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“On
Saturday night, the eve of the 53rd Grammy Awards, The Roots were
unstoppable, unpredictable and unprecedented as they took the stage
to perform their seventh annual Pre-Grammy Jam Session” - MTV
LOS
ANGELES (February 14, 2011) – The Legendary Roots Crew,
named one of the greatest live bands around by both Spin and
Rolling Stone, once again provided the recipe for one of the
most coveted and exclusive experiences of award season.
The 7TH ANNUAL ROOTS JAM SESSION, hosted by Jimmy
Fallon and presented by Hennessy Artistry
& newly launched non-profit OpportunityNation,
returned on the eve of the 2011 GRAMMY Awards show, Saturday, February
12th. With an audience packed full of musicians and talent from every
area of the entertainment industry, the ROOTS JAM SESSION consistently
sets the bar & this year was no different, featuring never before
seen mash-ups and groundbreaking musical performances by: Fallon,
Sara Bareilles, Donnis, Trombone Shorty, Too Short, Asher Roth, Melanie
Fiona, Ana Tijoux, Betty Wright, Lalah Hathaway, Young Chris, Estelle,
Anthony Hamilton, Taj Mahal, Chaka Kahn, Booker T., Doug E. Fresh, Will.i.am,
Ne-Yo and DJ J.Period. Not only was the musical
power felt on stage but also in the audience, with attendees like Prince,
K’NAAN, MC Lite, David Banner, Lil Mama, Tyga, Jeremih, India
Arie, Zac Brown Band, Chamillionaire and Mario
as well as Hollywood stars Drew Barrymore, Juliette Lewis, Orlando
Jones, Kat Graham, Sway, Tristan Wilds, Jesse Williams and
Seth Rogan.
The legendary weekend continued the following night with The Roots securing
three GRAMMY wins for their collaboration with John
Legend on Wake Up!
Besides the one-of kind musical experience, guests of this year’s
RootsJam, again produced by Kevin Seldon of Keldof
Marketing & Tina Farris of TinaFarris Tours, enjoyed
signature Hennessy cocktails and popchips™ while creating customized
screen-printed clothing, taking photos in the popchips
photobooth as well as watching commissioned artists create a customized
graffiti wall based on 2011 RootsJam theme: #Opportunity.
Annually, the ROOTS JAM SESSION is interwoven with themes of social
awareness, partnering with top organizations dedicated to creating global
change. This year’s cause partner is OpportunityNation,
whose goal is to focus on the revitalization of the American Dream.
“Too often the zip code in which a child is born determines their
opportunities in life, which is not what the ‘American Dream’
is. OpportunityNation is a people-powered movement to bring communities
and their leaders together to create the kind of change so that everyone
in this country of ours has a chance to fulfill their dreams, said the
organization’s executive director, Mark Edwards. OpportunityNation
joins an illustrious group of organizations that the ROOTS JAM SESSION
has previous partnered with, including Save Darfur, Green Music
Group and Rock the Vote.
In addition to the launch of a new non-profit, the 7th annual Jam also
celebrated two other exciting announcements. The 2011 Jam marked the
second year of a limited edition poster with opportunities
for fans to receive one of the 550 hand-pulled serigraph prints available
on the RootsJamSession
site.
Furthermore, the Grammy Winners will serve as Curators for the 2011
Hennessy Artistry tour series, headlining tours across the U.S, bringing
a truly unique experience that blends the world’s best music,
culture and art. Special RJS thanks to the support of Incase,
Converse, Sticky Rick's, Skullcandy, RecycleLove &
Self Help Graphics.
About
‘The Roots Jam Session’
The Roots Jam Session, occurring annually the night before the Grammys,
has become an industry staple through the years and has become one
of the most anticipated experiences of award season. Having been covered
in everything from The Washington Post to People Magazine,
the annual Jam is produced by Keldof
Marketing and Tina Farris Tours. The
Roots are Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson (drums), Kamal
Gray (keyboards), Kirk “Captain Kirk” Douglas (guitar)
, Owen Biddle (bass), Frank Knuckles (percussion), Damon “Tuba
Gooding” Bryson (sousaphone), and Tarik “Black Thought”
Trotter (emcee). www.rootsjamsession.com
About
‘OpportunityNation’
OpportunityNation is a coalition campaign to refresh and rebuild the
American Dream by bringing equal opportunities to every man, woman
and child in the United States. The organization uses a two-pronged
approach to achieve its goal of a country that allows every individual
the resources to live their dreams with efforts with both policy change
and uniting communities to take action on a non-governmental level.
In Fall of 2011, OpportunityNation will host a national coalition
summit for its members and organizations to further boost opportunities,
equality and freedom for everyone in America. www.opportunitynation.org
About
‘Hennessy’
Hennessy is imported and distributed in the U.S. by Moët Hennessy
USA, Inc. and is produced by Jas Hennessy & Co., a subsidiary
of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton S.A. Hennessy distills, ages
and blends a full range of marques, including Hennessy V.S, Privilege
V.S.O.P, Hennessy Black, X.O, Paradis and Richard Hennessy.
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