The 9th Annual Berklee Beantown Jazz Festival | Sept. 22-26, 2009
TERRI LYNE CARRINGTON NAMED ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
EXPANDS TO FIVE DAYS, SEVEN STAGES;
LARGEST MUSICAL ROSTER YET
FEATURING BRANFORD MARSALIS, DAVID SANBORN,
BERNARD PURDIE, REUBEN WILSON, KURT ELLING, AND MORE
FREE, ALL-DAY BLOCK PARTY ON THREE OUTDOOR STAGES
– Tickets On Sale Monday, June 8 –
BOSTON, June 8, 2009 – Now in its 9th year, the Berklee BeanTown Jazz Festival
– Boston’s most popular and largest outdoor festival – has expanded to
five days and seven stages at locations in Boston and Cambridge; and
has named world-renowned drummer and Berklee professor Terri Lyne Carrington its new artistic director.
From
September 22 to 26, superstars and local artists will come together in
free and ticketed offerings that have drawn upwards of 70,000 people of
all ages from every neighborhood in Boston and all over New England.
The festival’s largest roster yet will feature performances by 20 bands
and over 130 musicians at the Berklee Performance Center (BPC),
Scullers Jazz Club, Berklee’s Cafe 939 and David Friend Recital Hall,
and outdoor stages along Columbus Avenue. The Berklee BeanTown Jazz
Festival is sponsored by Target and Dunkin’ Donuts. For a complete list
of all events, venues, and performers, visit http://www.beantownjazz.org.
Tickets
for all shows are on sale, Monday June 8, at 10 a.m., and will be
available at the BPC box office, 136 Massachusetts Avenue, through
Ticketmaster 617 931-2000, and at http://www.ticketmaster.com. Call 617 747-2261 or visit http://www.berkleebpc.com for more information.
Terri
Lyne Carrington, a native of Medford, MA, was one of the festival’s
headliners in 2008 before being named its artistic director in 2009.
Her deep musical network and knowledge make her an ideal choice to lead
BeanTown as it expands its scope and moves towards becoming one of the
nation’s premier jazz festivals. She has received Grammy nominations both as a performer (for her solo album, Real Life Story) and as a producer (for the Dianne Reeves album, That Day),
and has an extensive touring career of over 20 years with luminaries
like Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Al Jarreau, and others.
Carrington
has assembled an exciting and dynamic lineup in the first year as
artistic director. Highlights include three-time Grammy-winning
saxophonist and Berklee alumnus Branford Marsalis (Sept. 23, BPC);
Godfathers of the Groove, with organist and acid jazz guru Reuben
Wilson; drum legend Bernard Purdie, who has played on over 3,000
albums; and guitarist Grant Green Jr.; and featuring two-time
Grammy-winning saxophonist David Sanborn; and vocalists Amina Claudine
Myers and Kevin Mahogany (Sept. 25, BPC); multi-Grammy-nominated
vocalist Kurt Elling (Sept. 24-25, Scullers); and Love and Hunger, an
original play about the life and work of Billie Holiday, written and
performed by Berklee students (Sept. 24, Cafe 939).
On Saturday,
September 26, the free Berklee BeanTown Jazz Festival will take place
from noon to 6:00 p.m. on three stages over six blocks on Columbus
Avenue, starting at Massachusetts Avenue, with a shimmering array of
talent.
Also at the Columbus Avenue festival site will be an
expanded Target Family Park, returning with even more fun activities
for the whole family, including inflatable attractions, photos, face
painting, temporary tattoos, coloring and crafts, free snacks and
beverages, and an instrument petting zoo. More than 80 vendor booths
will offer arts, crafts, accessories and great food representing a
variety of countries.
“This festival is a testament to Boston’s
reputation as a music hub and its dedication to jazz and producing and
nurturing great artists,” says Terri Lyne Carrington, BeanTown Jazz
Festival artistic director. “As a native and recent returnee to the
area, I’m thrilled for this chance to give back to the community by
throwing a big party for Boston. I hope people come out to fraternize
with their neighbors, enjoy the delicious food, and hear some
incredible music.”
DL Media