Press Release MALCOLM X 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.JazzNebraska.com
web site: www.Juneteenth.us
Milita Hill, Director
Nebraska Juneteenth Committee
National Juneteenth Observance Foundation (NJOF)
402-733-2214
e-mail: JuneteenthNebraska@gmail.com
web site: www.JuneteenthNebraska.com
1st Annual Malcolm X Memorial Juneteenth Jazz & Arts Festival
Dick Griffin Featured Artist At
Malcolm X Memorial Juneteenth Jazz & Arts Festival
2008 Black Music Month
Malcolm X Memorial Juneteenth Jazz & Arts Festival
(Omaha, Nebraska) - Omaha's rich black jazz heritage and legacy will be celebrated during the 1st Annual Malcolm X Memorial Juneteenth Jazz & Arts Festival, hosted by the Malcolm X Foundation and Juneteenth Nebraska, on Sunday, June 15, 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 Love's Jazz and Arts Center, 2510 N. 24th Street, from 5:00pm - 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 is working with Milita Hill, Executive Director of Juneteenth Nebraska, to establish Juneteenth as a State Holiday Observance in Omaha and a National Holiday Observance in America.
The festival is in honor of the late master jazz saxophonist and Omaha native, Preston Love. The festival is named in recognition of Omaha native and one of the greatest progressive black leaders in American history, Malcolm X. The festival takes plce during Black Music Month and is part of the NAJJP's preservation of America's African-American jazz legacy through Juneteenth Jazz.
"Omaha has a rich black jazz and Juneteenth historic legacy," 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 Preston Love in the hometown of Malcolm X is why the annual Malcom X Memorial Juneteenth Jazz & Arts Festival will be taking place every year."
The festival's featured artist will be legendary New York jazz trombonist Dick Griffin, who serves as Chairman of the National Juneteenth Jazz Commission. Griffin played with Preston Love as members of the Count Basis Orchestra.
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 Count Basie, 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, along with Aye Aton, legendary drummer of the Sun Ra Arkestra, accomplished saxophonist Sayeed Jamal, percussionist Wilton Knott and bassist Dave Glassner.
An opening Juneteenth Art Exhibit is scheduled for 5:00pm and a Juneteenth Arts Reception, both featuring several original paintings by Dick Griffin, will take place at 6:00pm, with a concert featuring Griffin beginning at 7:00pm.
Information about the festival can be found at www.JazzNebraska.com or www.JuneteenthJazz.com. Also contact Malita Hill at 402-733-2214, e-mail: JuneteenthNebraska@gmail.com 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.JazzNebraska.com or www.JuneteenthNebraska.com.
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