Providing an intimate interaction of jazz and community found nowhere else, the Stanford Jazz Festival is pleased to announce the lineup of its 40th season. Beginning on June 24 with Grammy®-winning, New Orleans-based living legend Allen Toussaint (at right), presenting rare appearances by the great Brazilian songwriter and singer Milton Nascimento, and winding up in August with an all-star week that includes Joe Lovano and the Bad Plus, the Festival will present upwards of 100 of the world’s greatest jazz artists in the comfortable and convenient setting of the Stanford University campus.
Unique among jazz festivals in the way it brings great jazz artists together to collaborate and to work closely with students, the Stanford Jazz Festival is the result of the vision of founder and Artistic and Executive Director Jim Nadel (pictured, left). “Our community-based approach to teaching and nurturing jazz has resonated with a great many musicians over the years,” says Nadel. “The musicians’ love for the music and the open exchange of ideas have been the key ingredients in the success of our Jazz Camp and Jazz Residency programs as well as the world-class performances that characterize the Stanford Jazz Festival.”

As he’s done for each of the Festival seasons since 1972, Nadel has put together a compelling mix of styles and talent that includes living legends of jazz (Allen Toussaint, Oscar Castro-Neves, George Cables, Milton Nascimento – pictured right, Ndugu Chancler, and Jimmy and Tootie Heath), international marquee artists (Gary Burton, Bill Frisell, Irvin Mayfield, Wallace Roney, Robben Ford, Bill Charlap, and Renee Rosnes), and buzz-generating younger musicians (Gretchen Parlato, Anat Cohen, Claudia Acuña, Charlie Hunter, Scott Amendola, Marcus Shelby, Taylor Eigsti, Julian Lage, and Yosvany Terry).

Underscoring the status of the Stanford Jazz Workshop’s programs as among the elite in all of jazz education, well over half of this year’s Stanford Jazz Festival events feature performers who are alumni or faculty of the Jazz Camp or Jazz Residency programs, which run concurrently with the Festival between July 17 and August 5 this year. Among the superstar faculty and former students who will appear are Madeline Eastman (pictured left), Larry Grenadier, Jenny Scheinman, Ruth Davies, Ethan Iverson, Taylor Eigsti, Julian Lage, Victor Lin, Patrick Wolff, Bennett Paster, and Joe Gilman.

While Nadel often features his passion for bebop in his programming, his vision encompasses all styles. In 2011, Festival fans will be treated to a rainbow of world jazz, including Brazilian (two special shows with Milton Nascimento, Oscar Castro-Neves), Chilean (Claudia Acuña, pictured right), Colombian (Edmar Castaneda), and Afro-Cuban (Yosvany Terry). For classic standards and swing, the Festival has several special shows, including clarinetist Ken Peplowski; Unforgettable: A Tribute to Nat “King” Cole featuring vocalist Allan Harris; and For Singing and Swinging: The Great American Songsmiths featuring Clairdee and Bobbe Norris. Bassist Ruth Davies hosts the perennial favorite Blues Night, which this year features the world-renowned guitarist Robben Ford as the special guest artist.

Complete details on the 2011 Stanford Jazz Festival lineup will be available here by the end of April. Festival artist information will include song samples and video clips, so ticket buyers can sample each performance.

Tickets for the Stanford Jazz Festival go on sale May 2. Buy tickets by phone: 650-725-ARTS (2787). Buy tickets online by clicking the buttons on this page once they’re active on May 2. For more information, call 650-736-0324.

The Stanford Jazz Festival is presented by the jazz education nonprofit Stanford Jazz Workshop, in conjunction with presenting sponsor See’s Candies. Stanford Jazz Workshop has been bringing the best in jazz to local audiences and jazz musicians through both the festival and its summer education programs for youth and adults for nearly 40 years, and is funded in part by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.