Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, March 22, 1991 TAG: 9103220953
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B5 EDITION: EVENING
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: HAMPTON LENGTH: Medium
Franklin, who last appeared at the jazz festival in 1974, will be joined by jazz-pop saxophonist David Sanborn, rhythm and blues singer Regina Belle and Cajun-influenced rhythm and blues band The Neville Brothers.
The lineup for the June 28-30 festival was announced Thursday.
Additional groups will be named within the next 10 days, said festival coordinator John Scott. Festival tickets go on sale Monday.
The lineup departs from the strong jazz-based festivals of the past two years. This year's festival will focus more on pop, rhythm and blues and soul, said Scott.
"Jazz hasn't sold so well," he said. "We're confident we can earn more of a profit with high profile, highly active, high-energy R&B and soul artists.
The festival has in the past featured such jazz artists as Dizzy Gillespie and Sarah Vaughan as headliners.
The festival is sponsored by Hampton University, the city of Hampton and promoter George Wein. Organizers hope to sell more tickets this year to raise money for the celebration planned for the festival's silver anniversary in 1992, Scott said.
Last year, the jazz festival brought in about 26,500 people, down from 29,338 the previous year. In 1990, the all-jazz lineup on Saturday was the poorest-attended night, with Hampton Coliseum less than three-quarters full, said Scott.
The festival still made money, but sales were disappointing, he added.
Tickets are going on sale nearly a month earlier than last year. "We wanted to get tickets out, even though we don't have all our contractual commitments from the artists," he said. "Because of the war and some acts not being available, it's taking us longer this year to book the shows."
by CNB