Mellon Jazz Sponsors Wynton Marsalis at the Benedum, NAACP Freedom Jazz, Manchester Craftsmen's Guild and Pittsburgh Jazz Society Concerts -Mellon Jazz Web site showcases year-round celebration of jazz excellence- PITTSBURGH, March 31 /PRNewswire/ -- Mellon Jazz is turning up the musical heat in Pittsburgh, bidding winter goodbye with an exciting series of springtime events as part of its year-round celebration of jazz excellence. The great sounds begin with a concert by the Wynton Marsalis Quartet on Monday, May 3 at 7:30 p.m. at the Benedum Center for the Performing Arts. Other Mellon Jazz attractions this spring include the NAACP's Fifth Annual Freedom Jazz Concert on Monday, April 12 at Dowe's on Ninth downtown; Manchester Craftsmen's Guild's Jazz Across The Americas Concert on April 15-18 and Clayton Hamilton Jazz Orchestra Concert on April 29-May 2; and Pittsburgh Jazz Society Mellon Jazz Sunday concerts featuring the Real Silk Band on April 25 and Judi Figel on May 23. "As impressive as this spring Mellon Jazz lineup is, it's important to note that there's still more great jazz in store later this summer and fall," said Rose M. Cotton, senior vice president and director of Mellon Corporate Affairs. "Together withour non-profit partners we've succeeded in making Mellon Jazz a year-round celebration of excellence in the Pittsburgh area, and we encourage jazz fans to keep current on events by checking the Mellon Jazz Web site at http://www.mellon.com/jazz." Trumpet player Wynton Marsalis is one of the most accomplished and acclaimed jazz artists and composers of his generation. Richly credentialed as an accomplished classical musician when he made his recording debut as a bandleader in 1982, Marsalis has produced an incomparable catalogue of nearly 40 outstanding jazz and classical recordings for Columbia Jazz and Sony Classical over the last two decades. Recipient of nine Grammy Awards, he became in 1983 the first and only artist to win both classical and jazz Grammy Awards in one year, a feat he repeated in 1984. In 1999, he released eight new recordings in his unprecedented "Swinging into the 21st" series. Music Director of the world-renowned Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra (LCJO), Marsalis will be performing with Wynton Marsalis Quartet members Carlos Henriquez (Bass), Ali Jackson (Drums), and Eric Lewis (Piano). The quartet's Pittsburgh appearance, part of The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Presents 2004 season, is sponsored by Mellon Jazz and co-presented with MCG Jazz. The Manchester Craftsmen's Guild's Jazz Across The Americas and Clayton Hamilton Jazz Orchestra concert events ring down the curtain on MCG Jazz's 17th Jazz Concert Season. Co-curated with top jazz presenting organizations in California, Chicago, Cleveland, Columbia, Mo., Detroit, New Orleans, Syracuse and Vancouver, Jazz Across the Americas will create an all-star ensemble made up of artists from each region to celebrate North America's rich musical history. Named the resident jazz orchestra for the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 1999, the Clayton Hamilton Jazz Orchestra also is host ensemble for the popular summer jazz series at the Hollywood Bowl. Co-led by John Clayton, his brother, reed player Jeff Clayton, and drummer Jeff Hamilton, the group has developed a unique big band sound, and has received critical and commercial acclaim for their live performances and award-winning recordings. An important date on the calendar of Pittsburghers committed to both freedom and jazz, the NAACP's 5th Annual Freedom Jazz concert will feature a veritable who's who listing of nearly two dozen distinguished local jazz artists, along with host bands The Al Dowe Quintet and The Tim Stevens Project. The event's $30 cover includes free horsd'oeuvres, a new NAACP membership ($15 donation for current NAACP members), NAACP Civil Rights Discounts, and a two-month free subscription to the New Pittsburgh Courier. Presented once each month as part of the Pittsburgh Jazz Society's long- running series of weekly Sunday night jazz parties at Foster's in the Holiday Inn Select-Pittsburgh University Center, the Pittsburgh Jazz Society's Mellon Jazz Sunday concerts have become a mainstay of the Mellon Jazz program. Providing free parking (based onavailability) and discounted food and drinks for current Jazz Society members, the Sunday night jazz parties present great jazz every Sunday night from 7 to 10 p.m., with no cover or minimum. The Mellon Jazz Sunday concert on April 25 features The Real Silk Band, headed by bassist Arnold Stagger. Drawing its inspiration from across the jazz spectrum, the group blends a variety of styles ranging from funk, Brazilian and Caribbean to form an eclectic, entertaining sound distinctly its own. The May 23 concert features Judi Figel, who has entertained at jazz venues throughout the Pittsburgh area. DATASOURCE: Mellon CONTACT: Ron Sommer of Mellon, +1-412-236-0082, or Web site: http://www.mellon.com/ http://www.mellon.com/jazz

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