Press Release CHICAGO JUNETEENTH JAZZ & HERITAGE FESTIVAL
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (2/16/11)
Contact: Rev. Ronald V. Myers, Sr., M.D., Chairman
National Juneteenth Holiday Campaign
National Juneteenth Observance Foundation (NJOF)
National Juneteenth Christian Leadership Council (NJCLC)
National Association of Juneteenth Jazz Presenters (NAJJP)
662-247-3364 662-247-1471
e-mail: JuneteenthDOC@yahoo.com
web sites: www.19thofJune.com
www.Juneteenth.us
www.njclc.com
www.JuneteenthJazz.com
www.JazzIllinois.net
"A Juneteenth tribute to legendary Chicago jazz great
Von Freeman"
2nd Annual Chicago Juneteenth Jazz & Arts Festival
Chicago Native Dr. Ronald Myers Featured Artist at
Chicago Junetenth Jazz & Heritage Festival
(Chicago, IL) - Illinois rich jazz heritage and legacy will be celebrated during the 2nd Annual
Chicago Juneteenth Jazz & Heritage Festival, hosted by the
National
Association of Juneteenth Jazz Presenters (NAJJP). The celebration will take place on Sunday,
Juneteenth Independence Day, the
"19th of June", 2011,
in the courtyard of the Black United Fund of Illinois Building, 1809 East 71st Street, Chicago, IL, beginning at
3:00pm.
In June, the NAJJP are sponsors of "Celebrating Juneteenth
Jazz", an African-American jazz legacy preservation initiative during
Black Music Month. Juneteenth is officially recognized as a state holiday observance in Illinois,
joining a total of 36 states, the District of Columbia and the
U.S. Congress in the recognition of America's 2nd
Independence Day.
Juneteenth commemorates the day when slaves in the last geographic area in America where slavery existed learned of
their freedom. This took place on June 19, 1865, in Galveston, Texas, when Union General Gordon Granger read
General Order #3, announcing that "all slaves are
free" by Proclamation of President Abraham Lincoln. The
Emancipation Proclamation was signed by President Abraham Lincoln on September 22, 1862, and issued on January 1,
1863. It took over two and a half years for the news to travel to southwest Texas. The
National Juneteenth Holiday Campaign continues to work to establish
Juneteenth as a national holiday observance in America.
The festival is in honor of the Chicago jazz legend, Von Freeman.
"Von Freeman is
one of the greatest Chicago jazz icons in history," states Rev. Ronald V. Myers,
Sr., M.D., Chicago native, Founder & Chairman of the National Juneteenth Observance
Foundation (NJOF) and the National Juneteenth Holiday Campaign.
"Honoring jazz legacy muscians like Von Freeman is why
the
Chicago Juneteenth Jazz & Heritage Festival will be taking place every year."
The festival's featured artist will be Chicago native, Mississippi family physician, accomplished jazz pianist and trumpet
player, Rev. Ronald V. Myers, Sr., M.D.. A modern day renaissance man,
Dr. Myers is a minister, physician and jazz musician, and the
National Juneteenth Jazz Artist. The celebration will also feature Milwaukee master jazz guitarist
Manty Ellis and Chicago's own
Dwayne Armstrong on Tenor Sax.
Myers will be also joined by guitarist
Antoine Brumfield, Cuban percussionist,
Earlton Battles Manley, bassist
John Price, drummer Sam Belton, percussionist Eddy Dunn, with drummer and percussionist
Aye Aton, and others Juneteenth Jazz legacy musicians.
Information about the festival can be found at www.JazzIllinois.net
or www.JuneteenthJazz.com. Also contact Dr. Ron Myers
at 662-247-3364 or e-mail: Juneteenthdoc@yahoo.com. There is no
admission charge and donations are very much appreciated!
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