The 34th Annual Playboy Jazz Festival | June 16th & 17th, 2012

The Playboy Jazz Festival has added three more acclaimed artists to its stellar 2012 lineup. Showcasing the full spectrum of jazz, the Festival will take place Saturday and Sunday, June 16th and 17th at the world famous Hollywood Bowl.
   
Joining the roster of Grammy-winning jazz greats and rising stars are multi Grammy-nominated R&B pianist/composer Patrice Rushen, New Orleans Mardi Gras Indian phenomenon Big Chief Monk Boudreaux, and Latin Jazz Bandleader Louie Cruz Beltran.
   
Rushen will perform on Sunday with Terri Lyne Carrington’s Grammy-winning Mosaic Project, along with other surprise guests from the CD. On Saturday, New Orleans vocalist/percussionist Big Chief Monk will play with The Soul Rebels, bringing the distinctive rhythms of the Mardi Gras Indians from the Crescent City to the Festival stage, and Beltran will appear with his contemporary salsa group, the Louie Cruz Beltran Latin Jazz Orchestra.
   
A classically trained pianist, Rushen is one of music’s most sought after artists, having performed or produced recordings for such legendary stars as Stevie Wonder, Herbie Hancock, Prince,  Boys II Men, George Benson, and many more. Rushen was also the first woman to serve as Musical Director for the Grammy Awards, the Emmy Awards, and the NAACP Image Awards, and is also the only woman Musical Director/Composer for the People’s Choice Awards and HBO’s Comic Relief.

Known for his longtime collaborations with Big Chief Bo Dollis in The Wild Magnolias, Big Chief Monk (aka Monk Boudreaux) is the head of the Mardi Gras Indian tribe, the Gold Eagles. In recent years, he has toured and recorded with the Voice of the Wetlands All-Stars, a band featuring musicians Tab Benoit, Cyril Neville and Dr. John. He performs regularly in his hometown with John Lisi & Delta Funk and in 2010 appeared in Bury the Hatchet, a feature length documentary by Aaron Walker about the Mardi Gras Indian tradition.

Louie Cruz Beltran, leader of The Louie Cruz Beltran Latin Jazz Orchestra, has performed with such great artists as Tito Puente, Francisco Aquabella, Ray Baretto, Natalie Cole and Gladys Knight, among others. Beltran’s most recent album Paint the Rhythm, spent 12 weeks on the Media Base national smooth jazz charts, reaching #11; his single “Esperando” hit #4.