FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact: Kim Court, Public Affairs

June 25, 2010(315) 498-2054 or (978) 404-9582

Smooth Jazz…Hip Beats…Soulful Blues…

New Legends of Jazz Series Announced at
OnondagaCommunity College

SYRACUSE, NY – Coinciding with the start of Syracuse Jazz Fest 2010, OnondagaCommunity College today announced the four internationally-known artists that will perform during the inaugural Legends of Jazz Series for 2010-2011:

All concerts will be held at 8 p.m. in Storer Auditorium (CAMPUS MAP)and are free and open to the public.

The Ramsey Lewis Trio

Friday, October 15, 2010

8 p.m. Storer Auditorium

Chicago jazz legend Ramsey Lewis is a phenomenal performer and a singular artist who’s been captivating fans since the release of his first album, “Ramsey Lewis and the Gentlemen of Swing” by the Ramsey Lewis Trio. By the mid 1960s, he was one of the nation’s most successful jazz pianists, topping the charts with smash hits such as “The In Crowd,” “Hang on Sloopy,” and “Wade in the Water.” With three Grammy Awards and seven gold records to his credit, Lewis has been dubbed a “living legend,” a term he doesn’t completely find himself in agreement with. “It’s a high honor when someone says so, but I don’t see myself that way. What keeps me enthusiastic and (what) energizes me is the realization that the more I learn, the more I find there is to know.”

His Syracuse performance will feature his veteran trio sidemen, bassist Larry Gray and drummer Leon Joyce. Together, the trio has played all of the nation’s premier jazz festivals, toured with more than 25 symphony orchestras in the U.S. and Canada, and has performed in concert and at jazz festivals worldwide in Europe, Japan, Mexico and the Caribbean.

Diane Schuur (Quartet)

Friday, November 19, 2010

8 p.m. Storer Auditorium

Grammy-winning vocalist and pianist Diane Schuur is as eclectic as she is brilliant. A longtime disciple of the incomparable Dinah Washington and other legendary jazz singers of the 1940s and ‘50s, Schuur has built a stellar career by embracing not only the jazz of her parents’ generation but also the pop music of her own youth during the ‘50s and ‘60s. In a recoding career that spans nearly three decades, Schuur has become a legend in her own right and an artist whom many consider to be “the best in the business.”

Born in Tacoma, WA in December 1953, Schuur was blind from birth. Armed with the rare gift of perfect pitch, Schuur taught herself piano by ear and developed a rich, resonant vocal style early on, as evident in a recording of her first public performance when she was 10 years old. She received formal piano training at the WashingtonStateSchool for the Blind, and by her early teens, she was looking to Dinah as her primary inspiration.

Over the next 13 years, Schuur recorded 11 albums including two Grammy winners: “Timeless” (1986) and “Diane Schuur and the Count Basie Orchestra” (1987). The recording with the Basie Orchestra spent 33 consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard jazz charts.

Treme Brass Band of New Orleans

Friday, March 4, 2011

8 p.m. Storer Auditorium

The celebrated Treme neighborhood in New Orleans, now the subject of the smash hit HBO Series “Treme,” is more than just a place: it’s a feeling. It has been described by singer John Boutté in his song “Down in the Treme” as the sound of people walking by and the music that emanates from each doorway, giving the Treme community a sense of identity and joy. Benny Jones Sr. and Lionel Batiste, the founding members of the Treme Brass Band, grew up with that sensibility. Music is the lifeblood of New Orleans in general but in Treme in particular, where jam sessions thrive. Just across the way from the Treme at the renowned Donna’s Bar and Grill on Rampart Street, music lovers can hear local favorites including Bob French, Sista Teedy, George French, Germaine Bazzle, and the Treme Brass Band.

In its recordings, the Treme Brass Band pays homage to its hometown heritage in many of the tunes that appear on their two hits CD’s, “Gimme My Money Back” (1995), and “I Got a Big Fat Woman” (1996). “The Old Rugged Cross” is played in traditional dirge style, while “Just a Closer Walk With Thee” gets a souped up beat.

Dr. Lonnie Smith Trio

Saturday, April 2, 2011

8 p.m. Storer Auditorium

They call him “The Turbanator” because of his colorful, dapper and omnipresent headgear. But Dr. Lonnie Smith is an authentic master of the Hammond B3 organ who for more than five decades, on over 70 albums, has made his name synonymous with the instrument worldwide. Jazz Times magazine recently described him as “a riddle wrapped in an enigma wrapped in a turban,” a description that suggests the level of complexity he exhibits in his music and the pure amazement that it elicits.

He was selected as Organ Keyboardist of the Year by the Jazz Journalist Association in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008 and 2009. Born in Buffalo, NY, Smith gained an exposure to gospel, blues and jazz through his mother at an early age.

When questioned about his consistent interest in music some consider outside the jazz mainstream, Smith says, “Jazz is American Classical, and this music is a reflection of what’s happening at the time.” His inspired interpretation of an eclectic sampling of musical types explains in part his broad appeal and why he has been in constant demand from his earliest gigs to his most recent club appearances. Revered throughout the world and popular among many disparate groups, his unique style and prolific output have elevated him to the status of living musical icon.

The Legends of Jazz Series is the signature series for the 2010-2011 Arts Across Campus season. The theme is “Jazz on the Hill: Exploring America’s Musical Roots.” The Series is part of the College’s dynamic Arts Across Campus (AAC) program, which brings national and international artists and musicians to campus for concerts, lectures, master classes, exhibits and films.

Onondaga alumnus and Syracuse Jazz Fest founder Frank Malfitano ’69 helped to make this series possible.

“This magnificent line-up of the finest entertainment provides unprecedented opportunity for our students and the community at large to get up-close with some of the greatest artists in jazz today,” said Onondaga Community College President Debbie L. Sydow, Ph.D. “I am thrilled that Onondaga Community College will host this exciting Legends of Jazz series and I am grateful to Mr. Malfitano for his abundant energy, vision and assistance with bringing this series to our campus,” she added.

"Syracuse Jazz Fest is absolutely delighted that President Sydow, and everyone associated with Arts Across Campus at OCC, has elected to expand the mega successful cultural partnership Jazz Fest has enjoyed with the college for the past decade,” said Jazz Fest founder Frank Malfitano. “The new four-part Legends of Jazz Series that kicks off on October 15, with jazz great Ramsey Lewis, not only fills a major cultural programming void in the Central New York market, but it also provides continuity for major jazz concerts in Syracuse throughout the year between June Jazz Fests at OCC. Having international jazz legends performing on campus throughout the year is like having Jazz Fest year round! It's going to be very exciting and we're extremely grateful to Dr. Sydow for making it all possible,"he added.

These four world-class performances are the latest in a line-up of legendary artists that have visited Central New York – and performed on the Onondaga campus - over the past 10 years. Previous artists include the renowned Aretha Franklin, Wynton Marsalis, Kenny G, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, and Richie Havens.

“WAER is extremely excited to add its third annual Jazz Appreciation Month concert to OCC’s prestigious lineup of legendary artists,” said Joe Lee, director and general manager of WAER 88.3 FM.“We think the series will be one of THE highlights of the 2010-2011 cultural calendar in Central New York and OCC and Jazz Fest Productions are to be commended for their outstanding vision.”

With more than 12,000 students, OnondagaCommunity College is the second-largest undergraduate institution in Central New York and one of the nation’s fastest-growing community colleges. Founded in 1961, it is a comprehensive two-year college operating under the State University of New York (SUNY) and is locally sponsored by OnondagaCounty. Onondaga offers nearly 50 programs of study, bachelor and master’s degrees available on campus through the Regional Higher Education Center, and more than 80 transfer agreements with four-year colleges and universities. Home to four-time NJCAA national champion men’s lacrosse and 2009 NJCAA women’s lacrosse teams, Onondaga has fifteen intercollegiate men’s and women’s athletic teams.

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