13th Annual Old Town JazzFest Boasts Best Line-up Yet

Press Release by: Donovan and Smith

Old Town Business & Art Development Association

1210 Turner St., Lansing, MI 48906 517 371-4600 Fax 517 371-1454

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Rosy Goacher

Phone: (517) 371-4600

info@oldtownarts.org

13th Annual Old Town JazzFest Boasts Best Line-up Yet

LANSING, Mich. (June 6, 2007) – The 13th annual Lansing Old Town JazzFest, which is put on annually by the Old Town Business & Art Development Association (OTBADA), will be held this year from Aug. 3-4.

The 2007 JazzFest will feature an international jazz sensation as well as local favorites for an eclectic jazz blend sure to please any music enthusiast.

Mose Allison, this year’s headliner, began playing jazz at the age of five in Tippo, Miss. Looking to Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Fats Waller and Nat Cole for inspiration, his style marries jazz with rustic blues, carried by his clever and sometimes humorous lyrics. His works have been covered by the likes of Elvis Costello, The Who, Eric Clapton, Bonnie Raitt and Van Morrison, who dedicated an entire album to his songs.

Allison is internationally known but is especially well-received in England, where UK’s Time Out said, “Mose Allison’s popularity in the UK dates

from the ‘60s, when his mixture of Delta-born blues feel and his gift for writing a

song with a sting in the tail made him a prime source of inspiration for the UK’s new generation of blues/rock artists.”

Allison can add Grammy nominee to his long list of accolades, of which he was recently recognized for his album Mose Chronicles, Live in London, Vol. I on Blue Note Records.

Accompanying Mr. Allison at this year’s JazzFest will be an array of mid-Michigan’s best musicians; those that area jazz lovers look for on the scene as they plan evenings out. This year’s line-up includes Too Smooth for Notes, with Phil Denny on sax; Lanswingers, an LCC group; Lansing All Stars, notorious Lansing talent cooking up a one-of-a-kind jam; Jim Cooper, the first ever vibraphonist to perform at JazzFest; Koke McKesson and Sunkwa, among others.

The two-day, three-stage event is free to all attendees and will take place at the corner of Turner St. and Grand River Ave. in Old Town’s historic commercial district. JazzFest hosts more than 15,000 people each year and has grown to include more than 20 musical acts. Since its conception, it is the fastest growing festival of any kind as well as the largest free music event in mid-Michigan.

The festival boasts impressive ethnic cuisine options, eclectic art vendors, and music clinics for people of all ages. Local shops and galleries will keep their doors open during festival hours, and there will be a beverage tent for attendees over the age of 21.

All people, from the music expert to the novice, are encouraged to come and show their support for the arts and commercial development in Old Town, but more importantly, to share in the community spirit that JazzFest has so proudly come to foster.

This year’s festival is dedicated to the life, energy and vision of Robert Busby, who was a founding member of OTBADA and passed away earlier this year.

For more information, further details and updates regarding the 2007 Lansing Old Town JazzFest, visit the media room at the Web site at www.jazzlansing.com or call 517-371-4600. Volunteering for JazzFest is a great way to get behind the scenes, have fun and meet new people. Interested volunteers should e-mail omalleyb@msu.edu.

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The mission of Old Town Business and Art Development Association (OTBADA), a 501.c.3 corporation,

is to catalyze and promote the arts and the development and revitalization

of Lansing’s historic commercial district and surrounding community.

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