Higher Ground concert recording to be released by Blue Note

You may recall that trumpet titan Wynton Marsalis organized a remarkable benefit concert called Higher Ground back on September 17 for hurricane relief efforts in New Orleans. The concert aired on multiple television stations and satellite radio and will soon be released by Blue Note records as a CD and in a "digital version," presumably available as a download from online music stores (CDs are digital, too, aren't they?).  Proceeds from the recording will also go to hurricane relief. You can order the CD here (among other places, I'm sure).

Not to make this a self-referential exercise, but I was struck while reading about the concert and CD how many of the "cast of thousands" performing - musicians generally regarded as jazz and popular music performers - have graced Celebrity Series stages. Considering jazz and popular music performances are not our major area of emphasis, it's an interesting and perhaps odd coincidence that Diana Krall, Dianne Reeves, Marcus Roberts, Wynton Marsalis, the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, Joe Lovano, Cassandra Wilson, and Peter Cincotti all have the Higher Ground CD and the Celebrity Series in common.

I don't know, maybe it isn't all that odd...