June 1, 2009
DC SPORTS AND ENTERTAINMENT COMMISSION PARTNERS WITH DUKE ELLINGTON JAZZ FESTIVAL TO PRESENT JAZZ IN THE ‘HOODS PERFORMANCE SERIES
32 Venues to Host Nearly 80 Jazz Performances throughout D.C. June 5-15
(Washington, DC) – The DC Sports and Entertainment Commission and the Duke Ellington Jazz Festival (DEJF) today announced a partnership to host Jazz in the ‘Hoods presented by the DC Sports and Entertainment Commission, a series of nearly 80 jazz performances and showcases spread out over 10 days and 32 venues within the District. Jazz in the ‘Hoods is a major program of the DEJF. This year’s fifth annual DEJF celebrates New Orleans and runs June 5-15 with performances by the Marsalis family, Harry Connick, Jr., and Terence Blanchard among others.
“We are excited to partner with the Duke Ellington Jazz Festival to bring music and entertainment to our city in a widely accessible way with Jazz in the ‘Hoods,” said Erik Moses, CEO of the DC Sports and Entertainment Commission. “The DEJF has done an outstanding job organizing this world-class destination music event year after year. We hope District residents and visitors take advantage of the opportunity to experience this quintessential American art form in neighborhoods throughout the nation’s capital.”
Jazz in the ‘Hoods brings the excitement and atmosphere of larger festival activities to the more intimate atmosphere of favorite neighborhood establishments. With a variety of free and ticketed performances in 32 clubs, restaurants, hotels, and galleries in Adams Morgan, Capitol Hill, Downtown, Dupont Circle, Georgetown, Southeast, Southwest, U Street NW, and Woodley Park, Jazz in the ‘Hoods is expected to draw 5,000 people.
“Jazz in the ‘Hoods is designed to showcase the unique vitality of jazz as an intimate art form, as a music that brings people together in clubs, lounges and restaurants like it did in the U Street corridor back in Duke Ellington’s time and like it’s doing now,” said Sunny Sumter, Managing Director of the DEJF. “We’re excited at how our partnership with the DC Sports and Entertainment Commission can make this program even more accessible for residents and tourists alike. It really is the perfect fit.”
Celebrating the rich jazz history of Washington, D.C., the DEJF is the largest music festival in the city with more than 100 programs in almost 50 venues. It draws thousands of residents and visitors to see local and world-renowned jazz artists and to pay tribute to legendary jazz greats. This year’s 5th annual festival June 5-15 salutes New Orleans, the “birthplace of jazz,” and its unique musical heritage with artists including Irma Thomas; Buckwheat Zydeco; Terence Blanchard; Harry Connick, Jr.,; Ellis Marsalis and his sons Branford, Wynton, Delfeayo, Jason and Ellis III; Rebirth Brass Band; and many others. Highlights of the festival include two free Jazz on The National Mall concerts June 13-14; free educational activities including student concerts and two free Jazz ‘n Families Fun Days at the Phillips Collection June 6-7; and the popular Jazz in the ‘Hoods and Brunchin’ in the ‘Hoods..
Participating Jazz in the ‘Hoods Venues
701
Blue Ridge
Blues Alley
Bohemian Caverns
Bourbon Steak: Four Seasons Hotel
Busboys & Poets
Café Nema
Cashion’s Eat Place
Chief Ike’s
Mambo Room
Club Bossa
Columbia Station
Eighteenth Street Lounge
Georgia Brown’s
Henley Park Hotel
Johnny’s Half Shell
JoJo’s Restaurant Bar
Left Bank
Madison Hotel
Mandarin Oriental Hotel
Marvin
Proof
Sala Thai
Smith Farm: Gallery
Sonoma Restaurant and Wine Bar
St. Ex
Tabaq Bistro
The Islander
Tryst
Twins
Utopia Bar and Grill
Vinoteca
Zoo Bar
For performance schedules and more information, please visit http://www.dejazzfest.org/content.cfm/jazz_in_the_hoods
DC Sports and Entertainment Commission. The DC Sports and Entertainment Commission, an independent agency of the District of Columbia government, seeks to enrich the local community by attracting and hosting sports, entertainment and special events in Washington, D.C., while promoting the Nation’s Capital as a premier event destination. In addition, the mission of the organization is to support citywide community events and programs involving youth, amateur and professional sports. The DCSEC operates the Stadium-Armory campus which includes RFK Stadium, the DC Armory and the surrounding Festival Grounds and serves as the landlord of Nationals Park. For more information, please visit www.dcsec.com.
Duke Ellington Jazz Festival. With over 100 performances in nearly 50 venues across the city, the Duke Ellington Jazz Festival is the largest music festival in Washington, DC, and is a highly anticipated cultural event in the nation’s capital. It has received widespread praise for its impressive mix of local, nationally and internationally-known artists and its presentation of programs and performances at diverse venues in different neighborhoods of the District. Signature events at the festival include free, all-day concerts on the National Mall, which last year attracted more than 40,000 people. The festival’s mission is to provide enriching and entertaining programs that attract the broadest possible demographic to jazz; use jazz as a form of arts education; honor the enduring legacy of DC’s own Duke Ellington and other jazz greats; and add to the city’s rich jazz history, further enhancing the nation’s capital city as a premier cultural destination. © 2009 Festivals DC, Ltd. All rights reserved. "Duke Ellington" is a trademark of the Estate of Mercer K. Ellington. www.dejazzfest.org.
|
