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I HOPE YOU LOVE JAZZ...BECAUSE THERE'S NO OTHER REASON FOR YOU TO BE HERE. THE JAZZ ZONE is the Home of THE ATLANTIC CITY JAMS! JAZZ & BLUES FEST, which we are certain will re-establish mid-town Atlantic City as a true Jazz "Mecca" for hundreds of thousands of Jazz fans, and a wood-shed for thousands of Jazz musicians! |
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| THIS STARTED OUT AS AN EFFORT TO CELEBRATE ATLANTIC CITY JAZZ LEGEND CHRIS COLUMBO'S 100TH YEAR WHILE HE WAS STILL HERE WITH US...SADLY, HE LEFT US JUST AFTER HIS 100TH BIRTHDAY. With A Month-long Free Outdoor Festival In June Featuring International, National, Regional & Emerging Jazz Artists! (This website will be evolving & updating, so please come back for new and exciting information!) WELCOME...to the web-site of the CHRIS COLUMBO JAZZ FEST--dedicated as a tribute to retired Jazz drummer/bandleader and lifelong Atlantic City resident Joseph CHRIS COLUMBO Morris will turn ONE HUNDRED YEARS OLD on MONDAY, JUNE 17, 2002! After A 70+ YEAR CAREER(longer than most musicians have lived!) as Atlantic City's most accomplished, best known and world-travelled Jazz musician EVER, you would think that at least the Jazz presenters would be making something to-do about this milestone, and how "Crazy Chris" got to be the legend that he is (despite never making a record as a Jazz bandleader). This website is "home" to a spectacular celebration of National Jazz Music Month with a historical emphasis on CHRIS COLUMBO and his place in Atlantic City's(and New York City's) heyday as a Jazz mecca, and to JAZZ MUSIC as America's most important cultural contribution to the world! The annual CHRIS COLUMBO JAZZ FEST will soon establish itself as Atlantic City's most-eagerly-anticipated annual event, and the NEWEST FREE OUTDOOR JAZZ FEST in the state, with an overall anticipated attendance by more than 250,000 visitors and regional residents! The CCJF will span the month of June, but will impact the six-month Summer season in mid-town Atlantic City, NJ. The fest will not only enable the Atlantic City Jazz Foundation to increase the visibility and enjoyment of Jazz, but also place Mr. Columbo in the context where he belongs(He is also one of the first inductees into the Atlantic City Hall Of Fame). The fest will hopefully be the networking hub for all Jazz presenters in southern New Jersey. The CCJF Main Stage will be the Brighton Park Amphitheater with its concrete "bowl" that seats an audience of over 600 people for each outdoor performance. The generosity and vision of our prospective Sponsors will enable the ACJF to produce this unprecedented and free Jazz explosion. They will be proudly announced as they come on board. The CCJF will be known nationally and internationally for showcasing a diverse, multi-generational and multi-cultural assortment of Jazz styles and genres. Presentations will be enhanced by an impressive array of food, arts and crafts and merchandise vendors, as well as sponsor-driven booths and exhibits, making it a significant event for regional merchants and corporate marketing. The CCJF will also offer wonderful networking opportunities for the region's musicians and presenters, enabling them to mingle and talk shop in a relaxed, enjoyable setting. All concerts produced as part of the fest will be immensely popular with music lovers of all ages and cultural backgrounds. The Atlantic City Jazz Foundation is very excited about the prospect of collaboratting with others to "Bring Back The Jazz". Among the information compiled here will be stuff that you probably won't find anywhere else, including: *A profile of his life and career. *Photographs. *Exclusive interviews. *Recollections of and greetings from musicians and fans, family and friends. *A complete list of his recording credits as a sideman with a Who's-Who of Jazz greats. *...and more. |
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| ALL DEDICATED UP-&-COMING JAZZ DRUMMER / BANDLEADERS & THEIR BANDS LOOKING FOR HUGE EXPOSURE ARE INVITED TO VOLUNTEER THEIR SERVICES... ...and participate in a series of FREE CONCERTS to be presented at sponsored locations in Atlantic City and the surrounding area. Participation will be rewarded with as much positive exposure and publicity as can be accomplished through the tri-state print, outdoor, radio, cable and TV media, as well as the internet. Many of you know who Chris Columbo is and what he represents, and many of you are just finding out about this under-appreciated and under-recognized Jazz music figure. Either way, I hope you are inspired to take part in this overdue tribute to a deserving musician and man who has paid his dues for longer than most of us have lived. |
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * THOUGH CHRIS COLUMBO IS KNOWN & RESPECTED BY ASTUTE JAZZ MUSICIANS & JAZZ HISTORIANS AROUND THE WORLD, HE SCARCELY GETS HIS DUE PROPS IN THE STATES, AND ESPECIALLY IN HIS HOME TOWN OF ATLANTIC CITY, NJ. It is unfathomable to this advocate that Mr. Columbo is living out his twilight days in relative obscurity in the city where he has been so famous and has chosen to remain as a full-time resident, even through its period of decline before the introduction of the casino gaming industry. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ALL WHO VISIT THIS WEBSITE ARE INVITED TO TAKE PART IN THE "CHRIS COLUMBO AWARENESS CONTEST", by reading up on the life, career and significance of Chris Columbo and answering the monthly questions for a chance TO WIN LIMITED-EDITION CENTENNIAL SOUVENIR ITEMS FROM OUR MERCHANDISE CATALOG(coming soon), which will (hopefully) include such Commemorative items as a "Chris Columbo-vintage" champagne; a specially-designed bobble-head doll and a "Chris Columbo" special-edition drum set...and MORE! ALL "ELDER STATESMEN" OF JAZZ(60-YRS.+ and ESPECIALLY DRUMMERS)...and those who have either played the Kentucky Avenue/500 Club/Boardwalk pier scene and/or the "Chittlin Circuit", or have featured him on your recordings as a sideman...ARE ESPECIALLY INVITED to come and take part in the sitting for a historic "GREAT DAY IN ATLANTIC CITY" photograph to be taken on Monday, June 17th, at the Brighton Park bandshell, to commemorate Columbo's 100th birthday. (There will be a private indoor reception after the shoot and the cutting of what I hope will be the "world's largest" birthday cake!) Please call 1-888-382-2406 by March 1, 2002. (ARE YOU--OR DO YOU KNOW--SURVIVING MEMBERS OR THE "NEW YORK FRIENDLY 50"? If so, please get it touch with us!) Note: Several numbered original prints will be signed by all photo participants and donated to the archival collections of The Smithsonian, The A.C. Historical Museum, Rutgers U. Jazz Institute, and others. ONE original print, signed and numbered, will be auctioned off, while a fixed number of authorized copies will be sold to the public until Dec. 31, 2002. Proceeds from the auction and sales will be used to start JAZZ IN THE SCHOOLS, to promote Jazz music & education in Atlantic City schools. |
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The Future Of JAZZ In Southern NJ...
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AS FOUNDER/PRESIDENT OF THE ATLANTIC CITY JAZZ FOUNDATION & SOUTH JERSEY JAZZ NETWORK, I am dedicating every-Jazz-thing I do in the coming year to Chris Columbo! JAZZ HISTORIANS, JAZZ MAGAZINES, JAZZ TV, JAZZ RADIO & JAZZ WEBHEADS, AS WELL AS FELLOW JAZZ PRESENTERS, ADVOCATES & FANS...are urged to get behind this year 2002 and beyond celebration of CHRIS COLUMBO & JAZZ MUSIC in southern NJ! You already show you know that Jazz music is worthy of your efforts; now show that this great musician and great guy is worthy as well! ---D.L.G. YOU CAN E-MAIL ME RIGHT NOW! |
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