George Wein Celebrates Corporate Sponsorship & CareFusion

NEW YORK, June 14, 2010 - Producer George Wein has been the Dean of Corporate Sponsorships since he pioneered the idea of sponsor association with George Wein music events, beginning in 1969 with The Schlitz Salute to Jazz followed by the Kool Jazz Festival. His company went on to produce titled events for JVC, Mellon Bank, Verizon, Essence, Ben & Jerry's and others. Today, he continues that tradition with the CareFusion Jazz Festival New York (June 17 - 26) and CareFusion Newport Jazz Festival (August 6 - 8). In a world where many people have limited funds to spend on entertainment, corporate sponsorships make it possible to present renowned artists at a cost that makes the music more accessible.

"At the CareFusion Jazz Festival, only four events that take place at Carnegie Hall are high-price tickets. All the rest are free and $15 or less, with just a few priced in the $20 range," said Wein, "But most important, the sponsor money allows us to let many of the venues we are working with keep the ticket income. So, not only are we paying the musicians, we are helping to ease some of the economic problems of the venues. "Of course, our free events in Central Park, Soundview Park and Prospect Park will draw thousands of jazz fans. This can only be done when a sponsor, CareFusion, is generously giving to a festival that presents jazz."

The CareFusion Jazz Festival presents concerts in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx. Of the 47 concerts, seven are free and 27 are priced at $15 or less.

Free events include McCoy Tyner Quartet featuring Ravi Coltrane, Esperanza Spalding and Francisco Mela plus the Stanley Clarke Band featuring Hiromi at Central Park SummerStage on June 23, 7:00 pm; Bitches Brew Revisited with Graham Haynes, James Blood Ulmer, Marco Benevento, DJ Logic, Antoine Roney, Melvin Gibbs, Cindy Blackman, Adam Rudolph plus the Mike Stern Trio, June 19, 7:30 pm; and Eddie Palmieri y La Perfecta II on June 22, 7:00 pm.

In addition, Brooklyn's Zebulon is partnering with the CareFusion Jazz Festival to present four free concerts featuring Seabrook PowerPlant and Mostly Other People Do The Killing, June 17; Cooper Moore Trio and Peter Evans Trio, June 20; John Tchicai Group; June 21; and Wake-up! / James Spaulding, Michael Wimberly, Larry Roland, June 23,all with set times at9:00 pm & 10:30 pm.

Venues that generously offered $15 tickets or otherwise reduced admissions during the CareFusion Jazz Festival are Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola, Peter Norton Symphony Space, Flushing Town Hall, The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space at WNYC, The Jazz Gallery, Harlem Stage Gatehouse, Louis Armstrong House Museum, The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, The Studio Museum in Harlem, Barbés, City Winery, Jazz Standard, Puppets Jazz Bar and Zebulon.

At Carnegie Hall, the CareFusion Jazz Festival New York presents Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock, Jack DeJohnette on June 17; An Evening with Chris Botti with Special Guest Nikki Yanofsky, June 19; The Genius of João Gilberto, June 22; and Herbie Hancock, Seven Decades: The Birthday Celebration featuring the birthday honoree himself, Herbie Hancock with special guests India.Arie, Terence Blanchard, Ron Carter, Bill Cosby, Jack DeJohnette, Dave Holland, Joe Lovano, Wallace Roney, Wayne Shorter, Kristina Train, Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi and others, June 24.

"We salute CareFusion for choosing to partner with jazz festivals to introduce their corporate brand," added Wein, CEO of New Festival Productions, LLC. "Without CareFusion, this amazing 10-day festival would not happen. We witnessed the disappointment of jazz fans around the world when we didn't present a festival in 2009. We are still feeling the overwhelming and warm support that we received in February when we announced that the city's long-running event was back, this time with a new twist and more affordable concerts across the city."

The All About Jazz - New York writer Suzanne Lorge perhaps said it best in her June VOXNEWS column, "Healthcare-acquired infections sound pretty bad and jazz sounds pretty good and if listening to a good thing can help do away with a bad thing, then corporate sponsorship is doing its job."

CareFusion Jazz Festival New York media partners are The Village Voice and WBGO-FM/Jazz 88.3. The Buckingham Hotel, located at 101 West 57th Street in Manhattan, is the host hotel of the CareFusion Jazz Festival New York. For reservations, call (212) 246-1500, extension 3201; for more information, visit http://www.buckinghamhotel.com/.

For the complete CareFusion Jazz Festival New York schedule and more information, log on to http://www.nycjazzfestival.com./
Carolyn McClair Public Relations