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  • CONTEMPORARY JAZZ GREAT DAVE KOZ JOINS FRIENDS AND SPECIAL GUESTS AT THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL FOR ANNUAL JVC JAZZ FEST
  • Aug. 19, 2007
  • LINE-UP INCLUDES DAVE BENOIT, PHIL PERRY, AND KELLY SWEET; EARL KLUGH AND HIS LITTLE BIG BAND; AND SUMMER ROMANCE STARRING JIM BRICKMAN AND MICHAEL LINGTON

    SUNDAY, AUGUST 19, 2007, AT 6:00 PM

    Concert is sponsored by JVC

    JVC Jazz at the Hollywood Bowl continues its tradition of presenting the best of contemporary smooth jazz on Sunday, August 19, at 6 p.m. This year's artist roster includes world-renowned saxophone player Dave Koz; pianist David Benoit; vocalists Phil Perry and 19-year-old newcomer Kelly Sweet; guitarist Earl Klugh and His Little Big Band; and Summer Romance starring pianist Jim Brickman and saxophonist Michael Lington.

    This performance concludes Dave Koz's At the Movies Summer 2007 Tour, which began shortly after the 2007 release of At the Movies, Koz's critically acclaimed homage to classic film music. Each of the chart-topping artists joining Koz for this special evening performs their respective hits, and also comes together to perform selections from At The Movies.

    Pianist, composer and conductor David Benoit is a five-time Grammy nominee, widely known for his virtuosic versatility in both the jazz and classical genres. His latest release, Full Circle, marks his return to smooth jazz after 2005's Orchestral Stories, recorded with members of the Asia America Symphony Orchestra and the Czech National Symphony Orchestra. Phil Perry's multi-octave voice has accompanied an impressive list of artists from George Duke to Rod Stewart, but it's his five solo albums that are a true testament to his songwriting ability and talented interpretations of classic soul songs. At 19, Kelly Sweet has already performed over 500 concerts in the U.S., including opening gigs for Paul Simon, Kenny Loggins and Anita Baker. The summer tour with Koz marks her first national tour since the 2007 release of her acclaimed debut, We Are One. Masterful guitarist Earl Klugh leads his Little Big Band, and Jim Brickman and Michael Lington present their latest incarnation, Summer Romance. This concert is the final U.S. performance of the 2007 JVC Jazz festival.

    Saxophonist DAVE KOZ's latest release, At The Movies, is a lush, inspired collection of twelve timeless movie themes, making it a must-have album for music and film lovers everywhere. Collaborating with guests India.Arie, Anita Baker, Barry Manilow, Johnny Mathis, Donna Summer and Vanessa Williams, At the Movies evokes the romance and nostalgia of being at the movies with unforgettable versions of such classics as "Over The Rainbow," "Moon River," "The Shadow Of Your Smile (Love theme from The Sandpiper)," "Somewhere," "The Pink Panther," "The Way We Were," "It Might Be You" and, of course, "As Time Goes By." Eleven of the songs were Oscar winners or nominees, and four of them appear in the Top 10 of the American Film Institute's list of 100 Top Movie Songs - so these are clearly songs that resonate deeply with movie fans. The 40-piece orchestra enlisted by Koz and legendary producer Phil Ramone provides a majestic, sweeping soundscape for the saxophonist and his guest vocalists. Multi-Grammy nominee Koz, who has two Gold albums and ten Top 5 hits to his credit, takes center stage on six instrumentals: "Over The Rainbow," "As Time Goes By," "The Pink Panther," "Summer of '42," "Cinema Paradiso" and "Schindler's List."

    DAVID BENOIT's career as a contemporary jazz pianist began in 1977 and includes 25 solo recordings over the past 29 years. His 1985 radio hit "Linus and Lucy" helped launch the smooth jazz genre, and his early genre recordings, including his GRP Records debut Freedom at Midnight and its Grammy-nominated 1988 follow-up Every Step of the Way, are considered influential classics. Concurrent with his burgeoning career as a conductor, he recorded 1996's American Landscape with The London Symphony Orchestra and 2005's Orchestral Stories with members of the Asia America Symphony Orchestra and the Czech National Symphony Orchestra. Benoit has also conducted such eminent orchestras as the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the symphonies of London, Nuremberg, San Francisco, Atlanta, San Antonio and San Jose. David Benoit has returned to his smooth jazz roots with his latest release Full Circle, featuring a crew of his favorite musicians and three of contemporary jazz's most successful producers. His long association with Charles Schulz and the famed Peanuts realm led to over ten years of composing music for Peanuts TV specials on CBS.

    Every year new audiences discover the charismatic JIM BRICKMAN's music for the first time, through his CDs, concerts or radio airplay. Many of them write the artist to tell him how they include his songs into their daily soundtrack as a way of putting the stress and anxiety of an often chaotic world behind them. Jim Brickman's debut release on the SLG record label, Escape, is designed to make that journey even more magical. Jim Brickman's remarkable career includes six Gold- and Platinum-selling albums, three No. 1 and twelve Top 10 Adult Contemporary radio hits, consistent debuts at No. 1 on Billboard Magazine's New Age chart, a 2003 Grammy nomination, SESAC "Songwriter of the Year" award, a Canadian Country Music Award for "Best Vocal/Instrumental Collaboration," a Dove Award presented by the Gospel Music Association for "The Gift," and over a decade of sold-out international and American concert tours.

    Grammy winning acoustic guitar player EARL KLUGH is celebrating his 30-year career as a solo recording artist. Throughout those 30 years, Earl has released nearly 30 albums in his signature style, influenced by a variety of songwriters and guitar legends including Chet Atkins, The Beatles, George Benson, Wes Montgomery, Burt Bacharach and the gentle Brazilian rhythms of Laurindo Almeida and Bola Sete.During his career, he has recorded with legendary artists including Stevie Wonder, Miles Davis, Jimmy Buffett and Brenda Russell. His music has been recorded by Aretha Franklin, Al Jarreau, Mary J. Blige, Roberta Flack - and sampled recently by Oscar-winner, Jamie Foxx. Klugh's latest release, Naked Guitar is a 2006 Grammy -nominee for Best Pop Instrumental Album. The unique melodies of Earl Klugh have been captivating audiences for years. He is a versatile artist who performs with his electric band, acoustic trio, quartet and symphony orchestras including the Atlanta Symphony & London Symphony, and as a soloist.

    MICHAEL LINGTON has demonstrated his contemporary saxophone chops with a steady stream of chart-toppers since his debut album in 1997. Now Michael is back with A Song For You, his second Rendezvous recording. In collaboration with Rendezvous, Grammy-nominated arranger and composer Randy Waldman, and Grammy-winning engineer Woody Woodruff, Michael assembled a collection of new standards that range from the album's first single, "It's Too Late" and "You've Got a Friend," both by Carole King; to a dimensional "Fragile" by Sting. Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now" is given an expansive new spin, while Michael Frank's "Tell Me All About It" is a playfully laidback interplay, featuring guest and Rendezvous co-founder Dave Koz, with Brazilian sensibilities. Leaning strongly towards the pop side of jazz, with classical, Brazilian, Latin, and gospel shadings, Lington plays a distinctive contemporary saxophone.

    In 2007, PHIL PERRY released A Mighty Love, the sequel to 2006's Classic Love Songs, which was the first studio recording Perry made after a five-year absence. Born and raised in East St. Louis, Phil Perry has spent most of his career as one of the most sought-after backing vocalists in the music business. He has played a supporting role on dozens of albums by such acts as Anita Baker Boz Scaggs, Rod Stewart, Peabo Bryson and George Duke. Perry came to the attention of soul music fans as the lead singer of the Montclairs. Perry had a brief stint on Capitol Records as part of the duo group Perry and Sandlin. After the duo split, Perry established himself as a first-call background vocalist and session singer in Los Angeles. When Capitol Records executives heard him sing with Lee Ritenour at the Hollywood Bowl, they signed him again to the label for the 1991 recording Heart of the Man, which spawned the #1 R&B hit "Call Me," a cover of a classic Aretha Franklin tune. Perry went on to release several solo albums.

    Hushed and hymn-like, KELLY SWEET's voice creates a lush world of beauty. Sweet sings in a supernaturally crystalline voice. No pre-fab pop confection or eager-to-please talent-show contest winner, Sweet possesses the kind of organic talent that is driven by an innate need to connect. Like such stylistically diverse artists as Norah Jones, Josh Groban and Dido, Sweet is that rare singer that combines unassailable credibility and talent with an uncanny ability to connect with a wide audience of music fans. Her acclaimed debut, We Are One, has a much more ambitious sensibility than those being heard on Top 40 radio today. With songs sung in English, Italian, French, and Sanskrit, and melodies that partake of both jazz and classical influences, We Are One conveys a sense of depth, intimacy and sophistication not often heard in today's pop landscape.

    One of the largest natural amphitheaters in the world, with a seating capacity of nearly 18,000, the HOLLYWOOD BOWL has been the summer home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic since its official opening in 1922, and in 1991 gave its name to the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, a resident ensemble that has filled a special niche in the musical life of Southern California. The 2004 season introduced audiences to a revitalized Hollywood Bowl, featuring a newly-constructed shell and stage and the addition of four stadium screens enhancing stage views in the venue. To this day, $1 buys a seat at the top of the Bowl for many of the Los Angeles Philharmonic's concerts. While the Bowl is best known for its sizzling summer nights, during the day California's youngest patrons enjoy "SummerSounds: Music for Kids at the Hollywood Bowl," the Southland's most popular summer arts festival for children, now in its 39th season. Attendance figures over the past several decades have soared: in 1980 the Bowl first topped the half-million mark and close to one million admissions have been recorded. In February 2007, the Hollywood Bowl was named Best Major Outdoor Concert Venue for the third year in a row at the 18th Annual Pollstar Concert Industry Awards; the Bowl's summer music festival has become as much a part of a Southern California summer as beaches and barbecues, the Dodgers, and Disneyland.

    EDITORS PLEASE NOTE:

    SUNDAY, AUGUST 19, 2007, AT 6:00 P.M.

    HOLLYWOOD BOWL, 2301 N. Highland Ave. in Hollywood

    JVC JAZZ

    DAVE KOZ AND FRIENDS: AT THE MOVIES SUMMER 2007 TOUR

    DAVID BENOIT, special guest

    PHIL PERRY, special guest

    KELLY SWEET, special guest

    EARL KLUGH AND HIS LITTLE BIG BAND

    SUMMER ROMANCE STARRING JIM BRICKMAN & MICHAEL LINGTON

    Sponsored by JVC

    Tickets ($7 - $95) are on sale now at HollywoodBowl.com, at the Hollywood Bowl Box Office (Tuesday - Saturday, 12p.m. - 6 p.m.), or by calling Ticketmaster at 213.480.3232, and at all Ticketmaster outlets. Groups of 10 or more may be eligible for a 20% discount, subject to availability; call 323.850.2050 for further details. For general information or to request a brochure, call 323.850.2000.

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  • Contact:

    Adam Crane, acrane@laphil.org, 213.972.3034; Lisa Bellamore, lbellamore@laphil.org, 213.972.3689; For photos: 213.972.3034