Gibson Guitar Celebrates the City of Glendale Arizona's 25th Annual Jazz & Blues Festival April 12-13, 2008
(Gibson | Posted 2008-04-10)
The city of Glendale’s Jazz & Blues Festival, sponsored by Gibson Guitar, will celebrate its 25th year with a tremendous lineup of local, regional and national entertainment in Historic Downtown Glendale April 12-13, 2008. National acts Roomful of Blues and the Tommy Castro Band will be amongst the huge lineup for the festival.
Roomful of Blues, an eight-piece unit led by guitarist Chris Vachon, weaves a combination of jump, swing, blues, R&B and soul. The Alligator Records recording group is known as one of the tightest, most joyful blues ensembles in the world. The Tommy Castro Band, previously the house band for NBC's "Comedy Showcase" for three years, offers a mesmerizing blend of rock, blues and Memphis soul. The band’s impressive experience includes touring as the opening act for B.B. King, recording with John Lee Hooker and sharing the stage with Carlos Santana.
As part of the 25th anniversary celebration, Glendale’s longest-running festival will also feature an eclectic mix of artisans representing a myriad of art forms. Four artists will work on-site, giving event attendees an interactive, one-of-a-kind experience to add to the musical performances. The art will range from interactive voice-changing music to improvisational poetry to an incarnation of the music on paper. One of the artists will even create unique sculptures of cacti made from vinyl records and other musical pieces.
The festival is not just about music as the event will also feature craft artisans, and delicious food and beverages, including wine tasting by Kokopelli Winery.The event will run 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday, April 12 and Noon to 8 p.m. on Sunday, April 13. Admission and parking are free. Parking is located throughout the downtown area, including handicapped parking. Historic Downtown Glendale is located at 58th and Glendale avenues.
Sponsors for the event include Gibson Guitar, APS, Diamond Resorts, KTVK Channel 3, Arizona Republic, KOOL, KMLE, JAMZ, Kokopelli Winery, Fuze, Southwest Airlines and Budweiser. The city of Glendale’s 25th Annual Gibson Guitar sponsored Jazz & Blues Festival is produced by Glendale’s Office of Special Events. For more information, call the city of Glendale special event hotline at 623-930-2299 or visit www.glendaleaz.com/events.
Gibson is known worldwide for producing classic models in every major style of fretted instrument, including acoustic and electric guitars, mandolins, and banjos. Gibson's HD.6X-PRO Digital Guitar and the Gibson Robot Guitar represent the biggest advances in electric guitar design in over 70 years. Founded in 1894 in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and headquartered in Nashville since 1984, Gibson Guitar Corp.'s family of brands now includes Epiphone, Dobro, Maestro, Kramer, Steinberger, Tobias, Echoplex, Electar, Flatiron, Gibson Baldwin Music Education, Slingerland, Valley Arts, Maestro, Oberheim, Sunshine Piano, Take Anywhere Technology, Baldwin, J&C Fischer, Chickering, Hamilton, and Wurlitzer. Visit Gibson's website at www.gibson.com or www.gibson.com/press.
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