Beantown Jazz Festival 2006

September 29—October 1, 2006

The lineup for the BeanTown Jazz Festival, September 29–October 1, is complete, and it looks like the crowd will be even bigger than it was last year, when 40,000 fans filled three city blocks in the South End for the free, outdoor portion of the festival. More than 15 national and local acts will play straight ahead, contemporary, and Afro-Cuban jazz—some incorporating hip-hop, blues, and gospel into their sound—and will draw listeners from all of Boston's neighborhoods and beyond for three days of great music. The BeanTown Jazz Fest, presented by Sovereign Bank, is being produced this year for the first time by Berklee.

Saturday's free outdoor concerts will be sandwiched between a Friday night kick-off concert by the McCoy Tyner Septet and the Story of Impulse! Records and a Gospel Jazz Brunch on Sunday with Kendrick Oliver and the New Life Jazz Orchestra, with special guest vocalist Kevin Mahogany. Saturday's program also will supply fun for the kids while more than 50 vendors will offer a variety of food and crafts. On-site donations and proceeds go to the Berklee City Music scholarship fund and Boston Medical Center's Prostate Cancer Screening Initiative.

Tickets

Tickets for McCoy Tyner are on sale now through Ticketmaster. Tickets for the Gospel Jazz Brunch go on sale on August 26.

Featuring
		McCoy Tyner will play at the Berklee Performance Center with his septet in the festival's kickoff event. Tyner's group features Charnett Moffett, Eric Kamau Gravatt, Dave Liebman, Wallace Roney, Steve Turre, and Donald Harrison. Listen The McCoy Tyner concert will be broadcast live on WGBH-FM.
		Alto saxophonist Kenny Garrett brings his quartet to the Sovereign Stage. Website
		Acclaimed vocalist Carmen Lundy performs with her quartet, Carmen Lundy and the New Songbook Artists. Listen
		Bassist Christian McBride will take the stage with his group, the Christian McBride Situation, featuring Oliver Lake, Patrice Rushen, and turntablist DJ Logic. Listen
		Omar Sosa, the dynamic Cuban pianist, will keep the masses moving with a unique urban brand of Latin jazz spiced with hip-hop and fusion overtones. Listen
		Benin-born guitarist Lionel Loueke, who will perform with his Gilfema Trio, pours all of West Africa from his guitar, evoking lightening with his quick licks and the desert with his dreamy soundscapes. Listen

Browse the full list of performers on the Beantown Jazz Festival 2006 schedule.

Executive Producer: Larry Simpson, Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
Producer: Rob Rose, Associate Vice President for Special Programs
Director: Tom Riley, Vice President for External Affairs