Low Country Jazz Festival Lineup 2012 Has Star Power and Musical Variety

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
February 4, 2012
 
CONTACT:
 
Tammy Greene
 
Jazz Diva Entertainment, LLC
 
Phone: 704-774-0375
 
E-mail: info@lowcountryjazz.com
 
Low Country Jazz Festival Lineup 2012 Has Star Power and Musical Variety
 
North Charleston, SC – February 3, 2012 – The man whose unique vocal style is called “one of the world’s most precious treasures” will headline the 4th annual Low Country Jazz Festival this summer. Al Jarreau’s innovative musical expressions have earned him seven Grammy® Awards, scores of international music awards and popular accolades worldwide.
 
Perhaps best known for singing the Grammy-nominated theme song of the 1985 television series Moonlighting, Jarreau has received a Star on the “Hollywood Walk of Fame” commemorating his status as one of the best singers of his generation.
 
The expanded 3-day weekend of jazz music also features a slate of top contemporary instrumentalists of all types, including saxmen Gerald Albright and Ronnie Laws, pianist Alex Bugnon, guitarists Norman Brown and Matt Marshak and local favorite, trumpeter Charlton Singleton, conductor of the Charleston Jazz Orchestra. Additional artists are still being confirmed.
 
“It is my sincere hope that the Low country Jazz Festival will continue as a major source of enjoyment for contemporary jazz lovers in our community. Our main purpose however is to raise funds for the Thaddeus John Bell endowment fund for African American students at The Medical University of South Carolina and to annually fund our radio health tips to improve the health literacy of African Americans and the undeserved population. I call it jazzing with a purpose”, says Dr. Thaddeus John Bell, Founder of Closing The Gap In Healthcare Inc.
 
The Low Country Jazz Festival takes place August 31 through September 2, in Charleston, SC, recently named Top U.S. City by Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards. Jazz enthusiasts will be able to enjoy Charleston’s noteworthy neighborhoods, boutique hotels, incredible restaurants, designer shopping, antique stores and vintage shops, not to mention beaches and beautiful weather, before attending shows at the North Charleston Performing Arts Center. New this year is a Sunday smooth jazz brunch to allow fans to meet and greet the artists.
 
Although Jarreau may be the most well known of the performers, the all-star lineup will impress jazz fans. Gerald Albright, who was featured at President Clinton’s inauguration, has sold more than a million albums in the U.S. alone. In addition to saxophone, his self-produced music showcases his talent on bass guitar, keyboards, flutes, drum programming and background vocals, earning him the reputation as “musician’s musician.”
 
Ronnie Laws’ debut album with Blue Note records, Pressure Sensitive (1975), rapidly emerged to become the longest-selling album, at that time, in the 42-year history of the label. A former member of Earth, Wind and Fire, Laws’ first hit, “Always There” was one of the most popular, sax-driven, cross-over hits of the 70’s Jazz-Funk Fusion era.
 
Swiss-born Alex Bugnon began playing piano at age six and has a prestigious musical education from the Paris Conservatory, the Mozart Academy in Salzburg, Austria and the Berklee School of Music in Boston. His recording career began in 1989 with the album, Love Season which reached both pop and Top 40 R&B charts as did his 1990 recording, Head Over Heels. Bugnon signed with Narada Jazz in 2001 and released Soul Purpose which remained on Billboard’s Contemporary Jazz chart for 23 weeks. Atlanta is now his second home and his 2003 album is appropriately named Southern Living.
 
Guitarist Norman Brown is well known to contemporary jazz fans. His album Just Chillin’ received a GRAMMY® Award in 2003 and two years later The Very Best Of Norman Brown was one of the best-selling smooth jazz albums of 2005.
 
Two fan favorites will again be at the jazz festival in 2012. Guitarist Matt Marshak received standing ovations in 2010 and trumpeter Charlton Singleton, conductor of the Charleston Jazz Orchestra, will show the out-of-towners why he is locally known and loved.
 
Tickets for the Low Country Jazz Festival, presented by Closing the Gap in Health Care, Inc., go on sale at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, February 8, 2012. For more information, visit www.lowcountryjazzfestival.com. Tickets will be available at ticketmaster.com or the North Charleston Performing Arts Center Box Office.
 
ABOUT CLOSING THE GAP IN HEALTHCARE
 
The mission of Closing the Gap in Health Care, Inc. (CGHC, Inc.) is to decrease health disparities by providing information to under-served populations. Health information is provided through radio broadcast and summits at churches, schools, and community programs. CGHC, Inc. also provides a free weekly Health-E-Newsletter to thousands of email subscribers.
 
Select Health of South Carolina, Inc. honored Dr. Thaddeus John Bell with a scholarship for African American students at the Medical University of South Carolina. The purpose of the scholarship is to increase the number of African American Health Providers in the State of South Carolina. The Thaddeus John Bell Closing the Gap in Health Care Scholarship will begin awarding students after enough funds have been raised to support the fund in perpetuity. Closing The Gap In Healthcare Inc is a 501(3)c organization.

The 4th Annual Low Country Jazz Festival
 
www.lowcountryjazzfestival.com
 
Media Contact
 
Tammy Greene, Festival Producer
 
info@lowcountryjazz.com
 
Tel: (704)774-0375

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