Press Release MUSKOGEE JUNETEENTH JAZZ & ARTS FESTIVAL Fundraiser
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (8/14/09)
Contact: Rev. Ronald V. Myers, Sr., M.D., Chairman
National Juneteenth Holiday Campaign
National Juneteenth Observance Foundation (NJOF)
National Juneteenth Christian Leadership Council (NJCLC)
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
Wilma Newton, President
Oklahoma Juneteenth Historical Foundation (OJHF)
918-781-9248
e-mail: wilmablessingadmin@myapplemail.com
web site: www.JuneteenthOklahoma.com
"A Juneteenth Tribute To legendary Muskogee, Oklahoma jazz great
Jay McShann"
Muskogee Juneteenth Jazz & Arts Festival
Fundraiser at Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame
Ron Myers Featured Artist at
Muskogee Juneteenth Jazz & Arts Festival
2010 Black Music Month
Muskogee Juneteenth Jazz & Arts Festival
(Muskogee, Oklahoma) - Muskogee's rich black jazz heritage and legacy will be celebrated during the Muskogee Juneteenth
Jazz & Arts Festival, hosted by the Oklahoma Juneteenth Historical
Foundation (OJHF), on Friday, June 11, 2010. The National Association of
Juneteenth Jazz Presenters (NAJJP) announces "Celebrating Juneteenth Jazz", an African-American jazz
legacy preservation initiative during Black Music Month, which
includes the Muskogee jazz concert.
Juneteenth is officially recognized as a state holiday observance in Oklahoma, joining a total of 31 states and the District of Columbia in the recognition of America's 2nd Independence Day.
The festival is a fundraiser for the Muskogee Juneteenth Celebration. The event is sponsored by the National Association of Juneteenth Jazz Presenters (NAJJP) and is scheduled to take place at the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame, 401 South 3rd Street. A special Juneteenth Art Exhibit will be on display from 2:00pm - 9:00pm. The jazz concert will begin at 7:00pm.
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 late Muskogee jazz legend, Jay McShann.
"Jay McShann is one of the greatest Kansas City jazz icons in history," states Rev. Ronald V. Myers, Sr., M.D., Founder & Chairman of the National Juneteenth Observance Foundation (NJOF) and the National Juneteenth Holiday Campaign. "The preservation Muskogee's African American jazz legacy is why the annual Muskogee Juneteenth Jazz & Arts Festival will be taking place every year."
The festival's featured artist will be 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. Myers will be joined by Mississippi native percussionist Wilton Knott, along with jazz drummer and percussionist Aye Aton, formerly with the legendary Sun Ra Arkestra, bassist Derrick Brown, saxophonist Sayeed Jamal and Cuban percussionist Earlton Battles Manley.
Also performing will be the Juneteenth African Dance Ensemble, Directed by Margaret Nana Yaa Baker.
The festival will also feature a special Juneteenth Art Exhibit by National Juneteenth Visual Artist, Alvin Carter with local Muskogee native artist Jason Terrell.
Food will be provided for purchase as part of the fundraiser by Robert Newton, Chairman of the National Juneteenth Bar-b-que Commission, owner of Muskogee's
Smokehouse Bob's Bar-b-que Restaurant.
Tickets are available for a suggested donation of $5.00 at Smokehouse Bob's Bar-b-que Restaurant, 1100 N. 11th Street, in Muskogee.
More information about the festival can be found at www.JuneteenthOklahoma.com or www.JuneteenthJazz.com. Also contact Wilma Newton at 918-781-9248 or e-mail: wilmablessingadmin@myapplemail.com.
top