Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Guyana hosting jazz festival with a rainforest riff in 2012

Two of the world's sweetest sounds - the natural din of a virgin rainforest and the pleasing rhythms of jazz music - will come together with the creation of the Guyana Jazz Festival, being planned for 2012.

Guyana Tourism Authority
Organizers of the Guyana Jazz Festival say Iwokrama Forest (above) is one of the many natural wonders ecotourists will visit in conjunction with next year's music festival.

Momentum and support is building for the inaugural three-day event, which is designed to get ecotourists and other nature lovers in touch with Guyana's many pristine natural wonders while providing a pleasing lineup of music for festival visitors, say organizers. Pride in nation and its natural marvels is fueling enthusiasm and anticipation for the event on the festival website, Facebook and Twitter, said Robert Millington, head of the Guyana Jazz Festival Foundation, a Reston, Va.-based nonprofit.

Millington said he's had positive discussions with government officials about the event, which will likely be held during tourism high-season, after Dec. 15. Meanwhile, partnerships with Guyana-based tour operators and sponsorship commitments from local hotels are being sought, he said.

The musical menu for the event will be a variety of jazz - cool jazz and classical jazz, plus some "very good R&B," including local acts from Guyana, the Caribbean and Brazil. But natural Guyana is the unique component, Millington stressed. "That's what I want people to know. We're not the same," he said of the jazz festival travel packages, which will include concerts staged in the capital city of Georgetown plus tours of the nation's natural habitats. "You won't just read about the rainforest, you can visit."

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/10/17/2010-10-17_guyana_hosting_jazz_festival_with_a_rainforest_riff.html#ixzz14sG1cB4C

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