SOURCE: Washington Convention and Sports Authority t/a Events DC
DC JAZZ FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES INITIAL 2018 ARTISTS
WASHINGTON, DC – February 15, 2018 – The DC Jazz Festival ® (DC JazzFest), today announced its initial list of headliners, a stylistically diverse, global roster of top-tier jazz heavyweights slated to perform in venues across the nation’s capital. Artists confirmed to date include a remarkable range of multi-GRAMMY award-winners and nominees, including Leslie Odom Jr., R R=Now (Robert Glasper, Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, Terrace Martin, Taylor McFerrin, Derrick Hodge), Chucho Valdés & Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Roy Hargrove, Ivan Lins, Maceo Parker, Regina Carter, Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, Ben Williams, Oliver Lake Big Band, Gregoire Maret, Fabrizio Bosso, Jihye Lee Orchestra, and Patricia Barber.
A Special Pre-Sale Begins Now and lasts until Monday 2/19 at midnight. Visit http://ticketf.ly/2oc6dez and use code DCJAZZ to purchase specially discounted tickets now.
Our nation’s capital’s signature jazz event, DC JazzFest will once again present its wide array of renowned and resident artists in settings throughout the capital city, in 40 venues, offering a selection of emerging and master-level talent with more than 100 artists and groups representing the stylistic gamut of jazz in full bloom.
“This extraordinary lineup represents the incredible, unprecedented stylistic depth of jazz music, as well as a broad representation of what we like to refer to as the International Language of Jazz,” said DC JazzFest artistic director Willard Jenkins. “We continue in the grand tradition of presenting a citywide festival – with programming taking place in more than 27 neighborhoods, much of it free of charge, in this diverse offering to our community and the world.”
DC Jazz Festival has added The Wharf as the culminating festival destination in 2018. One of the District’s most historic areas, the Southwest Waterfront is home to the longest continually operating open-air fish market, and with the recent area renaissance, this vibrant riverfront community has become DC’s newest hotspot, transformed into a premier waterfront destination. The Wharf offers a distinct urban experience, with dining, entertainment, retail, artistic layout and four different piers. It is the ideal setting for a fully immersive DC JazzFest festival experience.
“DC JazzFest celebrated its biggest year yet last year, and we are pumped to take the festival experience to the next level,” states DCJF Executive Director Sunny Sumter. “Adding The Wharf as a signature venue provides us – and music fans – the best possible festival experience.”
Headlining artist Leslie Odom Jr. is a multi-talented actor, dancer and singer, with two jazz albums and a plethora of awards and credits to his name. He gained international fame and acclaim for his portrayal of Aaron Burr in the Broadway juggernaut, Hamilton, winning the 2016 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical and the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album as a principal vocalist. He will perform at The Anthem at The Wharf on June 16.
Joining Odom Jr. at The Anthem is R R=Now, a jazz supergroup formed in late 2017 by the brilliant team of legendary pianist Robert Glasper and multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter and Kendrick Lamar producer and rapper Terrace Martin, and is comprised of trumpeter Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, bassist Derrick Hodge, drummer Justin Tyson and beatboxer Taylor McFerrin (son of Bobby McFerrin). R R=NOW stands for Reflect Respond=NOW, and Glasper has said the name was inspired by the late singer Nina Simone, who said an artist’s duty is to reflect the times. R R=Now will also perform at The Anthem.
The pairing of Cuban piano maestros Chucho Valdés & Gonzalo Rubalcaba promises an electric night of vibrant virtuoso performances at the Kennedy Center, from two generations of the great Afro-Cuban tradition. Separated by 20 years, both men hail originally from Havana, from musical families. Valdés has garnered six Grammy Awards in his career, while Rubalcaba has two Grammy Awards and two Latin Grammys.
“Events DC is honored to continue our partnership with DC Jazz Festival, in support of its critically acclaimed DC JazzFest, as well as Jazz in the ‘Hoods presented by Events DC and the Charles Fishman Embassy Series,” said Erik A. Moses, senior vice president and managing director of sports, entertainment, and special events at Events DC. “This festival’s extensive lineup of jazz and jazz-extension musicians is an essential contributor to the cultural diversity of our nation’s capital and we are proud to have continually supported this remarkable celebration for more than a decade.”
All ticket sales information may be found at dcjazzfest.org.
SIGNATURE EVENTS
Events DC Presents: DC JazzFest at The Wharf featuring four main stages. Artists include: Leslie Odom Jr., R R=Now, Ivan Lins & Friends, Maceo Parker, Christian Scott, Ben Williams, and more. DC JazzFest at The Wharf includes The Anthem and will also debut an “International Language of Jazz” stage.
“As a supporter of the arts, The Washington Post is proud to serve as the official media sponsor of DC JazzFest at The Wharf,” said Kris Coratti, vice president of events and communications at The Washington Post. “Since 2005, the festival has grown to become a must-see for jazz enthusiasts not just in the Washington, D.C. region, but nationwide.”
As the largest and most diverse music festival in the region, the annual DC JazzFest reaches more than 75,000 visitors of all ages each year. Other DC JazzFest stages/programs include:
The Kennedy Center and DC JazzFest present Chucho Valdés & Gonzalo Rubalcaba at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall, June 15, in addition to free Millennium Stage concerts that are part of Jazz in the ‘Hoods. This year’s Millennium Stage series, It’s a Family Affair, focuses on jazz families.
DC JazzFest at City Winery (June 7-14), our newest main stage, located in the Ivy City Neighborhood: Frederic Yonnet and the Band with No Name, Patricia Barber, Raul Midon, the Washington Renaissance Orchestra Octet and more.
Jazz in the ‘Hoods Presented by Events DC (June 8-17) Jazz takes over the district in 27 neighborhoods with presentations curated by Hamilton Live, Blues Alley, CapitalBop D.C., and East River Jazz. Jazz in the ‘Hoods performances will also be held at Twins Jazz, Hartke Theatre, Gallery O/H, National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden, Sixth & I, Ivy Smokehouse, JoJo’s Restaurant and Bar, Sixth & I, Anacostia Playhouse, Mr. Henry’s, the Embassies of Korea and Spain, UDC/Jazz Alive, Alice’s Jazz and Cultural Society, The Alex Craft Cocktail Cellar & Speakeasy, Kreeger Museum, Franklin Square, THEARC, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution Coulter Performance Plaza, Children’s National, Acadiana, The Phillips Collection, and other venues across DC.
Charles Fishman Embassy Series: Partners include the Embassy of Switzerland, Gregoire Maret-Edmar Castañeda Duo; Embassy of Japan; Embassy of France, Ancestral Memories; Embassy of Italy, Fabrizio Bosso 4Tet; Embassy of Korea, Jihye Lee Orchestra.
Jazz ‘n Families Fun Days (Prelude Weekend, June 2-3) In partnership with The Phillips Collection, the Jazz ‘n Families Fun Day weekend celebrates jazz and the visual arts with performances by more than a dozen regional artists and rising star ensembles.
For more information about the 2018 DC JazzFest, including performance dates and ticketing information, visit dcjazzfest.org.
A Special Pre-Sale Begins Now and lasts until Monday 2/19 at midnight. Visit http://ticketf.ly/2oc6dez and use code DCJAZZ to purchase specially discounted tickets now.
Keep up with the DCJF:
• Twitter: @dcjazzfest
• Facebook: facebook.com/dcjazzfest
• Instagram: @dcjazzfest
The DC Jazz Festival®, a 501(c)(3) non-profit service organization, and its education programs are made possible, in part, with major grants from the Government of the District of Columbia, Muriel Bowser, Mayor; with awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, an agency supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Office of Cable Television, Film, Music & Entertainment; and, in part, by major funding from Events DC, the Anne and Ronald Abramson Family Foundation, The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, Gillon Family Charitable Fund, Wells Fargo Foundation, The NEA Foundation, Venable Foundation, The Mayor Charitable Foundation, The Dallas Morse Coors Foundation for the Performing Arts, The Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation, The Reva & David Logan Foundation, John Edward Fowler Memorial Foundation, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; and the Humanities Council of DC. ©2018 DC Jazz Festival. All rights reserved
Additional major financial support provided by Conrad Kenley, Peter Gillon, Linda and Michael Sonnenreich, Leslie S. Whipkey, Destination DC, Meryl Chertoff, Derrick Mashore, Stephen Riddick, K&L Gates, Brownstein Hyatt, Farber Schreck, Roger Schagrin, Deborah Veney and Heather Hiles, Carmencita Whonder, Michelle Galler and our Circle of Friends. The DC Jazz Festival is also grateful for in-kind media support from the following partners: The Washington Post WMATA, The Washington City Paper, The Washington Informer, The Georgetowner, Washington Parent, and Downbeat.
http://www.dcconvention.com/NewsRoom/PressRelease/PressReleaseDetail.aspx?id=662&year=2018
