September 12, 2008; Monterey, CA; Grounds tickets for the 51st Annual Monterey Jazz Festival are still available, and provide access to world-class music on eight stages and an assortment of dazzling activities for kids and adults, including educational panels and conversations, clinics, international food and shopping jazz film, simulcasts from the Arena Stage and more on the oak-studded Monterey Fairgrounds September 19-21, 2008.

“Grounds tickets are perhaps the best way to survey the Monterey Jazz Festival,” said MJF Marketing Associate, Timothy Orr. “There are so many things to do all at once, and beyond the music on eight stages, there is the sense that it’s a gathering of a real community -- it feels like a family reunion. If you’re a newcomer, we have a lot of new things on the grounds this year, including more activities for kids, and expanded action on Lyons Lane, in addition to the vendors and food on the Midway and West Lawn. It’s the most exciting music festival in one of the most beautiful places on the planet, in my opinion.”

Tickets are on sale now by phone at (925) 275-9255 and on the Monterey Jazz Festival’s website, www.montereyjazzfestival.org. Family Day Tickets are priced at $45 for adults and $15 for children under 12. Daily Grounds Tickets are priced at $35 for Friday and $45 for Saturday or Sunday. A Full Weekend Grounds Package is priced at $110. Prices increase by $5.00 on day of show and patrons are advised to purchase tickets now.

The New Grooves series on Friday night, September 19 kicks off the weekend with Christian McBride Band the hard-driving and edgy Rudder, with the Festival's DJ/Dance tent, Lyons Lounge, featuring Turntablists-In-Residence Quantic and 4onefunk. Lyons Lounge is located on Lyons Lane, the expanded area north of the Arena for its second year. Along the Lane, fans will be able relax with coffee and desserts from Santa Cruz Coffee Roasting Company while they check their e-mail at the MJF e-mail station. The ZonePerfect® Bar Booth on Lyons Lane will be a giving complimentary sample of ZonePerfect® Nutrition Bars (while supplies last) and fans can check out performances by some of the country’s top student musicians on the new ZonePerfect® Stage! Adding to the excitement on Lyons Lane will be the Sharp Experience Truck, presented by Best Buy, and will feature 35 Sharp LCD TVs, ranging in size from 32” to 65” transmitting Arena simulcasts, so fans don’t miss a minute of music.

Grounds patrons can also catch the Arena shows via simulcast in the Jazz Theater presented by Best Buy (featuring cozy Home Theater settings); in Klub Korbel, the Midway's Patio Bar hosted by Korbel Champagne, and in the Sharp Experience Truck, presented by Best Buy. During the day, Arena simulcasts can also be seen in Lyons Lounge (featuring Best Buy Home Theater settings).

Friday night's simulcast will kick off MJF/51 in a Latin style, with the MJF debut of Cuban vocalist & flautist Orlando "Maraca" Valle, followed by the angular modernism of the Joshua Redman Trio, and the luxurious vocals of Cassandra Wilson, also debuting at MJF.

As usual, the excitement will be building on the Midway and West Lawn as people enjoy international shopping and food, with new MJF partner Best Buy selling CDs, and the famous MJF merchandise tent providing the ever-popular assortment of clothes and other MJF gear. We’re pleased to welcome back to MJF our longtime beverage partners, North Coast Brewing Company, with three Official MJF beers, including Brother Thelonious, a Belgian-style abbey ale. North Coast Brewing Company makes a contribution to the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz for every case of Brother Thelonious sold.

Saturday, September 20th Grounds activities will include an informative conversation with NEA Jazz Masters Nancy Wilson & John Levy entitled “Life, Love & Harmony: The Marriage of Music & Management” hosted by vocalist Clairdee. Following will be the annual and always surprising DownBeat Magazine “Blindfold Test” -- hosted by Dan Ouellette -- and features this year’s vocal sensation, Cassandra Wilson. Jazz education and film also have a starring role on the grounds each year; for MJF/51, the Berklee Latin Jazz All-Stars will host a clinic in the Coffee House Gallery, with a film preview & discussion in the Jazz Theater about the iconoclastic trumpeter and bandleader, Don Ellis, with “Electric Heart,” hosted by filmmaker John Vissuzi with special guest Milcho Leviev on piano.

The Garden Stage will ring with the soul and funk sounds of Ryan Shaw, Ledisi and Maceo Parker, followed byTuck & Patti and Rebeca Mauleón & Afro-Kuban Fusion. Saturday’s Night Club / Bill Berry Stage will feature pianist Junko Moriya, the US Air Force Big Band the Falconaires, saxophonist Tom Scott, Grammy-winning trumpeter Terence Blanchard, and the Matt Wilson & Bill Frisell Duo. Saturday’s music in Dizzy’s Den will commence with Orlando "Maraca" Valle, followed by drummer Antonio Sanchez & Migration featuring David Sanchez, Miguel Zenón and Scott Colley, and the Maria Schneider Orchestra.

Saturday’s daytime Arena simulcasts include Artist-of-the-Year Grammy-nominee Ledisi, Maceo Parker with the Next Generation Jazz Orchestra and the Derek Trucks Band. Saturday night’s viewing will be the Maria Schneider Orchestra, debuting “Willow Lake,” the MJF commissioned piece for 2008; the Christian McBride Quintet and NEA Jazz Master Nancy Wilson with special guests Tom Scott and Terence Blanchard with their “Tribute to Cannonball Adderley.”

Sunday, September 21 is Family Day! Sponsored by Macy's, Family Day makes its return to MJF and includes expanded activities and entertainment for kids of all ages! Welcoming back the popular Percussion Playshop and Jazzy Jumper, new interactive activities for MJF/51 include Yamaha’s Instrument Petting Zoo, where kids can get hands-on experience playing professional-level equipment. Up on Lyons Lane, the whole family can enjoy the high-tech musical world with Guitar Hero™, Rock Band™, and Wii™ games all weekend long. And there will be a new Arts and Crafts area for kids to express themselves on paper, drawing to jazz!

Adults can also get in on Sunday’s musical education with informative and enlightening presentations and panels about jazz artists -- including a sure-to-be packed conversation in Dizzy’s Den with British superstar Jamie Cullum and iconic film legend, Clint Eastwood. Also on the docket is the panel discussion “The Cannonball Legacy Rolls On” presented by the Jazz Journalists Association, with astute commentary from musicians Gregg Field, Roy McCurdy, and Tom Scott; legendary record producer Orrin Keepnews; NEA Jazz Master John Levy; and noted journalists Scott Yanow and Dan Ouellette. In the Jazz Theater, fans of the avant-garde can catch a screening of “My Name is Albert Ayler,” hosted by filmmaker Kasper Collins.

Family Day will celebrate the youth of today and the musical artists of tomorrow with the top bands of MJF’s Next Generation Festival in the Night Club. In the Coffee House Gallery, the fun for kids continues with Zun Zun, with a dazzling array of instruments, comedy, and music created especially for families, followed by the youthful Jazzschool Advanced High School Jazz Workshop.

As usual, the grounds will also be filled with the sounds of jazz and beyond, with the lineup of La Tuque Bleue, Brian Blade & The Fellowship Band, the Kyle Eastwood Band and the Jamie Davis Big Band on the Garden Stage; and the Christian McBride Quintet and Dedicated to You: Kurt Elling Sings Coltrane/Hartman featuring Ernie Watts & the Laurence Hobgood Trio in Dizzy’s Den. Also making a groovy return on Sunday is the Hammond B3 Blowoutin the Night Club, with the superlative Barbara Dennerlein Trio and Brian Auger’s Oblivion Express topping the night off on a funky note on the Bill Berry Stage. In the Coffee House, Trio M performs, featuring Myra Melford, Mark Dresser and Matt Wilson. Adding to the spontaneity, fans looking for an even denser and bass-heavy feel can bounce into Lyons Lounge, the exploratory DJ tent which will feature Turntablists-In-Residence Quantic and 4onefunk, who will alternate hour-long sets each evening throughout the weekend.

Family Day daytime simulcasts from the Arena Stage will include the Buchanan High School Jazz Band “A”; Monterey’s Next Generation Jazz Orchestra with MJF/51 Artist-In-Residence Christian McBride; and Jamie Cullum. The evening’s big-screen fare will include the powerhouse closers of Dedicated to You: Kurt Elling Sings Coltrane/Hartman featuring Ernie Watts, ETHEL & the Laurence Hobgood Trio; NEA Jazz Master Wayne Shorter and his Quartet; and NEA Jazz Master Herbie Hancock.

Tickets are on sale now by phone at (925) 275-9255 and on the Monterey Jazz Festival’s website, www.montereyjazzfestival.org. Family Day Tickets are priced at $45 for adults and $15 for children under 12. Daily Grounds Tickets are priced at $35 for Friday and $45 for Saturday or Sunday. A Full Weekend Grounds Package is priced at $110. Prices increase by $5.00 on day of show and patrons are advised to purchase tickets now.