Through its last eight years, the Levitt Pavilion Pasadena has been home to some of the world’s most well-known Black musicians and performers. While many people think strictly of jazz, the blues, and, more recently, hip-hop, when thinking of Black music, the reality is that music influenced by African traditions is as diverse as African and African rooted culture itself. The Levitt Pavilion Pasadena honors this contribution with its Nineth Annual Summer Season lineup featuring a diverse range of local and international Black artists playing a broad spectrum of genres.
Jazz: A Levitt Pavilion Pasadena Tradition
The Levitt Pavilion Pasadena is honored to continue its tradition of bringing high-quality jazz artists to perform outdoors in Old Pasadena. This year’s lineup includes Ms. Barbara Morrison (on 6/26), the Latin-jazz virtuoso Poncho Sanchez (on 8/4), local favorite Billy Mitchell (on 8/12), Marcus Shelby presenting his latest release 'Soul of a Movement: Meditations on Martin Luther King, Jr.' (on 8/14), and jazz pianist and 2011 Grammy winner for Best Instrumental Composition Billy Childs (on 8/20).
Soul/Reggae
This year’s lineup features world renowned Ghanian reggae artist Rocky Dawuni and the Afro Funke Soundsystem for Make Music Pasadena (6/18), critically-acclaimed, decade-spanning, and Grammy winning soul queen Bettye Lavette (on 7/23), and 2011 Grammy nominee N’Dambi’s soothing vocals spanning an artful collection of classic soul, jazz, and funk sounds (on 7/3).
African Artists/Dessert Blues/Contemporary
This year features some exciting performances from artists giving a special nod to African traditions as well as African artists innovating contemporary African music. This lineup includes artists like Khaira Arby and Her Band, from Timbuktu, Mali, singing in the indigenous languages of the Sahara Desert region (on 7/17), Linda Tillery and the Cultural Heritage Choir, a percussion driven, vocal ensemble preserving and sharing the rich musical traditions of African American roots music (on 8/7), Bombino, a young Tuareg desert blues guitar
ist from Niger, capturing the spirit of resistance and rebellion with electrifying jams (on 7/28), and South-African pop band Freshlyground (on 7/10).
Afro-Latino/Brazilian
African music has made incredible contributions to music in Latin American countries. This year’s lineup also features Novalima, an Afro-Peruvian band blending traditional rhythms with electronic and dub grooves (on 6/23) and SambaDá, featuring the hybrid sounds of Brazilian funk, samba-reggae, and surf rock led by Dandha da Hora, a powerful singer steeped in the life and lessons of samba culture and the Brazilian black pride movement.
Children’s Nights
Children’s nights bring families to Memorial Park every Wednesday from 6 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. This year, come see Putumayo Kids and recording artists Asheba, bringing a blend of calypso and reggae rhythms for children and adults (on 7/20);the percussion-driven, confidence-building Rhythm Child (on 8/3); and Lazare Houtein’s Night in Africa, transforming the Levitt into an interactive African safari presenting music, dance, and culture.
The Levitt Pavilion Pasadena’s 50 FREE summer concert series runs Wednesday through Sunday nights, June 22 through August 28, 2011.
The Levitt Pavilion Pasadena is an outdoor, family-friendly venue offering picnic-style seating, food vendors, merchandise, and booths from local non-profit organizations. Concert goers are welcome to bring their own food. Thursday and Sunday evenings will feature alcohol provided by Pop Champagne & Dessert Bar.
For a complete listing of our 2011 FREE concert lineup, please visit www.levittpavilionpasadena.org or check us out on Facebook at www.facebook.com/LevittPavilionPasadena.
Sponsors and supporters for the 2011 season include: Levitt Pavilions Community Through Music, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Los Angeles County Arts Commission, the City of Pasadena, Kids Klub Child Development Centers, Pasadena Tournament of Roses® Foundation, California Presenters; WESTAF, the Western States Arts Federation, and the National Endowment for the Arts and several private corporations and foundations.
