VILLAGE OF OSSINING MUNICIPAL BUILDING 16 Croton Avenue Ossining, N. Y. 10562 (914) 941-3554 FAX (914) 941-5940 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Music Legend Sonny Sharrock to Be Recognized by an Honorary Street-Renaming Free-Jazz Guitar Master, Miles Davis Sideman Warren "Sonny" Sharrock Gets His Due, Oct. 2, in Ceremony Conducted by Bill Hanauer, Mayor, Village of Ossining; Special Performance by Sons of Sharrock 2010 Marks What Would Have Been Musician's 70th Birthday WHAT: The Village of Ossining, in conjunction with the family and friends of the late, great guitar legend Warren "Sonny" Sharrock (August 27, 1940 – May 26, 1994), is pleased to announce that an honorary Street Re-naming ceremony will be held on Saturday, October 2nd. Mayor Hanauer said "Sonny Sharrock honored his native Village of Ossining with his brilliance, influential musicianship and his ability to inspire generations of artists. As he brought honor to our community we will honor him with this ceremony." South Malcolm Street in Ossining, will be renamed “Sonny Sharrock Way,”. There will be a special performance by Sons of Sharrock, a newly formed reportorial band under the direction of Sharrock's cousin and former collaborator Kendall Buchanan. WHEN: Saturday, October 2, 3PM Corner of South Malcolm Street and Hamilton Avenue, Ossining, NY 10562 Map: http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&tab=wl WHY YOU SHOULD GO: Hailed as the father of free-jazz guitar by the New York Times, Sonny Sharrock carved his own unique niche in the world of jazz by adapting the free-form improvisational style pioneered by 1960s jazz horn players to the guitar. One of the first jazz guitarists to incorporate dissonance, distortion, feedback, and chord clusters into his playing style, he revolutionized jazz guitar concepts by developing an abstract, passionate, and truly original instrumental voice in his work with Miles Davis, Bill Cosby, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Mann, Pharoah Sanders, Bill Laswell, and more. His string-breaking, rule- shattering, free-for-all improvising influenced two generations of guitarists from jazz master Nicky Skopelitis to rock players Carlos Santana, Vernon Reid and Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready. "My view of improvisation is very personal," Sharrock wrote in Guitar Player magazine. "It’s full of love, anger, truth, lies, and, in the end (I hope), sense.” Contacts: Christina Papes Bill Lessard, PRwithBrains 914-941-3554 Sonny Sharrock Family/Sons of Sharrock [email protected] [email protected] 914.476.6089 - office 914.330.3501 - cell .