Vocalists
Victor Fields and Clairdee to sing and swing at the Rose
Bowl's First jazz concert on May 28th
The
Rose Bowl, known mainly for the New Year’s Day football game
and Fourth of July fireworks, has been host to a variety of
other events, but never a jazz concert. With its rich
historical legacy dating back to the 1920s, the Rose Bowl
seems a fitting place to showcase Vocal Legacy, a
double-header featuring two northern California jazz singers
with a passion for great old songs with a contemporary twist
that appeals to classic jazz, pop, and contemporary audiences,
be they fans of Ella Fitzgerald and Joe Williams, or Alicia
Keys and Brian McKnight.
Victor
Fields,
an accomplished singer and songwriter influenced by the likes
of Nat Cole, Billie Holiday and Joe Williams, stretches the
music way beyond its traditional boundaries and guides his
listeners across the urban/jazz/pop spectrum. “A
stylistically accomplished singer who deserves much more
attention,” said the Los Angeles Times. Clairdee’s
style might be described as a combination of sassy irreverence
a la Carmen McRae, Diana Krall’s understated sophistication,
and the silky soulfulness of Natalie Cole. “A force to be
reckoned with!” says WBGO Radio, the East Coast arbiter of
jazz.
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| Victor
Fields |
Clairdee |
The
May 28th appearance of Vocal Legacy
featuring Victor Fields and Clairdee at Playboy
Jazz at the Rose Bowl is
part
of the
annual
Pasadena Summer Fest,
a three-day event featuring live music, art and crafts,
food samplings, a sports zone, and family fun for all. Playboy
sponsors a number of free music events in the weeks prior to
the Playboy Jazz Festival at the Hollywood Bowl. “These free
events allow us to introduce audiences to extremely talented
artists who are not yet household names,” says Darlene Chan,
VP of Festival Productions and producer of both the Playboy
Jazz Festival and Playboy
Jazz at the Rose Bowl.
When
Vocal Legacy takes the stage at 3:55 PM, backed by a
small combo known as the Legacy Ensemble, their show will
include duets as well as solo selections from their respective
new CDs – Victor
and Clairdee’s Music
Moves recorded live at Yoshi’s – scheduled for release
in mid May. Among the old pros who have offered encouragement
to Victor and Clairdee, are Ruth Brown, Dee Dee Bridgewater,
Lou Rawls who calls Victor “the man with the golden
voice,” and Nancy Wilson who says “In the tradition of all
great vocalists, Clairdee infuses each song with her own
unique style while always remaining true to the song
itself.”
The
Vocal Legacy concept was conceived by manager John
Levy who, for more than 50 years, has guided the careers
of a rarified roster of who’s who in the jazz world,
representing such greats as Nancy Wilson, Joe Williams,
Shirley Horn, Johnny Hartman, Sarah Vaughan, Carol Sloane,
Abbey Lincoln, Roberta Flack, Randy Crawford….the list goes
on. “It’s about preserving a musical heritage and
nurturing the continued growth of a musical art form. Jazz is
timeless and the lyrics of the standards still ring true,”
says Levy. After more than five decades as a manager of the
top names in jazz, this is John Levy’s legacy too.
Admission
to Playboy Jazz at the Rose Bowl is free! Plenty of
parking is available. For additional information, call del
Mano Productions at 626/797-0421. This
year, festival-goers are permitted to bring blankets,
beach/lawn chairs to the new location; festival seating will
also be available. However, as in past years, NO umbrellas,
canopies, coolers or picnic baskets, backpacks, glass
containers, cans, alcoholic beverages, audio recorders, video
cameras, barbecue grills or dogs will be allowed entry to the
site and NO smoking is allowed on the Rose Bowl lawn. Food
and beverages will be available for purchase.
For
more information, check these web sites:
www.victorfields.com
for Victor
Fields’
bio, discography, press clips, photo gallery, sound clips,
merchandise, and even a free MP3 download.
www.clairdee.com
for Clairdee’s
news,
profile, calendar of appearances (including Monterey Jazz
Festival this September!), music, photos, and even a video
webcast.
www.lushlife.com
for additional information about John Levy, his clients, and
his life story.
www.oldpasadenasummerfest.com
for information about all of the events that are part of
Pasadena Summer Fest, including photos, lineups, schedules,
maps, and more.
www.rosebowlstadium.com
for map and directions.
Playboy
Jazz at the Rose Bowl is presented in cooperation with
the 2005 Playboy
Jazz Festival, KTWV 94.7 The Wave and KKJZ 88.1 FM, and
is supported in part by the Recording Industry Music
Performance Fund. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitor’s
Authority sponsors this year’s “Playboy Jazz Festival.”
“Pasadena
Summer Fest” is a del Mano Productions event,
produced annually by Ray Leier. Playboy
Jazz at the Rose Bowl
is one of five events produced simultaneously at the annual
Pasadena Summer Fest. The festivities also include: Family
Fun Fest, A Taste
of Summer, Summer
Art Fest and The
Sports Zone.
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