Jazzanooga Chattanooga ready for full swing

Lalah Hathaway and Ruben Studdard will perform duets at Jazzanooga. Image courtesy of www.chattanoogaonstage.com.

CHATTANOOGA, TN — Jazzanooga, Chattanooga’s Jazz Festival, released the full festival schedule for the month-long, April, 2014 celebration of Jazz Appreciation Month (JAM). Jazzanooga draws fans from across the region for a month of excellent, intimate performances, educational opportunities and good times. The full schedule is available at www.jazzanooga.org.

“This year’s schedule has something for everyone, from Jazz education activities, nationally renowned headliner concerts, to a Jazz Parade featuring the Tennessee State University Jazz Collegians and the UTK Trombone Ensemble,” said Jazzanooga founder, Shane Morrow. “We even have a special culinary event, Edible Jazz, just for Chattanooga’s foodies.”

Jazzanooga 2014 will feature a one-of-a-kind lineup of today’s greatest jazz performers including recent Grammy winners Lalah Hathaway and Gregory Porter. But, the joy of Jazzanooga is in celebrating Chattanooga’s local music scene. The festival serves as a platform for local musicians, artists and creatives to share their talents with Chattanooga. A special aspect of this year’s festival is the Big Nine Jazz Series, a week of jazz education, visual art and local music at various MLK Boulevard venues. The Big Nine Jazz Series culminates in a full day of family friendly music activities on April 26.

Three of the day-time musical performances will take place at the Waterhouse Pavilion, downtown in Miller Plaza. “As a longtime supporter and advocate for the arts, River City Company is excited to partner again with Jazzanooga to bring some jazz to Downtown Chattanooga. The arts and endeavors like Jazzanooga contribute to the unique sense of place and community that make Chattanooga special,” explains Paige Southard, Program Director at River City.

Jazzanooga, started in 2010 as a one-day community festival and has grown to a month-long celebration that honors and promotes Chattanooga’s extraordinary jazz heritage. The festival is supported by the Benwood and Lyndhurst Foundations. Event sponsorship opportunities are available.

Published February 15, 2014