2002 SUMMER SOUNDS AT CITY CENTER ADDS SECOND VENUE

Concert Series To Coincide with Oakland's 'Third Thursday' Art Night http://www.oaklandcitycenter.com

OAKLAND, Calif., May 2, 2002 City Center in Oakland will kick off its 16th annual Summer Evening Sounds concert series on Thursday, June 20, with two top-caliber musical ensembles, all-string quintet Hot Club of San Francisco, and the Carrier-Thompson Cajun Trio. Open to the public, the free concerts begin at 5 p.m. and are just steps away from the 12th Street BART station in downtown Oakland.

The 2002 series begins June 20 when downtown Oakland will dance to the beat of the rambunctious Cajun/Zydeco group, Carrier-Thompson Cajun Trio, and the popular all-string gypsy-swing quintet, Hot Club of San Francisco. The two bands will perform in City Square and in the Zen Garden at 1111 Broadway, the new Summer Sounds venue.

Free of charge, the concerts begin at 5 p.m. and are just steps away from the 12th Street BART station in downtown Oakland.

The Carrier-Thompson Cajun Trio unites vocalist/accordion player Andrew Carrier with two founding members of the California Cajun Orchestra fiddler Suzy Thompson and guitarist Eric Thompson. In addition to the popular two-steps, waltzes and Zydeco numbers, the group also draws from an older Creole-Cajun repertoire, including fiddle duets, unaccompanied Cajun French ballads, and tunes from Carrier's father Q the legendary Creole fiddler Bobo Carrier. The Carrier-Thompson Cajun Trio will play at the Zen Garden at 1111 Broadway.

This year's Summer Sounds concerts, sponsored by the Shorenstein Company, L.P., the Oakland Tribune and KBLX radio, will run June through September. For a full evening of entertainment, all performances will coincide with 3rd Thursdays, a monthly night of art gallery openings and activities organized by the City of Oakland's Crafts and Cultural Arts Department and the Oakland Arts Alliance.

The 2002 concert series features a variety of music styles, from swing and jazz to a cappella vocals and gospel.

"We're working closely with the City of Oakland to add complementary events and a new level of excitement to 3rd Thursdays," says John Dolby, marketing director for the Shorenstein Company. "Our 2002 Summer Sounds concerts will showcase higher-profile talent than in past years and will expand to a whole new area of City Center. On each concert date, we'll host two bands Q one in the original location at City Square and one in the Zen Garden at 1111 Broadway."

City Center provides an ideal setting for summertime concerts, offering 18 restaurants, cafes and food shops. Food options range from fast-food burgers and burritos to fruit smoothies and upscale restaurants. Food can be taken out and enjoyed while listening to the concert from plaza seating, or one can order food and drink at one of City Center's several restaurants with outdoor seating. All alcoholic beverages must be purchased and consumed in the patio areas next to the concert venues.

In addition to the outstanding lineup of music, City Center art galleries in the lobby areas of 1111 Broadway and 555 City Center will welcome 3rd Thursday Art Night gallery visitors.

Concert dates for City Center's Summer Concert Series are:

June 20:
Hot Club of San Francisco Gypsy Swing (City Square)

Carrier-Thompson Trio Cajun/Zydeco (Zen Garden at 1111 Broadway)

July 18:
Gator Beat Cajun/Zydeco (City Square)

Alvon and the All Stars Rhythm and Blues (Zen Garden at 1111 Broadway)

Aug. 15:
Wild Mango Latin/Jazz/Funk/Brazilian (City Square)

Mark Little Trio with Beata Pater Jazz (Zen Garden at 1111 Broadway)

Sept. 19:
Pure Ecstasy R&B / A Cappella / Gospel (City Square)

Sandy Cressman and Homenagem Brasilera Brazilian Jazz (Zen Garden at 1111 Broadway)

For more information about the Summer Sounds concerts or the galleries open for 3rd Thursdays, the public can call the City Center events hotline at (510) 628-8490 or visit the City Center web site at http://www.oaklandcitycenter.com.

ABOUT OAKLAND CITY CENTER
Located directly above the 12th Street BART station and only five blocks from Interstate 880, City Center is a focal point for commercial and government activity in downtown Oakland. With the recent completion of 555 City Center, Oakland City Center encompasses more than 1.5 million square feet of office space and includes 18 restaurants and food outlets, more than a dozen retail shops and services, a complete athletic club and parking for 1,840 vehicles. The Marriott Hotel and Oakland Convention Center are conveniently located directly across from the development.

For more information about Oakland City Center, go to http://www.oaklandcitycenter.com.

UPCOMING CONCERTS
Summer Evening Sounds is a series of four concert dates. On July 18, Gator Beat, a Cajun/Zydeco group, and Alvon and the All Stars, a rhythm and blues ensemble perform, followed by Wild Mango, with its mixture of styles, and the jazz-style Mark Little Trio with Beata Pater on August 15. The summer season finale is on September 19, with music by the rhythm and blues/gospel group Pure Ecstasy, along with Sandy Cressman and Homenagem Brasileria.

Hot Club of San Francisco http://www.hcsf.com is an all-string quintet playing music from the 1930s France in a genre called Gypsy-Swing. Using instrumentation borrowed from the Hot Club de France, the group is known for its all-acoustic chamber jazz. Although the play list is heavy on waltzes, the music has a sophisticated jazzy feel. With six CD releases in the last ten years, the band has something for everyone. Hot Club of San Francisco will take the stage at City Square.

ABOUT THE SHORENSTEIN COMPANY
San Francisco-based Shorenstein Company is one of the oldest and largest privately held real estate investment and development firms in the country. The company currently operates more than 22 million square feet of prime office space nationwide in major markets such as San Francisco, Chicago and Washington, D.C. Since 1992, the company has invested through a series of real estate investment funds. The company's sixth fund closed to investors in 2001 after raising $600 million in equity. For more information on Shorenstein Company, visit the company's web site at http://www.shorenstein.com.

For media information, contact: Dianne Newton-Shaw or Johanna Kirk AVISO, Inc. (510) 865-5100 di@avisoinc.com