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| ECP Pivots: Redesigns 2021 Jazz Cruises into Two New Las Vegas Jazz 5 Day/5 Night Events Entertainment Cruise Productions (ECP), the world leader in live entertainment at sea, is excited to announce two unprecedented jazz events in Las Vegas in 2021. Jazz: Live In Las Vegas, a production of The Jazz Cruise, will be held February 21-26, 2021 at the Encore Resort and Encore Theater.Among the confirmed artists set to perform at this 5-Day, 5-Night event are Christian McBride, Kurt Elling, Joey DeFrancesco, Shelly Berg, Clint Holmes, John Clayton, Randy Brecker, John Pizzarelli, Wycliffe Gordon, Emmet Cohen, Veronica Swift, Cyrille Aimee, Jeff Hamilton, Lewis Nash, Ken Peplowski, Niki Haris and many more jazz stars. Featuring 50 hours of music plus special events, Jazz: Live In Las Vegas is produced by ECP in association with Porchlight Jazz Productions, Birdland Jazz Club and SiriusXM's Real Jazz. Paul Lowden, president of the Las Vegas-based Porchlight Jazz Productions which produces the Newport Beach Jazz Party and former owner and operator of the Sahara empire, says that although the city has a long history of jazz shows, there has never been one mainstream jazz event with the same size, scope and breadth of talent. "This will be the first time that jazz will be performed on the Las Vegas Strip in a major room, " says Lowden. "The Encore is a world-class property and is a perfect venue for these world-class musicians. Throughout the years, jazz presentations were always somewhere, but never of this magnitude and this format. There have been great jazz musicians playing (and even living) in Las Vegas—from Count Basie, Jimmy Smith and Joe Williams to Ella Fitzgerald, Mel Torme and Tony Bennett—but there has never been this kind of presentation on the Las Vegas Strip, a gathering of awesome talent in a festival format. Jazz: Live in Las Vegas will be musically historic!" The spotlight then moves to the smooth jazz world for 5 Days and 5 Nights of The Smooth Jazz Cruise: Live In Las Vegas, set for February 28 – March 5, 2021 at the Encore. The stellar lineup showcases Marcus Miller, George Benson, Dave Grusin, Lee Ritenour, Alonzo Bodden, Lisa Fischer, Jonathan Butler, Eric Marienthal, Eric Darius, DW3 and Mindi Abair, backed by two bands featuring Randy Jacobs, Gerey Johnson, Nate Phillips, Nate Kearney, Arlington Jones, Collin Clauson, Third Richardson, Jay Williams, Munyungo Jackson and Patches Stewart. This event is produced by ECP in association with SiriusXM's Watercolors. All of the concerts for both events will be held in the 92, 000-square-foot Encore Theater, enabling ECP to present the music with the highest standards, while complying with any and all health and safety rules that may be required 8 months from now. The capacity of the Encore Theater is 1, 500, but with the appropriate social distancing parameters in place, the plan is to limit capacity to 1, 000 for the concerts during the two events. Accommodations will be offered at the luxurious Encore Resort, a Five-Star resort, casino and hotel located on the Las Vegas strip. The resort features 18 restaurants, nine bars and lounges, three shopping esplanades, five pools, two salons, two spas, a golf course and both Wynn and Encore casinos. Michael Lazaroff, executive director of ECP - Jazz, has been producing jazz cruises, as well as concerts on land, for more than 20 years. Although the 2021 sailings were cancelled, both The Jazz Cruise and The Smooth Jazz Cruise will instead present their legendary programs on land in Las Vegas. Lazaroff says that ECP's remarkable pivot during this challenging time came from a simple goal. "We wanted to present our music for our fans in 2021, " he explains. "This format seemed to be the best opportunity for doing so. Las Vegas has the hotels and theaters that could accommodate our needs and could embrace whatever health and safety requirements might be imposed at that time." Lazaroff credits Paul Lowden and Las Vegas real estate mogul Mark Fine as being a driving force behind these events. "Paul and Mark, both longtime Las Vegas residents and businessmen, as well as being guests on our programs, came up with the idea, " Lazaroff says. "We just filled in the blanks." SiriusXM, which has been ECP's #1 "go to" music partner for all its jazz programs, came aboard with support from its two jazz channels – "Real Jazz" and "Watercolors." In addition to the headliner performances, there will be additional events and activities for attendees, including artist meet and greets, artist interviews and artist-hosted events. "The shows in Las Vegas are intended to replicate the shows we offer on the ship as well as jazz talks and other events, " explains Lazaroff. With one exception. "It should be far less bumpy." One of the most unique aspects of ECP's jazz cruises, is the sense of community among both the guests and the artists and that will also be a vital part of the events in Las Vegas. Noted pianist Shelly Berg, who has been the music director for The Jazz Cruise for many years, will serve as the music director for Jazz: Live in Las Vegas. He says that he wanted the Las Vegas program not only to reflect the legacy of The Jazz Cruise, but also to offer guests the opportunity to see the very best in straight-ahead jazz performers. "We built our program to be as entertaining and world class as ever, with artists who live to be with the audience, " says Berg about programming the event. "We always strive for a mix of styles and voices. We are mostly a straight-ahead jazz program, but our audience loves the variety. This program will look very much like the Jazz Cruise that has been the greatest jazz festival at sea for two decades, and we will take advantage of being on land to add some new wrinkles and surprises." All Event Packages include guests' choice of Suite at the Encore Resort, starting at $2, 750 per person, which includes Reserved Seating for all concerts, activities and events, plus breakfast included daily, Preferred Dining Benefits, Free Internet, Access to Spa Facilities, Airport Transfers and more. write your comments about the article :: © 2020 Jazz News :: home page |