ABSOLUTELY LIVE ENTERTAINMENT
presents the 2010 Season
Below is just a sample of the activities ALE will be working on for the next year!
More news and updates will appear regularly.
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"Louis" - A Silent FilmMonday, August 30, 8pm “Louis” is a silent film set in 1907 New Orleans that tells the story of a young boy born into poverty who dreams of playing the trumpet. The action takes place in “The District” – the section of New Orleans dedicated to pleasure and violence. “Louis” is an homage to Louis Armstrong, Charlie Chaplin, beautiful women and the birth of the great American art form, jazz. “Louis” is a new film by Dan Pritzker, shot in the style of a classic silent film by Academy Award winning cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond. The film will be accompanied by live music from The Wynton Marsalis Ensemble and pianist Cecile Licad. THIS FILM IS RATED R -- TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 70 Minutes Tickets are on sale now at ticketmaster.com and at the Apollo Theater Box Office at 253 West 125th St. (between 7th & 8th Aves.) or by calling 1-800-745-3000. |
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Freihofer's Saratoga Jazz Festival, Saratoga Springs, NYThe 33rd Annual Freihofer's Jazz Festival took place on Saturday, June 26 & Sunday, June 27 at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center and presented a stellar 2010 lineup including the "Empress of Soul" Gladys Knight, jazz singer Al Jarreau & the George Duke Trio, legendary blues icon Taj Mahal, guitarist extraordinaire Al Di Meola and two piano legends – Ramsey Lewis and Ahmad Jamal. The festival featured more than 20 performances over the two-day weekend on SPAC’s Amphitheater and Gazebo stages and many of the artists performed at the festival for the first time. Saturday, June 26
Sunday, June 27
Presented in partnership with the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, this festival is like no other: two days & nights, two stages, picnics, reserved seats & tents on the lawn, free parking, sun & shade, jazz, blues, soul, Latin and more. With an inside seating capacity of 5,200 and lawn seating of 20,000, and just three hours driving time from Boston and New York, SPAC's Jazz Festival draws thousands of jazz aficionados from across the Northeast and the US.
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"The Shape of Jazz"Zankel Hall @ Carnegie Hall2010-2011 season
For further information, please go to Carnegie Hall or call CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800. |
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Kind of Blue @ 50 — Jimmy Cobb & The So What Band World TourMiles Davis recorded what would become the most famous album in jazz, Kind of Blue, in 1959. Jimmy Cobb was the drummer on those sessions. Fifty years later Cobb, the newly honored NEA Jazz Master who celebrated his 80th birthday on January 20, 2009 (Inauguration Day!), leads a handpicked band on a world tour. ALE proudly produces this tour, which commenced at the 40th annual New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in May '09, followed by a trip to Sao Paulo, Brazil in mid-May. The band performed at many North American and European Jazz Festivals in June & July and throughout the fall in Europe and in the US. The band includes Eddie Henderson, Javon Jackson, Vincent Herring, Larry Willis, Buster Williams & Jimmy Cobb and will perform in Knoxville, TN on Saturday, August 28, 2010. The band, featuring Jeremy Pelt on trumpet, will perform 4 concerts in February, 2011 in Albany, NY (2/10), Blue Bell, PA (2/11), Buffalo, NY (2/12), & Red Bank, NJ (2/13). Click here to see the 2009 50th anniversary tour schedule. For more information on presenting this ensemble, please contact Scott Southard at International Music Network at 978-283-2883 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . |
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Danilo Perez presents "Things To Come: 21st Century Dizzy"Here's the next "thing" from three-time Grammy ® nominee and Panamanian jazz pianist Danilo Perez, his global all-star band celebrating the music and bountiful inspiration of his mentor, Dizzy Gillespie. As the youngest member of the last edition of Dizzy Gillespie's United Nation Orchestra, Perez learned first-hand how Gillespie embraced musical and personal collaborations throughout the world. Danilo has assembled a little big band to perform new arrangements of classic Gillespie tunes in addition to original group compositions. Dizzy's bands were a constant melting pot of styles, genres, and pan-global collaborations. Danilo's hand-picked all-stars, with roots in Afro-Cuban, be-bop, Indian, African and Middle Eastern music among other genres, will more than honor Dizzy's legendary vision. ALE is proud to produce this band, which toured between February and May 2010, featuring Danilo Perez - piano (Panama), David Sanchez - tenor saxophone (Puerto Rico), Rudresh Mahanthappa - alto saxophone (India/US), Jamey Haddad - percussion (Lebanon/US), Ben Street - bass (US), Adam Cruz - drums (Puerto Rico/US) and Amir ElSaffar - trumpet/voice (Iraq/US). 2010 Tour dates were: Friday 3/19/10 Philadelphia, PA
For more information on presenting this ensemble, please contact Jack Randall at Ted Kurland Associates at 617-254-0007 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . |
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Blue Note Records — A 70th Anniversary Recording & TourThroughout 2009, Blue Note Records celebrated its 70th anniversary. ALE produced a national tour that featured an all-star band led by Blue Note Records recording artist and pianist Bill Charlap. The band includes Peter Bernstein, Ravi Coltrane, Lewis Nash, Nicholas Payton, Peter Washington and Steve Wilson. The group's recording, which was the #1 Jazz Radio CD of the year, The Blue Note 7: Mosaic is out now. Click here to see the entire US tour schedule. The band is on hiatus at this time and we hope to have them on the road again in the future! |
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Sonny Rollins 80th Birthday Celebration!Sunday, April 18, 2010
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2009 in Review |
Keith Jarrett – An Evening of Solo ImprovisationsThursday, January 29, 2009
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"Miles & Coltrane" - 50th Anniversary of Kind of Blue and Giant StepsThursday-Saturday, February 12-14, 2009Rose Theater at Frederick P. Rose Hall In 1959, two seminal albums changed the way jazz was played and heard: Miles Davis' Kind of Blue and John Coltrane's Giant Steps. Music director Mulgrew Miller and his trio join a capella masters Take 6 to bring their unique style to the music of Kind of Blue, while the saxophone section of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra plays orchestrated solos from Giant Steps. The legendary Jimmy Cobb, the drummer on Kind of Blue & Giant Steps, joins the evening's festivities, as these groundbreaking masterpieces are re-imagined. |
Honor: Blues, Jazz, Rhythm and Blues, Soul, And BeyondWednesday, March 4, 2009Carnegie HallJessye Norman, Producer Paying tribute to the great African American popular music artists of the past, the brightest lights in blues, rhythm and blues, soul, and jazz, as well as today's daring innovators, gathered for a magical evening of music. Each presentation paralleled an event in the bountiful history of performances by African American artists at Carnegie Hall. This grand celebration featured Ashford & Simpson, Anthony Hamilton, Doug E. Fresh, Leela James, Kem, Toshi Reagon, James “Blood” Ulmer, Vernon Reid, Ryan Shaw, MC Lyte, Freddie Jackson, James Carter, Terence Blanchard, Geri Allen, Ron Carter, and others. |
Afro-Cuban All StarsSaturday, March 28, 2009First NYC Appearance in 10 Years!The Town Hall Presented in partnership with New Audiences Productions, this concert was a rousing success. The band performed an incredible set of over two hours to a close-to-capacity audience! |
Duke Ellington Jazz Festival — Washington DCJune 5-15, 20095th Annual Duke Ellington Jazz Festival Celebrates New OrleansExpanded to 11 days from seven days last year, the 5th annual Festival presented over 100 programs in nearly 50 venues, bringing jazz to every part of the city and to every level of fan from young to old, artist to student, resident to tourist. The 5th anniversary festival paid tribute to the unique, rich and diverse musical heritage of New Orleans. The salute to pianist/composer/educator Ellis Marsalis, a patriarch of jazz in New Orleans and father of musicians Branford, Delfeayo, Jason and Wynton, at the Kennedy Center on June 15, was completely sold out and one of the finest artistic events ever witnessed by those lucky enough to be in the house that evening. Ellis performed along side his sons, Harry Connick, Jr., Dr. Billy Taylor and others. The DEJF's unique and free programs included Jazz 'n Families Fun Day at the Phillips Collection, and Jazz on The National Mall, two days of free concerts next to the Washington Monument on June 13 & 14. The Mall event featured Terence Blanchard, Irma Thomas & the Professionals, Buckwheat Zydeco, Little Freddie King, Nicholas Payton, Rebirth Brass Band, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Donald Harrison, Don Vappie & The Creole Jazz Serenaders and Bob French & The Original Tuxedo Jazz Band. 2010 festival dates will be announced in the fall and further information can be found at www.dejazzfest.org. |
Gary Burton Quartet Revisited, featuring Pat Metheny, Steve Swallow & Antonio SanchezSaturday, June 20, 2009, 8 pmBerklee Performance Center, Boston, MAVibraphone master Gary Burton reunited with former band-mates, guitar virtuoso Pat Metheny and bass guitar legend Steve Swallow along with contemporary drumming sensation Antonio Sanchez for a summer tour of the U.S. & Canada in support of their new Concord Records release, Quartet Live. |
Freihofer's Saratoga Jazz Festival, Saratoga Springs, NYThe 32nd Annual Freihofer's Jazz Festival, which featured stellar performances by Patti LaBelle, George Benson, Dave Brubeck, Gary Burton Quartet featuring Pat Metheny, Bettye Lavette, Spanish Harlem Orchestra, SMV - Stanley Clarke, Marcus Miller, Victor Wooten, and a celebration of Miles Davis' seminal album, Kind of Blue by jazz great Jimmy Cobb, and many others, was a smashing success. More information can be found on SPAC's website at www.spac.org or by contacting SPAC at 518-584-9330. |
"Iranian Sounds of Peace: Rumi Symphony Project Cycle I"Saturday, November 14, 2009 An East/West “musical dialogue” featuring Hafez Nazeri and his legendary father, Shahram Nazeri, with an international all-star ensemble. The Nazeri Music Foundation presents "Iranian Sounds of Peace" in association with Absolutely Live Entertainment and the Asia Society and is the first Iranian headlining event at Carnegie Hall. |
"The Shape of Jazz" — Prior Seasons
Terence Blanchard Eliane Elias James Moody Celebration
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