R&B Legends Set For Arizona Jazz Festival

SMOKEY ROBINSON

Parade of Grammy winners and R&B legends set to join a stellar jazz slate March 7-9, including Ne-Yo, Patti LaBelle, Smokey Robinson, The Isley Brothers and Gladys Knight

With thousands of old school and new school R&B and contemporary jazz fans from across the U.S. flocking to Phoenix twice a year for the Arizona Jazz Festival, promoter BTWconcerts.com will present a captivating crop of Grammy winners, hall of fame legends and current chart-toppers at the spring edition taking place March 7-9, 2014 at the luxurious Arizona Grand Resort & Spa. Tickets are available now as three-day or single-day concerts through the Arizona Jazz Festival website (http://ArizonaJazzFestival.com) or by calling 602.244.8444 with prices ranging from $50-$750.

Grammy winner Ne-Yo serves as opening night headliner in what promises to be an elaborately choreographed production showcasing R&B-pop hits from the singer-songwriter-producer accompanied by a splashy army of dancers and backing musicians. Opening the evening, eight-time Grammy nominated singer-songwriter Ledisi offers a smooth blend of sophisticated soul brushed with elements of jazz.

The Saturday schedule gets underway with a pair of soul-jazz saxophonists, Marion Meadows and Paul Taylor, performing as a dynamic duo. Hitmen Euge Groove, Peter White and Rick Braun unite as Jazz Attack for an energetic set from the instrumental fan favorites. In advance of a national concert trek, a unified collective of R&B vocalists and contemporary jazz musicians will debut as the Hypnotic Groove Tour. Crooner Jeffrey Osborne, Grammy winner Faith Evans, Grammy nominee Maysa, singer-songwriter Rahsaan Patterson, neo soul trombonist Jeff Bradshaw and saxmen Eric Darius, Michael Lington and Dominic Amato will mix and match in a variety of intriguing combos. Next, Motown legend and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Smokey Robinson will cruise through a collection of his sparkling-eyed classics. Considered the Godmother of Soul, Grammy winner Patti LaBelle will unleash her force of nature voice into the desert night to close the bill.

Opening the final day is Michelle Williams, a Grammy winner as a member of Destiny’s Child who has also achieved award-winning solo success as a gospel and R&B vocalist and on Broadway as an actress. Leela James, a gritty-voiced new school singer heavily influenced by iconic old school vocalists, will belt out a soul-stirring set of R&B, hip hop and blues joints. An international trio composed of Grammy-winning guitarist Norman Brown, South African singer-songwriter-guitarist Jonathan Butler and Swiss-born pianist Alex Bugnon infuse global sounds into a multicultural mosaic of jazz, R&B and pop. The Empress of Soul, seven-time Grammy winner Gladys Knight brings an air of class to the festival along with decades of crossover hits. Grammy-nominated chart-topper Dave Koz & Friends Summer Horns with Mindi Abair, Richard Elliot and Gerald Albright conjure fun memories as the all-star sax quartet rips through horn-powered hits from the ‘70s and ‘80s packed with funk, R&B and jazz. In the festival’s closing spot, Rock and Roll Hall of Famers and 2014 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winners Ronald Isley and Ernie Isley aka The Isley Brothers bring a wide-ranging songbook of soul, R&B, funk, rock and street corner doo-wop hits that dates back to 1959.                    

A host of the festival’s artists will participate in the All-Star Jam after the Saturday program concludes and some will perform at The Sunday Brunch with seating beginning for the buffet and inspirational concert at 9 AM. Separate tickets are required for these events and are available for $25 and $39.50 respectively.

Taking place in March and October, the Arizona Jazz Festival is a music and lifestyle experience held at a plush first-class resort attracting a diverse adult audience from all over the nation. Attendees often make a vacation out of it by immersing themselves in the music while taking advantage of the Arizona Grand Resort & Spa’s extensive offerings such as the all-suite hotel’s 18-hole golf course, water park, athletic club, full-service spa and salon, and six on-site restaurants. Ticket and hotel packages are available at www.ArizonaJazzFestival.com.        

About BTW Concerts.com

Phoenix, Arizona-based BTWconcerts.com is one of the premier concert producers in the Southwest. Among the star-studded jazz and R&B concerts and multiday music and lifestyle festivals that the company promotes at first-class resorts are the Arizona Jazz Festival (http://ArizonaJazzFestival.com), San Diego Jazz Festival (http://www.SanDiegoJazzFest.com) and the Las Vegas Jazz Festival (http://www.LVJazzFestival.com). BTWconcerts.com’s sister company for at sea events, BTWatsea.com, will launch the maiden voyage of the Maxwell + The 7 Seas Cruise (http://www.maxwellatsea.com) in 2015.