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“From our standpoint, it’s a wonderful contribution,” says Vail Jazz Foundation Executive Director Christine Richards. “It’s great to be associated with Yamaha. The name is well-recognized, and it lends a lot of credibility to the festival.”

Festival attendees grooved to acts like the Marcus Roberts Trio, the Clayton Brothers Quintet, Bobby Watson & Horizon, and soloists like Houston Person, Hank Marr, and Claudia Acuña. The Mile High Chapter Choir even led a “Gospel Prayer Meetin’” on Sunday morning. Pianist Bill Cunliffe, who performed solo and with the Clayton Brothers Quintet at different times throughout the weekend, says Yamaha helped make the event a success. “What can I say–they’re my favorite pianos!” he remarks.

Pianist Bill Cunliffe performs at the Seventh Annual Vail Jazz Festival

“The consistency is really admirable,” Cunliffe explains. “When I see a C7, I know it’s going to be good and it will have a nice round tone. The 7’6” size in particular is nice because you get the bass response of the nine foot. And the nine foot is spectacular. The action on both pianos is consistent and easy to play.”

Colorado Springs Music Company also provided a Disklavier® GranTouch™ digital grand piano for display in the festival’s public entryway.

Keeping It in the Family

ianist Jeanne Arland Peterson really knows how to celebrate: she threw a special concert for her 80th birthday at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis and donated the proceeds to her two favorite charities, ARC Minnesota and Cancer Kids Fund. The special event, “Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow,” featured Peterson on a Yamaha CFIIIS concert grand piano.

“It was a real beauty,” says Peterson, a long time Yamaha fan. “I love their clarity of tone and the action is so easy. I just love Yamaha pianos!”

Peterson was joined onstage by five of her talented progeny—Billy (bass), Patty (vocals), Ricky (keyboard/producer), Paul (multi-instrumentalist/songwriter) and grandson Jason (saxophone)—for an eclectic program hosted by WCCO’s Boone & Erickson. “Everyone wanted to do something really special for Jeanne’s 80th birthday,” says Lea Barron of Barron Event Planning & Management.

Peterson, one of only two women inducted into the Minnesota Hall of Fame (the other is Judy Garland), was the first woman recipient of the Arts Midwest Jazz Masters award for excellence in jazz musicianship.

She recorded her fourth critically acclaimed CD, My Calendar, and a new Christmas CD, both on Celebration Records, on the Yamaha Disklavier® DC7 piano at Metropolitan Piano Gallery in Minneapolis, after preparing for the project on her Yamaha C7 grand piano. “It’s just wonderful,” says Peterson, “I play it every day!”

Jeanne Arland Peterson

Her son Paul produced both Disklavier recordings. “I helped Mom choose this piano because I saw David Foster play it at the 1999 NAMM show,” he says. “I loved its tone, ease of use and the advantages of having Mom’s performances captured for all time. It’s a very accurate MIDI device and a stunningly great sounding acoustic piano.” For more info, visit http://www.PaulPeterson.com.