 The Whiteweld Foundation presents
Patti Austin and the Count
Basie
Orchestra at Carnegie
Hall
“FOR ELLA” tribute
concert to Ella Fitzgerald, performed as a benefit for children’s
charities on February 10th at 8 pm
New York, NY, November 16, 2005—Legendary vocalist Patti Austin teams up with the equally
legendary Count Basie Orchestra in a valentine to the memory of the
great Ella Fitzgerald. “For Ella” is a benefit concert sponsored by
The Whiteweld Foundation, on behalf of children’s charities.
Citizens Community Bank of Ridgewood, New Jersey, is a co-sponsor of
this event.
The latest concert in The Whiteweld Foundation
Concert Series teams two sensational jazz greats. Patti Austin is a
song stylist of astonishing range and talent, the goddaughter of
Quincy Jones and Dinah Washington, whose extraordinary career began
when she was still in her teens. Her career spans 16 solo albums and
a host of musical genres, and most notably she recorded her Ella
Fitzgerald tribute album – “For Ella” – live with the WDR Big Band
in Colon, Germany. She has also co-created and toured the musical
extravaganza Beboperella, fusing the spirits of Ella and Bebop into
a rousing musical experience. The “For Ella” concert at Carnegie
Hall promises to be a true highlight for jazz lovers of all
ages.
Among Patti Austin’s chart-topping and enduring hits
and recordings are “Baby Come to Me,” a classic duet with James
ingram, for Quincy Jones’ Qwest records; the Jam and Lewis-produced
“The Heat of Heat;” the timeless standards of her 1988 album “The
Real Me;” the 1998 Concord Jazz album “In and Out of Love;” and
1999’s critically-acclaimed “Street of Dreams” recording, with
gorgeous renditions of the all-time favorites “Someone to Watch Over
Me” and “I Only Have Eyes for You.” Her numerous television
appearances are ample testimony to her versatility and brilliant
timing, and Patti also devotes considerable time to performing for
AIDS-related organizations and other critical health and charitable
organizations.
The Count Basie Orchestra, formed by William
“Count” Basie, who set the standard for subsequent jazz pianists, is
arguably the definitive big band of jazz. Over the years, a
veritable “Who’s Who” of jazz have played in or worked with the
band, including Freddie Green, Thad Jones, Lester Young, and Billie
Holiday. Under current band leader Bill Hughes, the band continues
to deliver its classic hits such as “One O’Clock Jump,” “April in
Paris,” and “Autumn Leaves,” and along the way has collected 17
Grammy Awards, 2 Grammy Hall of Fame Awards, and 9 Down Beat Readers
and Critics Poll Awards. The current swing revival owes it all to
the Count Basie Orchestra, which developed the sound back in the
1930s in Kansas City, creating what would forever after be known as
“Basie swing.” Swing lives and continues to win new audiences thanks
to the enduring big-band sound of the Count Basie
Orchestra.
About The
Whiteweld Foundation.
The Whiteweld
Foundation's mission is to promote the health, education, and
welfare of children in our communities throughout the United States
and abroad. Funds raised are distributed directly and through
charitable organizations dedicated to protecting and nurturing
children everywhere.
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