Press Release KANSAS CITY MEMORIAL JUNETEENTH JAZZ & ARTS FESTIVAL
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (5/25/08)
Contact: Rev. Ronald V. Myers, Sr., M.D., Founder & Chairman
National Juneteenth Observance Foundation (NJOF)
662-247-1471 662-247-3364
e-mail: MyersFound@aol.com
web site: www.Juneteenth.us
web site: www.JazzMissouri.com
John Thompson, Executive Producer
National Association of Juneteenth Jazz Presenters (NAJJP)
Juneteenth America, Inc.
909-268-7104
e-mail: johnharold@juneteenthamerica.us
web sites: www.JuneteenthJazz.com
www.JuneteenthAmerica.us
1st Annual Kansas City Memorial Juneteenth Jazz & Arts Festival
Dick Griffin Featured Artist At
Kansas City Memorial Juneteenth Jazz & Arts Festival
2008 Black Music Month
Kansas City Memorial Juneteenth Jazz & Arts Festival
(Kansas City, Missouri) - Kansas City's rich black jazz heritage and legacy will be celebrated during the 1st Annual Kansas City Memorial Juneteenth Jazz & Arts Festival, hosted by the Black Health Care Coalition of Kansas City, on Saturday, June 14, 2008, during Black Music Month. Juneteenth is officially recognized as a state holiday observance in Missouri, joining a total of 29 states and the District of Columbia in the recognition of America's 2nd Independence Day. The festival, sponsored by the National Association of Juneteenth Jazz Presenters (NAJJP), is scheduled to take place at the Marriott Country Club Hotel, on 45th and Main Street, from 1:00pm - 9:00pm.
Juneteenth commemorates the day when slaves in the last geographic area in America where slavery existed learned of their freedom. This took place on June 19, 1865, in Galveston, Texas, when Union General Gordon Granger read General Order #3, announcing that "all slaves are free" by Proclamation of President Abraham Lincoln. The Emancipation Proclamation was signed by President Abraham Lincoln on September 22, 1862, and issued on January 1, 1863. It took over two and a half years for the news to travel to southwest Texas. The National Juneteenth Holiday Campaign continues to work to establish Juneteenth as a National Holiday Observance in America.
The festival is in honor of the late Horace Peterson, founder of the historic first Kansas City Juneteenth Festival that took place in the early 1980's in the 18th and Vine District. The placement of a historic marker in the 18th and Vine District to commemorate Kansas City's first Juneteenth Celebration is one of the goals of the National Juneteenth Observance Foundation and Juneteenth America, Inc.
"Kansas City has a rich black jazz and Juneteenth historic legacy that has influenced our "Modern Juneteenth Movement" and the National Juneteenth Holiday Campaign," states Rev. Ronald V. Myers, Sr., M.D., Founder & Chairman of the National Juneteenth Observance Foundation (NJOF) and the National Juneteenth Holiday Campaign. "The preservation of that legacy through memorializing the ground breaking work of Horace Peterson is why the annual Kansas City Memorial Juneteenth Jazz & Arts Festival will be taking place every year. Horace inluenced several key grass roots Juneteenth leaders from throughout America to start Juneteenth Festivals."
The festival's featured artist will be legendary New York jazz trombonist Dick Griffin, who serves as the Chairman of the National Juneteenth Jazz Commission. As one of today's leading trombone players, Dick has a career spanning over 30 years. He has performed with some of the biggest names in Jazz and Soul, as well as appearing with several symphony orchestras. A short list of the luminaries Mr. Griffin has worked with includes Kansas City's own Count Basie and Bobby Watson, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Tito Puente, Art Blakey, Charles Mingus, Dizzy Gillespie, Lee Morgan, Elvin Jones, McCoy Tyner, James Brown, Harry Belafonte, Michael Jackson, and Lionel Hampton.
An accomplished world renowned visual artist, with a highly critically acclaimed art exhibit in Vienna, Austria in recent years, the festival will also feature a special Juneteenth Art Exhibit by Dick Griffin. Also performing at the festival will be accomplished jazz pianist and trumpeter, National Juneteenth Jazz Artist, Ron Myers. Myers has performed and recorded in Kansas City with the late native legendary jazz drummer "Delightful Dee" Al Bartee. Accomplished St. Louis jazz saxophonist Sayeed Jamal, along with Aye Aton, legendary drummer of the Sun Ra Arkestra, percussionist Wilton Knott and bassist Dave Glassner will also be performing.
"As a native of Kansas City, where I grew up and worked closely with Horace Peterson, I'm excited about what we are doing to preserve our great black jazz legacy through Juneteenth," states John Thompson, Executive Producer and Founder of Juneteenth America, Inc. "Along with the annual jazz festival, we are planning to build upon the foundation laid down by Horace for future generations. Horace was a tremendous influence on my successful legislative efforts to establish Juneteenth as an official State Holiday Observance in California."
An opening Juneteenth Art Exhibit is scheduled for 1:00pm and a Juneteenth Arts Reception, both featuring several original paintings by Dick Griffin and honoring Horace Peterson, will take place at 6:00pm, with a concert featuring Griffin beginning at 7:00pm.
Information about the festival can be found at www.JazzMissouri.com or www.JuneteenthJazz.com. Also contact John Thompson at 909-268-7104, e-mail: JohnHarold@juneteenthamerica.us or Dr. Ron Myers at 662-247-3364 or e-mail: MyersFound@aol.com, Dick Griffin at 212-947-4950, e-mail: dickgriffin@mac.com or web site www.Juneteenth.us, www.19thofJune.com or www.njclc.com.
The Black Health Care Coalition of Kansas City can be contacted at 816-444-9600 or web site: www.bhcckc.org.
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