NEW YORK, NY, February 23, 2012 – The Apollo Theater, Harlem Stage and Jazzmobile, Inc. have joined forces again to present the second annual Harlem Jazz Shrines Festival May 7–13, 2012. Continuing the mission of the inaugural festival, the three venerable cultural organizations will present a series of concerts and events to celebrate the rich legacy of jazz in the uptown community. Bringing both established and emerging artists to famed Harlem venues, the festival will pay tribute to Club Harlem, Clark Monroe’s Uptown House, Havana San Juan Club, Small’s Paradise, Minton’s Playhouse, Showman’s Café, Park Palace, Lenox Lounge and the Apollo Theater. In addition to concerts at jazz shrines, other festival events will take place at Harlem Stage Gatehouse, Columbia University and a variety of locations throughout the Harlem area.
Designed to draw a diverse audience of neighborhood residents, New Yorkers and tourists, all events are offered at the affordable price of $10. Concerts are scheduled to allow people the option of attending several events each day, continuing the tradition of non-stop jazz throughout Harlem.
Highlights of the 2012 Harlem Jazz Shrines Festival include:
Wycliffe Gordon’s Jazz à la Carte – The Apollo’s variety shows of the 1930’s made a stellar comeback last year under the music direction of composer/trombonist Wycliffe Gordon and the director/choreographer Kenneth L. Roberson. The show returns when Gordon celebrates the world-renowned Apollo with host Maurice Hines, tap star Savion Glover, the Juilliard Jazz Orchestra, vocalist Theresa Thomason, pianist Aaron Diehl, trumpeter Philip Dizack, trombonist/vocalist Natalie Cressman and the Apollo Dancers.
Tribute to Club Harlem: Celebrating Cecil – Three of today’s most innovative pianists honor the uncompromising creative force of Cecil Taylor in two evenings of solo and duet performances. Vijay Iyer, Amina Claudine Myers and Craig Taborn will perform at the Harlem Stage Gatehouse.
Small’s Paradise: (Re) Created – Jazzmobile will take the bold leap to re-create the legendary Small’s Paradise, once Harlem’s premier night spot and longest-operating club. Working in collaboration with the Government and Community Affairs Department at the City College of New York, Jazzmobile will re-create Small’s Paradise at Harlem USA, featuring the Revive Music Paradise Band, a 12-piece house band backing the famous Small’s floor show complete with dancers (tap and swing) and singers recalling the music of Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Cab Calloway and James P. Johnson. Small’s Paradise (Re)Created sheds new light on an old tradition.
Showman’s Late Night Jazz – A week-long series produced by the Apollo Theater and Showman’s at the legendary club frequented by Duke Ellington, Sarah Vaughan, Pearl Bailey, Grady Tate and countless others, continues the tradition with sessions featuring Danny Mixon, Lonnie Youngblood, Lou Volpe, Cynthia Holiday and Sarah McLawler.
Tribute to Clark Monroe’s Uptown House at Harlem Stage Gatehouse – Featuring some of the world’s finest instrumentalists and vocalists, this year’s Grammy winner for Best Jazz Vocal Album The Mosaic Project gives females a place to support and celebrate each other from a musical and social perspective. Terri Lyne Carrington will be joined by Lizz Wright, Nona Hendryx, Ingrid Jensen, Tia Fuller, Helen Sung, Mimi Jones and Nir Felder to construct creative consciousness as “women with voices.”
Minton’s Playhouse: Legends on the Bandstand – Jazzmobile brings the famed club on 118th Street back to life with a celebration of some of the legends of the esteemed bandstand. Acknowledging iconic contributions are keepers of the flame, including TK Blue celebrating Charlie Parker, octogenarian Barry Harris remembering Thelonious Monk, Winard Harper with a tribute to Max Roach and an artist TBD paying homage to Dizzy Gillespie. Each set will be followed by a late night jam.
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Carolyn McClair
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