Viva la Tradicón, their debut release on Concord Picante (9/28/10), continues Spanish Harlem Orchestra’s fine tradition of making great music as they celebrate the orchestra’s 10th year anniversary. The album opens with the very energetic salsa track “La Salsa Dura” which features their fantastic horn section and lively vocals composed by Cuban salsa composer Manuel Simonet. This collection of 12 songs is comprised largely of original compositions arrangements of classic salsa tunes by bandleader/founder Oscar Hernandez. It also includes the support of veteran composer and arranger Gil Lopez on three of Lopez’s compositions (“Son De Corazon,” “Nuestra Cancion,” and “Regala De Dios.”) One of his songs, “Nuestra Cancion,” is a very romantic ballad. Lopez explains the ballad as “you need to listen to this, because this is how it was done back in those days. It was just beautiful music.” I also enjoyed the cool rhythms of “Como Baila Mi Mulata.” Eleven of the tracks include the harmonic vocal talents of Ray De La Paz, Marco Bermudez, and Carlos Cascante. The instrumental piece “Rumba Urbana” includes a wonderful piano solo from bandleader Oscar Hernandez and a great sax solo from Mitch Frohman. The album closes with “El Negro Tiene Tumbao” which features guest vocalist Isaac Delgado.

Viva la Tradicón preserves of the legacy of Latin jazz and salsa music and is sure to bring the Spanish Harlem Orchestra new fans of their incredible music.

If you have been following me on my musical journey for the past few years, you know this is my favorite time of year. There are festivals, live music, and food from Monterey to Guerneville.

Last night, I arrived at the San Jose Jazz Festival around 8:15pm. George Clinton and Parliament/Funkadelic were funking up the Main Stage. I got to hear “Flashlight” and “One Nation Under A Groove.” I left there and headed over to the Jazz Beyond Stage where Milk and Jade, featuring Dana Leong on trombone and funk-da-fied cello, were finishing up their outstanding set. Next up was Midnight Sol bringing a mixture of soul, hip-hop, and jazz with Brian Ho on keys, Mark Arroyo on guitar, Oscar Pangilinan on tenor sax, Steven Kaku on drums, and Ben Daniels on vocals and rap. The night air was starting to cool but Midnight Sol definitely warmed up the night with their soul grooves. Ben put some hip-hip magic on the classic jazz standard “What Is This Thing Called Love” that the crowd really enjoyed. I closed out the night at the Smith Dobson Tribute Stage in the lobby of the Fairmont Hotel. There was a soulful live band. The crowd was dancing and enjoying themselves.

There is plenty of good music here today and tomorrow including John Ellis, John Handy, Nnenna Freelon, Bobby Matos, Jazz Mafia, Crystal Monee Hall, Tower of Power, Marcus Miller, and A Tribute to Grover Washington. Be sure to check out the Blues, Salsa, and Latin stages. There is definitely something for everyone. For more information, www.sanjosejazz.org. See you there!!!

The Jon Santos Sextet, Acme All-Stars and Valerie Troutt are playing at the Laurel Street Fair in the Laurel District of Oakland (MacArthur Blvd. between 35th and 38th Avenues.) The festival runs from 11am-5pm today. For more information, www.laureldistrictassociation.org

The Mount Diablo Jazz Festival is at the Sleep Train Pavilion in Concord today. The festival lineup includes Natalie Cole, George Benson, and Brian Culbertson.

Patrice Rushen will be headlining at Yoshi’s Oakland on August 20 and 21 for two shows each night at 8 and 10 pm. We remember Patrice’s hits “Forget Me Nots” and “You Remind Me” but I have had the pleasure our hearing her as a very accomplished jazz keyboardist playing with everyone from Babatunde Lea to Buster Williams.

Don’t forget! The 10th Annual Art and Soul Oakland Festival is next weekend on August 21 and 22 in Downtown Oakland from noon to 6pm each day. Great music, food, arts and crafts and family fun.

I have to get back outside to the music but please watch this post for information on more festival and concert happenings around the Bay Area and beyond.

This Sunday, The Dynamic Miss Faye Carol and her daughter, Sista Kee will perform at 3pm at Golden Gate Library, 5606 San Pablo Avenue, Oakland, California. This concert is part of the Friends of Golden Gate Library 20th Annual Jazz on Sundays Summer Concert Series which runs through August 29.

Concerts are held every Sunday at 3pm (doors open at 2:30pm), followed by a History of Jazz lecture with jazz legend Randy Moore, and an open jam session. All concerts are held at the Golden Gate Library with the exception of the August 23 concert, featuring the Junius Courtney Big Band (shown above.) This concert at Temescal Creek Park located on 47th Street between Adeline and San Pablo Avenue in Emeryville.

Admission is free and donations are welcome.

Upcoming Concerts:

August 15: Terry Hilliard Quartet
August 22: Junius Courtney Big Band (at Temescal Creek Park)
August 29: Rhonda Benin and Quartet

As the month comes to a close, I wanted to share some good news. Below are a couple of articles on the photo exhibit I am currently in and a couple of honors/awards I have received this month. I am very honored and blessed. Above are the photo of trumpeter Jeremy Pelt which won 2nd place and the photo of Natalie Cole which won a merit award in the Destination Oakland Photo Contest sponsored by the Oakland Convention and Visitors Bureau. Also, big thanks to Wanda Sabir for the exhibit article in SF Bay View and Bruce McCoy for the exhibit article in Examiner.com.

Diablo Magazine Flickr Pic of the Week
http://www.diablomag.com/D-blog/Diablo-Flickr-Pic-of-the-Week/July-2010/July-27-August-3/

SF Bay View – Hears Looking at You Photo Exhibit Article
http://sfbayview.com/2010/kamau-amen-ras-heres-looking-at-you/

Examiner.com – Hears Looking at You Photo Exhibit Article
http://www.examiner.com/x-12458-Oakland-Jazz-Music-Examiner~y2010m7d18-Hears-Looking-at-You-focuses-on-Bay-Area-jazz-photography?cid=examiner-email

Destination Oakland Photo Contest Winner – 2nd Place & Merit Award
http://www.flickr.com/groups/destinationoakland/discuss/72157624420972681/

Hears Looking At You Photo – A Visual Essay of Jazz and Blues

Jazz and Blues Art Photography of Kamau Amen-Ra, Tasin Sabir, Edward Miller, Charles Rhone, James Knox

Location: San Leandro Public Library
Street: 300 Estudillo Avenue
City/Town: San Leandro, CA

Exhibit Dates: July 1 – 31 2010

Artists’ Reception: Thursday, July 15, 6:30PM – 8:30PM

Library Hours:

Mon-Thurs: 10am-9pm
Fri: 10am-5:30pm
Sat: 10am-5pm
Sun: 12pm-4pm

Examiner.com: Hears Looking At You focuses on Bay Area jazz photography

Two days of great music this weekend Fillmore Street in San Francisco. For full details, www.fillmorejazzfestival.org

Enjoy your music and have a safe holiday weekend!

Photo of the Marcus Shelby Jazz Orchestra at the 2009 Fillmore Jazz Festival by James Knox.

I don’t get to stop through as often as I would like to tell you about who’s coming to town or who I am planning to see. I have constructed a quick list of upcoming coming concerts that you are sure to enjoy.

There is lots of great music on tap for this week & weekend -

6/16 Ian Carey Quartet @ Coda – Tonight!!!
6/16-17 James Carter Organ Trio @ Yoshi’s SF – Tonight!!!
6/18-20 Lalah Hathaway @ Yoshi’s SF – Checkout my photo of Lalah in the Jazz & Cocktails column of the SF Bay Times!
6/18-19 Crystal Monee Hall @ The Rrazz Room – Hotel Nikko SF
6/19-20 Cassandra Wilson @ Yoshi’s Oakland
6/20 Frank Jackson w/ The Larry Vuckovich Trio @ Bach Dancing & Dynamite Society at Douglas Beach House – Half Moon Bay
6/20 Art of the Duo – Inga Swearingen & Art Lande – Silo’s Jazz Club – Napa

Stern Grove Festival kicks off their 73rd season this Sunday w/ Angelique Kidjo and Afro-Latin reggae group Sarazino http://tinyurl.com/ztdbs

More great music next week and beyond!

6/24 Marc Cary Focus Trio @ Yoshi’s Oakland
6/24-25 Meshell Ndegeocello – Presents a Night of Gil Scott-Heron Covers – Yoshi’s SF
6/25 Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings @ The Warfield SF

7/03-04 – Fillmore Jazz Festival – Fillmore Street – SF
7/22-25 – The Angela Bofill Experience - The Rrazz Room @ The Hotel Nikko SF

Photo of Cassandra Wilson at the 2008 Monterey Jazz Festival by James Knox

As always, enjoy your music! Please support live music!

MULTI-PLATINUM GRAMMY™ AWARD-WINNING R&B SINGER ANITA BAKER TO PERFORM NATIONAL ANTHEM AT THE NBA FINALS ON THURSDAY, JUNE 10

ANITA BAKER CURRENTLY IN STUDIO

RECORDING NEW ALBUM

BOSTON, June 9, 2010 – Multi-platinum Grammy Award-winning R&B legend Anita Baker will perform the National Anthem in front of a global audience on Thursday, June 10, prior to Game 4 of The Finals between the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers at TD Banknorth Garden in Boston .

The performance will be televised live on ABC in the U.S. and to a worldwide audience in 215 countries and territories beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET.

Anita Baker is currently in the studio recording her forthcoming album due out in the Fall.  Baker will be producing the album with Nathan East, Daniel Moore, George Duke and others.  The album will include collaboration with Snoop Dogg on a “big, lush” version of Curtis Mayfield’s Give You My Love that she promises “is going to raise eyebrows.” The rest of the album will be original material.

Anita Baker was born in Detroit, Michigan and started singing in church and later in groups throughout Detroit , before landing a gig with Chapter 8, with whom she had the hit I Just Wanna Be Your Girl in the early 80s.  Anita later went solo and recorded the classic collection The Songstress (Angel, and No More Tears) before finding her way to Elektra Entertainment and a decade-long collaboration that birthed such completely perfected projects as Rapture, Giving You The Best That I Got, Compositions, and The Rhythm Of Love, and honing a powerhouse songbook that includes such masterpieces as Watch Your Step, Been So Long, Lead Me Into Love, Talk To Me, Body and Soul and I Apologize. Baker has won Grammy, Soul Train, NAACP Image, Billboard, and Rolling Stone Awards, and she has been heralded as one of the great stylists of our time.

In March 2004, Baker signed an exclusive recording contract with Blue Note Records and in September 2004, a decade after her last studio album, Baker released a new album, My Everything. The album was a success and debuted at No.4 on the Billboard 200 and No.1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.

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NBA contact: Amanda Thorn, (914) 282-0257, athorn@nba.com

Anita Baker contact: JR Rich, JR.Rich@emimusic.com or Kisha Madrid Kisha.Madrid@emicap.com

Photo Credit: James Knox

10 Year Anniversary!
Malcolm X Jazz Arts Festival
Saturday, May 22nd, 2010
11-7pm FREE
San Antonio Park – 18th Ave & Foothill Blvd

This month we are all very excited to present the 10th annual Malcolm X JazzArts Festival! We recognize that it is quite an accomplishment to be able to present a festival that brings together some of the very best jazz artists, community organizations, local artisans & food vendors, and the next generation of young artists and cultural workers to our neighborhood for the last decade!

Call EastSide for more information: 510.533.6629 or email eastsideculturalcenter@gmail.com

http://www.eastsideartsalliance.org

Vesta – vocals
Glen Pearson – keyboards
Craig T. Cooper – guitar
Curtis Ohlsen – bass guitar
Dante “Taz” Roberson

I went to see Vesta Williams at The Rrazz Room last night. It was like catching up with an old friend whom you had not seen for years. Vesta opened her 90 minute set with a fiery rendition of her classic “Once Bitten, Twice Shy.” She then took us on a musical journey through her classics and recent recordings. She sang David Gates and Bread’s “I Want To Make With You.” It was sultry and steamy and she traded scat licks with guitarist Craig T. Cooper. On Bill Withers’ “Use Me,” she got a little help on background vocals from an audience member whom she invited on stage and was able to keep up with Vesta’s mesmerizing vocals. Next in our journey, she did an incredible a cappella medley of Deniece Williams’ “Free”, Sly Stone’s “If You Want Me To Stay”, The Spinners’ “Could It Be I’m Falling In Love”, Marvin Gaye’s “Distant Lover” and several of her own gems – “4U,” “Sweet, Sweet Love,” “Hunger”, and “You Still Do It For Me.” She asked the audience what they wanted to hear and they called out all her classics. I should also mention that in between songs, Vesta did hilarious impersonations of Patti LaBelle, Michael McDonald, and Tina Turner. Vesta closed out the evening with her signature song, “Congratulations” and she moved every soul in the room. She took us from sad to celebratory for she told us though she had lost a love, she still had a friend in Jesus. Yes, she took us to church! She put so much of herself in this song that she was almost in tears at the end. That is the power of a great song and a great singer. She sang every note to the fullest. She encored with one of my favorites, “Don’t You Blow A Good Thing.” I definitely want to here more of her music real soon.

Her incredible band included her longtime friend Craig T. Cooper on guitar and Bay Area favorites Glen Pearson on keyboards, Curtis Ohlsen on bass guitar and Dante “Taz” Roberson on drums.

I got meet her after the show and she was wonderful. Her next album, Seven, will be released in July and the first single will be “Silly.” I asked her about her album title and she said, “Seven is her seventh project and seven is a number of completion.” Be on the lookout for Vesta!

Photo Credit: James Knox