The Playboy Jazz Festival Free Community Concert Series | Sunday, May 3rd, 2009 Beverly Hills
Music and
Sunshine….
THE PLAYBOY JAZZ
FESTIVAL WILL A PRESENT A FREE COMMUNITY CONCERT FEATURING LATIN JAZZ BAND LEADER JOHNNY POLANCO Y SU
CONJUNTO AMISTAD
SPEARS
SUNDAY
3RD AT
CIVIC CENTER FROM
The Playboy Jazz Festival will
launch their popular free community concert series with the infectious Latin
dance grooves of bandleader and multi-instrumentalist Johnny Polanco Y Su
Amistad and the unique all-trombone straight ahead jazz band, Bonesoir, on
Sunday, May 3rd from
to
is located at
Drive
The dynamic leader of the
ultimate west coast Latin party band, Grammy nominated, New York born Polanco,
a multi-instrumentalist, composer and arranger with Dominican and Puerto Rican
roots, has earned a reputation for creating what local music writer Lina Lecara
categorized as “the kind of infectious, rhythmic, multi-layered Latin music
that makes even the most timid wallflower abandon all restraint and give it a
whirl on the dance floor.” His latest recording, Pa’l Bilador (For
The Dancer) on
based Morrowland Records, epitomizes the innovative mix of tropical Latin dance
rhythms and old school Latin style music that Polanco is famous for.
Led by noted musician Maurice
Spears, straight-ahead jazz group Bonesoir, which will open the show at
a rhythm section. Each band member has an extensive background in a broad range
of musical genres from festivals, theaters, clubs, and concert halls, to motion
pictures, video, and television. Bandmembers George Bohanon, Garnett Brown,
Steve Baxter and Spears all showcase the trombones’s versatility with sweet
harmonies, lively melodies, and solos marked by the member’s individual styles.
The free concert
will be the first in a series free community events held in conjunction with
this year’s upcoming 31st annual Playboy Jazz Festival, to be held at the
Hollywood Bowl, June 13th and 14th.
“Our Beverly Hills
concert has become a popular tradition as the kick-off for the annual Playboy
Jazz Festival season, and this year’s roster of talent promises a lively
afternoon of upbeat jazz entertainment at the Civic Center’s attractive outdoor
performing arts venue in celebration of our 31st Annual,” stated Richard
Rosenzweig, Playboy Jazz Festival President
Food
and refreshments will be available for purchase to the public. Glass
containers, alcoholic beverages and audio/video recorders are not permitted.
Two free hours of parking are available at the
parking structure, adjacent to the Beverly Hills Public Library.
For more information regarding the community concert
series or the Playboy Jazz Festival, call the hotline at