News release 

-For Immediate Release-
 
Contact: Graziella D¹Amelio: 856-424-4668 or Warren Oree: 215-438-5366
 
West Oak Lane Jazz Festival Exec Producers
Will Honor Recently Deceased Philly Musicians.  Tribute and Jam Session to
be held August 6th at Ogontz Grill
 
July 21, 2004 Philadelphia, PA, The Ogontz Avenue Revitalization Corporation
(OARC) will pay tribute to Philadelphia musicians who recently passed away
in a concert and jam session to be held on August 6th 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. at
Ogontz Grill located at 7152 Ogontz Avenue, Philadelphia, PA. Arpeggio Jazz
Ensemble will lead the jam session. All musicians are welcome to join in the
jam session and remembrance.
 
Executive Director of OARC Jack Kitchen and state representative Dwight
Evans were motivated to create a tribute to Philly Musicians who recently
died after the sudden death of jazz pianist Eddie Green. Eddie Green¹s last
concert performance was with the Odean Pope Saxophone Choir during the West
Oak Lane Jazz and Arts Festival on June 26th.  Eddie was scheduled to
perform at Brownies Lounge on Friday and Saturday nights (June 25th and June
26th) but called to say he wasn¹t feeling well. He had just been diagnosed
with pancreatic cancer. Sid Simmons stepped in for Eddie on piano to play
with Eddie¹s quartet which includes his long time drummer Jim Miller.
 
³Eddie just spoke with me on June 23rd, ³ said Warren Oree, Artistic
Director of LifeLine Music Coalition, Inc. ³We need to honor our Philly
musicians while they are still with us. This tribute will bring us together
to remember all those musicians who may have past but are always present.²
 
The tribute at the Ogontz Grill will remember: Eddie Green (pianist); Rick
Tate Sr. (bassist); Middy Middleton (saxophonist); Arthur Harper (bassist);
Billy Kynes (guitarist) and John Whitehead (songwriter and performer).
 
The first West Oak Lane Jazz and Arts Festival was recently held at 12
venues throughout West Oak Lane on the weekend of June 25th. The festival
attracted over 5,000 visitors at the Ogontz Avenue African Marketplace event
alone and employed over 170 Philadelphia musicians. The festival was
executive produced by the 0gontz Avenue Revitalization Corporation (OARC),
a non-profit, 501 C(3) community development corporation committed to
revitalizing Ogontz Avenue and the whole West Oak Lane community.  LifeLine
Music Coalition, Inc., a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote
and preserve jazz and the arts in Philadelphia, produced and programmed the
West Oak Lane festival.