Acclaimed Saxophonist Grace Kelly's Debut West Coast Tour Starts Today!

Tuesday

Nov012011

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November 1, 2011 at 2:15 AM

Saxophonist Grace Kelly"Grace Kelly plays with intelligence, wit and feeling. She has a great amount of natural ability to adapt. That is the hallmark of a first-class jazz musician." - Wynton Marsalis

PAZZ Productions announces a West Coast tour for 19-year-old saxophone prodigy Grace Kelly and her quintet, November 1 through November 9. This will be the first West Coast tour of Kelly's career.

The tour will include performances at Yoshi's in San Francisco, CA; Tula's in Seattle, WA; the Jazz Montana Festival in Bozeman, MT; Boise State University in Boise, ID and The Coffee Gallery Backstage in Altadena, CA. The performances will feature trumpeter Jason Palmer, pianist Doug Johnson, bassist Evan Gregor and drummer Jordan Perlson.

The tour comes at the end of a very successful year for Kelly, which included dates at the Montreal and Newport Jazz Festivals, as well as the renowned Apollo Theater in New York City. The saxophonist was also named 2011's "Best Jazz Artist" by the Boston Phoenix and was recently nominated for a 2011 Boston Music Award in the category of "Jazz Artist of the Year."

"I'm very much looking forward to sharing my music with jazz fans on the West Coast," says Kelly. "I have been looking forward to this opportunity for quite some time, so it's exciting for me to finally see the tour come to fruition."

The young saxophonist released a new CD earlier this year, featuring and in tribute to saxophonist Phil Woods, aptly titled Man With the Hat. The album is a fresh take on the bebop legacy that Woods has espoused for his entire career. The album consists of seven standards and originals penned by both Kelly and Woods and performed by an all-star ensemble. The bulk of the material that will be performed by Kelly on her West Coast tour, will come from this release. In addition, Kelly will use the tour as an opportunity to showcase unreleased repetoire.

GRACE KELLY QUINTET - FALL 2011 WEST COAST TOUR

November 1 | Yoshi's | San Francisco, CA

November 2 & 3 | Tula's | Seattle, WA

November 5 | Emerson Cultural Center - Jazz Montana Festival | Bozeman, MT

November 7 & 8 | Boise State University | Boise, ID

November 9 | The Coffee Gallery Backstage | Altadena, CA (duo concert w/ guitarist TBA)