Press Release ST. LOUIS MEMORIAL JUNETEENTH JAZZ & ARTS FESTIVAL
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (6/3/10)
Contact: Rev. Ronald V. Myers, Sr., M.D., Founder & Chairman
National Juneteenth Observance Foundation (NJOF)
662-247-1471 662-247-3364
e-mail: JuneteenthDOC@yahoo.com
web site: www.NationalJuneteenth.com
web site: www.JuneteenthJazz.com
Rev. William Gwynn, Secretary
National Juneteenth Christian Leadership Council (NJCLC)
314-218-0244
e-mail: dapreach2000@yahoo.com
web sites: www.njclc.com
2010 St. Louis Memorial Juneteenth Jazz & Arts Festival
Juneteenth Jazz & Arts Festival to
Honor Jazz Pianist John Hicks
2010 Black Music Month Juneteenth Jazz &
Arts Festival Features Ron Myers
Ron Myers
John Hicks
(St. Louis, Missouri) - St. Louis rich black jazz heritage and legacy will be celebrated during the
St. Louis Memorial Juneteenth Jazz & Arts Festival. The festival is hosted
by Hope of Glory Christian Assembly, Rev. William Gwynn, Pastor, on Thursday, June 10, 2010, in the church parking
lot, 4001 Cottage Avenue, from 6:00 - 9:00pm.
Juneteenth is officially recognized as a state holiday
observance in Missouri, joining a total of 36 states and the District of Columbia in the recognition of America's 2nd
Independence Day. The festival is sponsored by the National Association of
Juneteenth Jazz Presenters (NAJJP) and is a part of the "June is Black
Music Month!" - CELEBRATING JUNETEENTH JAZZ - "Preserving Our African American Jazz Legacy!" national
concert series.
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 legendary jazz pianist
John Hicks who learned to play the piano and
graduated from high school in St. Louis. Hicks studied music and graduated from
Lincoln University. before moving to New York
in 1963.
Hicks was a member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers (1964-1965) and ocassionally in the 1970's, worked with Betty
Carter (1966-1968, 1975-1980). From the early 1980s until his death he performed solo and led his own groups including The
Keystone Trio. Hicks played and recorded with great jazz artists such as David Murray, Lee Morgan, David "Fathead"
Newman, John Gilmore and many others.
"St. Louis has an important Juneteenth Jazz legacy through the historic
Missouri Juneteenth Heritage & Jazz Festival founded by Curtis Faulkner in 1997, that continues to influence 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.
"We have become partners with Dr. Larry Ridley and the
African American Jazz Caucus (AAJC) in the celebration of
HBCU jazz education in America. As a graduate of
Lincoln University, an
HBCU, this includes the legacy of St. Louis jazz
pianist John Hicks.
These are the reasons why the annual St. Louis Memorial Juneteenth Jazz & Arts
Festival will be taking place every year."
The festival's featured artist will be accomplished jazz pianist and trumpeter,
National Juneteenth Jazz Artist,
Ron Myers. Myers was the guest artist at the
2006 Lifting the Legacy: MO' Music & Juneteenth Jazz
Concert in East St. Louis, IL. Myers has also performed and recorded with the late legendary Kansas City native jazz
drummer "Delightful Dee" Al Bartee. Percussionist
Wilton Knott will be featured on along with Cuban percussionist Earlton
Batles Manley and jazz saxophonist Phillip Stackhouse. Also performing will be
Aye Aton, legendary drummer of the
Sun Ra Arkestra, percussionist
Eddy "D" and Kansas City jazz bassist Rickey Anderson.
An opening Juneteenth Art Exhibit, honoring the late National Juneteenth Visual Artist Alvin Carter,
will take place at 6:00pm.
Information about the festival can be found at
www.JazzMissouri.com or
www.JuneteenthJazz.com.
Also contact Rev. William Gwynn at 314-218-0244, Dr. Ron Myers at 662-247-3364, e-mail:
JuneteenthDOC@yahoo.com or web site:
www.NationalJuneteenth.com.
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