Charlotte Classic Jazz Festival to be Held 10/4 at Levine Center for the Arts

Blumenthal Performing Arts has joined forces with Jazz Arts Initiative to bring a premiere jazz festival to the Queen City. Charlotte Classic Jazz Festival 2014 will take place Saturday, October 4, in Knight Theater at Levine Center for the Arts (430 South Tryon Street).

All of the daytime activities are free to the public and people of all ages are encouraged to come celebrate Charlotte's jazz heritage. Festivities begin at 11am and are sure to entertain until late into the evening, as a wide variety of activities are on the agenda.

Complete with a New Orleans-style second line jazz parade from the intersection of Trade and Tryon in Uptown down to the Knight Theater, CCJF 2014 is a cultural jazz feast for the whole family. From "Jazz for Tots" to a "Jazz from the Carolinas" panel, there's something for everyone. A jazz showcase will take place at 7pm. Tickets to the performance are $5 each. (To view the complete schedule for the festival, visit BlumenthalArts.org.)

"Our goal for the Charlotte Classic Jazz Festival is to offer an exciting, entertaining and educational event that celebrates America's classical music: Jazz," said Jazz Arts Initiative President Lonnie Davis. "The Carolinas have a rich jazz history, and the Charlotte community deserves an event to honor its legacy. Jazz Arts Initiative couldn't be more excited to collaborate with Blumenthal on bringing this very important inaugural event to the Queen City."

The Jazz Room, a monthly series held in Blumenthal's Stage Door Theater and presented by Jazz Arts Initiative, has seen tremendous success over the past year and a half featuring some of the region's most gifted musicians who recreate the music of jazz masters like Miles Davis, Dave Brubeck and Billie Holiday.

"The idea of a jazz festival in Charlotte has been a longtime dream for us and we couldn't be more thrilled to partner with Lonnie Davis and Jazz Arts Initiative in making this dream a reality. The jazz celebration doesn't end on October 4, as we look forward to presenting Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis on October 7 in Belk Theater at Blumenthal Performing Arts Center. We hope Charlotte embraces this unique opportunity to honor and enjoy the wonderful world of jazz music," said Blumenthal President and CEO Tom Gabbard.

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