An incredible line-up of artists is set to perform at the 2012 TD Winnipeg International Jazz Festival. From June 14-23, downtown Winnipeg will be abuzz with 10 days of outstanding music featuring the best local, national and international artists.

R&B crackerjack Janelle Monáe, jazz master Ramsey Lewis, indie icons The Hold Steady, Stax soul legend Booker T. Jones, and vocalist Gretchen Parlato are among the nearly 100 performances announced today.

The TD Winnipeg International Jazz Festival’s Theatre Series is rounded out by performances by the Delfeayo Marsalis Sextet, Shine On: The Universe of John Lennon (an all-star Canadian group featuring Elizabeth Shepherd, Michael Occhipinti, and Kevin Turcotte), and the return of last year’s festival hit, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue from Louisiana.

“I’m really excited about this year’s line-up,” says Executive Producer Paul Nolin. “Not only are there some classic favourites, but I think there are loads of new favourites for audiences to discover.”

VIEW THE COMPLETE 2012 LINE-UP HERE

CLUB SERIES
The Club Series features a thrilling and diverse line-up of local and touring artists in downtown venues including The Pyramid Cabaret, Aqua Books, Times Change(d) High and Lonesome Club, the King’s Head Pub, the Winnipeg Free Press News Café, Juss Jazz, and Le Garage Café.

Juss Jazz is the festival’s newest venue. Along with Aqua Books, The Winnipeg Free Press Café and Le Garage Café, the Portage Avenue venue features late night jazz sets by some of Winnipeg’s top singers and instrumentalists. Le Garage Café will also host the Winnipeg club debut of The Heavyweights Brass Band, one of the hottest bands on Toronto’s jazz scene, and Aqua Books will feature a tribute to Bill Evans by Montreal quartet Donato-Bourassa-Lozano-Tanguay and rising star Vijay Iyer with his trio.

At The Pyramid Cabaret, some of today’s hippest young acts are set to perform, including Brooklyn indie rockers The Antlers, internet buzz band BADBADNOTGOOD, Toronto future-disco flag-bearers Young Empires, Ottawa remix trio A Tribe Called Red, and a special DJ set by Detroit soul singer Mayer Hawthorne.

The festival will also host fantastic blues and roots acts live at the King’s Head Pub and Times Change(d) High and Lonesome Club. The line-up includes Chicago blues Guitarist Lucky Peterson, rockabilly rockers The Weber Brothers, blues diva Ndidi O, 60s-esque troubadour Michael Rault, and many more.

OPENING WEEKEND
The festival kicks off with four days of free music in Old Market Square. Thousands of music fans are expected in the Exchange District for Opening Weekend, June 14-17. Thursday night in the park features rhythm and blues and jazz, Friday highlights Latin jazz, Saturday features some of Winnipeg’s most popular indie rock talent and Sunday brings the funk with the return of Moses Mayes, as well The Noble Thiefs and SoulStation.

JAZZ FOR LUNCH
The very popular lunch hour concert series features free concerts in Old Market Square from June 18-23 with outstanding artists such as Elizabeth Shepherd, The Heavyweights Brass Band, Victor Lopez & Son Urbano and more!

TD JAZZ LABS
The TD Jazz Labs take place at the Manitoba Conservatory of Music & Arts and Aqua Books this year. Sponsored by TD Bank Group, these free workshops are led by festival artists and cover a wide range of musical perspectives. Starting with a session led by trombonist Delfeayo Marsalis, the series features talks with drummer Mark Kelso, Chicago’s Lucky Peterson, Montreal’s Frank Lozano and Francois Bourassa, Ramsey Lewis’s guitarist, Henry Johnson, and pianist Vijay Iyer.

TICKETS
Tickets for the TD Winnipeg International Jazz Festival are on sale at jazzwinnipeg.com, by phone at 989-4656 and at the Jazz Winnipeg office at 007-100 Arthur Street. Tickets for all Burton Cummings Theatre shows are also available at Ticketmaster.

Musical exploration is easier than ever for Winnipeg music fans. Club Passes and One-Day Wristbands make it simple for audiences to move from club to club on any night during the Club Series at the festival.

NEW! TICKETS FOR KIDS PROGRAM
This year, Jazz Winnipeg wants some deserving kids to experience the festival. We’re inviting Winnipeggers to purchase tickets for community youth groups who could not otherwise afford them. Working in partnership with the Coalition of Community Based Youth Serving Agencies, the festival will reserve seats in select Theatre Series concerts for youth groups so that they can experience world class live music. Call 989-4656 for more details.

ABOUT JAZZ WINNIPEG
Jazz Winnipeg is a non-profit organization promoting the art of jazz through concert presentations and community outreach. As producers of the annual jazz festival, as well as concerts and workshops throughout the year, Jazz Winnipeg is a vibrant and essential organization, dedicated to the enrichment of Winnipeg’s cultural community.

Jazz Winnipeg is thrilled to once again have TD Bank Group as title sponsor of the festival. A generous community partner since 2003, TD has broadened its commitment to this vital cultural event and helped Jazz Winnipeg to secure its place as an artistic leader in Winnipeg.

Jazz Winnipeg gratefully acknowledges the support of its generous community partners including TD, Pitney Bowes, Great-West Life, CBC Radio 2, the Fairmont Winnipeg, St. John’s Music, the Winnipeg Free Press, Rolling Rock, WestJet, Epic Information Solutions, Manitoba Lotteries Corporation, Tetro Design, MTS, The Prolific Group, Uptown Magazine, Espace Musique, McNally Robinson Booksellers, the Exchange District BIZ, Piston Ring Service, 101.5 UMFM, CKUW 95.9, Ibex Payroll, Aboriginal Music Manitoba, Manitoba Music, the Winnipeg Arts Council, the City of Winnipeg, Manitoba Culture, Heritage & Tourism, and Canadian Heritage.