Al Jarreau
Al Jarreau is the only vocalist in history to win Grammy awards in three different categories (jazz, pop, and R&B, respectively). He moved to Los Angeles and tried his hand in show business by playing small clubs throughout the West Coast in the 1960s. More than four decades later, he has amassed an amazing discography and following.
It was his 1975 album We Got By that first earned wide spread recognition and acclaim. Look To The Rainbow, a two-disc live set that included an innovative vocal styling of the David Brubeck classic, “Take Five,” showed Jarreau’s highly crafted performance aesthetic. His pop and R&B hits include “Breakin’ Away,” “We’re in This Love Together” and “Moonlighting,” the theme from the popular television show. Jarreau maintained his touring and recording activities releasing three stellar albums including 2000’s Tomorrow Today, 2002′s All I Got, and Accentuate The Positive in 2004.
Jarreau teamed up with legendary R&B guitarist & singer, George Benson for the album Givin’ It Up. He handpicked his favorite romantic tunes spanning three decades for his Love Songs, a 14-track compilation that was released in January 2008. He also helped the Playboy Jazz Festival celebrate its 30-year anniversary by headlining a sold-out opening night at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. Jarreau also put together the 16-song collection, The Very Best of Al Jarreau: An Excellent Adventure.
His most recent release is the 2012 Al Jarreau and the Metropole Orkest – Live, a collection of the best performances from a two-night engagement at the Theater aan de Parade, located in Den Bosch, Netherlands. The recording is of Jarreau on stage with a 53-piece orchestra from northern Europe. He continues to tour extensively worldwide, with his sextet and symphony shows.
Dave Koz
Dave Koz and Friends Summer Horns Tour 2013 with special guests Mindi Abair, Gerald Albright and Richard Elliot feature four of today’s pre-eminent saxophone players touring together. The evening is a celebration of the instrument that has fueled some of the world’s best-loved songs. With support from Dave’s stellar band, they’ll play songs from their album, Summer Horns which is scheduled for a June release. The album is a tribute to the great horn sections of bands such as Earth Wind & Fire, Chicago, Tower Of Power, Blood, Sweat & Tears, James Brown and Sly & The Family Stone. On tour, expect to see the four play selections from the album and the best gems from their individual catalogues.
The New York Times hailed Dave Koz as “a musician of unflappable rhythmic aplomb, which he happily squares against the airtight funk of his band.” An eight time nominee, his 2012 album Live at the Blue Note, Tokyo was nominated for a Grammy Award for best live instrumental recording. Website
Gerald albright
Gerald Albright is known for his renowned solo recordings and performances with Anita Baker, Whitney Houston, and the Temptations. He plays soprano, alto, tenor and baritone saxophones, flute, bass guitar, and keyboards, and also handles synthesizer, EWI and drum programming. Albright released his first album in 1987. His 2012 collaboration with guitarist, Norman Brown, 24/7, debuted at #1 on the Billboard Jazz charts. Website
Mindi Abair
Many will remember Mindi Abair as the featured saxophonist on the 2011 and 2012 seasons of American Idol. Releasing eight solo albums since 1999, Abair has recorded or toured with the elite of contemporary jazz and pop music. Website
Richard Elliot
For five years during the 1980s Richard Elliot played tenor sax as a member of the band, Tower of Power. The Scottish born Elliot released his first album 25 years ago. His body of work from that quarter century of music activity is a huge catalog that covers some the greatest R&B classics ever recorded including one of his biggest hits, an instrumental remake of Percy Sledge’s “When A Man Loves A Woman.” Website
Christian Scott
Christian Scott is one of the brightest jazz stars to emerge in the last few years. Scott comes from a long line of New Orleans trumpeters and has a thorough knowledge of his jazz lineage. The nephew of alto saxophonist, Donald Harrison, Scott describes his music as being the sound of “the classic John Coltrane quartet played by an Indie band.” Critics say Scott is a significant new voice poised to make an impact on the future of jazz. His Concord label debut was the album Rewind That, arguably the most remarkable premiere the genre has seen in the last decade. Steeped in the jazz tradition and intent on participating in the music’s evolution, the New York-based, Berklee College of Music grad is indeed a significant new voice poised to make an impact on the future of jazz. Subsequent releases on the Concord label have garnered accolades for Scott. He is also part of the original trio to record the Grammy Award nominated Ninety Miles with vibraphonist, Stephon Harris and saxophonist, David Sanchez. Scott’s 2012 release Concord Records was Christian aTunde Adjuah, titled for Scott’s adopted African name.
The Music Maker Blues Revue highlights electric blues, boogie-woogie, R&B and soul music with performances by Music Maker Relief Foundation partner artists. Music Maker works with these artists to elevate their careers and present them to the world, while preserving Southern musical traditions for future generations. The show will feature performances by the legendary boogie-woogie musician Ironing Board Sam, guitar slinging siren Pat Wilder and Zydeco giant Major Handy.
Ironing Board Sam is a singer, songwriter and piano player who was a house musician on the first televised African-American music revue called “Night Train.” He then became one of the best-loved entertainers on the Crescent City’s music scene before relocating to North Carolina and working with Music Maker.
Pat Wilder is “one of the most exciting blues guitarists/vocalists to come out of the bay area in a long time.” Lee Hildebrand of the San Francisco Bay Guardian once wrote. Blues is Patricia Wilder’s self-described music style – “real” music about “real” people, living real. Wilder’s musical foundation is rooted in jazz, rock, R&B, blues and gospel.
Major Handy‘ has had a 40-year career in music playing the accordion and the guitar. He has toured much of the world and fronted several bands, including a seven-year stint working as a bandleader in northern Canada. Handy has had a long and varied career. He released an album in 1985 after recorded an untold number of 45s. It was not until late 2009 that he released the album Zydeco Feeling and began to gain international attention.
