FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

THE KIMMEL CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS - 2005 Season

  Mellon Jazz @ Verizon Hall

Shortly after opening, The Kimmel Center quickly became Philadelphia's hottest new jazz address. Two new series in the lush and warm Verizon Hall will feature this uniquely American art form, with traditional and innovative musicians representing the full spectrum of jazz.

 

Mellon Jazz: Fridays

 
 
James Carter Quartet
Jon Faddis Jazz Orchestra
 
One of the hottest young sax players in the business, James Carter has topped Downbeat's annual critics' poll for baritone sax three years in a row. His new album, Gardenias for Lady Day, pays eloquent tribute to the great Billie Holiday. The Philadelphia Inquirer loved his "relaxed, Lester Young-like virtuosity and sheer saxophone prowess." Jon Faddis and the John Faddis Jazz Orchestra complete the bill.
 
 
Dianne Reeves
Little Jimmy Scott
 
Recent winner of her second consecutive Grammy, the regal Reeves "has an amazing voice, one of the best that jazz has boasted. It's powerful and intimate and full of emotion, and her range is stunning" (Boston Globe). Joining her is the haunting voice of living legend Little Jimmy Scott ("Everybody's Somebody's Fool") - "the only singer." says Madonna, "who makes me cry."
 
 
The Count Basie Band
Special Guest Liz Wright, vocals
 
Named for the departed Kansas City jazz giant who created it, this band still burns with "vital adventurousness... galvanized by driving rhythm, hard-swinging solos and powerhouse ensemble passages" (The Los Angeles Times). Singer-songwriter Lizz Wright adds a "sweet, deep voice that evokes the sunrise" (Newsday).
 
 
 
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Mellon Jazz Special Events

 

Dave Brubeck Quartet
Marian McPartland Duo
 
Dave Brubeck created the first modern jazz album to go gold (featuring his classic "Take Five"). He has toured the world, played for popes and heads of state, and performed his own distinctive brand of jazz for over fifty years. He returns to the Verizon Hall stage with another jazz great: pianist Marian McPartland, host of her own NPR show, Piano Jazz, and recipient of a 2004 Grammy Trustees Award.
 
 
Herbie Hancock, Piano
Michael Brecker, Tenor sax
Roy Hargrove, trumpet
"Directions in Music"
 
Winner of eight Grammy awards and an Oscar, fabled jazz pianist and discoverer of new talent Herbie Hancock brings two new generations of jazzmen to his latest edition of "Directions in Music," the series that launched the Grammy-winning album. The new program celebrates the greatness of innovator Ornette Coleman. As Miles Davis said, "Herbie was the step after Bud Powell and Thelonious Monk, and I haven't heard anybody yet who has come after him."
 
 
(Perelman Theater)
Leaves of Grass
Based on the poems of Walt Whitman
Fred Hersch, piano and composer
Kurt Elling, vocals
 
This one-of-a-kind evening unites cutting edge jazz with the timeless poetry of Walt Whitman. Composer Fred Hersch, "a poet of a pianist" (New Yorker), supplies the music for a small ensemble; Kurt Elling, the inspired jazz vocalist who uses his voice like the freest of instruments, take the vocal lead. Together they turn Whitman's song of the body electric into a "seamless and frequently inspired evening of chamber-like jazz" (The Washington Post).
 
 
 
Six-Concert Package in Verizon Hall
 
$378 - First Tier Box Center
$378 - First Tier Box Side, Orchestra Box
$342 - Orchestra, Orchestra Tier A-C
$318 - Orchestra Tier D-K, First Tier
$246 - Second Tier Box Side, Second Tier
$156 - Third Tier Box Side, Third Tier
$156 - Conductor's Circle