Great Park Presents Jazz with a Twist at Flights & Sounds Summer Festival this Weekend

IRVINE, Calif., Aug. 16, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- It's all about jazz this weekend as the Great Park Flights and Sounds Summer Festival features San Francisco based artists Shotgun Wedding Quintet and Jazz Mafia. Both groups offer a twist on traditional jazz that have ignited festivals across the country.

Start out with a swinging Friday night dance party featuring Shotgun Wedding Quintet and their unique blend of gypsy funk, rap and swing.  On Saturday, catch one of the most inventive forces in jazz, as Jazz Mafia mixes hip-hop and symphonic music to create some spectacularly energetic music.  The August 19 and 20 performances are the mid-way point of a five-week festival held at the Great Park, with live music starting at 8:15 pm on both nights. Held under the stars at the Orange County Great Park, nearly 10,000 visitors enjoyed free live music in a unique setting during the first two festival weekends.

Flights & Sounds Summer Festival takes place near the brand-new Palm Court Arts Complex and expansive North Lawn and Great Park Balloon.  Visitors will also be able to enjoy the Park's inaugural exhibition in the new Great Park Gallery, Plane Air Power by Laguna Beach artist Jorg Dubin.

The Great Park offers convenient pre-order picnics, which include everything from appetizers to desert, and are available online at www.ocgp.org. You can also bring a picnic or enjoy something from the menu at the Hangar Cafe, featuring a fresh selection of delicious meals and snacks. Hangar Cafe opens at 6 p.m. before all shows, and live music begins at 8:15 p.m.

Come back next weekend to enjoy H'Sao, a six-piece band with roots in gospel, R&B, soul and African sounds when they perform their high-energy music and masterful a cappella vocals on August 26.  Grammy Award winner Del McCoury  brings his lonesome vocals and a bluegrass band to the Great Park on August 27.  The world-famous Preservation Hall Jazz Band will bring the Festival to a close on September 3.

Flights & Sounds Summer Festival takes place near the brand-new Palm Court Arts Complex and expansive North Lawn and Great Park Balloon.  Visitors will also be able to enjoy the Park's inaugural exhibition in the new Great Park Gallery, Plane Air Power by Laguna Beach artist Jorg Dubin.

Flights & Sounds Summer Festival is presented by the Orange County Great Park and produced by Irvine Barclay Theatre.  Both general admission seating and park space for lawn chairs or picnics are available for all shows.  The Orange County Great Park is located at Sand Canyon and Marine Way, and can easily be reached by the 5 or 405 freeways. For more information, visit http://www.ocgp.org/events or call (866) 829-3829.

Upcoming Festival Events:

Friday Night: World Beat Dance Parties
August 26 - H'Sao – High-energy dance music spliced with masterful a cappella vocals.
September 2 - BlackMahal – Punjabi funk with drums, horns and hip hop.

Saturday Night: American Music Styles in Concert
August 27 - The Del McCoury Band – High lonesome vocals and knife-sharp band keep the bluegrass flame alive.
September 3 - Preservation Hall Jazz Band – Joyful mastery of traditional jazz.

About the Great Park

The Orange County Great Park, with its 1,347-acre master plan, is the focal point of the redevelopment of the publicly-owned portion of the 4,700-acre former Marine Corps Air Station, El Toro.  The Great Park features an iconic tethered helium balloon that rises 400 feet in the air, providing an aerial view of Park development.  Other features include the Carousel, Farm and Food Lab, Kids Rock Playground, Palm Court Arts Complex, North Lawn recreation area, historic Hangar 244.  The South Lawn lighted soccer fields and Community Garden will be added in 2012.  For more information, please go to www.ocgp.org

SOURCE Orange County Great Park Corporation