Individual Concert Tickets Now on Sale for Tri-C JazzFest
40th annual festival offers nine concerts June 27-29 in the historic theatres at Playhouse Square
Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C®) has announced individual tickets are now on sale for the full lineup of shows at this year’s Tri-C JazzFest Cleveland, presented by KeyBank.
The 40th annual festival features nine shows (thirteen acts) in several historic theatres at Playhouse Square, and showcases an eclectic lineup that includes tributes to Cleveland music legends Bobby Womack and Tadd Dameron.
Other festival highlights include a reunion of the original Flecktones, a half-century of funk and soul from Tower of Power, a teenage piano prodigy whose career launched at Harlem’s fabled Apollo Theater, and a show featuring piano and tap.
Tickets are available through the Playhouse Square box office at 216-241-6000 or www.playhousesquare.org.
Here is the concert lineup for the 40th annual Tri-C JazzFest Cleveland, with show times, locations and pricing:
Thursday, June 27
Tower of Power — 7:45 p.m., KeyBank State Theatre, $40-$70
This funk and soul band lives up to its name through electric performances guaranteed to energize a crowd. Look for the group — which is celebrating its 50th anniversary — to mix golden classics from the past with material from their newest CD.
Friday, June 28
Tribute to Tadd Dameron ft. the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra/Dianne Reeves — 6 p.m., Ohio Theatre, $42.50-$60
Bassist John Clayton leads the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra as it pairs with five-time Grammy-winning vocalist Dianne Reeves in a tribute to legendary Cleveland bop composer Tadd Dameron. They’ll perform signature Dameron compositions with help from special guest Dominick Farinacci.
Béla Fleck & The Flecktones/John Scofield’s Combo 66 — 7:45 p.m., KeyBank State Theatre, $40-$70
Groundbreaking banjoist Béla Fleck comes to Cleveland with the original Flecktones — Victor Wooten, Roy “Futureman” Wooten and Howard Levy — fresh off their first recording collaboration in almost two decades. Guitarist John Scofield will perform with his new group, Combo 66, which features pianist Gerald Clayton, bassist Vicente Archer and drummer Bill Stewart.
Akiko/Hamilton/Dechter B-3 Trio — 10:15 p.m., Allen Theatre, $22.50-$30
Dynamic drummer and brush master Jeff Hamilton leads a fresh new organ trio featuring guitarist Graham Dechter and B-3 wizard Akiko Tsuruga.
Saturday, June 29
Regina Carter and Xavier Davis/Helen Sung and Michela Marino Lerman — 1 p.m., Ohio Theatre, $30-$40
The violin serves as an improvisational vehicle that Grammy nominee Regina Carter uses to reach unexpected realms. Her duo with pianist Xavier Davis offers a simpatico merging of two musical minds. Prize-winning pianist/composer Helen Sung presents a unique and imaginative collaboration with tap dancer Michela Marino Lerman.
Ernie Krivda’s Return to Swing City/Matthew Whitaker — 3:30 p.m., Allen Theatre, $30-$40
In the early ‘90s, legendary sax man Ernie Krivda defined the soul and direction of the Tri-C Jazz Studies program with the faculty group Swing City. Their recordings — which Krivda turned into a CD — come to life in a fitting show to mark the festival’s 40th anniversary. Seventeen-year-old pianist Matthew Whitaker won the Apollo Theater’s amateur night at age nine, and has since toured the world, playing Carnegie Hall and becoming the youngest artist endorsed by Hammond in its 80+ year history.
Tribute to Bobby Womack featuring Christian McBride — 6 p.m., Ohio Theatre, $30-$50
Jazz innovator Christian McBride — the most in-demand bassist of his generation — reveals the funk and soul in his DNA in this celebration of music by Cleveland music genius Bobby Womack. McBride will be joined for this one-of-a-kind performance by a slamming jump band and vocalists Avery Sunshine and Nona Hendryx.
Jazz Funk Soul/Sax to the Max — 7:45 p.m., KeyBank State Theatre, $40-$70
Pianist, composer and producer Jeff Lorber — an innovator on the music scene for more than three decades — takes the stage with acclaimed ensemble Jazz Funk Soul, featuring Everette Harp and Paul Jackson Jr. Sax to the Max saturates the senses with saxophonists Michael Lington, Vincent Ingala and Paul Taylor.
Jamey Haddad’s Under One Sun — 10:15 p.m., Allen Theatre, $22.50-$30
Percussionist/drummer Jamey Haddad — a Cleveland native — brings a collection of world musicians with Under One Sun, a collection of tunes written by Kenny Drewes. The intergenerational band features eight musician representing five countries. The wide array of instruments, moods and vocal styles makes for a powerful groove of world jazz.
Festival passes — which offer prime seating to all nine ticketed concerts, plus other perks — are available but going fast. Cost is $250. Visit www.jazzfest40.eventbrite.com to purchase.
The 2019 JazzFest will also include free outdoor concerts at Playhouse Square from 3 p.m. to midnight during the Friday and Saturday of festival weekend. The popular performances will feature local and regional talent selected by a jury of music industry experts.
The festival draws tens of thousands of people downtown for the weekend. For a full roster of Tri-C JazzFest events — including free community concerts in the months leading up to the festival — visit www.tri-cjazzfest.com.
Tri-C JazzFest Cleveland is presented by KeyBank and made possible by Cuyahoga Community College, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Ohio Arts Council, Strassman Insurance Services Inc. and a growing list of donors and vendors.
April 01, 2019
John Horton, 216-987-4281 john.horton@tri-c.edu