Grand Bahama Island Jazz, Rhythm and Blues FestivalThree-time Grammy Winner Lou Rawls To PerformThe First Annual Grand Bahama Island Jazz, Rhythm and Blues Festival will feature the soulful sounds of legendary jazz performers as they pay tribute to a tradition of jazz on Grand Bahama Island. The Jazz, Rhythm and Blues Festival is scheduled for September 23 through 26 with several concerts taking place at the Westin and Sheraton at Our Lucaya.
Festivals and Travel, Inc. is offering three and five night festival packages with airfare beginning from $539 per person, based on double occupancy from Baltimore/Washington and $569 per person, based on double occupancy from New York. Major carriers, including Continental, US Airways, American Airlines, Delta, AirTran Airways and Bahamasair also offer flights to Grand Bahama Island. For Festival packages and information, call 888-641-7711 or visit www.festivalsandtravel.com. The festival kicks off on Thursday, September 23 with live performances by Edwin Elliott Quartet and Ambasah - Jazz & Caribbean Band in the ballroom at the Westin and Sheraton at Our Lucaya. Throughout the weekend, three-time Grammy award winner Lou Rawls will move audiences with his distinctive, four-octave range voice, performing songs from his award-winning albums, as Roy Ayers - known for his collaborations with artists ranging from Rick James and The Roots to Erykah Badu - will entertain the crowd with his vibraphone artistry. The sweet, soulful sounds of The Stylistics and the high-pitched harmonies of Rock-and-Roll Hall-of-Famer's The Impressionists, will delight guests with a mixture of old, heart-tugging classics and dynamic new sounds. The Bahamas has a history of hosting jazz festivals, with Bill Lockett producing the first major Caribbean jazz festival ever in 1986 in Nassau. Together, The Bahamas Ministry Of Tourism and the Grand Bahama Island Tourism Board will be hosting this year's festivities in conjunction with The Westin & Sheraton at Our Lucaya Beach & Golf Resort and the Crowne Plaza Golf Resort & Casino at Royal Oasis to celebrate a culture rooted in soulful music. Additional sponsors include AirTran Airways, the Isle of Capri Casino, H. Forbes Charter and Discovery Cruise Line. The Westin and Sheraton at Our Lucaya Beach and Golf Resort is a 372- acre resort on Grand Bahama Island. The 1,260 room resort features two 18-hole golf courses, the Butch Harmon School of Golf, Senses Spa and fitness center, 14 restaurants and lounges, four premier tennis courts, Camp Lucaya children's center and four oceanfront swimming pools. For information, please call toll- free (800) Westin - 1 (937-8461) for the Westin at Our Lucaya, (800) 325-3535 for the Sheraton at Our Lucaya or visit www.westin.com/ourlucaya or www.sheraton.com/ourlucaya. Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with more than 740 properties in 80 countries and 105,000 employees at its owned and managed properties. With internationally renowned brands, Starwood is a fully integrated owner, operator and franchisor of hotels and resorts including: St. Regis, The Luxury Collection, Sheraton, Westin, Four Points by Sheraton, W brands, as well as Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc., one of the premier developers and operators of high quality vacation interval ownership resorts. For more information, please visit www.starwood.com For more information contact the Grand Bahama Island Tourism Board at (800) 448-3386 or visit the official website at www.grandbahama.bahamas. Additional information on the festival can be found at http://www.festivalsandtravel.com Edited by Dave Shultz |
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Produced by Bill Lockett's Festivals and Travel, Inc., this year's jazz festival will showcase award-winning musicians and recording artists including Lou Rawls, Roy Ayers, The Impressions and The Stylistics. Local acts such as the Edwin Elliot Quartet and Ambasah - Jazz & Caribbean Band, will add heartfelt Bahamian blues and native jazz numbers to the mix.