Kravis Center Salutes Jazz Pianist Ramsey Lewis Who Is Ceasing 70-year Concert Career

The Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts today announced that the March 17, 2019 performance of Ramsey Lewis & John Pizzarelli in Straighten Up and Fly Right: A Tribute to Nat King Cole has been canceled.

According to a statement from his management firm, "After seven decades of touring, Ramsey Lewis has decided that he physically can no longer tour and has canceled all of his upcoming performances. While he is still healthy, he is 83 years old and can no longer meet the strenuous demands that touring takes on a touring musician. He apologizes for the position this puts the promoters and his fans in and respectfully asks that you consider how difficult this decision is for him - to give up something that he loves so very much to do. He does plan to continue to make records and has a new record coming out in 2019."

"Ramsey Lewis has been a longtime friend of the Kravis Center, who has entertained our audiences twice over the last 27 seasons," says Lee Bell, Senior Director of Programming. "While his concert career may be over, we wish him much ongoing success as he continues to record amazing jazz albums."

Guests who have purchased tickets to see Ramsey Lewis & John Pizzarelli on Sunday, March 17, 2019 will receive an automatic refund back to their original method of payment. If they paid by check or cash, they will receive a check within 10 days after refund.

The Kravis Center is a not-for-profit performing arts center located at 701 Okeechobee Blvd. in West Palm Beach, FL. To enhance the customer experience, the Center is currently undergoing a $50 million expansion project, titled Kravis 2020: The Future is Now. The Center's mission is to enhance the quality of life in Palm Beach County by presenting a diverse schedule of national and International Artists and companies of the highest quality, by offering comprehensive arts education programs - serving approximately 2.5 million schoolchildren since its inception; by providing a Palm Beach County home for local and regional arts organizations to showcase their work; and by providing an economic catalyst and community leadership in West Palm Beach, supporting efforts to increase travel and tourism to Palm Beach County. For information, please visit Kravis.org or call the box office at 561.832.7469.