Apollo Theater and Jazz à Vienne’s Artistic and Cultural Exchange Continues with Je Suis Soul: A Salute to French and African Jazz and Soul A Weekend of Events in Celebration of Jazz à Vienne Festival’s 35th Anniversary December 4th – 5th Including A Mainstage Concert Featuring French Soul’s Leading Artists The Legendary Manu Dibango, Soul Superstar Ben l’Oncle Soul with Monophonics and Grammy-nominated duo Les Nubians Saturday, December 5, 2015 at 8 p.m. & Special Apollo Music Café Shows Featuring French Artists Marine Futin & Stevy Mahy and Internationally Renowned Musician Cheick Tidiane Seck Friday, December 4, 2015 & Saturday, December 5, 2015 at 10 p.m. (Harlem, NY – November XX, 2015) – This December, Apollo Theater and Jazz à Vienne continue their partnership and artistic exchange with a weekend celebration of international jazz and soul - Je Suis Soul!: A Salute to French and African Jazz and Soul. Continuing the Apollo’s legacy of artistic innovation, the two organizations have partnered to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the international music festival. Je Suis Soul!: A Salute to French and African Jazz and Soul will explore the influences of soul on jazz, funk, and other popular music from around the globe. Featured artists include: the legendary Cameroonian saxophonist Manu Dibango, who made his Apollo debut in the 1970s and is best known for his hit "Soul Makossa"; French soul superstar Ben l’Oncle Soul performing with San Francisco’s foremost retro-soul group, Monophonics; and Les Nubians, the Grammy-nominated duo whose unique mix of neo-soul, hip-hop and African music is epitomized in their most recent hit, ―Nü Revolution.‖ The two-day celebration will also include special Apollo Music Café performances featuring French artists Marine Futin, Stevy Mahy and internationally renowned musician Cheick Tidiane Seck and friends. The Apollo Theater and Jazz à Vienne’s partnership began in July 2014 when the Festival celebrated the Apollo Theater’s 80th anniversary in its 7,500-seat Roman amphitheater in Vienne, France. Soul Night at the Apollo was a full day of programming dedicated to the Apollo and its musical legacy. The celebration featured an exhibition on the history and legacy of the Apollo and a show featuring a variety of artists including The Daptone Soul Revue with Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, Charles Bradley and his Extraordinaires, Antibalas, The Sugarman 3 with special guests Saun and Starr, and Master of Ceremonies Binky Griptit; Ben l’Oncle Soul & Monophonics and Apollo Amateur Night winner, Matthew Whitaker. Founded in 1980, Jazz à Vienne is one of the world’s premier music festivals that animates the small town of Vienne, France each summer with over 208,000 festival attendees, 250 concerts and over 1,000 artists presented. This annual, three-week festival stretches from mid-June to July and features a mix of gospel, soul, funk, blues, groove and, of course, jazz. Many artists have played the summer festival including James Brown, Miles Davis, Stevie Wonder, Ella Fitzgerald, Pharrell Williams, Lionel Hampton, Stan Getz and more. ―The Apollo has long been a vital force in the development of American music and its appreciation around the globe,‖ said Mikki Shepard, Executive Producer at the Apollo Theater. ―The Apollo and Jazz à Vienne share a commitment to the continued development of these genres. We are so proud to again partner with one of Europe’s great jazz institutions. Please see below information on all Je Suis Soul events: Je Suis Soul!: A Salute To French And African Jazz And Soul Featuring: Manu Dibango, Ben l’Oncle Soul with the Monophonics and Les Nubians Saturday, December 5, 2015 at 8 p.m. Je Suis Soul!: A Salute to French and African Jazz and Soul will explore the influences of soul on jazz, funk, and other popular music from around the globe. Featured artists include: the legendary Cameroonian saxophonist Manu Dibango; French soul superstar Ben l’Oncle Soul performing with retro-soul group, Monophonics; and Grammy-nominated duo Les Nubians. Tickets for Je Suis Soul!: A Salute To French And African Jazz And Soul are $25 - $65. Apollo Advantage: $17.50 - $45.50. Tickets will be available at The Apollo Theater Box Office: (212) 531-5305, 253 West 125th Street, and Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000, www.ticketmaster.com Apollo Music Café: Je Suis Soul! Featuring: Marine Futin and Stevy Mahy Friday, December 4, 2015; 10 pm (doors open for bar and food at 9 pm) Curated by France Rocks This special Apollo Music Café features two French female artists whose lyrical sound blends French and English language. Marine Futin is a newcomer to the international Francophone pop scene whose sound has influences of jazz, pop and folk music. Stevy Mahy will enchant the audience with her French, English and Creole folk music as she lyrically flows between the three languages over acoustic melodies. Tickets for Apollo Music Café are $20 and $15 in advance for the Apollo’s A-List. There is a $10 drink/food minimum for each show. 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. Apollo Music Café: Je Suis Soul! Featuring: Cheick Tidiane Seck and friends Saturday, December 5, 2015; 10 pm (doors open for bar and food at 9 pm) This special Apollo Music Café features an intimate evening with the internationally renowned musician Cheick Tidiane Seck. Known as ―the warlord of the keyboard,‖ Seck is well-versed in the performance of jazz, rhythm and blues, soul, and other types of global music. Tickets for Apollo Music Café are $20 and $15 in advance for the Apollo’s A-List. There is a $10 drink/food minimum for each show. 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 Apollo Theater Information Box Office Hours: Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri – 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Wednesday – 10:00 a.m. - 8:30 p.m. Saturday – 12:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. 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. This includes the October 2014 premiere and 2015 international tour of the dance celebration project - James Brown: Get on the Good Foot, the annual Africa Now! Festival, Apollo Club Harlem and the upcoming New York premiere of the opera Charlie Parker’s YARDBIRD. The Apollo is a presenting organization that also produces festivals, large-scale dance and music works organized around a set of core initiatives: Apollo Music Signature Programs—Amateur Night, Salon Series, Apollo Music Café; Legacy Series - work that celebrates and extends the Apollo’s legacy through a contemporary lens; Global Festivals including the Women of the World (WOW) Festival and Breakin’ Convention, international and U.S.-based artist presentations focused on a specific theme; and Special Projects, multidisciplinary work with partner organizations. 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 D’Angelo, 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. About Jazz à Vienne Founded in 1980, Jazz à Vienne is one of the world’s premier music festivals. This annual, three week festival stretches from mid-June to July and features a mix of gospel, soul, funk, blues, groove and, of course, jazz. Located in one of the most celebrated wine regions of the world, each year the festival invigorates the small town of Vienne (35 minutes from Lyon) with performances in its 7,500-seat Roman amphitheater, as well as numerous satellite venues throughout the town. The festival format consists of approximately 130 concerts, over 800 artists, more than 150,000 festival attendees, four main stages, and fifteen screens at different sites. In addition to the on-site programming, the festival also offers both national radio and television broadcasts in France. Follow ‖Jazz à Vienne‖ on www.jazzavienne.com, www.jazzavienne.tv, facebook, twitter and youtube. Get social! For exclusive photos, updates and more use the hashtags #JeSuisSoul #JeSuisSoulApollo Follow the Apollo Theater: Facebook.com/apollotheater Twitter.com/apollotheater YouTube.com/apollotheater Instagram.com/apollotheater The Apollo's 2015-2016 season is made possible by generous support from American Airlines, BNY Mellon, Citi, Coca-Cola, Troy and Keisha Dixon, EmblemHealth, Frederick Wildman, The Howard Gilman Foundation, Carla A. Harris, Robert K. Kraft, The Reginald F.