Mellon Jazz-Sponsored Free Summer Concerts Welcome Chick Corea, Chris Botti and Dave Burrell to Pittsburgh -Corea to Appear at the Three Rivers Arts Festival, Botti and Burrell as Part of Allegheny County's Summer Concert Series- PITTSBURGH, May 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Mellon Jazz today announced the headliners for the principal events on its summer of 2005 calendar of free public events, with keyboard virtuoso Chick Corea and Touchstone presenting a Three Rivers Arts Festival concert at Point State Park on Sunday, June 12 at 7:30 p.m., and trumpeter Chris Botti and pianist-composer Dave Burrell appearing as part of the Allegheny County Summer Concert series. Botti will appear at the Hartwood Acres Amphitheater on Sunday, July 31 at 7:30 p.m. and Burrell will perform at the South Park Amphitheater on Friday, August 19 at 8 p.m. "Warm weather, beautiful public spaces and the great sounds of jazz make for an irresistible combination," said Rose M. Gabbianelli, Mellon executive vice present and director of corporate affairs. "The outstanding talent that our non-profit collaborators have scheduled for this year's events promises to make this a jazz summer to remember." The Mellon Jazz at Three Rivers Arts Festival concert featuring Chick Corea and Touchstone will give Pittsburgh jazz fans an opportunity to enjoy a concert being featured later this year as part of the Mellon Jazz series at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia. Chris Botti's Mellon Jazz at Hartwood Acres concert will be preceded by the presentation of this year's University of Pittsburgh/Mellon Jazz Scholarship, and prior to Dave Burrell's Mellon Jazz at South Park engagement the first-ever Pittsburgh Jazz Society/Mellon Jazz Scholarship will be presented. A third jazz event in the Allegheny County Summer Concert series will bring vocalist Clare Ascani and guitarist Mark Lucas to the County Courthouse Courtyard on Friday, July 22 at noon. These three concerts in the Allegheny County summer concert series and the Three Rivers Arts Festival event featuring Chick Corea join the previously announced concert by Christy Baron and Friends at the Frick Art & Historical Center on Friday, September 2 and the Reservoir of Jazz and Stars at Riverview series at Highland and Riverview Parks on this summer's exciting lineup of Mellon Jazz-sponsored free jazz events in public park settings throughout the Pittsburgh area. Mellon Financial Corporation's year-round celebration of jazz excellence, Mellon Jazz is marking its 19th anniversary in Pittsburgh this year and 20th in Philadelphia. In both cities Mellon Jazz supports non-profit organizations engaged in live jazz performances and jazz education, and recognizes individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to each city's rich jazz tradition. A native of Chelsea, Mass., Chick Corea began studying piano at age four. Growing up in a home filled with sounds ranging from Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie to Mozart and Beethoven left an indelible musical impression, providing a solid foundation that Corea has deepened and enriched during four decades of jazz artistry. A 12-time Grammy Award winner, Corea has collaborated with some of the musical world's greatest talents, including Miles Davis, Herbie Mann, Sarah Vaughn, Gary Burton and the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Currently touring with his band Touchstone, Corea brings to the Point State Park a signature fusion of Latin-tinged ingredients and timeless jazz sounds that has attracted large and enthusiastic audiences around the world. A gifted instrumentalist, talented composer and charismatic performer, jazz trumpeter Chris Botti was born in Oregon, and counts his mother, a classically trained pianist and part-time piano teacher, as one of his earliest musical influences. Uniquely successful in bridging the connection between pop and contemporary jazz, Botti has performed with Paul Simon and Sting, and has worked in the studio and on stage with leading singer- songwriters Marc Cohn, Joni Mitchell and Natalie Merchant. Botti's performance at Hartwood Acres will give Pittsburgh audiences a chance to see one of "People" magazine's most beautiful people and hear the impeccable musical taste and tonal qualities showcased on Botti's acclaimed "When I Fall in Love" CD. Dave Burrell brings a lengthy list of performance credits and jazz education plaudits to the South Park stage. A master class instructor in Strasbourg, London, Paris and New York, Burrell also has lectured at Swarthmore, Bryn Mawr, Brandeis, the University of Pennsylvania, and Duquesne University. A music major at the University of Hawaii, Burrell graduated from the Berklee College of Music in Boston in 1965. A move to New York quickly followed, as did a long and distinguished career as one of the most innovative and original pianists and composers in contemporary jazz. Regularly featured on national and international TV and radio broadcasts, Burrell has composed a jazz opera, dance drama and sonata for piano and violin, and has appeared on more than 100 recordings. More information on Mellon Jazz activities is available via the Mellon Jazz link at http://www.mellon.com/ . The schedule for events for this year's Three Rivers Arts Festival will be posted later this month at http://www.artsfestival.net/ . Additional information on Allegheny County's summer concert series also will be on-line later this month at http://www.county.allegheny.pa.us/spev/ . DATASOURCE: Mellon Financial Corporation CONTACT: Ron Sommer of Mellon Financial Corporation, +1-412-236-0082, or Web site: http://www.mellon.com/ http://www.artsfestival.net/ http://www.county.allegheny.pa.us/spev

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