DC Jazz Festival Adds Cassandra Wilson, Kenny Garrett & Joshua Redman To Great Masters of Jazz Celebration

Celebrating 15 years as the only citywide jazz festival in the Mid-Atlantic region, DC Jazz Festival (DCJF) is proud to announce the addition of acclaimed genre-bending vocalist Cassandra Wilson, perennial poll-winning alto saxophonist Kenny Garrett, and tenor sax titan Joshua Redman to its already stellar lineup celebrating Great Masters of Jazz, Sunday, June 16 in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall. The DC JazzFest presented by Events DC takes place throughout the District from June 7-16.

On that closing night of the 15th anniversary festival, DC JazzFest will celebrate NEA Jazz Masters Quincy Jones, Nancy Wilson, the renowned trumpeter Roy Hargrove, and Shirley Horn, plus the DC-based stalwart saxophonist Fred Foss. Tickets for Great Masters of Jazzcan be found here.

Hosted by Nick Cannon, the evening will feature a remarkable cast of great artists, including the Roy Hargrove Big Band, vocal stylist Patti Austin, pianist (and Quincy Jones protégé) Justin Kauflin, vocalist Sharón Clark, the Chris Grasso Trio, vocalist Roberta Gambarini, and the Princess Mhoon Dance Project. The evening will also feature remarks and observations on the Great Masters from scholar-activist Adam Clayton Powell lll, television personalities Leon Harris, Angela Stribling, and Paxton Baker, plus DCJF executive director Sunny Sumter, and artistic director Willard Jenkins.

"I can think of no more apropos way to close out our 15th anniversary DC JazzFest than with an evening recognizing jazz mastery," said DCJF executive director Sunny Sumter. "This evening will bring an unprecedented roster of talent to the Kennedy Center Concert Hall to honor some of the peerless masters of the art form."

A native of Detroit, alto saxophonist and occasional flutist Kenny Garrett first came on the scene as a member of the Duke Ellington Orchestra, under the direction of Mercer Ellington. He has performed with a broad range of great artists, including the Mel Lewis Orchestra, Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, Miles Davis, Woody Shaw, McCoy Tyner, Pharoah Sanders, Freddie Hubbard, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Elvin Jones, and John McLaughlin. A Grammy nominee, Garrett has continued to record as a leader for the Warner Bros. and more recently Mack Avenue labels.

The rich contralto voice of Cassandra Wilson first came to broad recognition as a member of the forward-gazing MBase collective. The native of Jackson, MS and graduate of Jackson State University, won Grammy Awards for her New Moon Daughter, and Loverly recordings, and received an Honorary Doctorate in Fine Arts from The New School. One of her most widely acclaimed recordings was Traveling Miles, her 1999 tribute to Davis, and she contributed to Wynton Marsalis' 1997 opus Blood On The Fields.

One of the most esteemed and charismatic artists of our time, the ceaselessly innovative saxophonist Joshua Redman has become a legend in his own right. As JamBase says, 'When the conversation ensues about who is carrying on the great tradition of jazz musicianship today'. If Joshua Redman's name does not come up, the conversation is not worth having.' Critics and fans alike are blown away by Redman's passionate live performances and acclaimed recordings.

For more information about the 2019 DC JazzFest presented by Events DC, June 7-16, including concert updates and ticketing information, visit dcjazzfest.org

DC Jazz Festival presents world-renowned and emerging artists in celebration of jazz; unifies diverse communities; advances jazz and music education with exciting and adventurous musical experiences; shines the spotlight on DC-based musicians; and highlights DC as a premier cultural destination. Our signature programs are the annual DC JazzFest, now in its 15th year, with 150 performances in 40 venues including our tribute concerts in partnership with The Kennedy Center; Jazz in the 'Hoods with citywide partnerships in 20+ neighborhoods; DC JazzFest at The Wharf, our marquee weekend with free outdoor stages and The Anthem; the year-round DCJF Education in partnership with DC public and charter schools, and arts centers; the Charles Fishman Artist Embassy Series honoring our founder; and DCJazzPrix, an international band competition. The DC Jazz Festival won the 2018 DC Mayor's Arts Award for Excellence in Creative Industries. In 2015, The New York Times named DC JazzFest one of "50 Essential Summer Festivals." For more information, visit dcjazzfest.org

Kennedy Center Jazz, under the leadership of Artistic Director Jason Moran, presents legendary artists who have helped shape the art form, artists who are emerging on the jazz scene, and innovative multidisciplinary projects throughout the year. The KC Jazz Club, launched in 2002 and dubbed "the future of the jazz nightclub" by JazzTimes, hosts many of these artists in an intimate setting; while the Crossroads Club, launched in 2012, is a nightclub dance venue. Annual Kennedy Center jazz events include the professional development residency program for young artists, Betty Carter's Jazz Ahead;NPR's A Jazz Piano Christmas, the Kennedy Center holiday tradition shared by millions around the country via broadcast on NPR; and the Mary Lou Williams Jazz Festival, created in 1996 by the late Dr. Billy Taylor (Kennedy Center Artistic Director for Jazz, 1994-2010). The Center co-produces the annual NEA Jazz Masters Tribute Concerts, celebrating iconic figures in the music. For more information, visit kennedy-center.org

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