Legendary Producer & Composer Quincy Jones Announces His 'Friends' - the All-Star...

Legendary Producer & Composer Quincy Jones Announces His 'Friends' - the
All-Star Line-Up of Musicians and Performers Who Will Join Him for a Rare
Weekend of Collaboration and Performance at the 14th Annual Bermuda Music
Festival in October
Celebrated Line-Up of Talent includes: Patti Austin, Erykah Badu, James
Ingram, Wyclef Jean, John Legend, Michael McDonald, Kenny Rogers & Naturally
Seven; Festival Promoter Rock Newman of Gibraltar Promotions Launches
www.BMF09.com, a Special Bermuda Music Festival Website for Live Video,
Webcasts, Late-Breaking News & Information

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Legendary producer & composer Quincy
Jones (or "Q" as he has come to be known amongst fans and friends alike) and
boxing-turned-entertainment promoter Rock Newman today unveiled the growing
group of award-winning musicians that will assemble to perform with Quincy for
one weekend only at the 14th Annual Bermuda Music Festival.

"Quincy Jones and Friends" will be staged over three days from October 29-31,
2009, in a spectacular setting on the tip of the island of Bermuda, surrounded
by crystal blue waters and performed under the stars. On the final night,
October 31st (Halloween) there will be a special performance of Michael
Jackson's "Thriller" - 25 years after the best-selling album of all-time was
first produced by Quincy Jones.

During this historic weekend of performances, Bermuda's Premier Dr. the Hon.
Ewart F. Brown will honor Quincy Jones' lifetime contributions to culture and
humanity with the African Diaspora Heritage Trail Award. Jones changed the
way music and philanthropy interact through his star-studded collaboration "We
Are the World", the best-selling single of all time. Produced and arranged by
Quincy Jones, this single raised $63 million for Ethiopian Famine Relief and
shined a much-needed spotlight on the Ethiopian drought.

He continues his worldwide philanthropic efforts through music, in
collaboration with institutions such as Harvard University, entertainers
including Bono and Oprah Winfrey, and through his personal foundation, The
Quincy Jones Foundation.

"It is my distinct honor to receive the African Diaspora Award from Premier
Brown and the people of Bermuda and to join with them to celebrate the beauty
and wonder of Bermuda during the 14th Annual Bermuda Music Festival. The
line-up of artists that we have assembled for this year's festival are some of
the most talented performers of their generation and, like me, understand and
respect the diverse musical and spiritual influences that are reflected in
Bermuda's rich cultural history. I promise that this year's festival will be
one that you definitely will not want to miss. . . it's going to be hot."

The Bermuda Music Festival, sponsored by the Bermuda Department of Tourism,
broke all attendance records last year when Beyonce and Alicia Keys performed
on the island. This October, the Festival will take its musical presentation
to another level by showcasing the many talents of living legend Quincy Jones
- a 27 time Grammy Award winner, with a record 79 Grammy nominations. The
prolific Jones will conduct, arrange and perform with artists who share his
passions, many of whom he has mentored or guided at different points in their
careers.

Today at 5pm EDT, festival promoter Rock Newman and Wyclef Jean - recently in
the studio recording a song for the yet-to-be-released Quincy Jones Tribute
Album - will make an exclusive LIVE appearance on www.BMF09.com/chat. Quincy
described Wyclef's performance at the Montreux Jazz Festival this summer as "a
show that nobody in the world could follow." Wyclef will share his insights
with Rock into Quincy's magic, their shared musical history, and what can be
expected from this star-studded orchestra of "Friends" in Bermuda in October.

The lineup - like Quincy's own career - mixes a broad variety of talent, range
and style. The elite group of musicians share both musical roots and - in
some cases personal ties - with the man who has collaborated with talents as
diverse as Frank Sinatra, Will Smith and Ella Fitzgerald. The 2009 Bermuda
Music Festival artists, with over 45 Grammies between them, are:

-- Patti Austin - A beloved singer and member of Quincy's extended
family, Patti has worked with Quincy since she was 4 years old. Proud
to be Patti's godfather, Q produced her #1 hit "Baby, Come to
Me" - a duet with James Ingram. She later teamed up with Ingram
once again for chart-topper "How Do You Keep the Music
Playing." Patti's other work with the Quincy
"family" includes collaboration with both Quincy and Michael
Jackson on "Off The Wall" and "The Wiz."
-- Erykah Badu - Acclaimed, multiple Grammy winner who is known as the
"First Lady of Neo-Soul." Her work blends many musical genres
- something which Quincy will do in Bermuda - and includes elements
from
R&B, hip hop and jazz, weaving unusual musical influences together
to create a rich texture of sound. In many aspects she remains the
quintessential Hip-Hop B-Girl, although she no longer rhymes.
-- James Ingram - Versatile soul musician and acclaimed vocalist, James
and
Quincy have collaborated in many ways, including their stunning
"cold open" of the 1984 Grammy Award telecast, performing
"Just Once." He co-wrote "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young
Thing)," recorded by Michael Jackson on his blockbuster Thriller.
James and Quincy's other hits include "Secret Garden"
(written and produced by Quincy), which hit #1 on the Billboard AC
chart
and "One Hundred Ways" for which James won the Grammy for Best
R&B Vocal.
-- Wyclef Jean - A multi-platinum Haitian-American musician, actor,
producer and social entrepreneur. He recently performed at the 2009
Montreux Jazz Festival, where he was introduced by Quincy Jones, and
dedicated his set to Quincy. The two musicians share a deep
commitment
to philanthropy and Wyclef is a Haitian Goodwill Ambassador. Through
the foundation he created, Yele Haiti, Wyclef supports projects that
are
making a difference in education, health, environment and community
development. Wyclef has just finished recording for the upcoming
Quincy
Jones Tribute Album, out shortly on Interscope Records.
-- John Legend - Six-time Grammy award winner, recording artist, musician
and actor, Quincy just penned John's entry in the 2009 TIME 100
Most Influential People issue (http://tinyurl.com/ckckjk), where he
stated that Legend has "a dedicated work ethic born of (his) desire
and God-given talents to be the best at (his) craft that (he) could
be." Jones and Legend recently recorded the ballad
"Tomorrow," which will be featured on Jones' forthcoming
tribute album.
-- Michael McDonald - Michael is known around the world as a founding
member of both the Doobie Brothers and Steely Dan. A gold and
platinum-selling American R&B/soul singer and songwriter, he teamed
up with James Ingram on the album "It's Your Night,"
produced by Quincy Jones. His duet with Ingram, "Yah Mo Be
There" won the Grammy for Best R&B Performance by a Duo.
-- Kenny Rogers - One of the first four artists to appear in "We Are
the World," the best-selling single of all time, produced by Quincy
Jones. With an instantly identifiable raspy voice, Rogers' songs
"Lady," "The Gambler," "She Believes in
Me," "Islands in the Stream," are beloved around the
world. Though theoretically a country singer, Rogers has delivered
chart-topping memorable songs for more than five decades to fans among
rock, pop, soul and country audiences.

-- Naturally Seven - An innovative R& B music group with a distinct a
cappella style that they call "Vocal Play." Quincy is
currently working on contemporary remakes of the songs "Relax
Max" and "Soul Bossa Nova" with Naturally Seven. This
past summer, they stunned audiences new to their work with their
special
tribute to Michael Jackson at the Quincy Jones 75th Birthday
Celebration
during the Montreux Jazz Festival.

The artists will perform with an international orchestra, assembled by Quincy
and comprised of some of the music world's most respected talents: Greg
Phillinganes, music director, writer, arranger, producer and 34-year veteran
musician; R&B guitar phenom Paul Jackson Jr.; and John Robinson, Q's drummer
since 1979 and the drummer for Barbra Streisand from 1993 through the present.
Local Bermudian musicians will also join these global talents for a truly
unique collaboration.

The 2009 Bermuda Music Festival is once again being produced by Gibraltar
Promotions LLC., in association with Yhoshi Productions LTD. The producers
would like to thank Fairmont Hotels and Resorts Bermuda for their support as
the host hotel sponsor for the 14th Annual Bermuda Music Festival.

Tickets for the Music Festival are on sale now, and are available at the
iStore and Fabulous Fashions at the Heron Bay Plaza. Tickets are also
available online at www.bdatix.bm. For more information please visit
www.bermudatourism.com or www.BMF09.com.

About Gibraltar Promotions, LLC
Gibraltar Promotions, LLC is a full service marketing, promotions and event
production firm headed by Rock Newman, former manager to Heavyweight Champion,
Riddick Bowe. Dubbed by Jet Magazine as the "Renaissance Man," Mr. Newman now
uses his experience and expertise to spearhead and manage numerous
international entertainment events. This is now the second year in a row that
he has produced the Bermuda Music Festival. Gibraltar Promotions is
headquartered in Las Vegas, with offices in New York, Washington D.C. and
Bermuda. For more information visit: www.RockNewman.com and
www.GibraltarPromotion.com.

About Bermuda
Bermuda, just under two hours from East Coast gateway cities, stretches for 21
miles along turquoise waters and is surrounded by a 200-square-mile coral reef
plateau. Bermuda's diverse activities offer an array of vacation options,
including more wreck dives than anywhere else in the world, championship golf,
horseback riding, world-renowned deep sea fishing and smooth pink beaches to
rest on by day's end.

Accommodations range from luxury resorts to intimate guest cottages and
family-run inns, which all incorporate the sophistication and hospitality
unique to the Bermuda experience. For more information, visit:
www.bermudatourism.com.

SOURCE Gibraltar Promotions, LLC

Lisa Amore of AMORE PR, +1-202-506-3056, Mobile, +1-206-954-8006,
lisa@amorepr.com, for Gibraltar Promotions; or Alexis Denny, international
marketing agent of Normandy International, +336 9873 9597,
alexis@nextthing.tv, for Gibraltar Promotions