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On Sunday, June 26, 2011, Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) in Saratoga Springs, New York, will present “A Night In Treme ,” music inspired by the HBO series “Treme,” featuring Mardi Gras Indian Chief and alto saxophonist Donald Harrison Jr. with the Mardi Gras Indians and special guest vocalist Cyril Neville.

Festival producer Absolutely Live Entertainment in association with actor Wendell Pierce (who plays the smooth-talking trombonist Antoine Batiste on “Treme”) have an exclusive agreement with HBO to present “A Night In Treme” (The Musical Majesty Of New Orleans). From David Simon and Eric Overmyer (“The Wire”®), the HBO Series “Treme” follows musicians, chefs, Mardi Gras Indians and ordinary New Orleanians as they try to rebuild their lives, their homes and their unique culture in the aftermath of the 2005 hurricane and levee failure that caused the near-death of an American city.

The Treme neighborhood of New Orleans has been a source of African-American music and culture for as long as cooks in the Crescent City have been serving red beans and rice on Monday nights. Birthplace of the great New Orleans brass band tradition and one of the first black neighborhoods in America, “Treme” (pronounced truh-MAY) is the heartbeat of New Orleans and the home to Congo Square.

Donald Harrison Jr.

“A Night In Treme” will feature different artists as the tour travels through America. The lineup for the Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival performance will feature composer, educator, historian, producer, saxophonist and patriarch of the Congo Nation Indian tribe Donald Harrison, Jr. with his quintet presenting the music and flavor of New Orleans along with the Mardi Gras Indians. There are chiefs, and there are Big Chiefs. Donald Harrison, Jr. embodies the best of both. A true ambassador of New Orleans music, Harrison can move from hard bop to a second-line Mardi Gras beat faster than Mama makes her roux; his playing is laced with pride and fired with defiance, acceptance and hope.

Special guests for this performance will include vocalist and percussionist Cyril Neville, of the legendary Neville Brothers clan. The fiery poet-philosopher has been launching terse songs about social justice and heritage like flaming arrows throughout his career with the Meters, Endangered Species Band, the Uptown All-Stars, Tribe 13 and the New Orleans Social Club. There will be a recorded narration by actor Wendell Pierce on the history of the neighborhood and the struggle to repair and rebuild lives after Katrina.

Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center runs from Saturday, June 25 to Sunday, June 26. Other artists scheduled to appear include Michael McDonald, Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, Angelique Kidjo, Dianne Reeves and Lizz Wright, Dee Dee Bridgewater, George Wein & the Newport All Stars, The Bad Plus, Ben Allison, Marcus Strickland, and many more. For the complete lineup of artists and performances, please log onto http://www.spac.org

Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival is produced by SPAC and Absolutely Live Entertainment.

Located in scenic Saratoga Springs, New York, Saratoga Performing Arts Center has been the site of the Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival since George Wein established it in 1978. With an inside seating capacity of 5,200, lawn seating of 20,000, world class talent and just three hours driving time from either Boston or New York City, SPAC’s Jazz Festival draws thousands of jazz lovers from across the Northeast and the United States.
Links:

Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival Website

..:: SOURCE: Fully Altered Media.com ::..