Lincoln Center Festival Of 2009 Announces Pop & Music Lineup For Summer

The music lineup at Lincoln Center Festival 09 includes US debuts by Algerian music icon Idir and Moroccan Chaabi singer Najat Aatabou; a double bill with Justin Adams and Juldeh Camara, and Issa Bagayogo; and a tribute to celebrated New Orleans songwriter Wardell Quezergue, featuring a roster of noted musical artists from that city's annual Ponderosa Stomp music festival.

The lineup for Midsummer Night Swing 2009 includes a Lincoln Center 50th Anniversary performance by Chubby Checker, the debut performance of Melba Joyce & Her Big Band, and the New York debut of the electro tango group, Otros Aires, from Argentina. For the first time Midsummer Night Swing and Lincoln Center Festival are collaborating to bring three nights of Ponderosa Stomp to Lincoln Center. Founded in 2001, the Ponderosa Stomp has grown into an important event with a national profile. In a review of the concert last April, The New York Times called Ponderosa Stomp, "A party on its way to becoming an institution." An all-access ticket to the three performances (July 16, 17, and 19) is available for $50.

Lincoln Center Festival 2009 is sponsored by American Express.

Midsummer Night Swing is made possible in part by grants from Daisy and Paul Soros and Charina Endowment Fund.

American Ballroom Company is a sponsor of Midsummer Night Swing.

Midsummer Night Swing 2009 is sponsored by Bloomberg.

Here is a chronological listing of pop and world music events for July 2009:

KERMIT RUFFINS & THE BARBECUE SWINGERS

Kermit Ruffins plays New Orleans jazz with all the swing and swagger of the late, great Louis Armstrong. His sweet horn blows jazz, funk, and standards that reflect the big brass tradition of his beloved city. Charismatic and confident, Kermit Ruffins and his band really cook - in every sense of the word - as he serves up hot barbecue as well as cool music at his restaurant & club in The Big Easy.

Lesson: Paolo "P Lindy" Lanna of the Lindy Hop All-Stars; DJ: Ryan Swift - Yehoodi.com

One performance: Tuesday, July 7

Running time: Dance lesson at 6:30pm; 2 sets of performance starting at 7:30pm

Damrosch Park, 62nd Street between Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues

Tickets: $15

Chubby Checker **50th Anniversary Show**

Chubby Checker is credited with revolutionizing popular music when he invented "dancing apart to the beat" to his hit "The Twist". That record is the only single to reach #1 twice, and it was the #1 single for the entire decade of the 1960s. Checker's other dance hits include "Limbo Rock", "The Pony", and "Let's Twist Again," among others. A rock n' roll icon who has sold more than 250 million records over the course of his 50-year career, Checker maintains a full schedule of concert dates and he last released a chart-topping dance track, "Knock Down the Walls," in 2007.

Lesson: You Should Be Dancing; DJ: Phast Phreddie The Boogaloo Omnibus

One performance: Wednesday, July 8

Running Time: Dance lesson at 6:30pm; one set of performance at 8:30pm

Damrosch Park, 62nd Street between Columbus & Amsterdam Avenues

Tickets: $15

THE WOODY HERMAN ORCHESTRA directed by Frank Tiberi

Very few of the bands that carry the name of the great band leaders of the 1930s and 40s have any of the original players left. But the Woody Herman Orchestra is an exception. Band leader Frank Tiberi played with Herman beginning in 1969, and was personally chosen by Herman to lead his band before he died in 1987. The Herman band, known for its often experimental approach to jazz, blues and swing, was one of the best bands of the era and its current incarnation carries on the driving sound that made it famous.

Lesson: Simone Coonrod of Swinging with Simone®; DJ: Nando Valesquez

One performance: Thursday, July 9

Running Time: Dance lesson at 6:30pm; Two sets of performance beginning at 7:30pm

Damrosch Park, 62nd Street between Columbus & Amsterdam Avenues

Tickets: $15

OCCIDENTAL BROTHERS DANCE BAND INTERNATIONAL

SAMBA MAPANGALA & VIRUNGA

The Chicago-based Occidental Brothers Dance Band International plays Central and West African classic dance music including soukous, rumba, and highlife. This multi-racial group, popular on the summer festival circuit, gets audiences on the dance floor with their classic Ghanian beats. Joining them on the bill will be East Africa's most beloved singer, Samba Mapangala, and his group, Virunga. Mapangala created a unique style of Congolese rumba which incorporates elements of Kenyan benga and Swahili rumba, all sung in his astounding voice. Mapangala had a recent worldwide hit with his song, "Obama Ubarikie."

Lesson: Thelma Mwan' Dido; DJ: DJ Beto

One performance: Friday, July 10

Running Time: Dance lesson at 6:30pm; followed by one set by Occidental Brothers Dance Band

International at 7:30pm, and one set by Samba Mapangala & Virunga at 9:30pm

Damrosch Park, 62nd Street between Columbus & Amsterdam Avenues

Tickets: $15

BIG 3 PALLADIUM ORCHESTRA: The Music of Machito, Tito Rodriguez, and Tito Puente **50th Anniversary Show**

In the 1950s, America's love affair with the mambo started in the Palladium Ballroom in New York. The giants of the genre were Machito, Tito Rodriguez and Tito Puente, known as "The Big 3." This musical era is recreated by the Big 3 Palladium Orchestra, led by two sons of the maestros - percussionists Tito Rodriguez, Jr. and Machito, Jr. (Mario Grillo) - and comprised of many musicians from the original bands. The sound is big and blazing, an aural feast of pulsing Latin rhythms.

Lesson: Delille ‘Mambo D' Thomas & Glenda ‘La Mambera' Heffer; DJ: Ron McGugins - On2 Productions

One performance: Saturday, July 11

Running time: Dance lesson at 6:30pm, followed by two sets of performance beginning at 7:30pm

Damrosch Park, 62nd Street between Columbus & Amsterdam Avenues

Tickets: $15

Melba Joyce & HER BIG BAND (Debut performance)

The big band era had only a few female band leaders - Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday were two - but now veteran jazz songbird Melba Joyce joins their ranks. Joyce, who has sung with The Count Basie Orchestra and the Lionel Hampton Orchestra as well as made numerous recordings, has assembled a constellation of New York jazz all stars to perform this summer, including Helen Sung on piano, Anat Cohen on tenor sax, Don Braden on tenor sax, Valery Ponomav on trumpet, Tanya Darby on trumpet and Benny Powell on trombone. The group will swing the standards, the not-so-standards, old tunes, new tunes and some Latin on the side. The evening will include a tribute to the great Benny Goodman, who would have celebrated his 100th birthday this year.

Lesson: Pierre Dulaine - American Ballroom Theater; DJ: Dave Muzii

One performance: Tuesday, July 14

Running time: Dance lesson at 6#0pm, followed by two sets of performance beginning at 7:30pm

Damrosch Park, 62nd Street between Columbus & Amsterdam Avenues

Tickets: $15

OTROS AIRES (New York Debut)

Otros Aires, an electro tango Nuevo group founded in Barcelona in 2003 but now based in their native Argentina, mixes the tango and milongas songs from the early 20th Century with electronic melodies, sequences and lyrics from the 21st Century for a unique sound. Composed of four members - on bandoneon, guitar, drums and keyboard - the warmth of the acoustic instruments is more than matched by the coolness of the electronic sequences. Otros Aires' music is hypnotic, sensual, and timeless tango. Their set will include traditional acoustic tango as well as new, electronic repertoire

Lesson: Victoria Sarquisse & Federico Jorquera - Tampa Tango Argentino; DJ: Yesim ‘La Turca"

One performance: Thursday, July 15

Running time: Dance lesson at 6:30pm, followed by two sets of performance beginning at 7:30pm

Damrosch Park, 62nd Street between Columbus & Amsterdam Avenues

Tickets: $15

PONDEROSA STOMP: THE GET DOWN - SOUL AND R&B

Featuring William Bell, Harvey Scales, and The Bobbettes with The Bo-Keys

New Orleans' renowned music revue, the Ponderosa Stomp, decamps to New York for three nights of great live music: two nights for Midsummer Night Swing, and one night at Lincoln Center Festival. The first night will showcase Stax/Volt recording artist and songwriter William Bell, whose strong yet smooth voice sang "You Don't Miss Your Water," among other R&B classics. Harvey ("Disco Lady") Scales, also on the bill, has been active since the 60s. He credits James Brown's funk as being a major influence on his music. The third headliner will be The Bobbettes, the first all-female R&B group to have a major pop hit record with "Mr. Lee." All three acts will perform with those champions of the Memphis soul sound, The Bo-Keys.

Lesson: Dave Maxx & MAK 3 Dance Club featuring Chicago's DJ Lady C; DJ: Meredith Ochs - Sirius XM

One performance: Thursday, July 16

Running time: dance lesson at 6:30pm, followed by performance sets beginning at 7:30pm

Damrosch Park, 62nd Street between Columbus & Amsterdam Avenues

Tickets: $15

PONDEROSA STOMP: THE BEST DANCE PARTY IN TOWN - ROCKABILLY

Featuring Joe Clay, Carl Mann, and The Collins Kids with Deke Dickerson & The Eccofonics

Night two of Ponderosa Stomp will celebrate with a night of rockabilly starting with singer Joe Clay. Clay, a contemporary of Elvis Presley's who mined the same rock, R&B, and blues roots, had some early hits before being rediscovered in the 1980s by British audiences. Carl Mann, singer and pianist, is an alum of Sun Records (as was Presley) who recorded a rockabilly version of Nat King Cole's "Mona Lisa", among other songs, that have fanatic fans to this day. The Collins Kids were juvenile rockabilly stars in the 1950s, singing hits aimed at a young audience. Larry Collins was a lightning-fingered double-neck guitar whiz from the age of 10, and sister Lorrie was a huge star and one of the first "teen idols." They still perform together. All three acts will perform with Deke Dickerson & The Eccofonics, one of America's foremost purveyors of roots music. Lesson: John Knapp & Meredith Snead - Shall We Dance?; DJ: Todd-O-Phonic Todd, WFMU

One performance: Friday, July 17

Running time: Dance lesson at 6:30pm, followed by performance sets beginning at 7:30pm

Damrosch Park, 62nd Street between Columbus & Amsterdam Avenues

Tickets: $15

NEW SWING SEXTET

A New York-based salsa band that was wildly popular in the 1960s and 70s, the vibraphone-fronted New Swing Sextet has reformed and is playing concerts dates all over the world as well as making recordings of classic songs given a salsa treatment, including "My Favorite Things" and "Che Che."

Lesson: Tony Meredith & Melanie LaPatin - www.DanceTimesSquare.com; DJ: DJ Nelson Torres

One performance: Saturday, July 18

Running time: Dance lesson at 6:30pm, followed by two sets of performance beginning at 7:30pm

Damrosch Park, 62nd Street between Columbus & Amsterdam Avenues

Tickets: $15

A NIGHT IN THE MAGHREB

Idir (U.S. Debut)

Najat Aatabou (U.S. Debut)

One performance: July 18 at 8:00 p.m.

Running time: Approximately 2 ½ hours, one intermission

Avery Fisher Hall, Broadway and 64th Street

Tickets: $30, 40, 50

Two extraordinary pop music artists from North Africa (the Maghreb), Algerian-born Idir and Morocco's Najat Aatabou, will share a bill in "A Night in the Maghreb," a concert on July 18 at Avery Fisher Hall that will introduce the world-renowned performers to an American audience for the first time. Both artists have Imazighen roots which have influenced their musical style and expression. Paris-based Idir-born in the Kabylia region of Algeria-has been at the forefront of socially and politically relevant French-Algerian music since the 1970s. Najat Aatabou is a powerful vocal artist, one of the few female Chaabi singers performing today, whose music merges Imazighen and Arab influences, and carries a strong feminist message that draws wide audiences at home and abroad.

Born Hamid Cheriet in 1949 in a mountain village in the Kabylia region of Algeria, Idir's career was launched in 1973 when he went on a radio show replacing a well-known singer, to perform the song he had written for her, "A vava inouva ("My Little Father"). Inspired by Kabylian folk music, the song was a huge hit

across the Maghreb and with Algerians in France and is still one of the most recognized tunes in those places today. Idir, who emigrated to France in 1975 writes and sings mainly in Tamzight (sometimes French) and his Signature Sound is the Kabylian flute and derbouka. In his latest, hugely-successful recording, La France des Couleurs, (2007) Idir performs duets with well-known young urban rap and R&B artists from France and popular artists from North Africa.

Najat Aatabou was born in the Atlas Mountain village of Khmisset in Morocco in 1960 and lives in Casablanca. She is one of the few female Chaabi singers performing today, with a huge following among the worldwide North African diaspora, for whom she is the "Queen of Chaabi." A powerful vocal stylist she is also noted for her singular onstage moves based on jedba, a ritual trance state. To date, she has released more than 25 albums, both with modern orchestral backing, and with spare accompaniment from the bendir (frame drum) and lotar (a traditional, plucked string instrument). A recording is scheduled for European release in 2009. A sample of one of her most popular songs, "Just Tell Me the Truth," was used by The Chemical Brothers in 2005 in their hit single, "Galvanize".

A TRIBUTE TO WARDELL QUEZERGUE

Ponderosa Stomp @ Lincoln Center

Featuring Mac Rebennack (Dr. John), The Dixie Cups, Jean Knight, Robert Parker, Zigaboo Modeliste, Dorothy Moore, Tammy Lynn, Tony Owens, Michael Hurtt and Wardell Quezergue with Wardell Quezergue's Rhythm & Blues Orchestra

One performance: July 19 at 8:00 p.m.

Running time: Approximately 2 hours, no intermission

Alice Tully Hall, Starr Theater, Broadway and 65th Street

Tickets: $30, 40

Lincoln Center Festival 09 will present A Tribute to Wardell Quezergue, legendary New Orleans songwriter/arrange who made his artistic mark shaping southern soul music by melding the sounds of Jackson, Mississippi, Memphis and New Orleans, on July 19 at Alice Tully Hall. For more than 45 years, Quezergue (pronouncEd Kuu-zair) has made musical history as the man behind a string of timeless, popular hits including "Mr. Big Stuff," "Mona Lisa," "Iko Iko" and "Chapel of Love." BBC Music magazine called Quezergue "one of the unsung heroes of his era." This show originated at the 2007 Ponderosa Stomp, a music festival devoted to celebrating unsung heroes from the origins of American roots music, and serves as a showcase for living history, showcasing new talent and reviving careers.

The July 19 line-up includes: New Orleans giant, producer and session man, Mac Rebennack (Dr. John); R&B icons The Dixie Cups and Robert Parker; soul greats Jean Knight, Dorothy Moore, Tammy Lynn and Tony Owens; legendary New Orleans drummer Zigaboo Modeliste; and garage-music pioneer Michael Hurtt; accompanied by Wardell Quezergue's Rhythm & Blues Orchestra led by the 78-year-old Wardell Quezergue himself in a rare New York appearance.

Wardell Quezergue emerged as a bandleader in the mid-1950s with his royal Dukes of Rhythm and Wardell and the Sultans. He honed his skills while serving in the U.S. army, stationed in Japan, where he was responsible for arranging and directing the army orchestra. Much of his career from the late 50s on was spent arranging and composing material for other artists and record labels, starting with Imperial, Watch, Rip and Frisco. Known among New Orleans musicians as the "Creole Beethoven," he gradually became the arranger of choice for a wide range of artists across many musical genres. His arrangements and productions of songs like Professor Longhair's "Big Chief," Robert Parker's "Barefootin,'" Willie Tee's "Teasin' You" and the Dixie Cups' "Iko Iko" helped to define not only New Orleans music, but its culture as well. Over the years artists who have benefited from his expertise include Fats Domino, Stevie Wonder, The Pointer Sisters, Paul Simon, Aaron Neville, and Mac Rebennack (Dr. John), to name a few. Although illness has caused him to be almost completely blind, Quezergue continues an active career as an arranger (his son transcribes the arrangements).

Ponderosa Stomp is an American roots music festival that showcases the world's most authentic, vibrant rockabilly, R&B, jazz, blues, soul, funk, and swamp pop. The annual festival, which takes place each April, has become a high spot on the music calendar for fans and critics alike. The Stomp is produced by the nonprofit Ponderosa Stomp Foundation whose mission is to celebrate the legacy, revitalize the careers, and preserve the history of the unsung architects of American music. Founded in New Orleans in 2001, to date the foundation has presented more than 70 shows and employed more than 500 musicians. Other activities of the foundation include the Ponderosa Stomp Music Conference in partnership with the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame and the Louisiana State Museum at the Cabildo; with the museum, the foundation is curating an exhibit, The Secret History of Rock ‘n Roll. Visit www.ponderosastomp.com and www.ponderosastompfoundation.org for more information.

There is a related event to the three nights of Ponderosa Stomp performances to be conducted by The Wall Street Journal. It will take place on Wednesday, July 15th and is entitled "New Orleans Nights." The discussion with music takes place in the Kaplan Penthouse in The Rose Building at Lincoln Center.

Ponderosa Stomp @ Lincoln Center is a collaboration of Lincoln Center Festival and Midsummer Night Swing in association with Ponderosa Stomp Foundation.

Major support for the Lincoln Center Festival presentation of A Tribute to Wardell Quezergue is provided by Jennie and Richard DeScherer.

AFRO-BLUES FOR THE 21ST CENTURY

A double bill

Justin Adams and Juldeh Camara

Issa Bagayogo

One performance: July 21 at 8:00 p.m.

Running time: 2 ½ hours, one intermission

Alice Tully Hall, Starr Theater, Broadway and 65th Street

Tickets: $20, 30

Lincoln Center Festival 09 will present Afro Blues for the 21st Century, a concert that showcases artists whose forward-sounding, 21st century sound fuses African roots with American blues, retro-rock and electronica. On the double bill, Justin Adams and Juldeh Camara will perform their scintillating brand of percussive Afro-Blues, combining Adams' masterful guitar playing with Camara's ritti (a one-stringed African fiddle) and mesmerizing vocals in a global sound that at its core is purely African, but in the delivery weaves together everything from blues guitar riffs, Irish jigs, dub, and Polish polkas, to jazz grooves, snarling rock guitar and funk. International star Issa Bagayogo-a master of traditionAl West African instruments, focusing on the kamele n'goni (a Malian lute)-adventurously mixes Malian tradition with modern instruments and electronics to create energetic, upbeat dance music in a style uniquely his own.

With an encyclopedic knowledge of blues and African music developed through 20 years of performing, guitarist and producer Justin Adams has been called "the Ry Cooder of the UK," offsetting centuries-old rhythms against his prowling riffs that pay homage to everyone from Bo Diddley via the Clash to Captain Beefheart. His many collaborations include Robert Plant's band The Strange Sensation, Brian Eno, Jah Wobble, LO'JO, Sinead O'Connor, Natacha Atlas, and musicians from African, Arabic and Irish traditions. He has most recently worked with Juldeh Camara, a Gambian griot (poet/vocalist) and master musician who plays the ritti, a one-stringed fiddle. Juldeh appeared on a CD of traditional Gambian music that was a favorite of Justin, and Juldeh was impressed by trance-like rhythms given modern vitality on Adams' Desert Road CD. Their award-winning 2007 album, Soul Science, envisioned a modern world where ancient spirits are enlivened by the crackle of rock and roll electricity. Their newest release, Tell No Lies from RealWorld Records, has been described by The Independent as "probably the most influential catalyst of African-Western musical crossovers of the last couple of decades."

Issa Bagayogo, nicknamed "Techno-Issa" at home in Mali, continually breaks new ground with his unique blend of Malian roots music with Western dance floor techno beats. Since the music of Mali is the source of much of the world's popular music (e.g. the blues, R&B, soul, rock, and funk), Issa's musical offerings are like an introduction to a great-grandparent you didn't know was still alive. This perceptive vocalist/composer continues to probe the depths of that river of music pouring forth from West Africa, feeding the many tributaries that emerge in North America as rap, techno, dub, soul, blues and funk. "...he often breaks out in a kind of speech-song that sounds like a distant ancestor of rap" (Six Degrees Records). The result is a fully evolved music that feels like a brand new culture. He has recorded four best-selling albums that have drawn comparisons to great Malian musicians such as Ali Farka Touré and Toumani Diabaté. The latest release, Mali Koura, pushes an intense rhythmic groove with jazz-inflected horns and flute that pulls everyone out of their seats onto the dance floor with Issa's irresistible Signature Sound.

Catherine Russell AND CAT & THE HOUNDS SWING BAND

Catherine Russell is a genuine jazz and blues singer with a voice that is dusky, feminine and soulful. The daughter of Louis Armstrong's longtime musical director, Luis Russell, and outstanding bassist and vocalist Carline Ray, Russell has performed with such noted artists as Cyndi Lauper, Steely Dan and David Bowie. Her first two CDs - Cat and Sentimental Streak - won accolades from sources as diverse as The Wall Street Journal and France's Prix du Jazz Vocal 2008. Her talent can stand comparison to her prodigiously gifted forebears.

Lesson: Joe Palmer - joepalmerdance.com; DJ: Dave ‘Shorty Dave' Jacoby

One performance: Tuesday, July 21

Running time: Dance lesson at 6:30pm, followed by performance sets starting at 7:30pm

Damrosch Park, 62nd Street between Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues

Tickets: $15

BIG BAD VOODOO DADDY

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy is the band most responsible for reviving swing dancing in the 1990s, and they are also known for playing on the hit TV show, "Dancing With the Stars" and in the movie "Swingers." Their horns moan, the rhythm section slips and slides, the vocals scream and croon - guaranteeing that everybody is up jitterbugging and skip jiving with the best of them. This evening's show will include a tribute to the consummate entertainer, Cab Calloway.

Lesson: Erik Novoa - SwingShoes.net; DJ: Juke Joint Johnny

One performance: Wednesday, July 22

Running time: Dance lesson begins at 6:30pm, followed by sets of performance beginning at 7:30pm

Damrosch Park, 62nd Street between Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues

Tickets: $15

LA EXCELENCIA

New York's new La Excelencia plays sizzling salsa dura, as raw and tough as the city it calls home. The voices are loud, the percussion louder, the horns loudest of all. Their lyrics are about the struggle of life in the city. La Excelencia is, according to Latin Beat magazine, "the real thing", music to be celebrated, listened to, danced to.

Lesson: Stepping Out Studios; DJ: DJ Andreas

One performance: Thursday, July 23

Running time: Dance lesson at 6:30pm, followed by performance sets beginning at 7:30pm

Damrosch Park, 62nd Street between Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues

Tickets: $15

LA SONORA DINAMITA

A Columbian group now based in Mexico, La Sonora Dinamita is one of the first cumbia groups to reach international success (in the early1960s) and it is now one of the most important bands in the genre under the leadership of Fruko, of Columbian salsa powerhouse Fruko y sus Tesos. The band plays cumbia, an African-rooted style from the Atlantic coast of Colombia, and it is the most popular dance style throughout Central America and Mexico. The tempo is moderate and the steps are easy, but the sizzle is there. Baile!

Lesson: Lucy Cruz; DJ: Monk-One (Wax Poetics, NYC Trust)

One performance: Friday, July 24

Running time: Two sets beginning at 7:30pm

Damrosch Park, 62nd Street between Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues

Tickets: $15

HARLEM RENAISSANCE ORCHESTRA WITH SPECIAL GUEST HOUSTON PERSON

The evening includes a special tribute to the late band leader, saxophone great and former Midsummer Night Swing headliner Illinois Jacquet.

Jump to the big-band sound of the Harlem Renaissance Orchestra, a group that was formed more than twenty years ago to revive the great sounds from the big band era. The band recognizes the masters of the big band sound: Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Lionel Hampton and many others, and plays their music like it was yesterday. The band's special guest is the soulful sax player Houston Person, known for his distinctive sassy sound and for his years performing with the great Etta Jones.

Lesson: Margaret Batiuchok, NY Swing Dance Hall of Fame, Harvest Moon Ball Champion; DJ: Larry Kang

One performance: Saturday, July 25

Running time: Dance lesson at 6:30pm, followed by performance sets at 7:30pm

Damrosch Park, 62nd Street between Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues

Tickets: $15