 The
Whiteweld Foundation presents Patti Austin and the Count Basie
Orchestra at Carnegie Hall
“FOR ELLA” tribute concert to Ella Fitzgerald, performed
as a benefit for children’s charities on February 10th at 8
pm
New York, NY, November 16, 2005—Legendary
vocalist Patti Austin teams up with the equally legendary Count Basie
Orchestra in a valentine to the memory of the great Ella Fitzgerald. “For
Ella” is a benefit concert sponsored
by The Whiteweld Foundation, on behalf of children’s charities.
Citizens Community Bank of Ridgewood, New Jersey, is a co-sponsor
of this event.
The latest concert in The Whiteweld Foundation
Concert Series teams two sensational jazz greats. Patti Austin
is a song stylist of astonishing range and talent, the goddaughter
of Quincy Jones and Dinah Washington, whose extraordinary career
began when she was still in her teens. Her career spans 16 solo
albums and a host of musical genres, and most notably she recorded
her Ella Fitzgerald tribute album – “For
Ella” – live with the WDR Big Band in Colon, Germany.
She has also co-created and toured the musical extravaganza Beboperella,
fusing the spirits of Ella and Bebop into a rousing musical experience.
The “For Ella” concert at Carnegie Hall promises to be
a true highlight for jazz lovers of all ages.
Among Patti Austin’s chart-topping and enduring hits and recordings
are “Baby Come to Me,” a classic duet with James ingram,
for Quincy Jones’ Qwest records; the Jam and Lewis-produced “The
Heat of Heat;” the timeless standards of her 1988 album “The
Real Me;” the 1998 Concord Jazz album “In and Out of
Love;” and 1999’s critically-acclaimed “Street
of Dreams” recording, with gorgeous renditions of the all-time
favorites “Someone to Watch Over Me” and “I Only
Have Eyes for You.” Her numerous television appearances are
ample testimony to her versatility and brilliant timing, and Patti
also devotes considerable time to performing for AIDS-related organizations
and other critical health and charitable organizations.
The Count
Basie Orchestra, formed by William “Count” Basie,
who set the standard for subsequent jazz pianists, is arguably the
definitive big band of jazz. Over the years, a veritable “Who’s
Who” of jazz have played in or worked with the band, including
Freddie Green, Thad Jones, Lester Young, and Billie Holiday. Under
current band leader Bill Hughes, the band continues to deliver its
classic hits such as “One O’Clock Jump,” “April
in Paris,” and “Autumn Leaves,” and along the way
has collected 17 Grammy Awards, 2 Grammy Hall of Fame Awards, and
9 Down Beat Readers and Critics Poll Awards. The current swing revival
owes it all to the Count Basie Orchestra, which developed the sound
back in the 1930s in Kansas City, creating what would forever after
be known as “Basie swing.” Swing lives and continues
to win new audiences thanks to the enduring big-band sound of the
Count Basie Orchestra.
About The Whiteweld Foundation.
The Whiteweld Foundation's mission is to promote the health, education,
and welfare of children in our communities throughout the United
States and abroad. Funds raised are distributed directly and through
charitable organizations dedicated to protecting and nurturing
children everywhere.
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