Badi Assad
Friday, July 12
Kuumbwa Jazz

“Badi’s intricate and percussive playing style has already run the world. Though categorized as a world music artist, she carries in her sound all kinds of influences, ranging from jazz, regional Brazilian sounds, classical, and eastern music.” – Rolling Stone Magazine

A native of Sao Paolo, Brazil, Badi Assad has been heralded as one of the most talented artists of her generation and was also named one of Brazil’s top guitarists by Rolling Stone magazine. Her music brings together songs from the pop, jazz, and Brazilian realms, tied together by her signature nylon-string guitar playing. Her newest album, Between Love and Luck, is the first of all original material and is sung in both Portuguese and English, consisting of lyrics and melodies inspired by Assad’s everyday experiences of life, love, and art.

Transcending the traditional styles of her native Brazilian music with a mixture of pop, jazz and ethnic sounds from around the world, Assad is successfully forging an exhilarating genre of music that defies categorization.  As the Los Angeles Times puts it, “Badi Assad redefines guitar performance…revelatory, a brilliant display of innovation, and skill…hypnotically compelling.”

The sister of Sérgio and Odair Assad, of the world-renowned classical guitar duo The Assad Brothers, she began to play guitar when she was 14.  Assad quickly won international recognition by combining her talents as a singer/guitar player, and she has since cultivated and garnered a growing group of loyal fans, critics and fellow musicians worldwide.  On Between Love and Luck, Assad sings and plays guitar on all tracks, joined by percussionist Guilherme Kastrup and multi-instrumentalist Marcio Arantes (who produced the album).

Assad has ten globally released albums to her name along with her most notable recognition being ranked among the Brazilian Masters of guitar by Rolling Stone Magazine. She has also been voted a top-rank picker by Guitar Player Magazine.  Assad has worked with luminary artists such as Bobby McFerrin, Yo-Yo Ma, Sarah McLachlan, Seu Jorge and Naná Vasconcelos, among many others, and has participated in some of the most prestigious international festivals, as well as the acclaimed FarmAid and Lilith Fair tours.

CALENDAR INFO
Badi Assad

DATE: Friday, July 12, 2013
PLACE: Kuumbwa Jazz Center
ADDRESS: 320 Cedar St, Santa Cruz, CA 95060
TIME: 7:30 PM
PRICE: $22/Adv $25/Door
TICKETS: Logos Books & Records, 1117 Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz (831) 427-5100 and online at: http://www.kuumbwajazz.org
MORE INFO: http://www.kuumbwajazz.org or 831-427-2227

Media contact:
Katrina Markarian
Katrina@segue-ent.com

# # #

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joan-k-smith/post_4750_b_3287673.html

If you don’t know of singer Catherine Russell yet, you are missing out on a legend hiding in plain sight. With an astonishingly rich, multi-faceted voice that can swing, lilt, belt, and sweetly croon with equal ease, this gifted vocalist has long been a presence on major concert stages and records as backup singer (for such artists as David Bowie, Steely Dan, Jackson Browne, and Rosanne Cash). Since 2006, when she released her first solo album, Cat, she has established a strong reputation as a solo jazz and blues artist.

Her solo works have all been received with critical acclaim, but it is with her fourth and latest album, Strictly Romancin’ (World Village/Harmonia Mundi), that she has attracted new heights of recognition and praise, including a Prix du Jazz Vocal 2012 for Vocal Album of the Year by the Jazz Academy in France, the Grand Prix du Hot Club de France 2012, the Bistro Award for Outstanding Recording, an Outstanding Jazz Performer award from Nightlife Awards, a featured interview/studio performance on NPR’s Fresh Air with Terry Gross, and inclusion on countless “Best of” lists. Recently back from a spring tour in Switzerland and Hungary, four nights of sold-out shows in New York City at Dizzy’s Club (part of Jazz at Lincoln Center), she is currently on the road performing at venues across the U.S.

While many current singers in jazz and blues are content to trot out endless reinterpretations of the classic standards, Russell delves deeply into 20th century music history to uncover some lesser-known treasures of American song — she is equally curator and performer. In Strictly Romancin’ she offers brilliant renditions of danceable numbers from the 1920s through 1940s that run the gamut from swing to blues and even gospel (a duet with her mother Carline Ray, of “He’s All I Need” by Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Marie Knight).

To say Russell is versatile is an understatement — a large part of her particular virtuosity is her knack for melding herself seamlessly into the soul of any song she approaches, regardless of style or genre. And with an emphasis on interpretation, Russell’s era-evocative, yet freshly optimized, renditions on Strictly Romancin’ set benchmarks that surely would make the original composers proud; one can picture Hoagy Carmichael smiling somewhere at Russell’s sauntering swing through his “Ev’ntide,” and the delight Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn would have for her spirited romp through the rollicking “I’m Steppin’ Out, Goom’bye.” Even a well-known song that’s become a tad shopworn, “I’m in the Mood for Love,” takes on a new glow with Russell’s caressingly mature treatment, which offers sincere sentiment without the treacle. (It’s a testament to Russell’s talents that I’ve listened to her version of this song several dozen times and not once have I thought of the Little Rascals version, which has tainted my subconscious since childhood. Now that’s a real feat.)

No article about Russell can ignore mentioning her impressive musical pedigree. Her father, the late pianist, composer, and bandleader Luis Russell, came to the U.S. at the age of 19 after winning the Panamanian national lottery; he formed his own band, and later became longtime music director for Louis Armstrong (Russell’s website gallery includes photos of her as a toddler held by Armstrong). Her mother, Juilliard-trained musician and singer Carline Ray, played with the all-women International Sweethearts of Rhythm big band in the 1940s and continues to perform. Now 87, she just released a debut solo album, Vocal Sides, produced by Catherine.

This is not to say Russell is riding on any coattails. This is a woman who has worked long and hard, and, while respecting the legacy of her parents and the imprint their music put on her formative years, she has taken her own path, as I learned in conversations with her shortly after the release of Strictly Romancin’.

A multi-instrumentalist trained early in classical music as well as acting (she graduated with honors from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts), Russell says that as a teenager, she had her musical sights set more on R&B and rock, describing herself even as being a Deadhead for a time. It was later, she says, that she began to be drawn toward performing music from the ’40s and ’50s.

Interestingly, Russell says that playing a backup role for so many years had created a bit of a comfort zone, thus when she first began performing as a headliner she found it was a daunting mental adjustment to stand on center stage, as the focal point of a large audience — something that is hard to fathom now, for anyone who has seen the personality and ease she exudes in her live performances.

I was particularly interested in how she discovers and selects the musical gems that she records. A voracious listener, Russell says that she constantly listens to old recordings (“I’ve barely scratched the surface of my mother’s huge record collection”), and when she hears something that especially inspires her, she’ll first work out what key is best for her voice. Then, In an intriguing collaborative process, she and guitarist/musical director Matt Munisteri independently create charts for the song, after which they compare their work to set the final treatment. She stresses Munisteri’s invaluable role, not only for his sparkling arrangements — which, like Russell’s vocals, perfectly evoke the era and intentions of each song — but for his deep knowledge of jazz history.

Lately, Russell she says that she’s been listening to artists such as Josh White, Odetta, and Woody Guthrie, as well as traditional gospel quartet music. As to what we can expect from her next? “I’m into doing whatever else I can to stretch my brain as an artist. I would love to do more string band projects and play mandolin more,” she says. “Any kind of thing I can get into is good for me, if it expands me.”

NOTE: If you have yet to see Russell in concert as a solo artist, do yourself a favor and check out her tour schedule. She has concert dates throughout the U.S. from May through July 2013, before joining the Steely Dan “Mood Swings” tour; in the fall, she resumes her solo performance schedule, which includes six concerts in Israel in the spring of 2014. (Click here for her full tour schedule.)

Hristo Vitchez Quartet
Thursday, July 11, 2013
Kuumbwa Jazz

“…sophisticated and adventurous…” – JazzTimes

A truly singular jazz guitar talent from Sofia, Bulgaria, Hristo Vitchev creates, as Jazziz magazine puts it, “impressionistic sound paintings.” Since his 2009 recording debut, Vitchev has toured across the globe and has nearly 300 compositions to his name.  Familiar Fields marks his fifth release as a leader. The album’s nine original compositions display the multidimensional tonality of his quartet, taking the listener through jazz, classical, new age, and experimental music, all-the-while retaining the shimmering harmonies and guitar lines that have brought Vitchev critical acclaim. This Kuumbwa concert is the official CD Release Concert for the new album, featuring Brazilian piano sensation and Latin Grammy Nominee Weber Iago, virtuoso bassist Dan Robbins, and drummer extraordinaire Mike Shannon.

Familiar Fields presents a unique blend of ECM-style modern jazz, classical and Brazilian tonal textures and showcases masterful melodic interpretations by each musician featured on the album.  The new material has been described as “the strongest Vitchev has written yet.”  As the San Jose Mercury News puts it, “Vitchev is an artist who wears his emotions on his sleeve…[providing] a master class in the way a chord of harmonic progression can evoke a flood of sensations.”

California Central Coasters may remember Vitchev’s seven-movement “The Perperikon Suite,” which premiered at the 2010 Monterey Jazz Festival and was inspired by the ancient Thracian city of Perperikon (located in present-day Bulgaria).  This work showcased the relationship between European classical and American contemporary jazz that makes his guitar playing and compositions so engaging…a theme that continues in his current recorded and live concert output.

Featuring local jazzers Dan Robbins and Mike Shannon on bass and drums, Vitchev’s quartet is sure to provide and exemplary foundation for the guitarist’s improvisations and dialogue with Brazilian pianist Weber Iago.  As JazzTimes states, “the musical bond between guitarist Hristo Vitchev and [Weber Iago] is as strong as that of Chick Corea and Gary Burton.”  The interplay of this foursome is highly intricate and waxes and wanes with intensity, beauty and passion. Sure to be an adventure in jazz improvisation!

CALENDAR INFO
Hristo Vitchez Quartet

DATE: Thursday, July 11, 2013
PLACE: Kuumbwa Jazz Center
ADDRESS: 320 Cedar St, Santa Cruz, CA 95060
TIME: 7:00 PM
PRICE: $15/Adv $18/Door
TICKETS: Logos Books & Records, 1117 Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz (831) 427-5100 and online at: http://www.kuumbwajazz.org
MORE INFO: http://www.kuumbwajazz.org or 831-427-2227 

Media contact:
Sandy Sloan
sandy@kuumbwajazz.org
(831) 427-2227
 

# # #

Peter Apfelbaum & Sparkler
Monday, July 8, 2013
Kuumbwa Jazz

“…a visionary, galvanic composer…” – CMJ Magazine

Aside from being an acclaimed tenor saxophonist, composer, and arranger, Peter Apfelbaum has also branched over to a rock audience, due to his time playing with Phish, the Trey Anastasio Band and when his group, The Hieroglyphics Ensemble, was opening for the Grateful Dead.  He brings this jam-band mentality to sophisticated and jazzy heights with his new band, Sparkler, featuring Natalie Cressman (trombone/bass/vocals), Jill Ryan (alto saxophone/vocals), Will Bernard (guitar/bass), Barney McAll (keyboards/percussion), and Willard Dyson (drums).

Born in Berkeley in 1960, Apfelbaum got his start in the jazz scene in the late 1970s, playing with composer/arranger Carla Bley from 1978-1982.  During that time he also became heavily involved with the Creative Music Studio in Woodstock, NY, where he began to make his impact on the avant-garde jazz and world music scenes.

Known primarily as a saxophonist, Apfelbaum is also an accomplished pianist and drummer, adding to the wide-ranging harmonic and rhythmic versatility of his compositions.  His pieces have seen a wide range of performers, from the legendary trumpeter Don Cherry, to his 17-piece group, The Heiroglyphics Ensemble.  Jazz accolades aside, Apfelbaum has plenty of rock and jam-band cred, as well.  In the early 1990s, The Heiroglyphics Ensemble boasted a who’s who of Bay Area jazz musicians, and opened numerous shows for The Grateful Dead.

His compositions and performances have influenced many artists in the contemporary jazz-fusion scene, and his new band, Sparkler, marks a new chapter in his career of blending world music with experimental jazz idioms.  As Apfelbaum himself puts it, “my vocabulary reflects the fact that I started life as a drummer, was trained in jazz theory, blues & gospel music as a pre-teenager, became absorbed in African and Latin music as a teenager, listened to a lot of contemporary classical music, worked in R&B, reggae, blues, Latin, African, jazz, funk, Middle Easter and Indian bands and, for as long as I can remember, I’ve been fascinated by how sounds can be fitted together.”

CALENDAR INFO
Peter Apfelbaum & Sparkler

DATE: Monday, July 8, 2013
PLACE: Kuumbwa Jazz Center
ADDRESS: 320 Cedar St, Santa Cruz, CA 95060
TIME: 7:00 PM
PRICE: $15/Adv $18/Door
TICKETS: Logos Books & Records, 1117 Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz (831) 427-5100 and online at: http://www.kuumbwajazz.org
MORE INFO: http://www.kuumbwajazz.org or 831-427-2227 

Media contact:
Erica Jacobsohn
serendipityarts@gmail.com
(610) 572-1353
 

# # #

Join us for an evening of music, food and fun as jazz lovers of all ages gather to listen to the 2013 Summer Kuumbwa Jazz Concert. Summer Jazz Camp is a two week camp that runs from June 17-27th and concludes with a standing-room only concert at Kuumbwa Jazz Center. The camp is directed by Santa Cruz County music educators, Steve Wilson and Terrel Eaton, with support from top-flight rhythm coaches Bill Bosch, Robert Mahoney, Zack Olsen and Gino Raugi. The incomparable India Velasquez will lead our stunning vocal ensemble. Don’t miss this fun filled community event, and hear the future stars of jazz!

CALENDAR INFO
Kuumbwa Jazz Camp Concert

DATE: Thursday, June 27, 2013
PLACE: Kuumbwa Jazz Center
ADDRESS: 320 Cedar St, Santa Cruz, CA 95060
TIME: 6:30 PM
PRICE: Free Community Event
MORE INFO: http://www.kuumbwajazz.org or 831-427-2227

Media contact:
Melody Korkos
831-427-2227
melody@kuumbwajazz.org

# # #

“…one of the tastiest guitarists around.” – All About Jazz

Few guitarists can go from liquid smooth jazz tone to biting blues and rock with as much ease and facility as Larry Carlton. His unmistakable tone is legend among guitar aficionados. Carlton’s guitar playing has appeared on over 100 gold albums, including those by Steely Dan, Barbara Streisand, Michael Jackson, and Joni Mitchell. His 2012 tribute album to Philly soul spent 35 weeks on the Billboard jazz charts, and March of 2013 saw the release of Unplugged with Robben Ford.

Carlton’s musical journey began in sunny Southern California, where he picked up his first guitar at the age of six. Introduced to jazz via legendary composer/arranger Gerald Wilson’s big band album Moment of Truth (featuring Joe Pass on guitar), Carlton soon began to look towards jazz guitar-slingers such as Pass, Barney Kessel and Wes Montgomery for inspiration. After cutting his teeth in the LA jazz scene in the mid 1960s, Carlton released his first album, With A Little Help From My Friends, in 1968, thereby launching his career.

The positive reception for that first album led to nearly nonstop calls for studio work, as he became known for his distinctive, precise tone and vintage Gibson ES-335 guitar. Among other tonal effects he developed, his pioneering work with a volume pedal led to a swelling tonal effect that Joni Mitchell referred to as “fly-fishing.” While simultaneously playing with his legendary jazz/funk/rock group The Crusaders, and continuing his solo career, Carlton had logged more than 3,000 studio sessions by the early 1980s.

Despite his countless sessions, Grammy nominations, awards and his being named “most valuable player” by NARAS (National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences) three times in a row, Carlton (who now resides in Nashville, Tennessee) refuses to rest on his laurels. The new live Unplugged album with Robben Ford showcases much of the fiery blues-tinged playing that thrills his fans. Carlton’s current quartet features Dennis Hamm (keyboards), Travis Carlton (bass), and Gene Coye (drums).

CALENDAR INFO
Larry Carlton Quartet

DATE: Wednesday, July 3, 2013
PLACE: Kuumbwa Jazz Center
ADDRESS: 320 Cedar St, Santa Cruz, CA 95060
TIMES: 7:00 and 9:00 PM
PRICE: $28/Adv $31/Door, No Comps
TICKETS: Logos Books & Records, 1117 Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz (831) 427-5100 and online at: http://www.kuumbwajazz.org
MORE INFO: http://www.kuumbwajazz.org or 831-427-2227

Media contact:
Sandy Sloan
sandy@kuumbwajazz.org
831-427-2227

# # #

The Cookers: Billy Harper (tenor saxophone), Eddie Henderson (trumpet), George Cables (piano), Cecil McBee (bass), Billy Hart (drums), David Weiss (trumpet), and Craig Handy (saxophone)
Monday, August 12 at 7:00 and 9:00 pm

Bobby Hutcherson Quartet
Monday, July 1, 2013
Kuumbwa Jazz
“The most accomplished vibraphonist of his generation.” –New York Times

Bobby Hutcherson makes it happen. This gifted vibraphonist/composer and National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master is among the elite cadre of musicians that defined the now classic Blue Note Records sound, setting the gold standard for an entire era of jazz in the ’60s and ’70s. Far from resting on his laurels, Hutcherson is always moving forward, traversing a range of moods and styles through post-bop explorations, jazz-funk grooves, and ethereal ballads. From collaborations with artists as diverse as Eric Dolphy and Joey DeFrancesco, to McCoy Tyner and the San Francisco Jazz Collective, time and again Bobby Hutcherson exhibits a musical mastery that is nothing short of phenomenal. Wise One (on Kind of Blue Records) is his most recent recording. Hutcherson’s Quartet included Joe Gilman (piano), Glenn Richman (bass), and son Barry Hutcherson (drums).\

Born in 1941, in Los Angeles, Hutcherson faced the requisite childhood piano lessons, but didn’t really get involved in music until age 12, when he heard a recording of Thelonious Monk’s Bemsha Swing being played by Milt Jackson. After an inauspicious debut at his school’s assembly, Hutcherson persevered, thanks to his mother’s encouragement. Hutcherson joined bassist Herbie Lewis’ trio and began gigging around L.A.  As his playing matured, he found himself making music with other up-and-coming musicians, Curtis Amy, Charles Lloyd, Les McCann, among them. His first national exposure as a sideman came with the Al Grey-Billy Mitchell Sextet, a period where Bobby developed a four-mallet technique to play chords on the vibraphone. In 1961, when the sextet played Birdland, in New York City, Hutcherson stayed behind, immersing himself in the burgeoning avant-garde, post-bop scene. He was a frequent sideman on many Blue Note dates for Eric Dolphy, Jackie McLean, Andrew Hill, and many more. His outstanding performing and composing soon led to Hutcherson being featured on his own recording sessions, where he made several now classic albums for the label. With the exception of Horace Silver, he was Blue Note’s most recorded artist.

In the decades since, Hutcherson has continued to distinguish himself. During the ’70s, his recordings with saxophonist Harold Land championed the cause of acoustic jazz in the face of the popular electric jazz/fusion trend. By the ’80s, acoustic jazz was back in favor and Bobby made numerous albums as a sideman. He was also involved in collaborative efforts, such as the Timeless All-Stars with Harold Land, Curtis Fuller, Cedar Walton, Buster Williams, and Billy Higgins. Another especially fruitful association over the years has been with pianist McCoy Tyner. In the mid-’80s, he made several excellent albums for producer Orrin Keepnews on the Landmark label. Throughout the ’90s, Bobby continued to make great music, often employing the talents of Santa Cruz pianist Smith Dobson and drummer Eddie Marshall. In recent years, Hutcherson has recorded and performed with the San Francisco Jazz Collective, as well as leading his own groups. In 2010, his outstanding contributions to American music were honored with a Jazz Master Fellowship Award by the National Endowment for the Arts.

CALENDAR INFO
Bobby Hutcherson Quartet

DATE: Monday, July 1, 2013
PLACE: Kuumbwa Jazz Center
ADDRESS: 320 Cedar St, Santa Cruz, CA 95060
TIMES: 7:00 and 9:00 PM
PRICE: $28/Adv $31/Door, No Comps
TICKETS: Logos Books & Records, 1117 Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz (831) 427-5100 and online at: http://www.kuumbwajazz.org
MORE INFO: http://www.kuumbwajazz.org or 831-427-2227

Media contact:
Sandy Sloan
sandy@kuumbwajazz.org
831-427-2227

# # #

Friday, July 5, 8:00 PM

Bennett Jackson

$12/Adv/Door

Doors at 7:30 PM

“the new album rocks” – San Jose Mercury

In 2011 Bennett Jackson moved to Texas; a place where his family first arrived after crossing the Mexican border into El Paso, nearly 100 years ago. After settling into the capitol city of Austin, the new songs came fast, with a Texas bent and rock & roll beat, and became the basis of his new record, Texana.

Bennett reconvened with the co-producers and collaborators of his first two EPs (2010’s honky-tonk inflected Plumas County and the Mexican tinged Ranchera) at Mason Jar Studios in a Brooklyn winter to record Texana. The songs on this album embody the traditions and longing of country music, the surefootedness of rock & roll, and the expansive qualities and mythology of the American West; often with a comic touch and a roadmap’s specificity. The guitar is his paintbrush, depicting vivid landscapes – from the cinematic title track, or the roadhouse stomp of “Rodeo of Love,” to the diesel-powered chords of “Big Truck.”

Texana is about dreaming as big as the Lone Star State, with choruses as large as the sun-soaked horizon, predestined for car stereos on weekend road-trips. Get ready for more music and live concert dates as well, because as the leader of a versatile and dynamic band, Bennett has played venues and festivals nationwide and continues to tour.

www.bennettjackson.com

Madeleine Peyroux – The Blue Room
Sunday, June 30, 2013
At the Rio Theatre

“… distinctive and intriguing.” – The Washington Post

Madeleine Peyroux has come a long way from her days of singing on the streets of Paris. Originally inspired by the great Billie Holiday, Peyroux has matured into a creative vocalist whose artistic curiosity knows no bounds. Recently, she has found a new muse in the legacy of the late Ray Charles, specifically Ray’s most popular and – at one time – controversial album,  Modern Sounds In Country And Western Music. Her latest project, The Blue Room, revamps the music from Charles’ landmark recording, along with choice gems by songwriters Randy Newman, Warron Zevon, John Hartford, Leonard Cohen, and Buddy Holly. The album recently debuted as the #1 bestselling jazz album on Billboard, iTunes and Amazon. For Peyroux, music categories are irrelevant. For Madeleine, music categories are irrelevant.

Born in Georgia, in 1974, Madeleine Peyroux spent portions of her childhood in Brooklyn and Paris. She grew up hearing a wide variety of American performers, such as Fats Domino, Fats Waller, and Hank Williams, but it was jazz legend Billie Holiday who had the most profound influence on Madeleine. As a teenager, she ‘busked’ on the streets of Paris. It was a hard-scrabble way of learning how to perform in front of an audience, but proved to be a valuable experience. Although she wasn’t familiar with Modern Sounds In Country And Western Music, she counts Ray Charles as another major influence through his hit songs, Georgia On My Mind and Hit The Road, Jack.

Initially, it was Peyroux’s producer, legendary GRAMMY-Award winner Larry Klein (Joni Mitchell, Tracy Chapman, Herbie Hancock), who suggested she use Charles’ Modern Sounds In Country And Western Music as material for a new project, and she jumped at the chance. Klein’s idea was to re-examine, and re-imagine, Modern Sounds, with Peyroux’s voice in mind, but The Blue Room developed well beyond being a tribute to Charles’ classic album. Instead, it reflects Peyroux’s eclectic tastes, encompassing a wonderful mix of additional songs by some of Peyroux’s, and Klein’s, favorite songwriters. The Blue Room also reflects her willingness to take chances with familiar material, exploring different pathways. It’s an approach that has worked well for her, erasing musical boundaries. As Madeleine puts it, “The only thing that matters is the song.”

CALENDAR INFO
Madeleine Peyroux – The Blue Room

DATE: Sunday, June 30, 2013
LOCATION: Rio Theatre
ADDRESS: 1205 Soquel Avenue, Santa Cruz, CA 95062
TIME: 7:30 PM
TICKETS: $30/General Admission
MORE INFO: http://www.kuumbwajazz.org or 831-427-2227

Media contact:
Sandy Sloan
sandy@kuumbwajazz.org
831-427-2227

# # #

Saturday, August 24th

The Honey Wilders

9:30 PM – Doors at 9:00 PM

$5 at the door

$2 Budweisers

All ages

Equal parts Exile on Main Street and Damn the Torpedoes, a dash of In Color, served up Live and Dangerous - that’s the sonic recipe for the San Jose, California band The Honey Wilders.  Their brand of 70s-flavored boogie rock harkens back to an era of big hooks and big guitars (before all the big hair).  Strongly recommended for those who like to get down and get with it.  Here’s to stamping your feet and singing along.

www.thehoneywilders.com

Friday, July 19th

Alex Pinto Trio

9:30 PM – Doors at 9:00 PM

$5 at the door

$3 Lagunitas!

All ages

Alex Pinto brings a unique perspective to the guitar, drawing upon his diverse background and heritage.  Having performed and studied with the likes of Ustad Aashish Khan,  Charlie Haden, and Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri, Pinto’s style seamlessly blends jazz and rock with the rich tradition of Hindustani classical music.  Pinto just completed recording his debut album, Inner State, featuring seven of his original compositions.

www.alexpintoguitar.com

Monday, August 26, 7:00 PM

Hills To Hollers: Barbara Higbie, Laurie Lewis, Linda Tillery

$22/Adv  $25/Door

Door and dinner beginning at 6:00 PM

 “…exploring the interplay of black and white Southern musical traditions.” – All About Jazz

Bluegrass legend Laurie Lewis, Cultural Heritage Choir leader Linda Tillery and Grammy nominated singer/songwriter/pianist Barbara Higbie have created a vocal trio that taps into the most primordial roots of the American musical experience. Hills to Hollers explores American music from the hills and homelands of bluegrass and country, to the work songs and hollers of the African-American tradition. Performing with soulful abandon, these women add their own stylistic stamp to the oeuvre of Southern music – spreading the joy and history of this American art form.

www.laurielewis.com

www.barbarahigbie.com

www.lindatillery.com

Friday, August 23, 7:30 PM

Ben Flocks and Battle Mountain

$12/Adv $15/Door

Door and dinner beginning at 6:30 PM

“… eclectic, eye-opening, and challenging…” – Santa Cruz Good Times

Rising saxophone star Ben Flocks has earned critical acclaim performing at the Bern, Umbria, and Monterey Jazz Festivals. He has performed with Joshua Redman, and toured with Dave Brubeck as a Brubeck Institute Fellow in 2007. A native of Santa Cruz, Flocks grew up immersed in music, attended the Stanford Jazz Workshop (where he now teaches), and also studied with Cabrillo College jazz instructor Ray Brown. While influenced by the classic saxophone triumvirate of Sonny Rollins, Stan Getz, and John Coltrane, Flock’s own music reflects a creative mix of jazz, Brazilian, folk, blues, reggae, and funk. Battle Mountain is his debut album, featuring music inspired by Santa Cruz.

Ben Flocks – Saxophone

Ari Chersky – Guitar

Sam Reider – Piano, Fender Rhodes, Accordion

Garret Lang – Bass

Evan Hughes – Drums

www.benflocks.com

Thursday, August 22, 7:00 PM

Monterey Jazz Festival County Honor Ensembles

$10/Adv  $13/Door

½ Price Night for Students. Tickets available at the door with valid I.D.

Door and dinner beginning at 6:00 PM

“… the best and the brightest…” – Jazz Review.com

Two award-winning ensembles take the stage this evening. The 2013 Monterey County High School All Star Band, directed by renowned saxophonist/jazz educator Paul Lucckesi, along with the 2013 Monterey County High School Honor Vocal Jazz Ensemble directed by Dr. Rob Klevan. Featuring the best Monterey County high school musicians, the Honor Ensembles tour the world each summer, in addition to being featured in a spotlight performance each fall at the Monterey Jazz Festival. The consistent high level of musicianship exhibited by these talented students is equal to that of many professional ensembles.

http://www.montereyjazzfestival.org/2013/jazz-education/honor-ensembles

Monday, August 19, 7:00 PM

Etienne Charles Quintet

$20/Adv $23/Door

Door and dinner beginning at 6:00 PM

½ Price Night for Students. Tickets available at the door with valid I.D.

“…a daring improviser…with heart-wrenching lyricism” – JazzTimes

One of the most compelling young jazz artists around is trumpeter/bandleader Etienne Charles.  His soon-to-be-released new album, Creole Soul, is a captivating journey of new jazz expression that taps into a myriad of styles rooted in his Afro-Caribbean background; from calypso to Haitian voodoo music.  The New York Times calls him “one of [jazz’s] more ambitious soloists and composers,” and on Creole Soul, his most accomplished recording so far in his young career, shows great promise to a future of more ebullient and intimate artistry.

Etienne Charles – trumpet
Gilad Hekselman­ – guitar
Victor Gould -­ piano
Ben Williams ­- bass
John Davis -­ drums

www.etiennecharles.com

Thursday, August 15, 7:00 PM

Sasha Dobson

$20/Adv $23/Door

Door and dinner beginning at 6:00 PM

“…one of my favorite NYC singers and songwriters” – Norah Jones

The daughter of legendary Bay Area jazz musicians, Sasha Dobson cut her teeth on the Kuumbwa stage before moving to NYC and becoming a club staple in Brooklyn and Manhattan. Her forthcoming third album, Aquarius, finds the singer and songwriter channeling her jazz routes into stranger, grittier sounds and song structures. The Joel Hamilton-produced album is a raw and honest collection of songs, which could almost be described as elegant garage rock, while maintaining the jazzy, improvisational tinge inherent in Dobson’s musicality.

www.sashadobson.com

Monday, August 12, 9:00 PM

The Cookers

$25/Adv $28/Door

No Comps

Sponsored by A Train Law Group

Doors at 8:30 PM

“…something epic and historic…” – David Weiss

Jazz veterans Billy Harper (tenor saxophone), Eddie Henderson (trumpet), George Cables (piano), Cecil McBee (bass), Billy Hart (drums), David Weiss (trumpet), and Craig Handy (saxophone) forge a world-class union collectively known as The Cookers. Taking their name from a 1965 Blue Note album by the late, great trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, this exciting new all-star septet summons up an aggressive mid ’60s spirit on their new album Warriors, a potent collection of expansive post-bop originals marked by all the requisite killer instincts and pyrotechnic playing expected of some of the heaviest hitters on the scene today.

www.jazzlegacyproductions.com

Monday, August 12, 7:00 PM

The Cookers

$25/Adv $28/Door

No Comps

Sponsored by A Train Law Group

Door and dinner beginning at 6:00 PM

“…something epic and historic…” – David Weiss

Jazz veterans Billy Harper (tenor saxophone), Eddie Henderson (trumpet), George Cables (piano), Cecil McBee (bass), Billy Hart (drums), David Weiss (trumpet), and Craig Handy (saxophone) forge a world-class union collectively known as The Cookers. Taking their name from a 1965 Blue Note album by the late, great trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, this exciting new all-star septet summons up an aggressive mid ’60s spirit on their new album Warriors, a potent collection of expansive post-bop originals marked by all the requisite killer instincts and pyrotechnic playing expected of some of the heaviest hitters on the scene today.

www.jazzlegacyproductions.com

Thursday, August 8, 7:00 PM

The Clifford Brown & Max Roach Project feat. Scotty Barnhart & Clayton Cameron

$20/Adv $23/Door

Door and dinner beginning at 6:00 PM

“… exciting and powerful…” – www.aroundharlem.com

In the mid-’50s, there was no group in the hard bop idiom hotter than the Clifford Brown/Max Roach Quintet. They burned up bandstands for two-and-a-half years, until 1956, when a fatal auto accident claimed the lives of Clifford Brown – considered one of the top trumpeters in jazz – and Richie Powell (brother of Bud Powell), a rising star on piano. It was a tragic blow for the jazz world. Acclaimed trumpeter Scotty Barnhart, together with ace drummer Clayton Cameron and special guest Grant Stewart on tenor saxophone, pay tribute to one of the most influential bands in the history of modern jazz.

Scotty Barnhart – trumpet

Grant Stewart – tenor saxophone

Sabine – piano

Carlitos Del Puerto – bass

Clayton Cameron – drums

www.scottybarnhart.com

www.claytoncameron.com

www.grantstewartjazz.com