WEDNESDAY, JULY 17, AT 8 PM
Oleta Adams, Lea DeLaria, Dianne Reeves, Jimmy Scott, Tom Wopat, and Terence Blanchard Quintet Celebrate one of History's Revolutionary Jazz Singers
KLON's JAZZ AT THE BOWL
Lexus Passionate Performances
On Wednesday, July 17 at 8 p.m., an impressive roster of vocal talent will gather on the Bowl stage for a Broadway & Hollywood Salute to Billie Holiday. Almost fifty years after Holiday's death, Oleta Adams, Lea DeLaria, Dianne Reeves, Jimmy Scott, Tom Wopat, and Terence Blanchard will spend the evening paying tribute to Lady Day with some of her timeless masterpieces.
Backbeat Live pre-concert events take place at the Patio, one hour prior to the Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday concerts; free to all ticket holders. The July 17 session features Cal Poly Pomona music professor David Kopplin, interviewing master jazz guitarist Kenny Burrell.
Each of the evening's vocalists will perform several of Holiday's classic works, paying homage to the woman who forever changed the art of American pop vocals. Armed with an amazing technical ability, purity of voice, and a relentlessly individual temperament, Holiday brought a highly stylized reading to the blues tradition and forever secured her influence on the musical map.
Broadway & Hollywood Salute Billie Holiday is the second concert of KLON's Jazz at the Bowl series. The eight-concert series continues with Natalie Cole on July 24, the Latin Jazz
Spectacular on July 31, Tony Bennett on August 7, Soul Night on August 14, the Big Band Blast on August 21, and Chick Corea and Friends on August 28.
Jazz trumpeter/composer/arranger TERENCE BLANCHARD has become one of the most widely respected and significant bandleaders of his generation. Naming John Coltrane, Miles Davis, and Joe Henderson as inspirations, Terence Blanchard was one of the "young lions" in Art Blakley's Jazz Messengers in the early '80s (another being Wynton Marsalis), before moving forward onto his own successful career. He has been a top player in the film scoring business, collaborating, producing, and scoring for films such as Mo' Better Blues, Malcom X, and Eve's Bayou. Terence Blanchard last performed at the Bowl in 1999.
The youngest daughter of a minister, pop/gospel singer OLETA ADAMS participated in her first musical experience in the choir of her father's church. Discovered while performing solo in a Hyatt Regency lounge in Kansas City, Missouri, she caught the ears of Tears for Fears frontman Roland Orzabal, who asked her to appear on their Seeds of Love album. He subsequently produced her first release Circle of One and the hit "Get Here" in 1991, for which she was also nominated for a Grammy. With over two-and-a-half million albums sold to date, Adams has just released her sixth album, All the Love. This is her Hollywood Bowl debut.
In 1982, LEA DELARIA was virtually the only openly gay comedian touring the stand-up comedy circuit. Bold, brash, and outspoken, she paved the way for other gay comedians. By 1993 she was appearing on network TV on the likes of The Drew Carey Show, Friends, The John Larroquette Show, Matlock, The Rosie O'Donnell Show, and many more. In 1996, she made her film debut in The First Wives Club and by 2000 had made a return to Broadway in the revival of The Rocky Horror Show. She currently has an album out on Warner Bros. called Play It Cool. She last performed at the Bowl in 1999.
A self-professed "jazz artist who explores other kinds of music," Grammy-winning vocalist DIANNE REEVES is known not only for her rich and expressive voice, but also for crossing musical boundaries. Reeves has become a premier contemporary jazz vocalist and has worked with Sergio Mendes, George Duke, Harry Belafonte, and Clark Terry. Last year's release, The Calling (Blue Note), was a celebration of Sarah Vaughan, and she recently released a "Best of..." album, also on Blue Note. Dianne Reeves last performed at the Hollywood Bowl in 2001.
Distinctive jazz vocalist JIMMY SCOTT has been performing since the 1940s, and has provided inspiration for artists from Nancy Wilson and Frankie Valli to Lou Reed and Madonna. Ray Charles has called him "the master of the ballad form." He performed with the Lionel Hampton Big Band in the 1950s and it was during this time that he became a colleague of Billie Holiday. His newest album, entitled But Beautiful was recently released. July 17 marks Scott's 77th birthday; this performance is his Bowl debut.
Known as "The Smart Brother" Luke Duke from the '70s TV show The Dukes Of Hazzard, TOM WOPAT has since established a credible career in the musical theater community as well as writing and performing country music albums. In the late '90s Wopat starred in the critically acclaimed TV show Cybil and on Broadway in Annie Get Your Gun, for which he received a Tony award nomination. His latest CD is titled Still of the Night. Tom Wopat last performed at the Bowl in 1991.
One of the largest natural amphitheaters in the world, with a seating capacity of just under 18,000, the HOLLYWOOD BOWL has been the summer home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic since its official opening in 1922, and, in 1991 gave its name to The Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, a resident ensemble that has filled a special niche in the musical life of Southern California. A hit from its very first season, the Hollywood Bowl has remained popular and accessible to a wide cross-section of Southern California's diverse population. To this day, $1 buys a seat at the top of the Bowl for many of the Los Angeles Philharmonic's concerts. While the Bowl is best known for its sizzling summer nights, during the day California's youngest patrons enjoy "Open House at the Bowl," the Southland's most popular summer arts festival for children, now in its 34th season. Attendance figures over the past several decades have soared: in 1980 the Bowl first topped the half-million mark and last summer, close to one million admissions were recorded. It is no wonder that the Bowl's summer music festivals have become as much a part of a Southern California summer as beaches and barbecues, the Dodgers and Disneyland.
EDITORS PLEASE NOTE:
Wednesday, July 17, 8 PM
HOLLYWOOD BOWL (2301 N. Highland Ave. in Hollywood)
Broadway & Hollywood Salute Billie Holiday
OLETA ADAMS
LEA DELARIA
DIANNE REEVES
JIMMY SCOTT
TOM WOPAT
TERENCE BLANCHARD QUINTET
JAMES JANISSE, host
Lexus Passionate Performances
Media Sponsor: KLON 88.1 FM
Backbeat Live pre-concert events take place at the Patio, one hour prior to the Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday concerts; free to all ticket holders. The July 17 session features Cal Poly Pomona music professor David Kopplin, interviewing master jazz guitarist Kenny Burrell.
Tickets ($1 - $70) are on sale now at the Hollywood Bowl box office, by calling Ticketmaster at 213.480.3232, at all Ticketmaster outlets (Robinsons May, Tower Records and Ritmo Latino locations), or online at hollywoodbowl.com. Groups of 12 or more may be eligible for a 20% discount, subject to availability; call 323.850-2050 for further details. For general information or to request a brochure, call 323.850.2000.
# # #
Elizabeth Hinckley, 323/850-2047; David Barber, 323/850-2023