Jazz fests started by George Wein continue to survive in the onslaught of economic woes here in the U.S...his jazz festivals get a last minute and much needed infusion of cash from CareFusion, a medical products business...thank you CareFusion!"At 83, George Wein hoped the future of his Newport folk and jazz festivals would have been set. But the founder of the annual Newport events and the New York jazz festival has been working harder than ever to keep the events alive. Yesterday at a New York press conference, Wein announced that he’d received a lifeline from CareFusion, a planned spinoff of Cardinal Health’s clinical and medical products businesses. The company outlined an expansive sponsorship deal for what will be called the CareFusion Jazz Festival Series; the kickoff event will be George Wein’s CareFusion Jazz Festival 55 at Fort Adams State Park in Newport.
The company will also help Wein revive the New York jazz festival next June, and it will sponsor jazz fests in Chicago, Monterey, Calif., Paris and Australia. 'This is a great boost for jazz,' Wein told the Herald by phone before the press conference. 'JazzTimes magazine is going under. No one can find sponsors for festivals. The arts are in trouble. And then CareFusion walked in the door. It’s more than a light at the end of the tunnel. We are out of the tunnel.'
The CareFusion Jazz Festival Series will open in Newport, R.I. The kickoff event will be George Wein's CareFusion Jazz Festival 55, the oldest of the festivals and the one that has set the tradition for jazz festivals as they are known today. The full schedule includes:
George Wein's CareFusion Jazz Festival 55 (Newport, R.I.), Aug. 7 - 9, 2009
Chicago Jazz Festival presented by CareFusion, Sept. 4 - 6, 2009
CareFusion Presents Dizzy's Den at the Monterey Jazz Festival, Sept. 18 - 20, 2009
CareFusion Manly Jazz Festival (Australia), Oct. 3 - 5, 2009
CareFusion Jazz Festival Paris, Oct. 16 - 24, 2009
CareFusion New York Jazz Festival, June 2010 (exact dates to be determined)
Info Sources:
http://www.bostonherald.com/entertainment/music/general/view/20090708weins_jazz_festivals get infusion of_cash/srvc= home&position=also "
This article source:
Kristin Samete
This article source:
Kristin Samete
About George Wein
Jazz Impresario and NEA Jazz Master George Wein is considered to be as much a legend as his festivals. Through his company, Festival Productions, he has spearheaded hundreds of music events annually since 1954 when he produced the first Newport Jazz Festival – an event that started the "festival era," according to jazz critic Leonard Feather. At 83, Wein has as much creative fuel as he did when he started that festival and advanced the concept of live music. He pioneered the concept of sponsor association with music events and continues that tradition with CareFusion. Honors and awards have been bestowed upon him by AARP, Studio Museum of Harlem, Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, the Government of France and other organizations around the world. Wein’s autobiography, Myself Among Others: A Life in Music, which chronicles his life in jazz, was recognized by the Jazz Journalists Association as 2004’s best book about jazz. He has also been named 2009’s Events Producer of the Year. In addition to his life in jazz, Wein has a long history of involvement with philanthropy and the arts.
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