PRESS

Official New Release
May 12, 2009
Contact:
Carolyn McClair Public Relations
Carolyn@georgewein.com

TICKETS FOR ETTA JAMES & THE ROOTS BAND At
George Wein’s JAZZ FESTIVAL 55 IN NEWPORT
GO ON SALE TOMORROW, MAY 13, AT 10:00 AM

NEWPORT, RI, May 12, 2009 – Tickets for ETTA JAMES & THE ROOTS BAND at George Wein’s JAZZ FESTIVAL 55 go on sale tomorrow, May 13, at 10:00 am at www.jazzfestival55.com. Opening for the legendary vocalist will be the Howard Alden/Anat Cohen Quartet. The concert is set for Friday, August 7, at 8:00 pm at The International Tennis Hall of Fame at the Newport Casino, 194 Bellevue Avenue.

The one and only Etta James returns to Newport to sing some of her tried and true favorites as well as contemporary songs that strike her fancy from her vast songbook, including her recent CD All of Me. Fiery, full of emotion, soulful, and bluesy with a great style and strength, James has thrilled audiences for more than five decades. With a range of material that would render most singers helpless, the legendary Ms. James – a multiple Grammy award winner, NARAS Lifetime Achievement honoree, Rhythm & Blues Foundation Pioneer awardee and W.C. Handy Blues Foundation honoree, who has her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame – shows that when it comes to music that speaks to the soul, she is virtually peerless. In the 2008 film Cadillac Records, James was portrayed by R&B singer and actress Beyoncé Knowles. This past April at the age of 71, Etta appeared on Dancing with the Stars as a guest performer, singing her classic 1961 hit At Last. Then in May, the Blues Foundation awarded her the 2009 Soul/Blues Female Artist of the Year, making Etta a nine-time winner of this prestigious award. In the words of one of her many classic albums, Etta James continues to be ‘betta than evah!”

A Concord Jazz recording artist since the late '80s, Howard Alden consistently shows an astonishing virtuosity and originality as a leader, co-leader and versatile sideman. He can be heard on the soundtrack to the 1999 Woody Allen movie Sweet and Lowdown, as well as on recordings with Ruby Braff, Joe Williams, Woody Herman, Benny Carter, Kenny Davern, George Wein & the Newport All-Stars, Clark Terry, Dizzy Gillespie, Scott Hamilton and Ken Peplowski. An established bandleader and prolific composer, idiomatically conversant with modern and traditional jazz, classical music, Brazilian choro, Argentine tango and an expansive timeline of Afro-Cuban styles, Anat Cohen has established herself as one of the primary voices of her generation on both the tenor saxophone and clarinet since arriving in New York in 1999. Born in Tel Aviv, Israel, she grew up with musical siblings; her older brother Yuval is himself a saxophonist of note, and her younger brother, Avishai, is one of New York’s busiest trumpeters.

In addition to the Friday night concert at The International Tennis Hall of Fame, Jazz Festival 55 also features two days of music from 11:30 am – 7:00 pm at Fort Adams State Park, including Mos Def, Branford Marsalis Quartet; Joshua Redman Double Trio; Esperanza Spalding; Cedar Walton All-Stars with Lew Tabackin & Curtis Fuller; Hiromi’s SonicBloom and others on Saturday, August 8, and Tony Bennett; Dave Brubeck Quartet; Roy Haynes Fountain of Youth Band; Michel Camilo; Joe Lovano UsFive; Ernest Ranglin; The Bad Plus with Wendy Lewis and others on Sunday, August 9.

TICKETS & OTHER INFORMATION

Tickets for the Friday Opening Night Concert of George Wein’s Jazz Festival 55 at The International Tennis Hall of Fame at the Newport Casino, which are $89, 69, $49 and $35, go on sale Wednesday, May 13, at 10:00 AM on-line at www.jazzfestival55.com and by phone at (800) 514-3849. Tickets also can be ordered by mail directly through the festival office.

Tickets for George Wein’s Jazz Festival 55 at Fort Adams State Park are on sale now on-line at www.jazzfestival55.com, by phone at (800) 514-3849 and by mail. General admission tickets also can be purchased in person at the Visitor’s Center at the Newport County Convention & Visitor’s Bureau located at 23 America’s Cup Avenue in Newport. General Admission seating is first-come/first-served on the lawn. Patrons may bring blankets and low-backed beach chairs. General Admission: Adult: $69.00 in advance, $75.00 on festival weekend, if available. Children 3-15: $15.00 each day at all times; under 3, free. Adult Two-Day Passes: A limited number of two-day passes good for admission Saturday and Sunday will be available for $125.00 while they last. There will be a Reserved Seating section on one side of the grass in front of the main stage. There is no child’s price for reserved seating sections. No coolers are allowed in reserved seating sections. Gold Circle: $100.00; Reserved: $85.00.

Parking: On site festival parking: $12.00 per vehicle in advance; $15.00 on festival weekend.

Service Charges: Per ticket service charges apply to all tickets purchased on-line or by phone and there is an additional per order charge for phone orders. There is a $4.00 handling charge per order for tickets ordered by mail.

In Rhode Island: Single-Day General Admission Fort Adams tickets can be purchased in person at the Visitor’s Center at the Newport County Convention Center & Visitor’s Bureau at 23 America’s Cup Ave. No service charges apply. Visit www.gonewport.com for ticket office hours and general information.

Festival Office: There will be a festival office in the Newport area where tickets can be purchased in person at a later date and tickets can also be purchased at the gate, if available. For general information, craft vendor information or to leave a message for festival staff, call the festival hotline at (401) 848-5055.

By Mail: To order tickets by mail, send a note specifying the number of tickets you wish to order for each event and include a phone number where you can be reached. Include your address and credit card information (with expiration date and CVC Code from back of card), check or money order plus $4.00 per order for postage and handling to: George Wein’s Jazz Festival 55, PO BOX 3865, Newport, RI 02840.

For more information, log on to www.jazzfestival55.com.