Get Ready for an Unforgettable Night of Jazz  
Herbie Hancock and an All-Star Band 
Sunday, September 22 at Chrysler Hall 

The Virginia Arts Festival is jazzed to announce a sensational evening featuring the legendary Herbie Hancock, performing live on Sunday, September 22 at Norfolk's iconic Chrysler Hall. A 14-time Grammy-Award winner and musical icon, Hancock will be gracing the stage with a star-studded lineup that includes: 

🎺 Terence Blanchard – Trumpet & Keyboards 
🎸 Lionel Loueke – Guitar 
🎻 James Genus – Bass 
🥁 Jaylen Petinaud – Drums 

Terence Blanchard - trumpet, keyboards  @Terrance_blanchard  Jazz trumpeter Terence Blanchard has become a prominent brass player, bandleader, recording artist, orchestrator of film scores, and leader in the mainstream post-bop community. He began playing piano at the age of five, switched to trumpet three years later, and played alongside childhood friend Wynton Marsalis in summer band camps. While in high school, he took extracurricular classes at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts with Roger Dickerson and Ellis Marsalis. In 1982, Blanchard replaced Wynton Marsalis under his recommendation in Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, working in that band up to 1986 as lead soloist and musical director. He then co-led a prominent quintet with saxophonist Donald Harrison, recording seven albums for the Concord, Columbia, and Evidence record labels in five years, including a stirring tribute to the Eric Dolphy/Booker Little ensemble. 

Lionel Loueke – guitar @lionelloueke Praised by his mentor Herbie Hancock as "a musical painter," Lionel Loueke combines harmonic sophistication, soaring melodies, a deep knowledge of African music, and both conventional and extended guitar techniques to create a warm and evocative sound of his own. JazzTimes wrote “Loueke's lines are smartly formed and deftly executed. His ear-friendly melodicism draws both from traditional African sources and a lifetime of closely studying the likes of Jim Hall and George Benson, and his rhythmic shifts come quickly and packed with surprises.”  

James Genus – bass @James_Genus James Genus was born in Hampton, Virginia and started playing bass at the age of 13. Genus attended Virginia Commonwealth University where he studied and played with the renowned Ellis Marsalis, received his degree in Jazz Studies and moved to New York. Since then, he has been called upon to play either acoustic or electric bass in many different musical settings including Saturday Night Live’s house band. 

Jaylen Petinaud - drums  @jaylennn_ At 25, instrumentalist Jaylen K. Petinaud is thriving on the music scene as one of the most sought-after drummers and composers in the entertainment industry. He is currently on tour with Herbie Hancock, Kenny Garrett, Theo Croker and Keyon Harrold. He also is currently working on Alicia Keys’ new musical, Hell’s Kitchen, on Broadway.  Jaylen’s style and execution demonstrate a powerful technique that uplifts soulful harmonies. His infusion of worldbeat rhythms into contemporary funk celebrates a revolutionary sound. Jaylen is versed in multiple genres such as jazz, gospel, pop, classical, hip-hop, and R&B.  

Herbie Hancock – piano, keyboards  @herbiehancock Now in the seventh decade of his professional life, Herbie Hancock remains where he has always been: at the forefront of world culture, technology, business and music. He has been an integral part of every major music movement since the 1960s. As a member of the Miles Davis Quintet which pioneered a groundbreaking jazz sound, he also developed new approaches on his solo recordings.  In the 1970s, he released record-breaking albums such as "Headhunters", that combined electric jazz with funk and rock in an innovative style that continues to influence contemporary music. His tracks "Rockit" and "Future Shock" marked Hancock's foray into electronic dance music; during the same period, he continued to work in an acoustic setting with V.S.O.P. His astonishing 34 Grammy-Award nominations, spanning from the late 1960s to the 2000s, attest to his unquenchable genius and enduring popularity with fans. 

Tickets are flying! Grab yours online at vafest.org, call 757-282-2822, or visit the Festival Ticket Office at 440 Bank St, Norfolk (Monday-Friday, 10am-5pm). 

About Virginia Arts Festival The Virginia Arts Festival celebrates its 28th Anniversary Season in 2025. The largest performing arts organization in southeastern Virginia, Virginia Arts Festival has transformed the region's cultural scene, presenting great performers from around the world and making this historic region a cultural destination for visitors from across the United States and around the world. In 2019, the Festival welcomed visitors from 47 states, the District of Columbia, and 12 foreign countries. Each season, the Festival presents over 250 performances, including free community events, student matinees, and workshops, with an annual attendance of over 110,000. Millions more are reached through international broadcasts of Festival performances on American Public Radio's Performance Today, nationally on PBS TV, and regionally on WHRO TV. Over 32% of ticket sales come from outside the region, bringing tens of thousands of visitors to local museums and attractions and filling regional hotels and restaurants. Estimated annual economic impact of the Festival exceeds $25 million. 

Media Contact: 
Alli Pereira 
apereira@vafest.org 
757-282-2804