PLAYBOY JAZZ FEST LINEUP ANNOUNCED : LINEUP RUNS DEEP FOR JAZZ FESTIVAL AT BOWL

The 1986 Playboy Jazz Festival will feature a strong lineup of both old and unfamiliar names, many of them new to the festival and some making their first Los Angeles appearance. It will be June 14 and 15 at Hollywood Bowl.

The Herbie Hancock Quartet will include saxophonist Branford Marsalis, Ron Carter on bass and Al Foster on drums, plus a guest appearance by guitarist George Benson.

David Murray, the avant-garde saxophonist making his local debut, will have John Hicks, piano; Ed Blackwell, drums, and Ray Drummond, bass.

Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers will include Terence Blanchard on trumpet and Donald Harrison on saxophone.

The Newport All-Stars will consist of Norris Turney and Scott Hamilton on saxophones, Warren Vache on trumpet, festival producer George Wein at the piano, Oliver Jackson on drums and Slam Stewart on bass.

The Juggernaut Orchestra, co-led by drummer Frank Capp and pianist Nat Pierce, with vocals by Ernie Andrews, will involve some of Los Angeles’ best-known heavyweights, among them Marshal Royal on alto sax; Bill Berry, Snooky Young and Conte Candoli on trumpets; Buster Cooper on trombone and Bill Green on baritone sax.

The L.A. Jazz Legends will include such veterans as Harry (Sweets) Edison on trumpet, Teddy Edwards and Red Holloway on saxophone, Jimmy Rowles on piano, John Collins on guitar, Red Callender on bass and a drummer still to be selected.

Bill Cosby, who has appeared at all but two of the previous festivals, will be back as master of ceremonies. Also on hand will be Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, a longtime jazz aficionado. He will introduce the winning group in the Hennessey Jazz Contest and will make a demo record with it for possible release on his new Cranberry Records jazz label.

In addition, there will be several free pre-festival events, including the March 11 opening of a jazz wing at the Hollywood Bowl Museum’s new “Sound Waves” exhibit; a May 4 concert at Los Angeles Valley College featuring Free Flight and the Poncho Sanchez Latin Jazz Band; a May 23 Watts Senior Citizens concert by the Msingi Workshop group from Locke High School; a June 8 rooftop performance by the Bill Holman orchestra at the Hyatt on Sunset; and a “Jazz on Film” presentation June 13 by archivist Mark Cantor, at a location to be announced.

The festival itself will run from 2:30 to 11 p.m. each day, with the following participants, though not necessarily in this order:

June 14: Miles Davis, Mel Torme, Andrae Crouch, Al DiMeola, Art Blakey, George Howard, Rare Silk, Rob McConnell’s Boss Brass, Chaffey Festival Winner.

June 15: Herbie Hancock with George Benson, B. B. King with guest Stevie Ray Vaughan, Nina Simone, Maynard Ferguson Orchestra, Kenny G, Azymuth with Flora Purim and Airto, David Murray, Honi Coles, Juggernaut, Jazz Legends, Hennessey Jazz Search Winner.

Ticket prices range from $8.50 to $22.50. Ticket hot line: (213) 450-9040.