For Immediate Release                                                                     March 15, 2010
Media Contact:          Sarah Dixon
                                    (970) 949-1999
                                    sdixon@vvf.org

LEGENDARY JAZZ PIANIST EDDIE PALMIERI TO JOIN SAVION GLOVER FOR OPENING OF VAIL INTERNATIONAL DANCE FESTIVAL

 VAIL, Colorado—The Vail International Dance Festival has announced that legendary jazz pianist Eddie Palmieri will join Savion Glover in Vail this summer for a sensational one-night-only performance on July 27. Palmieri, a nine-time Grammy winner, will pair with the King of Tap at the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater, bringing together two superstars in a unique collaboration for the opening of the 2010 Dance Festival.  

“We are thrilled to present these two artistic titans on the same stage,” said Vail International Dance Festival Director Damian Woetzel, “and I can’t wait to see the magnificent music and dance come together outside at the beautiful Ford Amphitheater. Savion has danced with many musical styles— from classical compositions accompanied by great orchestras, to pop songs as Mumble in the movie “Happy Feet” — and in partnership with this great jazz master we will see his improvisational brilliance at full power. Savion is in essence a dancing musical genius, and getting him together to play with Eddie Palmieri will be a spectacular show.”

Touted by The New York Times as a “a grand old man of culture,” Palmieri will bring his charismatic power and bold innovative drive to Vail, along with a career that spans over 50 years as a bandleader of Salsa and Latin Jazz orchestras. 

A self-proclaimed “frustrated percussionist,” Palmieri’s playing style seems a perfect counterpoint to Glover’s lightening feet. The pair will reprise their November performance at New York’s premiere jazz club, the Blue Note. The collaboration proved to be an audience favorite with Palmieri and Glover trading complex and exciting rhythms between feet and hands.

Mr. Palmieri has been honored with nine Grammy Awards, while also receiving rare public honors such as a Chubb Fellowship at Yale University, an honor usually given to statesmen and ex-presidents, and the addition of two of his performances to the Smithsonian Institute’s catalog of the National Music of American History.

A true powerhouse of brilliance, known for his astute arranging skills and historic compositions, Palmieri has shown that time is infinite with respect to his repertoire as he continues to thrill audiences throughout the world with his legendary style.

The 2010 Vail International Dance Festival is scheduled from July 27 through August 10 at the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater in Vail.  Tickets are on sale now and are priced from $10 to $90.  For additional information on the Festival or to purchase tickets, please visit www.vaildance.org.

The 2010 Vail International Dance Festival is a project of the Vail Valley Foundation.  For more information on the Foundation, check out www.vvf.org.

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Sarah Dixon
Marketing & Public Relations Manager
Vail Valley Foundation
Vilar Performing Arts Center
Vail International Dance Festival
970.748.5973
www.vvf.org
www.vilarpac.org
www.vaildance.org