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Crystal Edwards
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832-388-1039
The 28th Annual Houston International Jazz Festival Kicks off Jazz Month in the City of Houston! Mayor Turner keeps the tradition alive !! He will be saluting former Summer Jazz Workshop students at Annual Houston International Jazz Festival Mayor’s Scholarship Jazz Brunch!
HOUSTON, TX, July 13, 2018 – August is Jazz Month and on August 3- 4th Jazz Education Inc. will mark the start of their 28th Annual Houston International Jazz Festival! By providing Houstonians and lovers of Jazz a fun, a music-filled weekend. The festival supports music education for young students through programming hosted by Jazz Education, Inc. year-round. Guests experience concerts and parties featuring artists and bands from around the world, while keeping the history and legacy of Jazz alive. August 3rd is the Houston International Jazz Festival Kick-Off Party at contemporary music venue Sugar’s Cajun Cuisine and Bar located at 3424 FM 1092 Road in Missouri City, Texas 77459. Performing will be a special guest along with the with the SJW All-Stars. Doors open at 8pm.
This year’s festival performers will be “The Ladies of Horn and Song!” Featuring head-liner and two-time Grammy Award Nominated Jazz and Blues/Rock saxophonist and vocalist sensation Mindi Abair.
Mindi has garnered ten #1 radio hits, six Top 5 solo records and two #1 spots on the Billboard album charts. Ms. Abair is also an author and National Trustee for The National Academy of Recording Arts and Science, the organization that puts on the Grammy Awards Show.
Also performing is flutist extraordinaire Althea Rene’ who studied classical music while attending Howard University in Washington, D.C. and later gained further musical inspiration from the accomplishments of Yusef Lateef, Ian Anderson, and her father (one of Motown’s original Funk Brothers) Dezie McCullers.
Opening the Jazz Festival will be Jazz and R&B vocalist Ashleigh Smith, Dallas based singer and songwriter who won the 2014 Sarah Vaughn International Vocal Competition.Ms. Smith studied classical music at Georgia’s Columbus State University on a full-ride scholarship but soon transferred to the prestigious University of North Texas.
On Sunday, August 12th, attendees gather to witness the works of the Summer Jazz Workshop All Star Orchestra at the Mayor’s Scholarship Jazz Brunch. The brunch, at which scholarships are given to workshop participants, is a highlight of the festival. Keeping with tradition and following in the footsteps of former mayors. Mayor Turner will join the orchestra as the Guest Conductor. In years past, Mayors Lanier, Brown, White and Parker have also conducted and presented former workshop students with college scholarships.
The Mayor’s Scholarship Jazz Brunch, a favorite of festival attendees will take place on August 12th at the Houston Hobby Center located at 800 Bagby Street in downtown Houston. General brunch admission is $125 and table sponsorship options are listed on the Jazz Education website. For tickets and more information, visit www.jazzeducation.org or www.houstoninternationaljazzfestival.com.
For interviews and additional media inquiries, contact Crystal Edwards 832-388-1039.
