Clifford Brown Year-Round – Jazz: Born In America. Enjoyed Worldwide

Press release from the City of Wilmington:

January 20, 2021

Cityfest, Inc. continues its year-round jazz concert series celebrating Wilmington’s own Clifford Brown with an international celebration of jazz. From Wilmington’s Sister City of Olevano sul Tusciano, Italy, jazz trio Ipocontrio will play original works and talk about how Brownie influenced their work.

Due to pandemic precautions, the event will be live-streamed only and tickets are available for purchase. The concert will premiere on Friday, January 22, 2021, at 7:00 p.m., and the performance link will be available for repeat viewing through Sunday, February 7, 2021. Viewers will enjoy the trio’s classic improvisations and artistic interpretations. In 2009 Ipocontrio won the "European Jazz Contest" organized by the St. Louis Jazz College of Music, and in 2011 they recorded their first album, The Beginning of a Love Affair, produced by the St. Louis Jazz Collection.

“We are excited to start out 2021 with such a collaborative and hopeful performance,” says Tina Betz, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs, “The connections that Wilmington has across the globe thanks to the Sister City program are rich with artistic talent.”

Clifford Brown Year-Round showcases jazz musicians from all over the world each month leading up to the 34th annual Clifford Brown Jazz festival -- the largest free jazz festival on the East Coast – in June. Next month the series will feature jazz renditions of classic love songs in celebration of Valentine’s Day.

The Ipocontrio concert begins at 7:00 p.m. and virtual viewing tickets are $10 each. Tickets are available at www.cityfestwilm.com/events, and proceeds support programs like the Clifford Brown Year-Round Series as well as others produced by Cityfest, Inc., such as the Urban Artist Exchange and the Arts Work Summer Youth Program.

Clifford Brown Year Round is presented by Cityfest, Inc. and the City of Wilmington with generous support from The Delaware Division of the Arts, WRTI 90.1 FM, The Kenny Family Foundation, Delmarva Power, An Excelon Company, Gerald Chavis Music, Flux Creative Consulting, The Christina Cultural Arts Center, and The Delaware Contemporary.

This press release was produced by the City of Wilmington. The views expressed here are the author’s own.