Two Great Cities, Two Great Festivals

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Celebrate the rich history of jazz when two great cities and two great festivals – CareFusion Newport Jazz Festival in Newport, RI and Voll-Damm Barcelona International Jazz Festival in Barcelona, Spain – join forces to increase world-wide recognition of the long-running events. The renowned jazz impresario George Wein teamed up with international music promoter Tito Ramoneda and artistic director Joan A. Cararach to announce the partnership of the sister festivals at a reception on May 17, 2010 at Barcelona's Gran Hotel Havana. The celebration was highlighted with a performance by the George Wein Barcelona Trio featuring Horacio Fumero on bass, Jordi Rossy on drums and Wein on piano.

Founded by Wein in 1954, the Newport Jazz Festival (now the CareFusion Newport Jazz Festival ) started the festival era and continues the tradition August 6 – 8, 2010 with three days of music at Newport's International Tennis Hall of Fame and historic Fort Adams State Park. Among the performers at this year's event are Herbie Hancock, Ahmad Jamal, Wynton Marsalis, Chick Corea, Jamie Cullum, Maria Schneider Orchestra, Chris Botti and many more.

The 42nd annual Voll-Damm Barcelona International Jazz Festival is set to open with a free outdoor concert on October 3, followed by the city-wide celebration that will run November 3 - December 4. Founded in 1966 and produced by The Project, this long-standing festival attracts music fans and tourists to Barcelona, presenting performances at various locations throughout the city. The full festival schedule will be announced this summer.

"It is exciting for Barcelona to have a relationship with the most famous jazz festival in the world and to collaborate with George Wein, who is a good friend and an inspiration to me, " said Mr. Cararach. "Additionally, I look forward to the opportunity of exploring wider exposure for the many Catalan artists based in Barcelona and abroad, such as pianists Chano Domínguez and Omar Sosa, among others."

Wein (pictured at right with his trio and Cararach, L-R: Horacio Fumero (bass), George Wein (piano), Joan A. Cararach, and Jordi Rossy (drums) added, "Jazz is a great art form wherever it is performed, but to enjoy the music surrounded by the beauty of Barcelona and Newport makes the music even more memorable. I am thrilled to not only perform here, but also to share this special relationship with Tito, Joan and their festival."

The collaboration of the sister festivals will feature joint promotions including ticket giveaways and discounts, stage announcements, travel packages and more. In addition, there will be promotional activities as part of the CareFusion Jazz Festival New York, also produced by Wein. This festival runs from June 17 – 26 at venues throughout New York City.

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