Curtis Stigers performs free concert in Vail on Thursday

VAIL, Colorado – Singer, saxophonist and songwriter Curtis Stigers will return to Vail Thursday to grace the stage at the jazz series he opened back in 2008. The free Jazz at Vail Square concert begins at 6 p.m. in the Vail Jazz tent outside the Arrabelle Hotel in Lionshead. Due to the tented venue, the concert will go on rain or shine.”Curtis is the hottest jazz singer in Europe today,” said Howard Stone, chair and artistic director of the Vail Jazz Foundation. “He has a unique ability to take the old standards and give them a contemporary twist. His song list includes works from Bob Dylan and Randy Newman as well as jazz greats like John Coltrane.”Stigers is joined by Matthew Fries on piano, Cliff Schmitt on bass and Keith Hall on drums. Stigers has won critical acclaim around the world. The German Phono Academy recently named Stigers “International Male Jazz Singer of the Year” for his new album “Lost in Dreams.”The concert series concludes on Sept. 2, with the legendary Clayton Brothers Quintet. Joining the Claytons will be the Vail Jazz All-Stars, a dozen of the most talented high school aged jazz musicians in North America, who will be completing a 10-day intensive workshop in Vail with the Vail Jazz Foundation. Thursday will be their opportunity to shine with one of the most accomplished jazz quintets of today. The final Jazz at Vail Square concert also kicks off the 15th annual Labor Day weekend party, hosted at the Vail Marriott Mountain Resort and in Vail Square Sept. 2-6, and featuring Ann Hampton Callaway, Jeff Hamilton Trio, Wycliffe Gordon, Byron Stripling and many other greats. Tickets start at $45 and are on sale now at http://www.vailjazz.org.