SummerStage Presents Mahalia Jackson Tribute Tonight

Tonight, June 22, 2013, SummerStage will present "Make a Joyful Noise" - A Tribute to Mahalia Jackson , featuring JOSHUA NELSON, the "Prince of Kosher Gospel", with special guest Della Reese. Plus a full-length screening of "Mahalia Jackson: The Power and the Glory", in association with ImageNation Cinema Foundation. The FREE show will be held at Central Park, Manhattan. Recommended Arrival Time: 5:00pm. Showtime: 6:00 PM - 10:00PM.

To mark the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, which called for civil and economic rights for African Americans, SummerStage honors the storied legacy of famed Gospel singer and activist Mahalia Jackson with an evening of music and film. Listen to Joshua Nelson, known as "The Prince of Kosher Gospel", as he pays tribute to Ms. Jackson with his creative reinterpretations of her original catalogue, followed by the screening of "Mahalia Jackson: The Power and the Glory" which gives an intimate look into the life and rise of the famed singer that changed our history one note at a time.

Joshua Nelson, the self-proclaimed "Prince of Kosher Gospel", has created a music genre that blends together his religion and his heritage. In a New York Times Article, Nelson said "Kosher gospel isn't an imitation of traditional gospel music, but the marriage of ethnic African music and Christian music." In his music, Nelson combines the lyrics and meanings of Judaism with the soulful sounds of American Gospel music. For his audiences, whatever their faith or heritage, kosher Gospel has been a revelation. Now in his early thirties, Nelson has performed around the world, for presidents, congregations, major music festivals-and for Oprah, who named him a "Next Big Thing." In 2008, Nelson released his latest album, Mi Chamocha. Artist Website: http://www.joshuanelson.com/fr_home.cfm

While developing her music skills as a teenager, Della Reese had the opportunity to tour with Mahalia Jackson. From 1969 to 1970, Reese hosted a television talk show while guest starring on many shows into the 1980s, including Sanford and Son, Crazy Like a Fox and Picket Fences. In 1987, she was nominated for a Best Female Soloist in Gospel Music GRAMMY Award. In the late 1990s, Reese landed a starring role on television's Touched By An Angel, alongside Roma Downey and John Dye, while continuing her music career.

Mahalia Jackson's music cut through whatever lay in its wake and shackled itself to your soul. Those who witnessed her singing spoke of being taken to a sacred place, of the sheer power of her voice, of the rapturous, transcendent nature of the experience. Jackson was considered by many to be the world's greatest Gospel singer and the creator of a musical standard by which all would be judged."Mahalia Jackson: The Power and the Glory" follows the course of her extraordinary life, from her humble beginnings as a sickly child singing in the churches of New Orleans, through her years in relative obscurity, to her breakthrough and her role as a civil rights activist and her ascendancy to Carnegie Hall and the great stages of Europe. Director Jeff Scheftel gives intimate insight into Jackson's life with archival footage and interviews with those who knew her best.

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City Parks Foundation (CPF) is the only independent, nonprofit organization to offer park programs throughout the five boroughs of New York City. We work in over 750 parks citywide, presenting a broad range of free arts, sports, and education programs, and empowering citizens to support their parks on a local level. Our programs and community building initiatives reach more than 600,000 people each year, contributing to the revitalization of neighborhoods throughout New York City.

SummerStage reminds our patrons that in the interest of public safety the following items cannot be brought into the Central Park venue: glass bottles, cans, coolers, folding chairs, bicycles, rollerblades, skateboards, beach umbrellas, video cameras, tape recorders, professional camera gear or pets. All bags are subject to search. Bringing alcoholic beverages into any NYC park is forbidden and the distribution or sale of unauthorized promotional materials is not allowed. Beer and wine are on sale at the Central Park venue for on­site consumption only.

In all of its programming and activities, City Parks Foundation partners with the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation to improve neighborhood parks and the communities they serve.