jon Secada, Arturo Sandoval, Nestor Torres and Mancini Institute Orchestra on December 4, 2009; a vocal jazz feast with Manhattan Transfer, The New York Voices, and Jon Hendricks on January 15, 2010; an homage to Black History Month and tribute to soul music featuring the incomparable Al Jarreau and jazz master Ramsey Lewis on February 26, 2010; an unparalleled tribute to “the king of cool” Frank Sinatra highlighting the expressive, classic voice of illustrious Michael Feinstein and notable balladeer John Pizzarelli on March 19, 2010; and a scintillating evening of piano Latino with Latin jazz maestro Eddie Palmieri and virtuoso pianist Michael Camilo on April 16, 2010.

“Our acoustically renowned John S. and James L. Knight Concert Hall will come alive again with the glorious sounds of jazz as we present JAZZ ROOTS back on our stage,” said M. John Richard, president and CEO of the Adrienne Arsht Center. “Our 2009-2010 season offers our South Florida community the season-long opportunity to enjoy an amazing slate of award-winning legends who continue to distinguish the rich heritage of jazz.”

“It is with great pride and true excitement that we present our exclusive JAZZ ROOTS series once again to South Florida,” said JAZZ ROOTS producer and creator Larry Rosen. “While offering much-loved Grammy winners – and honoring the blues, jazz standards, Latin jazz, soulful sounds, and more – we expect these performances to be as successful as the inaugural season.”

JAZZ ROOTS series subscriptions, which include tickets to all six performances, are now on sale to the public with seating priority given to renewed subscriptions and Adrienne Arsht Center members. Subscriptions range in price from $150 – $750 and can be purchased through the Adrienne Arsht Center box office at 305.949.6722 or online at www.arshtcenter.org. Single tickets, if available after the subscription campaign ends, range from $25-$125. 

Beyond the six performances, JAZZ ROOTS will continue to include a diverse and wide-reaching educational component – welcoming 900 Miami-Dade County Public School jazz students who will participate in artist Q&A sessions, master classes and interactive workshops throughout the season.

The upcoming 2009-2010 JAZZ ROOTS concert lineup of jazz talent follows:

NOVEMBER 6, 2009 — “THE BLUES”

BUDDY GUY

 

JAZZ ROOTS launches with Buddy Guy a five-time Grammy-winning blues legend whose unique and wailing electric guitar sound has influenced virtually every major blues and rock guitarist, from Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton to Stevie Ray Vaughan. 

 

DECEMBER 4, 2009 — “AN EVENING WITH DAVE GRUSIN”

DAVE GRUSIN, JON SECADA, ARTURO SANDOVAL, NESTOR TORRES, MANCINI ORCHESTRA, AND SPECIAL GUESTS

 

Dave Grusin – composer, arranger, virtuoso pianist, recording artist and multiple Grammy and Academy Award winner – has given us some of the most memorable and moving film scores of all time.  In “An Evening with Dave Grusin & Friends,” Grusin and a host of special guests, backed by the University of Miami’s finest school of music’s Mancini Institute Orchestra, will bring to life these well-loved soundtracks. 

 

The second half of this spectacular evening features Dave Grusin and his special guest stars, including Jon Secada, Arturo Sandoval and Nestor Torres in a rare live performance of his classic contemporary jazz score for Leonard Bernstein’s Broadway hit West Side Story.

 

JANUARY 15, 2010 — “VOCALESE”

MANHATTAN TRANSFER, NEW YORK VOICES, AND SPECIAL GUEST JON HENDRICKS

 

Take some of the best-known, most complex and sophisticated instrumental solos in jazz treat them as melodies and add swinging, poetic lyrics:  The result is VOCALESE, one of the most technically difficult and musically rewarding singing styles in jazz. 

 

Manhattan Transfer, the eight-time Grammy-winning jazz/pop harmony vocal group, has been releasing stellar albums and drawing rave concert reviews for more than three decades with their sparkling song stylizations and prodigious vocal talents.

 

Grammy-winning vocal ensemble, New York Voices, is acclaimed for their excellence in jazz and the art of group singing.

 

Jon Hendricks, a NEA Jazz Master, Grammy winner, French Legion of Honor awardee, and “Poet Laureate of Jazz,” is the founder of the legendary Lambert, Hendricks and Ross vocal group, who are considered one of the originators of the vocalese technique.

 

FEBRUARY 26, 2010 — “JAZZ AND SOUL”

AL JARREAU AND RAMSEY LEWIS

 

In honor of Black History Month, JAZZ ROOTS presents an evening of music born out of the African-American experience.  We celebrate the blend of jazz, blues, gospel and R&B that, along with cultural, political and stylistic elements from our American history, create the music we call Soul.  JAZZ AND SOUL spotlights two celebrated stars who took jazz, merged it with soul and made the result their own signature sound.

 

Al Jarreau pairs a voice that’s recognized as one of the world’s most precious treasures with his unique and innovative musical expressions. This combination has made him one of the most exciting and critically acclaimed performers of our time. Jarreau’s achievements include five Grammys, scores of international music awards, and numerous hit records.

 

Ramsey Lewis, NEA Jazz Master, multiple Grammy awardee and host of “Legends of Jazz”, the acclaimed PBS TV series, is a legend of jazz himself. A pianist and composer, he is often referred to as “the great performer” – a title reflecting a performance style rooted in his early gospel roots and classical training. His recording of “The In Crowd” is a jazz and soul classic.

 

MARCH 19, 2010 — “A TRIBUTE TO FRANK SINATRA”

MICHAEL FEINSTEIN AND JOHN PIZZARELLI

 

To many around the world, the sound of American music is the sound of Frank Sinatra.  More than any popular musical artist in American history, Sinatra became not only a cultural icon and a face of America to the world, but an artist who defined his generation. By crossing the lines between jazz and pop and redefining what it means to speak a lyric, Sinatra forever changed American pop culture.

 

Michael Feinstein is one of the world’s foremost interpreters and certainly the most passionate guardian of the body of classic songs immortalized by Sinatra as the American Songbook. With his recently released The Sinatra Project, one of our era’s most expressive voices pays tribute to an American icon.

 

John Pizzarelli has had a multi-faceted career as a jazz guitarist, vocalist and bandleader. Internationally known for his interpretations of classic standards and late-night ballads, the easy humor and prodigious technique he brings to his performances creates the perfect mood for an evening celebrating the king of cool.

 

APRIL 16, 2010 — “PIANO LATINO”

EDDIE PALMIERI AND MICHEL CAMILO

 

Celebrating “Jazz Appreciation Month,” two of the greatest living Latin jazz pianists performing today are featured in PIANO LATINO, a tribute to the rhythmic backbone of the genre.

 

Eddie Palmieri has a discography that includes 36 titles and a career honored by nine Grammy Awards. The legendary pianist thrills audiences throughout the world with his unique style, charismatic power and bold innovative drive.

 

Michel Camilo, the Dominican-born winner of a Grammy for Best Latin Jazz Album, is a virtuoso pianist with technique to spare, who flavors his tunes with the spice of Caribbean rhythms and jazz harmonies.

 

WPBT Channel 2, WDNA 88.9 FM Serious Jazz, WLRN 91.3 FM, and Capsule Media have generously agreed to be media sponsors of JAZZ ROOTS.