(New York) November 22, 2004 - Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola – located in The House of Swing, Jazz at Lincoln Center's Frederick P. Rose Hall – will commemorate the 100th birthday of legendary tenor saxophonist "Hawk," Coleman Hawkins, in a musical tribute directed by tenor Eric Alexander and his quintet, including special guest George Coleman, and will feature in the After Hours late night jam sets a duet featuring tenor saxist Bob Kindred and pianist John DiMartino.

Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola offers spectacular views and serves a jazz inspired menu seven days a week through the collaboration between Great Performances and Spoonbread culinary creators. Reservations can be made at 212-258-9595 or via the Jazz At Lincoln Center website http://www.jalc.org.

Since opening its doors to the public on October 21, Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola has received accolades by critics for its classy atmosphere:

"Boasting the hands-down best view of any New York jazz club, Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola is an intimate room of curved bamboo walls that seats 140, including tables and barstools." - Dan Ouellette, Down Beat, November 2004

"The new club is a beautiful room with perfect sightlines. In most jazz clubs we consider ourselves lucky just to be able to see the band; here we get a breathtaking Midtown panorama as well." - Will Friedwald, The New York Sun, October 28, 2004

Monday, November 22: UPSTARTS! STUDENT SHOWCASE
Shows at 7:30PM & 9:30PM
Manhattan School Of Music - Jazz Orchestra/Concert Jazz Band

Tuesday, November 23 through Sunday, November 28: A Centennial Celebration of Coleman Hawkins – The Body and the Soul
Two full shows at 7:30PM & 9:30PM. Additional set on Friday & Saturday at 11:30PM

Eric Alexander Quintet featuring Eric Alexander (tenor saxophone), George Coleman (tenor saxophone), Harold Mabern (piano), John Webber (bass), and Joe Farnsworth (drums).

From the Kansas City tradition where swing was the order of the day, Coleman Hawkins (he hailed from St. Joseph, Missouri) ruled the jazz saxophone by the age of 20 in 1924. He would go on to become a sensation with the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra for a decade before retreating to Europe just prior to World War II. Upon his return the expatriate would continually challenge his rival Lester Young, not before giving the world his masterpiece, "Body and Soul." 52nd Street became his permanent address as he resided with Monk, Don Byas, Diz, Miles, Max and countless others. In the waning years of bebop, he toured with Jazz at the Philharmonic, teamed with Roy Eldridge in the late 50’s and recorded with his understudy Sonny Rollins. By 1965, "Hawk" went into decline and was gone in 1969.

Eric Alexander, who will serve as Music Director for the Hawkins Celebration, resides in Washington and finished second in the Thelonious Monk Competition in 1991. He first gained international attention playing and recording with the "Mighty Burner," Charles Earland. His hard bop explorations are well documented on Criss Cross, Delmark and more recently in a string of critically albums for Milestone Records. He was set to join Taylor’s Wailers in 1995 (a group led by drummer Arthur Taylor) at the time of Taylor’s passing. He has played with Eddie Henderson, Mel Rhyne, Cecil Payne and Kenny Barron. His big voluminous sound recalls the influences of Dexter Gordon and this engagement’s band-mate George Coleman

AFTER HOURS SETS
Tuesday-Saturday, November 23-27 - After Hours with the tenor/piano duo of saxophonist Bob Kindred and pianist John DiMartino. Tuesday-Thursday set starts at 11PM; Friday & Saturday set starts at 12:30PM.

****NEXT WEEK AT DIZZY'S CLUB Coca-Cola****

Monday, November 29: UPSTARTS! STUDENT SHOWCASE
7:30PM: Juilliard Jazz Ensemble
9:30PM: Ali Jackson & Friends

Tuesday, November 30 through Sunday, December 5:
Soul Jazz: Joey DeFrancesco & David "Fathead" Newman
Two full shows at 7:30PM & 9:30PM. Additional set on Friday & Saturday at 11:30PM

Joey DeFrancesco (Hammond B-3 organ), David "Fathead" Newman (saxophone, flute), Paul Bollenback (guitar), Byron Landham (drums).

The global jazz community has credited Joey DeFrancesco and his recordings from the late 1980s and early 1990s as the singular sensation for rekindling a love for the Hammond B-3 organ. But the wunderkind turned legend didn’t simply catch his break when he performed with Miles Davis as a teenager; the organist has patterned his career after the trumpeter’s example of constantly pushing the creative envelope and bringing together new and disparate cohorts. Davis was the first of many legendary associations on a resume that would someday include his mentor Jack McDuff, John McLaughlin, Jimmy Bruno, Houston Person, Kenny Garrett, and a pairing with his idol Jimmy Smith on the Concord Records release Incredible! (1999).

For this engagement, DeFrancesco and his trio (drummer Byron Landham and guitarist Paul Bollenback) will be joined by special guest saxophonist/flutist David "Fathead" Newman. The "Texas Tenor" was associated with Ray Charles in a musical relationship that lasted over a decade. "Fathead" is a pioneer in the jazz idiom and helped pave the way for cats like me," states DeFrancesco. "I first became aware of "Fathead" because I was a huge fan of Ray Charles. He's the real deal, soulful, burning and it's an honor to share the stage with him."

DeFrancesco shares his thoughts on Dizzy Gillespie: "Dizzy Gillespie was an inventor and creator of this music I hold so dearly. To honor him by naming the club ‘Dizzy's’ seems a natural. The club, like the man, is soulful and beautiful. It's indeed an honor to play the room for, and in the spirit of Diz."

AFTER HOURS SETS Tuesday-Saturday, November 30-December 4 - After Hours with Seleno Clarke & Harlem Groove Band Tuesday-Thursday set starts at 11PM; Friday & Saturday set starts at 12:30PM.

**************

Jazz at Lincoln Center is a not-for-profit arts organization dedicated to jazz. With the world-renowned Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, and a comprehensive array of guest artists, Jazz at Lincoln Center advances a unique vision for the continued development of the art of jazz by producing a year-round schedule of performance, education, and broadcast events for audiences of all ages. These productions include concerts, national and international tours, residencies, weekly national radio and television programs, recordings, publications, an annual high school jazz band competition and festival, a band director academy, a jazz appreciation curriculum for children, advanced training through the Julliard Institute for Jazz Studies, music publishing, children's concerts, lectures, adult education courses, film programs, and student and educator workshops. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Wynton Marsalis, President & CEO Hughlyn F. Fierce, Executive Director Derek E. Gordon, Chairman of the Board Lisa Schiff and Jazz at Lincoln Center Board and staff, Jazz at Lincoln Center will produce hundreds of events during its 2004-05 season. This is the inaugural season in Jazz at Lincoln Center's new home — Frederick P. Rose Hall — the first-ever performance, education, and broadcast facility devoted to jazz.  

For more information on Jazz at Lincoln Center, please visit www.jalc.org.