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Pat
Metheny
Named
Detroit
Jazz
Festival’s
2015
Artist-in-Residence
DETROIT
– The
Detroit
Jazz
Festival,
the
world’s
largest
free
jazz
festival,
announced
today
that
guitarist/composer
Pat
Metheny
will be
its 2015
Artist-in-Residence.
Metheny
is the
latest
in a
long
line of
jazz
greats
to take
the
mantle
of the
prestigious
Detroit
Jazz
Festival
Artist-In-Residence
Program,
which
will
include
different
musical
incarnations
at this
year’s
festival,
as well
as
education
and
mentorship
activities
throughout
the
year.
The 2015
Artist-In-Residence
Program
is
sponsored
by
Absopure
Water
Company.
Metheny
has 20
Grammy
awards
to his
name and
has sold
more
than 20
million
records,
including
three
gold
albums.
“It’s
very
humbling
to not
only be
asked to
perform
at the
Detroit
Jazz
Festival,
but to
also
serve as
its
Artist-in-Residence,”
said
Metheny.
“I’m
honored
and look
forward
to my
visits
to
Detroit,
a place
with
such
rich
music
history.
Getting
involved
with the
Festival’s
educational
programs
and
performing
in the
heart of
downtown
will be
a
memorable
experience.”
Each
year the
festival’s
Artist-in-Residence
assists
the
Detroit
Jazz
Festival
in its
efforts
to
foster
an
appreciation
of jazz
and
nurture
young
talent,
specifically
in
relation
to
Detroit.
This
year,
Absopure
is
enhancing
its
festival
support
by
sponsoring
the
program
and
helping
bring
such a
well-known
jazz
musician
to the
city. As
the
festival’s
ambassador,
Metheny’s
duties
include
headlining
the
second
performance
of
opening
night,
playing
collaborative
sets
with
special
guests
throughout
the
weekend
–
including
homecoming
jam
sessions
with
native
Detroiters
– and
participating
in
Festival
education
initiatives
leading
up to
Labor
Day
Weekend
performances
including:
• The
Pat
Metheny
Trio
with
Antonio
Sanchez
and
Scott
Colley
and
special
guest
Detroiter
Kenny
Garrett
• An
intimate
acoustic
duo with
Detroiter
Ron
Carter
• A
much-anticipated
reunion
with the
Gary
Burton
in a
special
quartet
put
together
just for
this
festival
with
Scott
Colley
and
Antonio
Sanchez
• An
ambitious
large
ensemble,
consisting
of the
Detroit
Jazz
Festival
Orchestra
and the
North
American
premier
of
Metheny’s
latest
30
minute
suite –
a
tribute
to
German
bassist
Eberhard
Weber
“Metheny
is an
incredible
artist.
He has
been a
heavyweight
in the
jazz
world
for
decades
and
revolutionized
what it
means to
play
‘jazz
guitar,’”
said
Chris
Collins,
artistic
director
of the
Detroit
Jazz
Festival.
“His
experimentation
with
sound
and
style –
and jazz
itself –
truly
taps
into why
this
medium
can be
so
moving
and
inspiring.
Our goal
with the
Artist-in-Residence
program
is to
connect
people,
to draw
them in
to our
city and
take
them on
unique
musical
journeys,
and Pat
will
definitely
help us
do that.
We have
some
special
performances
on tap
that
highlight
his
incredible
musicianship
and
composing
ability.”
“We are
thrilled
to
assist
the
festival
in
bringing
an
iconic
musician
to the
forefront
of the
Detroit
Jazz
Festival
scene.
Metheny’s
body of
work
speaks
for
itself,”
said
William
Patrick
of
Absopure.
“With
his
nearly
universal
acclaim
and
unwavering
commitment
to
artistry,
he’ll
make a
great
ambassador
for the
festival.
To bring
him to
Detroit,
a place
very
much
engrained
in the
roots of
jazz, is
special.”
Metheny
was born
in
Kansas
City and
by the
age of
15 was
working
regularly
with the
best
jazz
musicians
in the
city,
quickly
climbing
the
ranks.
In 1974,
he burst
onto the
international
jazz
scene in
part due
to his
three-year
stint
with
Gary
Burton.
Since
then,
he’s put
out
numerous
albums
and
performed
with
greats
like
Steve
Reich,
Ornette
Coleman,
Herbie
Hancock
and
David
Bowie.
Metheny,
who has
created
compositions
for solo
guitar,
small
ensembles,
electric
and
acoustic
instruments,
ballet
pieces
and
more, is
known
for
continuously
redefining
his
sound by
embracing
instrument
innovations
and the
many
different
sounds a
guitar
can
offer.
The 36th
annual
Detroit
Jazz
Festival
will
take
place
Sept.
4-7,
2015.
The
festival
spans
several
city
blocks
in
downtown
Detroit
– from
Hart
Plaza to
Campus
Martius
– with
four
stages
and more
than 100
performances.
About
the
Detroit
Jazz
Festival
The
Detroit
Jazz
Festival
is an
independent,
non-profit
that
presents
jazz and
educational
workshops
throughout
the
year.
Recently
voted
number
two in
North
America
in a
JazzTimes
reader’s
poll,
the
Detroit
Jazz
Festival
is the
largest
free
jazz
festival
in the
world
and a
major
tourist
attraction
for the
City of
Detroit,
with 23
percent
of its
audience
coming
from out
of
state.
The
Festival
receives
support
from the
National
Endowment
for the
Arts,
the Erb
Family
Foundation,
the John
S. and
James L.
Knight
Foundation
and the
Kresge
Foundation.
Major
corporate
partners
include
JPMorgan
Chase &
Co.,
Opportunity
Detroit,
Carhartt
and Mack
Avenue
Records.
Additional
partners
include
Absopure
Water
Company,
Comcast,
Detroit
Marriott,
Fathead,
Great
Lakes
Beverage,
McDonalds,
MGM
Grand
Detroit,
MotorCity
Casino
Hotel,
Panasonic
and
Quicken
Loans.
Media
partners
include
DownBeat,
Jazz
Times,
Fox 2
Detroit
and WJR
AM. The
festival’s
Greening
Program
is
supported
by a
generous
grant
from the
DTE
Energy
Foundation.
For more
information,
visit
www.detroitjazzfest.com.
About
Absopure
Water
Company
Absopure
Water
Company
is one
of the
top 10
water
companies
in the
United
States.
Founded
in
Detroit
in 1908,
Absopure
makes
and
distributes
bottled
water
and
water
cooler
products
(including
natural
spring,
steam-distilled,
purified,
Cap10
sparkling
mineral
and
natural
fluoride
infant
water).
Absopure
also
offers
coffee
as part
of its
home and
office
refreshment
delivery
services
in the
Midwest,
and is a
leader
in
recycling
plastic
bottles.
For more
information
visit
www.absopure.com.
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