Jazz at Lincoln Center has received a $10 million leadership grant from The Coca-Cola Company
towards the creation of the world's first performing arts center designed specifically for jazz, Frederick
P. Rose Hall, scheduled to open in Fall 2004. In recognition of the company's commitment to this
authentic art form, Jazz at Lincoln Center will name the 140-seat jazz club performance venue in the
new facility, Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola.
Named in honor of jazz legend John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie, Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola will offer views
of Central Park and the Manhattan skyline and be the most intimate performance space in the
facility. The 2,500-square foot jazz club will offer a unique mix of educational programming in the
daytime while converting to a performance venue every evening. The room will enable J@LC to offer
smaller concerts and special events for young people such as Student Musician's Nights, which will
provide young jazz musicians an opportunity to perform live. Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola is one of three
main performance venues within Frederick P. Rose Hall, including The Rose Theater and The Allen
Room, and is expected to produce hundreds of performances per year. Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola also
will offer an eclectic catering menu that reflects the soulful American style of jazz.
"I know that my husband would be proud and honored that many musicians will further their careers
and the awareness of jazz as an art form, in a place that bears his name," said Lorraine
Gillespie.
Jazz at Lincoln Center artistic director Wynton Marsalis said, "Dizzy Gillespie was a genius of
music, an inspired teacher, and a believer in the oneness of people. He was a great dancer, a
comedian, and someone who embraced all aspects of jazz — from the swinging big band, to
Afro-Cuban, to Afro-Latin, to a small late-night combo. He brought the joy of jazz to millions of
listeners all over the world forever and, with the help of Coca- Cola, our club will embody his sense of
community and joie de vivre."
"This extraordinary commitment from Coca-Cola will enable Jazz at Lincoln Center to achieve its
mission of education, performance and the preservation and dissemination of the history of jazz,"
said Lisa Schiff, chairman, Jazz at Lincoln Center. "It will help us build the world's first facility
dedicated to jazz and we are deeply grateful to Coca-Cola for their leadership in this endeavor."
"Coca-Cola is proud to help bring a unique jazz experience to New York City and the people around
the world who visit the city and Lincoln Center," said Chuck Fruit, senior vice president, Worldwide
Media and Alliances, The Coca-Cola Company. "Especially important to us was the opportunity to
create a place where young people can learn and perform this great art form. It is our hope that
Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola will become a prominent venue not only for the world's best jazz musicians,
but also a place where aspiring students interested in becoming the next Dizzy Gillespie or Wynton
Marsalis can realize their dreams."
Designed by renowned architect Rafael Vinoly, Jazz at Lincoln Center's Frederick P. Rose Hall is
being built through a unique partnership that brings together The Coca-Cola Company with the
generosity of private donors and the support of the City of New York, New York State MTA
(Metropolitan Transportation Authority), the State of New York and the United States Congress. The
100,000-square-foot home for Jazz at Lincoln Center will extend the campus of Lincoln Center in New
York City to Columbus Circle. It will be a state-of-the-art performance complex, conceived for the
function and feeling of jazz, and engineered for warmth and clarity of sound and will also
accommodate dance, opera, theatre and symphony. The acoustical consulting team formed for this
project called the "Sound of Jazz," is a joint venture of Artec Consultants Inc and Walters-Storyk
Design Group.
Frederick P. Rose Hall is the cultural centerpiece of AOL Time Warner Center, a new 2.1 million
square foot landmark development currently under construction at Columbus Circle. This
development will be the largest mixed- use complex ever constructed in New York history. The
complex, designed by David M. Childs of Skidmore, Owings &Merrill, is being developed by The
Related Companies, L.P. and Apollo Real Estate Advisors, L.P. In addition to Jazz at Lincoln
Center, the project will feature the new world headquarters of AOL Time Warner; The Shops at
Columbus Circle featuring luxury and specialty retail shops and fine dining; the One Central Park
residential condominiums containing 191 luxury apartments; a 251-room five-star Mandarin Oriental
Hotel; 200,000 square feet of state-of-the-art Class A office space; and a 504 stall valet parking
garage. Brennan, Beer and Gorman/Architects are the design architects for the Mandarin Oriental
Hotel.
Las Vegas Blue Note Closed
CelebrityAccess has learned that the Blue Note in Las Vegas has been sold to a restaurateur and all bookings have ceased. More info to follow.
Fox Theatre Gets New Head Talent Buyer
The Fox Theatre in Boulder, CO has promoted Eric Pirritt to head talent buyer, replacing Don Strasburg, who has held this position for more than 10 years. Strasburg will continue on as a consultant.
Pirritt, who began at The Fox nearly four years, also has his own company, ENDIt! Presents.
Roger Newton New GM At Southeast Texas Entertainment Complex
Roger Newton is the new general manager of the SMG-managed Southeast Texas Entertainment Complex in Beaumont, TX. He previously worked at the SMG corporate offices in Philadelphia where he was a regional vice president. He also served as general manager of the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, NY, general manager of the American Airlines Arena in Miami and executive director of the Corel Centre in Ottawa.
Essence Festival to Stay in New Orleans
The Associated Press – NEW ORLEANS — The Essence Music Festival, which has been held in New Orleans since 1995, will stay in the city through 2006.
The city will be a participating sponsor and will receive promotional benefits, according to an agreement announced last week.
The festival, which attracts a mainly black audience for concerts and empowerment seminars, is set for July 3-5. Last year's three-day festival attracted about 223,000 people.
