September 21, 2017

 

Staff & Wire Report

 

 

 

Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science recently announced their full artist line-up for the 20th Jazz At Drew concert series on Saturday, October 7 at the University’s campus. Some of the greatest musicians in history will be performing live for a good cause and to bring good music to the community.

 

“We have two goals for Jazz At Drew,” says David M. Carlisle, MD, PhD, President and CEO of Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science.  “First, as a fundraiser, it helps support CDU student scholarships, services and campus facilities.  Second, as a concert, it provides South LA with a first-class entertainment event as part of our commitment to bring as many resources as we can to the community in which we live and work.  With Earth, Wind & Fire as our headliner, this year’s Jazz At Drew promises to be one of the biggest ever.”

 

As one of the most chronically underserved areas in the county, South Los Angeles is not home to many large-scale concert events. As a result, residents travel to other parts of town and further to see their favorite acts and spend hundreds of dollars on tickets to attend. Jazz At Drew has a multitude of pricing tiers to accommodate any budget and remain accessible, not just for enthusiasts in the know but also to local residents with a general interest in the festival experience. 

 

This year’s headliners, the legendary Grammy-winning group, Earth, Wind & Fire are ardent supporters of the fundraiser’s mission as well as the University’s mission of educating compassionate health professionals that are dedicated to eliminating health disparities by providing access to quality healthcare services to underserved populations.

 

This year's artist lineup will also feature Los Angeles’ own West Coast Get Down featuring Kamasi Washington, Miles Mosley, Cameron Graves, Ronald Bruner and more, drummer extraordinaire Sheila E, Latin soul group DW3, music pioneer Eloise Laws, and the Fernando Pullum Community Arts Center Band who will be starting off the day’s festivities.

 

“It’s a chance to help raise money that directly benefits the students at Charles Drew University through scholarships and other student services,” stated Laws.

 

October is National Cancer Awareness Month, and Laws, a nine-year cancer survivor, wants to encourage and do whatever she can to help these young people to become the best doctors, nurses, and oncologists that they can be, eventually. Perhaps a student or group of students at this esteemed university will find the cure for cancer one day.

 

In its prime, Jazz At Drew was regularly referred to by top publications as a “potent secret weapon for jazz in the Southland.” However, many journalists and high-profile enthusiasts lamented the fact that the event always seemed to have too low of a profile for the caliber of entertainment that it offered. Don Heckman, a veteran of both the Los Angeles Times and the New York Times, once commented:

 

“One can only hope that this superb event will no longer be an insider’s secret.”

 

Now in its second year of operation after a long hiatus, the re-emergence of Jazz At Drew signals the return of one of LA’s best kept secrets as an established entity within the local community and the greater Los Angeles jazz scene.

 

Tickets are available at jazzatdrew.brownpapertickets.com or via phone at (323) 357-3669. For more information on Jazz at Drew as well as artist biographies and photographs, please visit our Facebook page or http://www.jazzatdrew.com.

 

Going Metro? Take the Metro Green or Blue Line to the Willowbrook/Rosa Parks Station.  It’s a 10-minute walk to the Charles R. Drew University campus, south on Wilmington Ave. Plan your trip on metro.net.

 

For more information, visit http://www.cdrewu. edu/, and follow CDU on Facebook, Twitter (@cdrewu), and Instagram (@charlesrdrewu).

Category: Community