“Jazz on a Sunday Afternoon” on October 11 Will Benefit Ozark Foothills FilmFest
Rodney Block Project to Play at Elizabeth’s Restaurant in Downtown Batesville
The Rodney Block Project will perform in concert at “Jazz on a Sunday Afternoon” on Sunday, October 11, at 3:00 p.m. The performance, a benefit for Ozark Foothills FilmFest, Inc., will take place at Elizabeth’s Restaurant, 231 East Main, in historic downtown Batesville.
Block, a classically trained instrumentalist, performs a unique blend of traditional jazz, Bebop, and gospel. An Arkansas native, he honed his trumpet skills by playing at some of Kansas City’s premier venues, including the legendary Grand Emporium. His ensembles have opened for Jonathan Butler, Claude “Fiddler” Williams, and Wynton Marsalis, among others. He was spotlighted on the Emmy-nominated 2007 public television special, “Front Row with Rodney Block” and performs frequently at the Afterthought in Little Rock. He recently released his first CD, Out of the Box. The Rodney Block Project has been praised for “re-energizing jazz classics” while at the same time integrating new influences into its distinctive sound. The group includes Oliver Thomas on bass, Michael Chandler on drums, and Sam Carroll on keyboards. A special guest vocalist to be announced will join the group for the benefit performance.
Ozark Foothills FilmFest, Inc. is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit educational corporation founded in 2001 and based in Locust Grove. The organization has presented the annual Ozark Foothills FilmFest (www.ozarkfoothillsfilmfest.org) every spring since 2002 and the T Tauri Film Festival and Movie Camp (www.ttauri.org) for young filmmakers every summer since 2005. It conducts a year-round Community Documentary Filmmaking workshop for high school students; works closely with the Lyon College APPLE Upward Bound program; collaborates with Lyon College on the Kresge Gallery Film Series; maintains an online community and “film school” for teens, the T Tauri Galaxy (www.ttauri.org/galaxy); and tours its “Best of T Tauri” program around the state. This year the organization became an active partner in Operation Military Kids, conducting a documentary filmmaking workshop for teens from military families.
Ozark Foothills FilmFest has twice been a recipient of the Batesville Area Chamber of Commerce Community Development Award, as well as receiving Media and Excellence in Tourism awards from the Ozark Gateway Tourist Council. The 9th annual festival, scheduled for March 24-28, was recently designated one of the Top 20 Tourism Events in the Southeast for March 2010 by the Southeastern Tourism Association, a twelve state effort to recognize and promote excellence in the tourism industry.
Tickets for the benefit are $25 per person; four and eight person tables are available. Tickets are available at Elizabeth’s Restaurant or by calling 870-251-1189; additional information is available at www.ozarkfoothillsfilmfest.org/jazz.
“Jazz on a Sunday Afternoon” is sponsored by The Rodney Block Project, Elizabeth’s, George’s Liquor, BruceCochran.com (The Wine Guy), Pepsi Americas, Daylight Donuts, Serenity Farm Bread, MorningSide Coffee House, and Day and Night Sound and Lights.
