Grammy-Winning Talent Headlines 20th Annual Dominican Republic Jazz Festival

Four-time Grammy Award winner Esperanza Spalding will be among the outstanding performers as the Dominican Republic Jazz Festival celebrates its 20th anniversary with five nights of free concerts Nov. 3-12. drjazzfestival.com

Presented by the Dominican Ministry of Tourism, the popular event has been attracting audiences of 10,000+ music lovers, making it one of the largest jazz festivals in the Caribbean.

For its 20th edition, the festival will make its first appearance in the nation's thriving capital of Santo Domingo, where it will open on Tuesday, Nov. 8, on the breeze-swept Plaza España in the heart of the Colonial Zone, a UNESCO World Heritage site. From there, the event moves to its traditional venues on the North Coast.

This year's featured performer is Spalding, an American bassist who at age 31 has already recorded seven collaborative and five solo albums while picking up four Grammys.

The all-star lineup includes saxophonist Lihi Haruvi (Israel), the Tia Fuller Quartet (USA), the Patricia Zarate Quintet (Chile), Pat Pereyra and her band (Dominican Republic), the Berklee Global Jazz Institute with special guests JoAnne Brackeen (piano) and Grammy Award-winning drummer Terri Lyne Carrington (USA); vocalist Maridalia Herández (Dominican Republic), The Big Band Conservatory of Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic), a special quartet with Geri Allen, Terri Lyne Carrington, Ingrid Jensen and Linda Oh (USA), vocalist Sabrina Estepan and Enerolisa Núñez and her group (Dominican Republic), who will perform folkloric Dominican music.

In addition to their evening performances, many festival artists conduct daytime workshops for Dominican children, teaching them a few basic concepts and introducing them to the magic of creating music themselves.

Several hundred children attend the workshops, which are presented through the festival's affiliation with FEDUJAZZ, a nonprofit foundation that provides music education for Dominican youth. Enrollment in the FEDUJAZZ music program in Cabarete recently expanded to more than 200 students.

Here is the schedule for this year's festival; all concerts start at 8 p.m.:

· Thursday, Nov. 3, at Casa de Arte de Sosua and Parque Las Flores
· Tuesday, Nov. 8, at Plaza España in Santo Domingo.
· Wednesday, Nov. 9, at Centro León in Santiago.
· Thursday, Nov. 10, at Parque Independencia in Puerto Plata.
· Friday and Saturday, Nov. 11-12, on the beach in Cabarete.

Since its debut in 1997, the Dominican Republic Jazz Festival has presented internationally renowned Latin Grammy and Grammy Award-winning musicians such as Ignacio Berroa, Joe Lovano, Chuck Mangione, Ray Baretto, Néstor Torres, Chucho Valdés, Horacio "El Negro" Hernandez and Arturo Sandoval among many other talents.

The 20th annual Dominican Republic Jazz Festival is presented by the Ministry of Tourism, and sponsors include Ron Macorix, JetBlue, the United States Embassy, Berklee Global Jazz Institute, Gratereaux Delva & Associates Law Firm, Sea Horse Ranch Luxury Resort, Ultravioleta Boutique Residences, Millennium Resort & Spa, Casa Linda, the Ministry of Culture, CICOM, Cibao Recycling, BanReservas and the National Gallery of Fine Arts.

The festival is free, but VIP tickets are available and include priority seating, complimentary beverages and other festival perks, with proceeds benefiting FEDUJAZZ. For more information visit www.drjazzfestival.com

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