| By Val Vaccaro
This March, Berks Jazz Fest (www.berksjazzfest.com) celebrates its 17th anniversary as part of a spring ritual, in Reading, Pennsylvania.
The FirstEnergy Berks Jazz Fest, presented by the Berks Arts Council, runs March 16th-25th, 2007. It's going to be another great festival! As always, there is an impressive talent lineup featuring popular music stars in contemporary jazz, traditional jazz, blues and more.
Some of the top artists who will be at the Fest include: Dave Brubeck, David Sanborn, Randy Brecker, Jeff Lorber, Rick Braun, Kirk Whalum, Jeff Golub, Richard Elliot, Gerald Albright, Mindi Abair, Boney James, Warren Hill, Chuck Loeb, Marion Meadows, Joyce Cooling, Philippe Saisse, Nelson Rangell, Nick Colionne, Doc Powell, Rachel Z, Brian Lynch, Kevin Mahogany, Bettye LaVette, David Liebman, John Blake Jr., Keb Mo, and The Sax Pack featuring Jeff Kashiwa, Kim Waters, and Steve Cole.
Also, there are some unique and exciting shows on the Fest schedule which you probably will not see anywhere else.
For instance, there's a special show "An Evening of Heads Up" with recording artists Pieces of a Dream, Marion Meadows, Doc Powell, Bobby Lyle, Alexander Zonjic, and Gerald Veasley.
There's also the "Soul Summit" show produced by Jason Miles which will pay tribute to artists such as the late James Brown. The show features saxophonists Richard Elliot and Karl Denson, blues guitarist/vocalist Susan Tedeschi, vocalists Maysa Leak and Mike Mattison, and a lot more.
In addition, there's the sure-to-be memorable show ""Celebrating the Life & Music of Luther Vandross"" co-produced by Jason Miles and Nat Adderly Jr. featuring Pop/R&B vocalist Dionne Warwick, saxophonists Kirk Whalum and Walter Beasley and a long line-up of other great artists.
Topping it all off will be the Fest Finale with the ever-popular, exciting smooth jazz of the Guitars & Saxes show featuring the super-talented combination of Jeff Golub, Kirk Whalum, Gerald Albright and Tim Bowman.
There will be about 130 events (ticketed and many non-ticketed free shows) which take place at major venues, restaurants and clubs throughout Berks County. In addition, there are some educational activities and free workshops. When you arrive, be sure to get a copy (at the venues and hotels) of the excellent Festival Guide published by the Reading Eagle newspaper.
Each year, about 45,000 jazz fans attend the Fest from nearly 40 U.S. states, Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, and Europe. Returning jazz fans know there is something special about the Berks Jazz Fest which makes it a unique experience. Jazz fans new to the Fest will find lots of wonderful, exciting musical shows, where enthusiastic audiences bring out the best in the performers, at venues with a special ambience. In between shows, many favorite artists say hello to fans in the venue lobbies during autograph signings. Also in the venue lobbies, check out the cool selection of creative, often music-themed merchandise (e.g., tee shirts, artwork, crafts). There's a sense of camaraderie and shared community among jazz fans who convene in this relatively small town. The people who run the Berks Jazz Fest and the hundreds of local volunteers exude a hospitality and genuine friendliness that contribute to visitors' enjoyment.
Here's an overview of the many key ticketed events (and some of the non-ticketed "free" shows) at the 2007 Berks Jazz Fest.
Pre-Festivities
Before the Fest officially begins, there are a few events. On Thursday, March 15th there will be a Berks Jazz Festival Preview Concert featuring the Music Educators of Berks County (MEBC) Big Band with special guests, including drummer John Rozum. The MEBC Big Band is co-lead by Carl Zeplin and Mike Eben and is composed of music teachers from the public school districts in the area. On Friday, March 16th, there's the ritual of the Berks Jazz Fest "Kickoff Lunch" at the Peanut Bar restaurant with entertainment by The Groovemasters, featuring Berks County bassist Bennie Sims and keyboardist Cliff Starkey.
First Weekend of Events
On Friday, March 16th the Fest officially begins with a concert by legendary pianist Dave Brubeck and his Quartet. There will also be a show by the Downright Upright All-Stars featuring bassist Brian Bromberg, trumpeter Randy Brecker, keyboardist Jeff Lorber, saxophonist Gary Meek, and drummer Dave Weckl.
On Saturday, March 17th some of the Festival's promising highlights are two special concerts: An Afternoon of Heads Up, and An Evening of Heads Up recording artists featuring: the smooth jazz super-group Pieces of a Dream, along with pianist Bobby Lyle, saxophonist Marion Meadows, flutist Alexander Zonjic, bassist Gerald Veasley, and guitarist Doc Powell.
The concert An Evening of Heads Up will be telecast live at 10 p.m. on the Emmy-award-winning WFMZ-TV station (which reaches 3.5 million households in parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware and also airs Cameron Smith's nationally syndicated "Smooth Jazz TV" program on Saturdays at 7:30 p.m.). According to WFMZ TV General Manager Barry Fisher, "Berks Jazz Fest is excellent entertainment. We want to continue to do our part to help expand the audience for this great show."
The Heads Up concert will also be simulcast live on the smooth jazz radio station WJJZ 97.5FM, and there will be an introduction by host Michael Tozzi, Program Director (and deejay) at WJJZ, who is a long-time participant and supporter of the Berks Jazz Fest. Both the audio and video will be streamed live at 10 p.m. from the Sheraton Reading Hotel Ballroom on the WJJZ radio station's website at http://975wjjz.com. Tozzi says "This incredible event is history in the making... since this will be our very first venture into simulcasting a concert on 97.5 FM WJJZ, and also streaming the audio and video worldwide on our website." According to Heads Up International record label President Dave Love, "We are excited once again to bring together our family of artists with the Berks Jazz Fest family. The creative vision of the festival never ceases to amaze me. Now that it's being televised, nobody who wants to see the concert will miss it."
Also on Saturday March 17th, there will be a great show featuring Gerald Veasley's Electric Mingus Project with bassist Gerald Veasley, trumpeter John Swana, saxophonist Chris Farr, vibes player Tony Miceli, drummer Butch Reed and special guest violinist John Blake Jr. Saturday night will include a crowd-pleaser show with soulful, smooth jazz saxophonist Boney James.
In addition, on March 16th and 17th, the very talented pianist Rachel Z and saxophonist Tim Price will perform together with Rachel Z's Trio for some special late-night jazz shows. Then, on Sunday, March 18th, there's a Smooth Jazz 92.7 Fan Appreciation Concert with super-talented saxophonist Nelson Rangell together with keyboardist Philippe Saisse.
Also on Sunday, March 18th will be a great show with the Joyce Cooling Group, featuring the soulful, smooth guitarist Joyce Cooling with keyboardist/music director Jay Wagner and the band. Proceeds from the sale of Joyce Cooling's CD Revolving Door and merchandise will benefit a great cause - the National Alliance on Mental Illness (donated to the local Berks County chapter of NAMI). There will also be a special show with Skip Norcott presented by the Reading Pops Orchestra, with guest guitarist David Cullen.
The first weekend's finale is a special show, Sunday night, "Celebrating the Life & Music of Luther Vandross" with musical directors and keyboardists Jason Miles (who recorded with Luther) and Nat Adderly Jr. (who was Luther's music director for many years, and is the son of trumpeter Nat Adderly and nephew of saxophonist Cannonball Adderly). This superstar tribute show to Vandross includes: the legendary vocalist Dionne Warwick, soulful saxophonist Kirk Whalum, R&B/smooth jazz saxophonist Walter Beasley, singer Cissy Houston, guitarist Doc Powell, vocalists Cindy Mizell, James "D Train" Williams, and Paulette McWilliams, drummer Buddy Williams, and bassist Tinker Barfield.
Week's Continuing Events
On Monday, March 19th, there will be a free (non-ticketed) show with the Berks High School All-Star Band. From Tuesday March 20th through Thursday March 22nd. there are a number of other dynamic concerts in the schedule. For instance, there's a show with Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band, which includes: saxophonists Eric Marienthal, Sal Lozano, Brian Scanlon, Jeff Driskill, Jay Mason; trumpeters Wayne Bergeron, Dan Fornero, Bob Summers, Dan Savant; trombonists Andy Martin, Alex Iles, Charlie Morillas, Craig Ware; drummers Ray Brinker, Bernie Dressel; bassist Rick Shaw; guitarists Grant Geissman, Carl Verheyen, and percussionists Luis Conte and Brad Dutz.
Also, the super-talented, versatile keyboardist/vocalist Joe McBride will perform a dinner show with his Texas Rhythm Band on Wednesday, March 21st. In addition, there's The Rolling Stones Project featuring Tim Ries, trombonist Mike Davis, vocalist Bernard Fowler and guitarist Ben Monder. There will also be a great show with Hammond B3 organist Greg Hatza and his Greg Hatza ORGANization, and a dynamic concert by saxophonist Mindi Abair.
On Thursday night - not to be missed by smooth jazz afficionados - there's also the highly anticipated annual Berks All-Star Jazz Jam. This year's Jam includes: trumpeter Rick Braun, guitarists Chuck Loeb, Nick Colionne, Steve Oliver, keyboardist/vocalist Joe McBride, saxophonists Richard Elliot, Warren Hill, and Mindi Abair, bassists Gerald Veasley and Brian Bromberg, and drummer Rayford Griffin.
Second Weekend of the Fest
The last weekend of the Fest has many exciting concerts in the lineup from Friday March 23rd through Sunday March 25th. On Friday, March 23, there will be two concerts from the legendary guitarist Pat Martino and his Quartet. There will also be shows by Ann Hampton Callaway and the Denis DiBlasio Quintet, as well as the special brand of blues of the Keb' Mo' Band.
Another Fest highlight will be the 17th Anniversary Concert Rick Braun & Friends with: Richard Elliot, Jonathan Butler, Jackiem Joyner and Rayford Griffin. In addition, there will be bluesy shows with the legendary, soulful singer Bettye LaVette, and Frank Bey & The Swing City Blues Band. Then, Friday night will end with a bang with the legendary David Sanborn Group.
On Saturday, March 24th, there will be another round of great shows. In the afternoon, there's the WEEU 75th Anniversary Celebration Concert with the Ladies of Jazz featuring Toni Lynne, Sharon Bailey and Suzie Ernesto, and The Last Big Band. For those who listen to super-cool and funky syndicated radio show "The Groove Boutique" (www.thegrooveboutique.com), the show's host, deejay Rafe Gomez will be hosting a show with the ever-fantastic, super saxophonist Warren Hill and the slick, smooth jazz guitarist Nick Colionne. There will also be early evening and late evening concerts on Saturday March 24th, featuring a "Tribute to Johnny Hartman and John Coltrane" with singer Kevin Mahogany and saxophonist David Liebman.
Another exciting event includes the unique and funky World Premiere Concert "Soul Summit" with musical director and keyboardist Jason Miles, drummer Steve Ferrone, bassist Bob Babbitt, guitarists Reggie Young and Sherrod Barnes, DJ Logic, trumpeter Barry Daniellan, saxophonists Richard Elliot, David Mann, Karl Denson, guitarist/vocalist Susan Tedeschi and singers Maysa Leak and Mike Mattison. Miles promised that the concert will pay tribute to such artists as James Brown and Herbie Mann. It should be a blast!
There's also a Blues Tripleheader at the Inn event: Smokin' Joe Kubek featuring Bnois King plus Billy Price Band and Deanna Bogart. For trumpet-lovers, there's the WEEU 75th Anniversary Celebration Concert "Trumpet Summit" with Brian Lynch, Scott Wendholt and Alex Sipiagin, and Dave Stahl and his Big Band. Then there's the late night show on Saturday March 24 with The Sax Pack featuring Jeff Kashiwa, Kim Waters and Steve Cole.
The last day of the Fest, Sunday, March 25th will most definitely include some exciting and memorable performances by smooth jazz stars. The afternoon highlight will be the WJJZ Smooth Jazz 97.5 Fan Appreciation Concert with Chuck Loeb featuring the Berks Jazz Fest Horns (saxophonist Mike Anderson, trombonist Bill Miller, and trumpeter Rob Diener) plus the WJJZ All-Stars Jeff Kashiwa, Kim Waters, Steve Cole and Gerald Veasley.
The Sunday evening concert Festival finale should be another fantastic Guitars & Saxes show, with this super-talented lineup including exciting, dynamic and soulful performances by guitarists Jeff Golub and Tim Bowman, and saxophonists Kirk Whalum and Gerald Albright!
For information on the numerous Free Non-Ticketed events, check the schedule at http://www.berksjazzfest.com/lineup_nonticketed.asp. There are many talented musicians who will perform at lunch, dinner, after-dinner, and late-night events, from jazz, to blues, to rock at various venues. Some of the non-ticketed shows include artists such as: Joe McBride, The Groovemasters featuring Bennie Sims & Cliff Starkey, Tim Price featuring special guest Rachel Z, Blues Factor, Groove Dawgs, Josh Taylor Trio, Blues City Blues Band, Rob Diener & Anomaly, and many others.
Educational Workshops
In addition to the concerts, there are also a number of educational activities for aspiring musicians. On Saturday, March 24th, there will be a special workshop with guitarist Chuck Loeb's String Training, with guitarists Chuck Loeb, Pat Martino and Bob Sebellico from noon to 4pm. For more information on registration, which has a fee of $80, and the online application, check the website at: www.berksjazzfest.com/stringtraining.asp The following is a list of a number of FREE Educational Workshops at the Fest for voice, piano, saxophone, bass, violin, trumpet and drums.
On Wednesday, March 14th, will be a Voices Student Jazz Fest Jam Session on jazz performance and improvisation at the Zeswitz Music Education Center from 6-9 p.m. On Saturday, March 17th, there is the Tim Price & Rachel Z Workshop with saxophonist Tim Price & pianist Rachel Z open to music students of all ages, of every level and style, for real, practical, hands-on jazz instruction. The workshop will take place at GoggleWorks Center for the Arts/Theater between 1-3 p.m.
Then, on Sunday, March 18th, John Blake Jr. will host a Violin Workshop for string students to learn from the legendary jazz musician and educator along with Maria Kowalski's Swing Shot band. The workshop is at the GoggleWorks Center for the Arts/Theater from 1-3 p.m. On Wednesday, March 21st Brian Bromberg and Gerald Veasley will conduct The Art of the Bass Workshop with Bromberg on acoustic bass and Veasley on electric bass. This workshop will be held at the GoggleWorks Center for the Arts/Theater from 7-9 p.m.
During the last weekend of the Fest, there are two more workshops. On Saturday, March 24th, is the Brian Lynch Trumpet/Ensemble Workshop with Grammy Award-nominated Lynch covering the diverse world of jazz, swinging from bebop to Latin at the Zeswitz Music Education Center from 1-3 p.m. Last, but not least, on Sunday, March 25th, will be The Art of the Big Band Drummer Workshop with drummer John Rozum and the Music Educators of Berks County Big Band at the Zeswitz Music Education Center from 3-5 p.m.
More Fest Information
For more information about the fest, including concert schedules, ticket prices, locations, hotel information, directions, artist profiles, non-ticketed events, sponsor information, the Berks Arts Council, etc., check the links on the main website www.berksjazzfest.com.
To order tickets - Call Ticketmaster at 215-336-2000 or visit www.ticketmaster.com, or order online at www.berksjazzfest.com. Don't miss the 2007 Berks Jazz Fest this March - one of the best contemporary jazz festivals in the world!
NOTE: The author would like to thank Mike Zielinski, Publicity Director and John Ernesto, Festival Manager of the FirstEnergy Berks Jazz Fest, as well as the Berks Arts Council, the artists, and everyone who make this Festival so special each year. |
