BEANTOWN JAZZ FESTIVAL SEPT. 27 - 29 PRODUCED BY BERKLEE COLLEGE OF MUSIC INCLUDES ALL-STAR BENEFIT CONCERT DIRECTED BY GEORGE WEIN TO ESTABLISH SCHOLARSHIP IN MEMORY OF WIFE, JOYCE, AND FREE, ALL-DAY FESTIVAL ON THREE OUTDOOR STAGES
PRESENTED BY SOVEREIGN BANK AND TARGET, THREE-DAY EVENT FEATURES HERBIE HANCOCK, GERI ALLEN, BRANFORD MARSALIS, TOSHIKO AKIYOSHI, REGINA CARTER, KENNY WERNER, MIKE STERN, JON FADDIS, ENTRAIN, ROY HAYNES, BOBBY HUTCHERSON, CHARLES TOLLIVER, AND MORE

BOSTON, September 6, 2007 - Berklee College of Music announces a star-shining lineup for the 7th Annual BeanTown Jazz Festival, September 27 - 29, at various locations around Boston. In its second year of producing the festival, Berklee will bring Grammy-winning, internationally renowned superstars and cornerstones of the Boston jazz scene together on a number of stages in free and ticketed offerings that last year drew upwards of 50,000 people.

More than 30 jazz, Latin, blues, and groove acts will perform at Symphony Hall, Scullers Jazz Club, the Beehive, and outdoor stages along Columbus Avenue. The BeanTown Jazz Festival is sponsored by Sovereign Bank and Target. For a complete list of all events, venues, and performers, visit beantownjazz.org. To see highlights of last year's festival, visit: http://www.boston.tv/btv.html?id=494024937

The crown jewel is the September 28 opening night concert directed by Newport Jazz Festival founder George Wein entitled A Celebration of Jazz and Joyce - A Concert to Establish the Joyce Alexander Wein Scholarship Fund. Promising to be one of the great jazz concerts in Boston history, the lineup features Herbie Hancock, Roy Haynes, Branford Marsalis, Jon Faddis, Joe Lovano, Lizz Wright, Geri Allen, Regina Carter, Toshiko Akiyoshi and Lew Tabackin, Kenny Werner, Howard Alden, Jimmy Cobb and Ray Drummond. More names will be announced soon. The concert takes place at Symphony Hall at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $100, $70, $55, and $40.00 and are on sale now at bso.org, or by calling 888-266-1200. The Symphony Hall box office opens on September 4.

"It's exciting for me to produce this concert for a scholarship fund in the name of my wife, Joyce Alexander Wein," says Wein. "We look forward to seeing many old friends in Boston where, of course, I started my life in jazz at Storyville at Copley Square. I want to thank Roger Brown and Berklee for making this possible."

On Saturday, September 29, the free BeanTown Jazz Festival will take place from noon to 6:00 p.m. on three stages over six blocks on Columbus Avenue, starting at Massachusetts Avenue, with a shimmering array of talent. Appearing will be the Mike Stern Band, Bobby Hutcherson, the Charles Toliver Big Band, Blues After Dark, Entrain, the Greg Hopkins Jazz Orchestra, Claudia Acuña, the Berklee Rainbow Band, and Conrad Herwig and Brian Lynch presenting Latin arrangements of music by Miles Davis.

Also at the Columbus Avenue festival site will be the Target Family Park with many fun activities for the kids including inflatables, photos, face painting, temporary tattoos, and an instrument petting zoo. Adults will enjoy the beer and wine garden. More than 50 vendor booths will offer a variety of home products and food from Bob's Southern Bistro, Thai Hut, Popeyes, Jakes Boss BBQ, and Bukara Restaurant.

"Producing the BeanTown Jazz Festival feels like Berklee is throwing a big party for Boston," says Larry Simpson, Berklee senior vice president for academic affairs and BeanTown Jazz Festival executive director. "And our party has all of the essential ingredients for a memorable time: stunning live music that will make you move, a diverse mix of engaging people, a variety of delicious foods, and plenty to keep the kids entertained."
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