Ornette Coleman to take control at Meltdown

The Southbank Centre have announced that Meltdown 2009 will be artistically directed by jazz legend Ornette Coleman. This will be the first time a jazz artist takes the curatorial controls in the festival's sixteen year history.

The full line-up for the annual nine day festival is still to be announced, however the revered saxophonist, violinist, trumpeter will perform two very special concerts. One is inspired by his seminal 1959 release 'The Shape of Jazz to Come' and the other by his landmark 1961 release 'This Is Our Music'. Both concerts will take place in the Royal Festival Hall.

Ornette Coleman, said, "I hope this festival will leave us with a lot of love for all mankind. We will use this time to gather together and create things that we love and believe in."

Glenn Max, producer of Contemporary Culture at the Southbank Centre, said, "Throughout his entire career, Ornette has always maintained that music is music. It's not jazz, or rock, or classical. It's just music. It's a belief that we share and have demonstrated in sixteen years of Meltdown festivals. His impact on artists transcends genres and art forms and is testament to a persistence of vision and an enduring dedication to self-expression, no matter how idiosyncratic. In an era too often typified by the slavish aping of trends, these are qualities that are increasingly rare. As one of the few brave visionaries of 20th and 21st-Century thought, it is an honour to celebrate his genius."

Each year Meltdown offers a guest director the chance to produce their own fantasy festival, mixing artists and art forms, and reflecting their own personal passions and interests.

Ornette Coleman is following in the footsteps of previous festival hosts Massive Attack, John Peel, Robert Wyatt, Scott Walker, David Bowie, Lee 'Scratch' Perry, Morrissey, Patti Smith and Jarvis Cocker.

Meltdown takes place over all 21 acres of the Southbank Centre, including the riverside, Royal Festival Hall and Queen Elizabeth Hall. The dates for Meltdown 2009 are confirmed as Saturday 13th until Sunday 21st June.

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