Chaka Khan Replaces Etta James at George Wein's CareFusion Jazz Festival 55

contents

jazz

Chaka Khan with the George Duke Trio kicks off George Wein's CareFusion Jazz Festival 55 on Friday, August 7, at 8:00 pm at the International Tennis Hall of Fame at the Newport Casino, 194 Bellevue Avenue. Due to illness, Etta James has cancelled her August concerts, including her performance in Newport. Hosted by radio announcer Ron Della Chiesa, the program also features Israeli clarinetist Anat Cohen with guitarist Howard Alden in a salute to Benny Goodman.

Direct from critically-acclaimed appearances together at the major summer European jazz festivals, the legendary R & B and soul singer Chaka Khan teams up with renowned pianist and producer George Duke and trio for an evening of jazz.

Ever-inventive, always venturing into new creative terrain, Chaka Khan's commitment to her musical artistry shows no bounds. Who else but Chaka Khan would be up for tackling such time-honored standards as "Stormy Weather" and "Round Midnight" on the same CD with James Bond movie themes, "Goldfinger" and "Diamonds Are Forever." While we love her for her soulful tunes including "I'm Every Woman, " "Ain't Nobody, " "Feel for You" "Tell Me Something Good" and "Through the Fire, " the 10-time Grammy winner is no stranger to jazz tunes including "My Funny Valentine, " "Summertime, " and "Teach Me Tonight, " among others. Since her arrival on the scene in the early 1970s, Chaka Khan - award-winning singer, songwriter, and community advocate - has been setting standards in most every music genre from Pop to R & B, Rock, Disco, Fusion, Rap, Hip-Hop, Classical and Jazz. Today, Chaka Khan is a musical icon, known and loved by millions of fans. Through the Chaka Khan Foundation, she assists women and children at risk.

George Duke made his first appearance at the Newport festival in the '60s. Over the years he has worked with a Who's Who of the music industry including Al Jarreau, Sonny Rollins, Jean-Luc Ponty, Cannonball Adderley, Nancy Wilson, Joe Williams, Dizzy Gillespie, Jeffrey Osborne, Frank Zappa, Deniece Williams, Melissa Manchester, Barry Manilow, Smokey Robinson, Burt Bacharach, Dionne Warwick, Elvis Costello, Winona Judd, Barenaked Ladies, Kelly Price, Whoopi Goldberg and more. Whether performing as a solo artist, with long-time friend Stanley Clarke in the Clarke/Duke Project, producing records for other music greats, writing movie scores or serving as musical director for countless award shows, the legendary pianist always puts a distinctive stamp on his work.

George Wein's CareFusion Jazz Festival 55 continues Saturday, August 8, at Fort Adams State Park, at 11:30 am with Mos Def & The Watermelon Syndicate produced by Jill Newman Productions; Branford Marsalis Quartet; Joshua Redman Double Trio; Esperanza Spalding; Cedar Walton All-Stars with Lew Tabackin & Curtis Fuller; Hiromi's SonicBloom; Vandermark 5; Jane Monheit; Christian McBride; Vijay Iyer Trio; Marsalis Music Presents Miguel Zenón Quartet, North Carolina Central Big Band, Branford Marsalis-Joey Calderazzo Duo and Claudia Acuña.

The festival picks up again on Sunday, August 9, at 11:30 am at Fort Adams with Tony Bennett; Dave Brubeck Quartet; Roy Haynes Fountain of Youth Band; Michel Camilo; Joe Lovano UsFive; The Bad Plus with Wendy Lewis; James Carter Organ Trio; Conversations with Christian McBride; Steven Bernstein's Millennial Territory Orchestra; Brian Blade & The Fellowship Band; Rudresh Mahanthappa's Indo-Pak Coalition; Rashied Ali-Charles Gayle-William Parker's "By Any Means"; Alfredo Rodriguez; The Rodriguez Brothers and Roy Guzman Quintet. Artists are subject to change.

Tickets are on sale nowat www.jazzfestival55.com, by phone at (800) 514-3849 and by mail at George Wein's CareFusion Jazz Festival 55, PO BOX 3865, Newport, RI 02840. General Admission tickets (single-day passes only) can be purchased at the Visitor's Center at the Newport County Convention Center & Visitor's Bureau at 23 America's Cup Avenue. Tickets also can be purchased at the Festival office, located at 770 Aquidneck Avenue in Middletown, RI.

CareFusion Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cardinal Health (NYSE:CAH), is expected to become a public company from the planned spinoff of Cardinal Health's clinical and medical products businesses. The global company serves the health care industry with products and services that help hospitals measurably improve the safety and quality of health care. CareFusion develops market-leading technologies including Alaris IV pumps, Pyxis automated dispensing and patient identification systems, AVEA and Pulmonetic Systems ventilation and respiratory products, ChloraPrep and MedMined services for infection prevention, neurological monitoring and diagnostic products, V. Mueller surgical instruments, and an extensive line of products that support interventional medicine.

write your comments about the article :: © 2009 Jazz News :: home page