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The City Lights Reporter
Online News Journal
May
2002 -Volume 5 Issue
3
A
Wonderful
Weekend
With
The
Jazz Entertainment Society
By:
James
I.
Neusom
May
20th
2002
IMAGINE....
An
Environment
Where
The
City
Never
Sleeps
And
The
Music
Never
Ends
!!!
Now,
imagine
this
extraordinary
universe
tailored
to
the
preferences
and
needs
of
Jazz
lovers,
surrounded
by
their
own
cultural
hybrid
of
Jazz
sights,
sounds,
and
entertainment
in
this
"The
City
Of
Lights."
That
was
the
long
and
short
of
a
Jazz
Entertainment
Society
weekend.
The
9th
Annual
Las
Vegas
City
of
Lights
Jazz
Festival
was
held
April
27,
2002
at
Hills
Park
Amphitheater
in
Summerlin.
The
Jazz
Entertainment
Society
(JES)
built
3
full
days
of
events
around
it
to
create
the
ideal
Jazz
weekend.
Friday
night
was
a
VIP
welcoming
reception,
held
at
the
Suncoast
Resort
and
Casino.
Complete
with
a
celebrity
guest
jazz
combo
made
up
of
local
all
stars
and
headed
by
Billy
Nunn.
The
champagne
was
flowing
and
the
dance
floor
grooving
as
JES
members
met
and
greeted
each
other
in
anticipation
of
the
events
ahead.
On
Saturday,
Michael
Schivo
festival
organizer
and
producer
put
on
a
successful
event
and
added
another
badge
of
honor
to
his
reputation
as
Las
Vegas’s
premier
concert
promoter.
Hills
Park
Amphitheater
is
the
perfect
Jazz
venue
in
the
Vegas
Valley.
Located
in
the
hills
of
Summerlin,
it
provided
concert
attendees
with
a
panoramic
view
of
the
lights
of
the
Vegas
Valley.
As
usual,
the
Jazz
Festival
was
booked
with
handpicked
internationally
known
musicians
and
recording
artist
to
entertain
throughout
the
day
and
night.
Many
of
these
musicians
were
stepping
foot
into
Las
Vegas
for
the
very
first
time.
The
9th
Annual
Las
Vegas
City
of
Lights
Jazz
Festival
line
up
included
the
following
artists:
World
renowned
Jazz
vocalist
RANDY
CRAWFORD;
The
hottest,
horn
in
Jazz
today,
trumpeter
RICK
BRAUN;
The
stimulating
Jazz
keyboards
of
BRIAN
CULBERTSON;
Crowd
pleasing
Urban
Jazz
Pianist/Vocalist
JOE
MC
BRIDE;
Award
winning
Smooth
Jazz
guitarist
JOYCE
COOLING;
Hot
new
sax
man
from
Denmark,
MICHAEL
LINGTON;.
The
Jazz
Festival,
established
in
1993,
has
hosted
capacity
crowds
of
2,500
in
years
past
and
has
a
well-earned
reputation
as
one
of
the
key
Jazz
events
in
the
country.
It
is
one
of
the
few
festivals
where
Patrons
are
permitted
to
bring
into
the
park
picnic
baskets
filled
with
their
favorite
foods
and
beverages.
This
year
that
renown
laid
back
Vegas
attitude
was
in
full
effect.
When
Randy
Crawford
broke
into
her
world
famous
song
“Street
Life”
people
all
around
the
park
let
out
a
holler
and
danced
in
the
aisles
to
a
full
rendition
of
this
Jazz
and
dance
standard.
JazzEntertainment.Net/JazzLasvegas.com
is
the
premier
jazz
information
portal
on
the
Internet.
Dr.
Kazi
Edwards
founded
the
non-profit
community
based
Jazz
Entertainment
Society
(JES)
as
a
vehicle
to
promote
the
culture
and
life
style
of
the
original
American
art
form
called
Jazz.
JES
supports
Jazz
history
forums
and
workshops
to
promote
the
culture
and
originality
of
Jazz
music
to
our
youth.
Dr.
Edwards
knows
about
Jazz,
as
a
life
long
Jazz
enthusiast
he
took
an
early
retirement
from
his
practice
to
run
JazzEntertainment.Net/JazzLasvegas.com.
 JazzEntertainment.net
and
JazzLasvegas.com
consistently
rate
in
the
top
choices
on
search
engines
(Yahoo,
AOL,
Google)
when
it
comes
to
detailed
information
on
jazz
concerts,
artists,
music,
and
memorabilia.
They
receive
on
average
a
thousand
hits
a
day
and
10,000
“unique
visitors”
a
month.
Their
online
Jazz
community
is
made
up
of
professional
adults
30
to
60
years
of
age,
college
educated
with
an
annual
income
of
$50,000
to
$150,000.
They
have
found
that
as
jazz
enthusiast
with
disposable
income,
they
are
seeking
unique
travel
experiences
that
match
their
lifestyle
and
interests
The
Jazz
Entertainment
Society
conceived
these
specialty
Jazz
travel
packages
as
an
alternative
to
the
typically
hassle
and
headaches
of
Jazz
events.
So
that
Jazz
lovers
could
gather
in
the
world’s
premier
Jazz
destinations
for
the
sole
purpose
of
having
some
fun,
fun,
and
fun!
This
conceptualized
atmosphere
features
"top-shelf"
hotels
and
Jazz
Festivals
playing
host
to
these
elite
professional
trendsetters.
The
JES
festival
travel
packages
are
harbored
amidst
some
of
the
most
exotic
and
celebrated
locals
on
the
planted.
The
membership
is
made
up
of
members
of
the
film,
television,
fashion,
music
and
sports
industry.
The
JES
festival
travel
packages
promises
to
assault
the
musical
senses
and
launch
a
movement
that
will
transcend
the
Jazz
community
all
while
raising
money
for
a
good
and
noble
cause.
"
The
Jazz
Entertainment
Society
dedicates
itself
to
promoting
the
world
of
Jazz
to
a
growing
number
of
young
urban
professional
whose
consumer
spending
power
is
growing
faster
than
the
national
average.
Their
jazz
tour
package
consists
of
airfare,
lodging
and
transportation
to
and
from
the
festival
in
a
group
environment
of
like-minded
jazz
lovers.
As
part
of
the
tours
they
create
an
atmosphere
of
exclusivity
and
uniqueness
with
a
VIP
hospitality
suite,
special
seating,
and
private
parties.
Many
of
the
past
guests
have
complemented
them
on
the
way
they
organize
a
weekend
of
memories
and
special
moments.
To
see
a
visual
photo
album
of
The
9th
Annual
Las
Vegas
City
of
Lights
Jazz
Festival
go
to
their
website
www.jazzentertainment.org.
The
Las
Vegas
gaming
industry
and
area
small
business
have
rallied
in
support
of
the
Jazz
Entertainment
Society
(JES).
Local
business
opened
their
hearts
and
doors
to
the
patrons
of
JES.
Current
gaming
industry
sponsors
include
the
Suncoast
Resort
(Host
Hotel)
of
Coast
Casinos,
Stations
Casinos,
The
Monte
Carlo
and
The
Fitzgerald's
hotels
and
casinos.
The
fabulous
New
Orleans
born,
Commander's
Palace
Restaurant
located
in
the
Aladdin
hotel
was
the
primary
host
eatery.
Local
business,
Tayllon
Mortgage,
GreenLockett
Realty,
TBL
Construction,
City
Lights
Software
and
Georgette
Willis
of
Century
21
Moneyworld
have
all
contributed
to
the
reception
gift
bag.
Warren
Maxey
local
publisher
of
the
LV
Black
Business
Directory,
OJ
Webb
of
Blacks
in
Gaming,
Terrance
Johnson
of
BlackVegas.com
and
John
Harrison
of
BlacksInVegas.com
are
also
supporters
of
JES
and
actively
promoting
the
upcoming
travel
package.
Brad
Brennan,
the
youngest
member
of
the
Brennan
clan,
spoke
to
us
about
the
impact
of
Jazz
on
Commander’s
Palace
family
owned
chain
of
fine
restraints.
He
has
been
greeting
and
seating
guests
at
Commander’s
Palace
in
New
Orleans
since
he
was
ten-years-old.
The
restaurant
business
and
Jazz
are
part
of
the
Brennan
genetic
code.
Their
newest
restaurant
is
located
in
the
Desert
Passage
Mall
at
the
Aladdin
Hotel
&
Casino.
Being
from
New
Orleans,
their
family
restaurant
has
been
hosting
and
supporting
jazz
events
since
their
inception
in
the
late
1880's.
Commander’s
Palace
holds
a
record
title
with
Zagat
Survey
as
the
most
popular
restaurant
in
New
Orleans
for
14
years
straight
from
1988
to
2001
and
has
been
named
the
No.
1
restaurant
in
America
in
1995,
1997
and
2000
by
Food
&
Wine
Magazine’s
Reader’s
Choice
Award.
They
are
eternally
linked
with
the
rich
culture
of
New
Orleans
Jazz
and
fine
Creole
food.
Commander’s
Palace
has
been
a
New
Orleans
landmark
known
for
the
award-winning
quality
of
its
food,
service
and
commodious
dining
rooms.
Commander’s
reflects
the
best
of
New
Orleans
cuisine,
both
Creole
and
American
heritages,
while
maintaining
its
status
as
leader
in
the
culinary
world.
According
to
Food
Historian,
John
Mariani,
“Commander’s
and
Chef
Jamie
Shannon
are
doing
the
best
all
around
cooking
in
the
Crescent
City…
at
the
top
of
the
game.
And
the
hospitality
of
the
place
is
as
infectious
as
ever.
Continuing
the
Commander’s
Palace
tradition,
the
world-renowned
cuisine
will
combine
New
Orleans
and
Creole
food
incorporating
ingredients
indigenous
to
the
Las
Vegas
area.
“We
have
always
tried
to
welcome
each
guest
as
if
we
were
welcoming
them
into
our
homes,”
said
Brad
Brennan.
“It’s
not
policy
--
it’s
just
what
we
do
and
what
we
have
been
doing
throughout
our
lifetimes.
JES
members
joined
Mr.
Brennan
on
Sunday
their
signature
Jazz
Brunch.
Due
to
popular
demand,
Commander’s
Palace
has
added
its
successful
Jazz
Brunch
to
the
menu
on
Fridays,
Saturdays
and
Sundays
from
11:30
a.m.
until
2:30
p.m.
A
Louisiana
favorite,
Jazz
Brunch
at
Commander’s
Palace
transports
guests
from
the
Las
Vegas
Strip
to
the
heart
of
New
Orleans
with
tantalizing
menu
items,
a
Mardi
Gras
themed
décor
and
a
three
piece
strolling
jazz
band.
“Enjoying
our
famous
Jazz
Brunch
has
become
a
weekly
custom
in
New
Orleans,”
says
Brad
Brennan.
It’s
an
elegant
dining
experience
with
a
comfortable
atmosphere.
National
known
and
honored
African-American
fine
artists
have
signed
on
in
support
of
the
Jazz
Society's
(JES).
Larry
"Poncho"
Brown
and
many
more
have
donated
their
name
and
their
art
in
support
of
the
Jazz
Entertainment
Society's
effort
to
promote
the
culture,
education
and
history
of
jazz
music.
"Poncho"
Brown
always
on
the
cutting
edge,
created
a
digital
puzzle
of
his
inspirational
art
for
members
of
the
JES
to
download
online
(see
special
offer
on
website).
His
art,
both
fine
and
commercial,
has
been
published
nationally
in
Upscale,
Ebony,
Ebony
Man,
Essence,
and
Jet
Magazines.
The
young
artist's
work
adorns
the
walls
Dick
Gregory,
Anita
Baker,
and
Bill
Cosby,
among
others.
His
most
popular
art
work
has
been
featured
on
the
hit
TV
show
"A
Different
World."
and
on
HBO's
"Laurel
Avenue".
"Poncho"
maintains
an
online
gallery
at
www.melaningraphics.com.
Michael
Schivo's
9th
Annual
City
Of
Lights
Jazz
Festival
was
one
of
the
biggest
Jazz
events
on
the
west
coast.
It
was
be
a
day
long
adventure
in
food,
fun
and
good
Jazz.
This
is
only
the
beginning
of
all
inclusive
jazz
travel
packages
that
JES
will
be
offering.
Dr.
Kazi
Edwards
JES
founder
says
"Look
forward
to
Cancun,
Monterey,
and
the
Russian
River
Jazz
Festivals.
The
goal
is
to
bring
together
jazz
and
music
lovers
from
all
across
the
country
and
around
the
world
to
socialize,
make
new
friends
and
enjoy
the
American
art
form
of
jazz.
We
support
Jazz
history
forums
and
workshop
to
promote
the
culture
and
originality
of
Jazz
music
to
our
youth.
At
our
getaways
you
can
meet
single
individuals,
or
enjoy
the
company
of
a
significant
other
surround
by
the
sound
of
smooth
contemporary
jazz.
Dr.
Edwards
thanks
the
Las
Vegas
community
for
all
that
they
did
to
support
the
Jazz
Entertainment
Society.
.
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