Airto Moreira to perform opening night By Chris Cooke
Omaha, Nebraska – KIOS-FM, in collaboration with KSUI/WSUI in Iowa City and KCCK-FM of Cedar Rapids, will broadcast the opening night of the Iowa City Jazz Festival on Friday, June 29 from 5-10pm.
The festival broadcast will be co-hosted by Mike Jacobs of KIOS, Joan Kjaer of KSUI/WSUI and Bob Stewart of KCCK.
The evening starts with the United Jazz Ensemble at 5pm. At 6:30pm Ray Anderson and the University of Iowa Jazz Faculty Ensemble follow.
At 8:30pm Brazilian Jazz artist Airto Moreira and Eyedentity will perform.
Airto Moreira is an internationally recognized percussionist and bandleader. Airto was born in 1941 in Brazil. Even before he could walk he would start shaking and banging on the floor every time the radio played a hot song. At thirteen Airto became a professional musician, playing percussion, drums, and singing in local dance bands. He moved to Sao Paulo at the age of sixteen and performed regularly in nightclubs and television as a percussionist, drummer and singer.
Relocating to the United States in the late 1960s shortly after his soon to be wife Flora Purim left Brazil for America, Airto found work with the leading jazz musicians of the day. Miles Davis invited Airto worked with his prestigious band in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Airto's percussion can be heard on the Miles Davis Complete Bitches Brew and Cellar Door Sessions box sets, among several other albums.
Airto was also a founding member of Weather Report and appeared with Flora Purim in the first edition of Chick Corea's Return to Forever.
Airto has remained one of the most in demand percussionists and educators in the world to day. His work has been featured on several motion picture soundtracks, including Apocalypse Now. An award winning percussionist, Airto's impact was so powerful that Downbeat magazine added the category of percussion to its readers and critics polls. He has won the poll over twenty times since 1973, including 2002 where, once again, he was voted the number one percussionist.
For years the Toyota-Scion of Iowa City Jazz Festival has been the place to see unforgettable jazz performances every summer. A galaxy of international jazz talent has appeared on the festival stage over the years, from Andrew Hill to Joey DeFrancesco to Pat Martino to the Sun Ra Arkestra and many, many others.
The tradition continues this summer.
Performers onboard for this summer's Toyota-Scion of Iowa City Jazz Festival include the Corey Christiansen Trio, Don Byron, Rebecca Martin, the Ben Allison Quartet, and the Derek Trucks Band.
The Festival runs from Friday, June 29th to Sunday, July 1st. Admission is Free!
For more information visit the website at http://www.summerofthearts.org/JazzFest
Chris Cooke is the host of Jazz in the Afternoon and Last Call on KIOS-FM.