Original Article By Ross Raihala | Pioneer Press
Grammy Award-winning trumpeter Terence Blanchard, John Coltrane Quartet pianist McCoy Tyner, New York bandleader and composer Anat Cohen and Minnesota’s own Bobby Lyle will headline the 19th annual Twin Cities Jazz Festival on June 22 through 24 in and around Mears Park in Lowertown St. Paul.
The free festival will take place on several outdoor stages and in more than 20 clubs, bars and studios. It’s expected to draw about 30,000 concertgoers. The headliners will all play the Mears Park main stage.
Five-time Grammy winner and New Orleans native Blanchard (8 p.m. June 22) began his career touring with the Lionel Hampton Orchestra. In 1982, Wynton Marsalis recommended Blanchard replace him in Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. Blanchard spent four years with Blakey playing trumpet and acting as his musical director. In the time since, Blanchard has established himself as a solo star as well as a prolific film composer, working on more than 50 movies including “Jungle Fever,” “Eve’s Bayou,” “Barbershop” and “The Comedian.”
Pianist Tyner (8:30 p.m. June 24) joined one of the most legendary groups in jazz history, the John Coltrane Quartet, when he was 22. He spent five years touring heavily with Coltrane and playing on a series of now-classic records, including 1964’s “A Love Supreme.” Tyner has led his own groups, recorded more than 80 albums and won four Grammys.
A native of Tel Aviv, Cohen (8:30 p.m. June 23) studied at the Berklee College of Music and has established herself as one of the primary voices of her generation on the clarinet since the release of her debut album “Place and Time” in 2005. She will be performing with her new group, Choro Aventuroso, which blends Brazilian music with modern and traditional jazz, samba, and other cultural styles from around the world.
Lyle (6 p.m. June 24) began his professional career at 16, playing Twin Cities clubs. He attended Macalester College for two years of advanced piano studies before hitting the road as a full-time musician. He has toured with Sly and Family Stone, Bette Midler, Al Jarreau and Anita Baker.
The full Twin Cities Jazz Festival schedule will be announced in the coming months. For more information, see twincitiesjazzfestival.com.
Original Article: http://www.twincities.com/2017/03/20/mccoy-tyner-terence-blanchard-among-twin-cities-jazz-festival-headliners/
