Kimmel Center Presents Fun, Funk and Jazz in January
Tom Chapin Brings Family Entertainment Jan. 15
Bobby McFerrin Makes Audiences Happy on Jan. 16
Jazzman James Carter Plays Hot Tunes on Jan. 21
December 20, 2004
Bobby McFerrin
The fun begins when Tom Chapin, pioneer of quality family music, gifted entertainer and songwriting specialist comes to the Perelman Theater for a matinee concert performance on January 15 at 11am. Chapin will charm Philadelphia audiences of all ages with a unique repertoire of lively tunes and witty lyrics covering a wide range of styles and ideas. Chapin has gained widespread critical and popular acclaim for his recordings aimed at four to eleven year-olds and their families. His latest family CD Making Good Noise, is his tenth recording, all of them winning multiple awards such as Parents’ Choice Gold & Silver, the American Library Association, Parents Magazine, the New York Music Awards, and numerous Grammy nominations. Billboard Magazine said "Tom Chapin is one of those natural-born entertainers who, with nothing more than a guitar in hand, can totally captivate."
With a four-octave range and a vast array of vocal techniques Bobby McFerrin will celebrate a wide variety of musical styles from classical to jazz, spiritual to world, and folk to funk sounds on January 16 at 7:30pm. A ten-time Grammy Award-winner whose recordings have sold over 20 million copies, he is one of the world’s best-known vocal innovators and improvisers, a world-renowned classical conductor, the creator of one of the most popular songs of the late 20th century ("Don’t Worry, Be Happy"), and a passionate spokesman for music education. McFerrin brings with him to the Verizon Hall stage his famous vocal group, Voicestra, comprised of some of the most talented vocalists from all over the country—and appearing in Philadelphia for the first time ever. Three local high school choirs will also perform at the very end of the concert, including the Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts Concert Choir, the Girard Academc Music Program Concert Choir and the Upper Darby High School Concert Choir.
> Read a conversation with Bobby McFerrin
Possibly one of the best young sax players alive, 27-year-old Detroit-born James Carter is the master of many saxophones, many instruments and many sounds. He is a master of virtually every reed instrument he plays as well as every type of saxophone--tenor, baritone, bass, soprano and F-mezzo. Carter will bring the sounds of his latest CD, a tribute to Billie Holiday titled Gardenias for Lady Day, to Verizon Hall on January 21 at 8pm as part of the Kimmel’s Mellon Jazz concert series. Joining Carter on stage will be Jon Faddis. Faddis, a Dizzy Gillespie disciple and former musical director of the Carnegie Hall Centennial Jazz Band, will lead his Jazz Orchestra to cap off the evening.
Tickets for Tom Chapin on January 15 are $15 and $20. Tickets for Bobby McFerrin and Voicestra on January 16 range from $37 to $68, and tickets for the James Carter Quartet and Jon Faddis Jazz Orchestra range from $29 to $70. Tickets can be purchased by calling 215-893-1999, online at www.kimmelcenter.org or at the Kimmel Center box office, open daily from 10am to 6pm and later on performance evenings. For group sales call 215-790-5883.
A limited number of $10 tickets are available for every Kimmel Center Presents performance at the Kimmel Center. Tickets go on sale the day of the event and can be purchased at the Kimmel Center box office beginning at 5:30pm for evening performances and 10am for the family matinee.
Sponsors of the 2004-2005 Kimmel Center Presents season include Mellon Financial Corporation, University of Pennsylvania Health System, Bank of America, Sovereign Bank, Wachovia Foundation, The American Express Company, Verizon Foundation, Bucks County Coffee, and SEPTA, the Commuter’s Choice. Special Student Matinees at the Kimmel Center are generously supported by Merck & Co., Inc. American Airlines is the Official Airline of Kimmel Center Presents. Toyota is the Official Vehicle of Kimmel Center Presents Jazz and World Pop programming. In-kind support is generously provided by Deloitte. And Southern Wine and Spirits.
> index of news releases
> For more information, and to request high resolution images for press use, please
send us a message online.