                 
    
                           Ledesi                                    Norman Brown
‘The Ultimate Summer Groove’ August 7-9
The legendary Long Beach Jazz Festival is celebrating 22 years of great music and remains one of Southern California’s premier jazz festivals. So, it is only fitting that this year’s music festival theme is appropriately titled, The Ultimate Summer Groove.
Over the past 21 years, three quarters of a million music and jazz fans have passed through the gates of the Long Beach Jazz Festival to experience the musical talents of today’s top jazz artists and musicians, all in one place. The festival’s line-up has always read like a roll call of the best and brightest musical talents including past performances by such greats as Herbie Hancock, Chick Correa, Cab Calloway, Eddie Harris, Nancy Wilson, Roberta Flack, Art Blakey, Lou Rawles, Gerald Wilson and Stanley Clarke to name a few. This year’s August 7-9 festival musical performances will include David Sanborn, Ledisi, Leela James, Hiroshima, Steve Cole, Paul Brown & Marc Antoine, Al William Jazz Society featuring Barbara Morrison, Jazz Attack featuring Rick Braun, Jonathan Butler & Richard Elliot, Angie Stone, Ramsey Lewis, Les McCann Swiss Movement with Javon Jackson, Brian Broomberg, Clarence McDonald, Norman Brown, Patti Austin, Eric Darius, Gail Jhonson and Eldredge Jackson.
This year’s entire festival will be dedicated to former NBA player and jazz musician Wayman Tisdale who passed away on Friday, May 15th after a two-year battle with cancer. The LBJF worked with Tisdale for more than 10 years and he was scheduled to perform at this year’s festival. To celebrate his life and musical legacy, on Friday, August 7th, various jazz and R&B artists and members will pay tribute to the “Gentle Giant of Smooth Jazz” by performing some of his chart topping hits and noting his influence on smooth jazz.
Additionally, in celebration of the 22nd Annual Long Beach Jazz Festival, founder Al Williams and legendary jazz drummer are also using this opportunity to introduce new talent through “The Next Great Drummer.” As drummer to the stars Eric Seats completes his drummer auditions in his quest to find “The Next Great Drummer,” Seats and the LBJF will welcome the winners to their biggest audience to date. The Next Great Drummer provides a venue to discover great new talent and give them the opportunity to excel in the music business. The founders and judges are well known throughout the industry as some of best musicians in the world.
“For more than two decades, the Long Beach Jazz Festival has exposed hundreds of thousands of people to some of the greatest straight ahead and smooth jazz, R&B, neo-soul music in the world. We are excited to continue in this long standing tradition, as well as, use this forum to introduce the next generation of musicians and to keep this timeless music alive for all to enjoy,” states Al Williams, Founder, Long Beach Jazz Festival.
The Three-Day Lineup For This Year’s Festival Includes:
Friday, August 7:
Wayman Tisdale Tribute
Summer Storm featuring Norman Brown, Patti Austin, Eric Darius, Gail Jhonson
New Artist-Eldredge Jackson
David Sanborn
Saturday, August 8:
Jazz Attack featuring Rick Braun, Jonathan Butler & Richard Elliot
Ledisi
Les McCann Swiss Movement featuring Javon Jackson
Hiroshima
Brian Broomberg
Clarence McDonald & Evolution
The Next Great Drummer Winners
Jazz Star Search Winner
Sunday, August 9:
Angie Stone
Ramsey Lewis
Steve Cole
Leela James
Paul Brown & Marc Antoine
Al William Jazz Society featuring Barbara Morrison
Ticket Prices Range From:
-Â VIP tickets – $155 on Friday and $180 per seat on Saturday and Sunday – include a three-course gourmet dinner, wine service and VIP hospitality.
-Â Reserved Box Seat tickets are $60 on Friday and $75 on Saturday and Sunday.
- General Admission/Lawn Seating is $45 in advance and $50 at the gate. Gates open at 5:00 pm, with a show time of 7:00 pm on Friday. Saturday and Sunday gates            opens at 11:00 am with a show time of 12:00 pm.
Tickets are available through Rainbow Promotions at (562) 424-0013 or online at www.longbeachjazzfestival.com.
The Long Beach Jazz Festival takes place at the Rainbow Lagoon Shoreline Drive at Ocean Blvd, Long Beach, California 90802. This year’s sponsors include Cadillac, Budweiser, US Bank, Alize, Charter Communications, Hotel Maya, Pepsi, 94.7 The Wave, KJAZZ 88.1 FM, KJLH 102.3 and JAZZIZ Omnimedia.
