Palo Alto, CA (PRWE April 15, 2011

Providing an intimate interaction of jazz and community found nowhere else, the Stanford Jazz Festival
is pleased to announce the lineup of its 40th season. Commencing on
June 24 with Grammy®-winning, New Orleans-based living legend Allen
Toussaint, presenting rare appearances by the great Brazilian songwriter
and singer Milton Nascimento, and winding up in August with an all-star
week that includes Joe Lovano and the Bad Plus, the Festival will
present upwards of 100 of the world’s greatest jazz artists in the
comfortable and convenient setting of the Stanford University campus.

Unique among jazz festivals in the way it brings great jazz artists
together to collaborate and to work closely with students, the Stanford
Jazz Festival is the result of the vision of founder and Artistic and
Executive Director Jim Nadel. “Our community-based approach to teaching
and nurturing jazz has resonated with a great many musicians over the
years,” says Nadel. “The musicians’ love for the music and the open
exchange of ideas have been the key ingredients in the success of our
Jazz Camp and Jazz Residency programs as well as the world-class
performances that characterize the Stanford Jazz Festival.”

As he’s done for each of the Festival seasons since 1972, Nadel has
put together a compelling mix of styles and talent that includes living
legends of jazz (Allen Toussaint, Oscar Castro-Neves, George Cables,
Milton Nascimento, Ndugu Chancler, and Jimmy and Tootie Heath),
international marquee artists (Gary Burton, Bill Frisell, Irvin
Mayfield, Wallace Roney, Robben Ford, Bill Charlap, and Renee Rosnes),
and buzz-generating younger musicians (Gretchen Parlato, Anat Cohen,
Claudia Acuña, Charlie Hunter, Scott Amendola, Marcus Shelby, Taylor
Eigsti, Julian Lage, and Yosvany Terry).

Underscoring the status of the Stanford Jazz Workshop’s programs as
among the elite in all of jazz education, well over half of this year’s
Stanford Jazz Festival events feature performers who are alumni or
faculty of the Jazz Camp or Jazz Residency programs, which run
concurrently with the Festival between July 17 and August 4 this year.
Among the superstar faculty and former students who will appear are
Madeline Eastman, Larry Grenadier, Jenny Scheinman, Ruth Davies, Ethan
Iverson, Taylor Eigsti, Julian Lage, Victor Lin, Patrick Wolff, Bennett
Paster, and Joe Gilman.

While Nadel often features his passion for bebop in his programming,
his vision encompasses all styles. In 2011, Festival fans will be
treated to a rainbow of world jazz, including Brazilian (two special
shows with Milton Nascimento, Oscar Castro-Neves), Chilean (Claudia
Acuña), Colombian (Edmar Castaneda), and Afro-Cuban (Yosvany Terry). For
classic standards and swing, the Festival has several special shows,
including clarinetist Ken Peplowski; Unforgettable: A Tribute to Nat
“King” Cole featuring vocalist Allan Harris; and For Singing and
Swinging: The Great American Songsmiths featuring Clairdee, Kenny
Washington, and Bobbe Norris. Bassist Ruth Davies hosts the perennial
favorite Blues Night, which this year features the world-renowned
guitarist Robben Ford as the special guest artist.

Complete details on the 2011 Stanford Jazz Festival lineup will be available at http://www.stanfordjazz.org
by the end of April. Festival artist information will include song
samples and video clips, so ticket buyers can sample each performance.

Tickets for the Stanford Jazz Festival go on sale May 2. Buy tickets by phone: 650-725-ARTS (2787). Buy tickets online: http://www.stanfordjazztickets.org. See complete lineup and details at http://www.stanfordjazz.org. For more information, call 650-736-0324.

The Stanford Jazz Festival is presented by the jazz education
nonprofit Stanford Jazz Workshop, in conjunction with presenting sponsor
See’s Candies. Stanford Jazz Workshop has been bringing the best in
jazz to local audiences and jazz musicians through both the festival and
its summer education programs for youth and adults for nearly 40 years,
and is funded in part by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and
the National Endowment for the Arts.