Apollo Theater Celebrates the Birthplace of Jazz with a New Orleans to Harlem Jazz Weekend

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contact: Nina Flowers November 5, 2014 Director of Marketing & Communications 212.531.5334 [email protected]

Apollo Theater Celebrates The Birthplace of Jazz with A New Orleans to Harlem Jazz Weekend

Featuring Performances by Irvin Mayfield, Jr. and The New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, Aaron Neville, Stefon Harris and Jon Batiste

Weekend to Kick Off With the LOUIS ARMSTRONG APOLLO WALK OF FAME INDUCTION

(Harlem, NY, November 5, 2014) – The Apollo Theater will bring the spirit of the birthplace of Jazz to New York with a New Orleans to Harlem Jazz Weekend, a celebration of the relationship between the two cities. The Apollo Theater played a major role in the emergence of jazz and is celebrating that legacy, as well as continued innovations within the genre, by inducting Louis Armstrong into the Walk of Fame with a ceremony on November 7th. The ceremony will kick off a weekend of multiple performances with contemporary jazz artists curated by one of the most celebrated figures in jazz today, Grammy-winner Irvin Mayfield, Jr. The New Orleans to Harlem Jazz Weekend will include a mainstage concert with Irvin and his New Orleans Jazz Orchestra featuring legendary singer Aaron Neville, as well as two special Apollo Music Café performances featuring jazz vibraphonist/composer, Stefon Harris, and the other featuring pianist, singer/songwriter, composer, Jon Batiste.

The Apollo will begin the weekend by honoring one of the founding fathers of jazz and New Orleans’ most celebrated native son, Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong, and inducting him into the Walk of Fame. The Apollo Theater’s Walk of Fame honors legendary performers who have helped shape the American music landscape and built the Apollo into one of the world’s most enduring cultural institutions. Louis Armstrong’s plaque will be installed underneath the Apollo’s marquee on 125th street, alongside plaques for numerous Apollo legends including Ella Fitzgerald, Smokey Robinson, Michael Jackson, and Patti Labelle, among others. ―The Apollo without a question has played a major role in the emergence of jazz music. From Ella Fitzgerald to Duke Ellington to Louis Armstrong, the Apollo’s lauded lineage has earned it the distinction of being one of Harlem’s original jazz shrines,‖ said Mikki Shepard, Executive Producer for the Apollo Theater. ―We are excited to celebrate Apollo’s jazz legacy, as well as the birthplace of this genre, by inducting Louis Armstrong into the Walk of Fame and presenting performances by some of the best jazz musicians performing today during the New Orleans to Harlem Jazz Weekend.‖

Please see below for the full schedule and description of events:

Friday, November 7th – 10 p.m. (doors open for bar and food at 9 pm) Apollo Music Café: Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse Featuring Stefon Harris and musicians from the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra Stefon Harris whose passionate artistry, energetic stage presence, and astonishing virtuosity have propelled him to the forefront of the current Jazz scene, brings his New Orleans style music to the Apollo soundstage. Heralded by the Los Angeles Times as ―one of the most important young artists in Jazz,‖ vibraphonist-composer Stefon Harris is unquestionably developing what will be a long and extraordinary career. Widely recognized and lauded by both his peers and Jazz critics alike, the 35-year-old is committed to both exploring the rich potential of Jazz composition and blazing new trails on the vibraphone. Curated by Irvin Mayfield.

Tickets for Apollo Music Café are $20 and $15 in advance for the Apollo’s A-List. Tickets are available at The Apollo Theater Box Office: (212) 531-5305, 253 West 125th Street, and Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000, www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets are on sale now.

Saturday, November 8th – 8 p.m. Apollo Theater Presents Irvin Mayfield, Jr. and the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra Featuring Aaron Neville One of the most important figures in New Orleans’ Jazz scene—and the city’s Cultural Ambassador since 2003—Irvin Mayfield will curate a program that includes a Mainstage presentation with the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, Aaron Neville, and other New Orleans artists. The program will feature lesser-known 1950s/1960s R&B music in original, big band arrangements. The Apollo Theater has a long history of honoring New Orleans’ diverse music traditions. This presentation will build on this legacy to create innovative presentations drawn from the R&B tradition—another important genre fostered on the Apollo’s stage.

Tickets for Apollo Theater Presents Irvin Mayfield, Jr. and the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra are $35 - $65. Groups: $29.75 - $55.25. Apollo Advantage: $24.50 - $46. Tickets are available at The Apollo Theater Box Office: (212) 531-5305, 253 West 125th Street, and Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000, www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets are on sale now.

Saturday, November 8th - 10 p.m. (doors open for bar and food at 9 pm) Apollo Music Café: Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse Featuring Jon Batiste and musicians from the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra This New Orleans style jam session will turn the Apollo’s Soundstage into a full-fledged party featuring pianist, singer, songwriter, composer and descendant of New Orleans musical royalty Jon Batiste. The New Orleans native has collaborated with musicians from across the musical spectrum; Prince, Lauryn Hill, Lenny Kravtiz, and Wynton Marsalis among them. Also known for his acting and composing, Jon has been featured on HBO series ―Treme‖ and in Spike Lee’s ―Red Hook Summer‖ for which he co-wrote the score with Bruce Hornsby. Curated by Irvin Mayfield.

Apollo Theater Information Box Office Hours: Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri – 10:00 am - 6:00 pm Wednesday – 10:00 am - 8:30 pm Saturday – 12:00 pm - 6:00pm

About the Apollo Theater The legendary Apollo Theater— the soul of American culture—plays a vital role in cultivating emerging talents and launching legends. Since its founding, the Apollo has served as a center of innovation, and a creative catalyst for Harlem, the city of New York, and the world.

With music at its core, the Apollo’s programming extends to dance, theater, performance art, spoken word initiatives, and more. Recent highlights have included James Brown: Get on the Good Foot, which will begin an international tour in 2015, the Africa Now! Festival, and Apollo Club Harlem. Since introducing the first Amateur Night contests in 1934, the Apollo Theater has served as a testing ground for new artists working across a variety of art forms, and has ushered in the emergence of many new musical genres – including jazz, swing, bebop, R&B, gospel, blues, soul, and hip hop. Among the countless legendary performers who launched their careers at the Apollo are Lauryn Hill, Machine Gun Kelly, Miri Ben Ari, D’Angelo, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, James Brown, Michael Jackson, Gladys Knight, Luther Vandross, and Stevie Wonder; and the Apollo’s forward-looking artistic vision continues to build on this legacy.

The Apollo Theater is a not-for-profit organization and currently in the midst of fundraising for its 21st Century Apollo Campaign, created to extend the institution’s role in fostering artistic innovation and in building appreciation of American culture around the world. For more information, visit www.apollotheater.org.

Get social! For exclusive photos, updates and more use the hashtags #ApolloNolaJazz and #MyJazzIs

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Apollo Theater presents Irvin Mayfield, Jr. and the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra is generously supported by the Ford Foundation Fund for Global Programs.

The Apollo's 2014-2015 season is made possible by generous support from Citi, Coca- Cola, Con Ed, Troy and Keisha Dixon, EmblemHealth, the Ford Foundation Fund for Global Programs, General Motors, Carla A. Harris, Robert K. Kraft, The Reginald F. Lewis Foundation, The Parsons Family Foundation, the Ronald O. Perelman Family Foundation, The Pinkerton Foundation, JoAnn Price, Earl W. and Amanda Stafford, Time Warner Inc., the Reginald Van Lee New Works Fund, the Apollo Board of Directors and many other generous donors.

Lead annual support is also provided by public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.

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