[members-announce] Tanglewood Jazz Festival 2005

[dawnsingh at comcast.net]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE:  Wednesday, May 4, 2005


BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
ANNOUNCES 2005 TANGLEWOOD JAZZ FESTIVAL LINEUP, TO BE HELD SEPTEMBER 2-4 IN 
LENOX, MASS.

FEATURED PERFORMERS INCLUDE TONY BENNETT
AND THE COUNT BASIE ORCHESTRA, SONNY ROLLINS, MADELEINE PEYROUX, TOOTS 
THIELEMANS, KENNY WERNER, OSCAR CASTRO-NEVES, AIRTO, MARIAN MCPARTLAND,
CHRIS BOTTI, THE YELLOWJACKETS, SKITCH HENDERSON, BUCKY PIZZARELLI, JAY 
LEONHART, DIANE SCHUUR,
AND THE CARIBBEAN JAZZ PROJECT

TICKETS ON SALE NOW

        The Boston Symphony Orchestra has announced the lineup for its annual 
Labor Day Weekend Tanglewood Jazz Festival, to be held September 2-4 at the 
orchestra’s summer home in the Berkshire hills of Lenox, Massachusetts.  Jazz 
greats highlighting this year’s festival include Tony Bennett in a rare 
performance with the Count Basie Orchestra, saxophone legend Sonny Rollins, 
Madeleine Peyroux, Toots Thielemans, Kenny Werner, Oscar Castro-Neves, Airto, 
Marian McPartland, Chris Botti, the Yellowjackets, Skitch Henderson, Bucky 
Pizzarelli, Jay Leonhart, Diane Schuur, and the Caribbean Jazz Project.   
Tickets for the 2005 Tanglewood Jazz Festival are on sale now.
        Opening the festival on Friday, September 2, at 8 p.m. in Tanglewood’s 
intimate 1,200-seat Seiji Ozawa Hall will be jazz vocalist Diane Schuur and the 
Caribbean Jazz Project performing songs from their new CD, “Schuur Fire,” on 
Concord Picante records.  The CD was produced by and features Brazilian 
guitarist Oscar Castro-Neves, who will also be performing later in the evening 
with Toots Thielemans, Kenny Werner, and Airto.
        Toots Thielemans is the preeminent master of the harmonica in jazz.  The 
Belgian-born musician, who also plays guitar and whistles, has had a career that 
goes back to World War II.  He has played with Benny Goodman, Charlie Parker, 
Paul Simon, Miles Davis, Milt Jackson, George Shearing, Nancy Wilson, Billy 
Joel, Ella Fitzgerald, Quincy Jones, and many others.   In 1961, Thielemans 
recorded his classic composition, “Bluesette,” which remains a staple of live 
sets and has been recorded by scores of artists over the years.
        On Saturday, September 3, at noon, pianist/composer Skitch Henderson 
will be featured in the Tanglewood Theatre, joined by guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli 
and bassist Jay Leonhart.
        Later on Saturday at 3 p.m. in Ozawa Hall, Marian McPartland returns to 
Tanglewood for another live taping of her popular radio program “Piano Jazz,” 
this year celebrating its 27th season on National Public Radio.  McPartland’s 
guest this year will be vocalist Madeleine Peyroux, whose debut 1996 recording 
was hailed by Time magazine as “the most exciting, involving vocal performance 
by a new singer this year.”  Her latest recording, “Careless Love,” is a blend 
of acoustic blues, country ballads, torch songs, and pop, featuring a diverse 
song list covering the music of W. C. Handy, Bob Dylan, Hank Williams, Leonard 
Cohen, Elliott Smith, and Edith Piaf.
        Headlining the 2005 Tanglewood Jazz Festival – on Saturday evening at 8 
p.m. in Tanglewood’s 5,100-seat Koussevitzky Music Shed – will be the legendary 
Tony Bennett, performing with the Count Basie Orchestra in a rare reunion to 
celebrate their landmark 1959 Capitol recording, “Basie & Bennett.”  Bennett has 
sold over 50 million records worldwide and has platinum and gold albums to his 
credit as well as 12 Grammy Awards and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.  He 
is the singer’s singer and has received high praise from his colleagues through 
the years, including Frank Sinatra who stated unequivocally, “Tony Bennett is 
the best singer in the business.”  Bennett is an international treasure who was 
honored by the United Nations with its “Citizen of the World” honor, which aptly 
describes the scope of his accomplishments.
        Directed by Bill Hughes, the Count Basie Orchestra has a big stomping 
sound.  The Basie band of the 1930’s created what would be known forever as 
swing.  Today, the musical joy that Count Basie himself created lives on through 
the superb orchestra that bears his name.
        On Sunday, September 4, at 2 p.m. in Ozawa Hall, “saxophone colossus” 
Sonny Rollins returns to Tanglewood for his first performance there since 2001.  
Rollins has played for nearly a half a century and today remains one of the few 
surviving icons from a golden era of jazz that will probably never be equaled.  
Rollins first recorded in 1949 and today – over 50 years later – he remains the 
most formidable of all jazz improvisers, a living inspiration to musicians and 
listeners worldwide.
        The popular hot fusion/acoustic jazz group, the Yellowjackets will 
perform material from their new CD, “Altered States” from Heads Up Records, on 
Sunday, September 4, at 8 p.m.  One of the most popular American jazz ensembles 
of the past 20 years, the Yellowjackets include keyboardist Russell Ferrante, 
saxophonist Bob Mintzer, bassist Jimmy Haslip, and drummer Marcus Baylor.
        Also appearing on the Sunday-evening program will be trumpeter Chris 
Botti, a gifted composer and instrumentalist and a charismatic performer who has 
created a series of recordings that have made him a virtual genre-of-one in the 
realm of contemporary jazz.  He toured with Sting in 2004 and was voted one of 
People magazine’s “2004’s 50 Most Beautiful People.”
        All programs and artists are subject to change.  Tickets for the 2005 
Tanglewood Jazz Festival are on sale now through SymphonyCharge at 888-266-1200 
or online through the BSO’s web site, www.bso.org, powered by EMC Corporation.  
Tickets will be available in person at the Tanglewood Box Office in Lenox 
beginning on June 6 at 10 a.m.  All ticket prices include a $1 Tanglewood 
Grounds Maintenance Fee.  For further information, please call the Boston 
Symphony Orchestra at 617-266-1492.

2005 TANGLEWOOD JAZZ FESTIVAL PROGRAM LISTING

Friday, September 2, 8 p.m., Seiji Ozawa Hall
DIANE SCHUUR WITH THE CARIBBEAN JAZZ PROJECT
TOOTS THIELEMANS, KENNY WERNER, OSCAR CASTRO-NEVES, and AIRTO
Tickets:  $55, $47, $40; lawn tickets:  $17

Saturday, September 3, 12 noon, Theatre
THE LEGENDS TRIO FEATURING SKITCH HENDERSON, BUCKY PIZZARELLI
Tickets:  $35, $25

Saturday, September 3, 3 p.m., Seiji Ozawa Hall
MARIAN MCPARTLAND
Live taping for NPR’s “Piano Jazz” with special guest MADELEINE PEYROUX
Tickets:  $45, $37, $30; lawn tickets:  $17

Saturday, September 3, 8 p.m., Koussevitzky Music Shed
TONY BENNETT AND THE COUNT BASIE ORCHESTRA
Tickets:  $81, $61, $41; lawn tickets:  $23

Sunday, September 4, 2 p.m., Seiji Ozawa Hall
SONNY ROLLINS
Tickets:  $45, $37, $30 lawn tickets: $17

Sunday, September 4, 8 p.m., Seiji Ozawa Hall
YELLOWJACKETS
CHRIS BOTTI
Tickets:  $65, $55, $42; lawn tickets:  $20




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PRESS CONTACTS:
Dawn Singh, Dawn Singh Publicity (dawn at dawnsinghpublicity.com)          
857-544-0739
Sean Kerrigan, Boston Symphony Orchestra Press Office (skerrigan at bso.org)       
617-638-9286