Dancer and choreographer Mercedes Ellington will be honored at this year’s 52nd Street Americana Jazz Festival, to be held on Saturday, October 22 on 52nd Street from Fifth to Seventh Avenues, from Noon to 5pm.
Among the participants who will perform on the stage at Sixth Avenue will be a six-piece subset of the Duke Ellington Center’s Big Band; noted jazz musicians and singers, including Darby Dizard, Antoinette Montague and Marion Cowings; and The Blue Haze Quartet, headed by saxophonist Leviticus Gory.
Ellington, who is the granddaughter of the late Duke Ellington, has performed on Broadway in the musical revue, Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Ladies, as well No, No, Nanette, The Night That America Made Famous, and Pal Joey. As a choreographer, her credits include Play On! and Ain’t Misbehavin’.
The Festival and concerts are free and will be held rain or shine. For further information, call 212-764-6330.