The Lakeland Jazz Festival, the oldest jazz festival in the State of Ohio, will celebrate its 46^th year March 16-18 in the Dr. Wayne L. Rodehorst Performing Arts Center in the D-Building on Lakeland’s main campus at 7700 Clocktower Drive, Kirtland.

This year’s festival opens with headliner Donald Harrison and his quartet Friday, March 16 at 8 p.m. A special tribute to jazz great Tadd Dameron will be the theme of the Saturday, March 17 concert when Madd for Tadd™ performs at 8 p.m. Rounding out the festival on Sunday, March 18 at 4 p.m., will be a Big Band Matinee featuring the Lakeland Civic Jazz Orchestra and the Youngstown State University Jazz Ensemble and Jazz Quintet

Friday night concert tickets are $30 for general admission and $15 for students. Saturday night concert tickets are $15 for general admission and $7 for students. The Sunday matinee tickets are $10 for general admission and $7 for students. Tickets can be purchased by calling 440.525.7134 or online at lakelandcc.edu/arts.

The festival also presents a unique opportunity to the jazz education community in Northeast Ohio, whereby middle and high school jazz bands and ensembles perform for adjudication. The concerts are free and open to the public. Visit lakelandcc.edu/jazzfestival for the performance schedule.

This year, the festival is supported by a generous grant from the Lake County Visitors Bureau.

About The Donald Harrison Quartet
Donald Harrison, the legendary musician, writer, singer and producer from New Orleans, is considered one of the most significant classical jazz artists of the modern age. Along with topping the charts and producing over a dozen albums, he married smooth jazz, swing, modern R&B, hip-hop and reggae into an innovative new style called Nouveau Swing. His quartet consists of an all-star line-up from both New Orleans and New York City.

About Madd for Tadd™

The East Central Jazz Educators All Star Big Band consists of musicians from a variety of colleges in the Northeast Ohio region, in Pennsylvania and one performer from the United Kingdom. They will be combining their immense talents to honor legendary jazz composer and Cleveland native Tadd Dameron.

About the Lakeland Jazz Festival
The Lakeland Jazz Festival is a presentation of the Arts and Sciences Division of Lakeland Community College. The festival was founded by retired professor and music department Chair Charles M. Frank. Lakeland's Jazz Festival has remained true to its original mission of instilling the excitement and magic of jazz education to the younger generation of musicians. Over 30,000 middle and high school musicians from throughout the state have participated in the festival in celebration of this uniquely American art form, jazz.

Festival coordinators are Lakeland professors Dave Sterner whose email is davesterner@sbcglobal.net and Stephen Stanziano, Ph.D., whose email is sstanziano@lakelandcc.edu.

By: Jeri Pilarczyk