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JAZZ LEGENDS AND TRIBUTES TO HIGHLIGHT
2009 FREIHOFER’S JAZZ FESTIVAL, JUNE 27 AND 28 AT SPAC
Festival Highlights include Patti LaBelle, George Benson,
Kind of Blue @ 50 Tribute to Miles Davis
Time Out @ 50 with Dave Brubeck
Gary Burton Quartet Revisited with
Pat Metheny, Steve Swallow & Antonio Sanchez
Saratoga Performing Arts Center
is pleased to announce that its 32nd
Annual Freihofer’s Jazz Festival
will feature performances by Patti
LaBelle, George Benson and
Dave Brubeck and a celebration
of Miles Davis’ seminal album,
Kind of Blue by jazz great Jimmy
Cobb who was part of the
original recording.
The Festival, scheduled for
S a t u r d a y, J u n e 2 7 a n d
Sunday, June 28, will feature
more than 20 jazz performances
o v e r t w o d a y s o n S PA C ’s
Amphitheatre and Gazebo stages.
Tickets start at $41.50/day and
can be ordered via online order
form at www.spac.org beginning
Wednesday, January 28. Located in Saratoga Springs, New
York, SPAC has been the site of
the Freihofer’s Jazz Festival since
1978. With an inside seating
capacity of 5,200 and lawn seating
of 20,000, and just three hours
driving time from Boston and New
York, SPAC’s Jazz Festival draws
thousands of jazz aficionados from
across the Northeast and the US. Drummer Jimmy Cobb and his “So What Band”
featuring Wallace Roney, Vincent Herring, Javon
Jackson, Larry Willis & Buster Williams to perform a
tribute to the 50th Anniversary of “So What.”
“We are proud to announce our Freihofer’s Jazz Festival lineup early this
year and separately from our full Season Announcement because we
believe this year’s program truly deserves a spotlight of its own. With
headliners that include Dave Brubeck, Patti LaBelle, George
Benson and Gary Burton and tributes to seminal works like Time Out
and Kind of Blue, this year’s Festival will be a showcase for jazz artists
and works that have literally written the story of American jazz,” said
Marcia J. White, President and Executive Director of SPAC.
“Complementing these legendary artists will be performances by many of
today’s finest jazz musicians – innovators in their own right whose styles
and works continue to expand the rich jazz genre. Artists like pianist
Aaron Parks, the Dred Scott Trio, saxophonist John Ellis and other
contemporary artists will offer audiences a taste of where the art form is
moving in the year 2009,” she added. “In addition to world-class jazz, the Freihofer's Jazz Festival is known and
loved by jazz fans from across the Northeast for its idyllic setting. Our lush
lawn, framed by the majestic pines of the Saratoga Spa State Park, is the
perfect place to stretch out and relax. With free parking, the opportunity
to bring in food and beverages, blankets and tents, our Festival offers a
welcoming, vibrant atmosphere that enhances the whole jazz experience,”
White added. The 32nd Annual Freihofer’s Jazz Festival is co-presented by SPAC and
Absolutely Live Entertainment, LLC, a festival, tour and concert
production company led by industry veteran Danny Melnick. Melnick
served as the festival’s artistic director and producer from 1999-2008.
Further information on ALE can be found online at absolutelylive.net.
TICKETS:
New England Press Rep:
Sue Auclair
Office: 617-522-1394
Cell: 617-359-5771
jazzwoman@earthlink.net
Saturday, June 27 tickets are priced at $62.50 [adult amphitheatre],
$52.00 [children under 12 amphitheatre],$41.50 [lawn] and $5.00 [lawn for
children under 12].
Sunday, June 28 tickets are priced at $56.00 [adult
amphitheatre], $49.00 [children under 12 amphitheatre], $41.50 [lawn] and
$5.00 [lawn for children under 12]. Two-Day jazz passes purchased prior
to May 10 are priced at $110.00 [adult amphitheatre], $92.50 [children under
12 amphitheatre], $72.00 [lawn] and $10.00 [lawn for children under 12].
Children 2 years and younger are admitted free. Ticket Order Forms for the Freihofer’s Jazz Festival are available on
SPAC’s website at www.spac.org or by contacting SPAC at 518-584-9330. Tickets
will be available for purchase online, via phone charge at 518-584-9330 and inperson at SPAC’s Box Office beginning Sunday, May 10 at noon. 2009 FREIHOFER'S JAZZ FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS:
Saturday, June 27 Patti LaBelle, the “Queen of Rock and Soul,” last appeared at the Festival in 1985. Called ‘the
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high priestess of good vibrations,” by the New York Times, Patti LaBelle has a new album entitled Back to
Now.
The Gary Burton Quartet Revisited features five time Grammy winner and pioneering
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vibraphonist Gary Burton with celebrated jazz guitarist Pat Metheny, bass guitarist Steve Swallow and
drummer Antonio Sanchez.
Herbie Hancock described Miles Davis' Kind of Blue as “a cornerstone record, not only for
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jazz...but for music.” Drummer and recent NEA Jazz Master Jimmy Cobb, who performed on the
original recording, is joined by members of his “So What,” band Wallace Roney, Vincent Herring,
Javon Jackson, Larry Willis & Buster Williams to perform a tribute to the historic album.
The Village Voice said of the Dred Scott Trio, “blending pop, bop, pulse, and clatter, they get to a
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place that swings on its own terms.”
Grammy award winner and Miles Davis protégé Wallace Roney, performs with the members of
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his Quintet.
One of the most exciting tenor saxophone players in the jazz world today, John Ellis performs with
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the John Ellis Quartet.
Sunday, June 28
George Benson, eight-time Grammy winning singer/guitarist/songwriter performs favorites as
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well as a tribute to Nat “King” Cole accompanied by a 28-piece orchestra.
The Dave Brubeck Quartet joins the Festival to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of his landmark
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work, Time Out – the first jazz album to go gold.
New Orleans trombone/brass funk band Bonerama famous for bringing the “brass band concept
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to places unknown,” brings their distinctive style to the Festival main stage.
Named as a “New Visionary” by JazzTimes magazine, critically acclaimed pianist Aaron Parks
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performs works from his Blue Note debut album, Invisible Cinema. •
Dynamic, young jazz guitarist and composer Julian Lage brings his unique style that melds blues,
classical, folk and jazz in his first Festival appearance.