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My annual pilgrimage to the Monterey Jazz Festival started off a little different. I had stopped at a friend's house to pickup my digital recorder. I got back in my car and it would not start...dead! I called AAA and they came out and pronounced my battery dead. Average car battery life is 3-5 years and my battery was almost 5 years old. David from the AAA dispatch service sold me a brand new battery right on the spot and I was back on the road again. Thank you David and AAA!

I arrived safely in Monterey just before 6pm, checked into my hotel and went to the festival. I initially went without my cameras so I could get my press credentials, festival gear, and some dinner. Typically, Friday evening starts off really mellow and picks up as people arrive throughout the evening.

My first show for Friday evening was singer Lizz Wright in Dizzy's Den, She looked radiant and sounded phenomenal. This was her first visit to Monterey since her debut performance here in 2002 which was also my first visit to Monterey. It is always amazing to watch an artist grow and develop over the years. It's a joy to see Lizz as she brings something new to every performance. Whether it is a nuance, a turn of phrase or just bringing her life experience, her rich vocals captivates her audience. Her set included a smoldering rendition of "I Idolize You," "Hey Mann" a gospel/bluesy "Walk With Me," "Blue Rose," "Another Angel," and "Coming Home." She melted us with "Dreaming Wide Awake" and closed out the evening with "Thank You." We showed our gratitude with standing ovations. Her wonderful band included David Cook on keys, Robin Mactangay on guitars, Nicholas D'Amato on bass, and Brannen Temple on drums.

I stopped in the Night Club, where the John Patitucci Trio was on a serious groove with John on bass, Joe Lovano on tenor sax and Brian Blade on drums. I went back to Dizzy's Den to witness the incredible singer/bassist Esperanza Spalding and her band. This was a hot show as there were lines waiting outside to get in. I closed out the evening in the Coffee House Gallery with 23 year old New Orleans pianist Jonathan Batiste and his quintet. I came in on a composition that included a nod to "Surrey With The Fringe On Top" and Jonathan on vocals. Next, he played a composition that alternated seamlessly between a ragtime/stride piano rhythm and a straight ahead rhythm. He was truly spellbinding and just incredible to watch.

There is more great music ahead for the weekend. There are still tickets available. For more information, www.montereyjazzfestival.org.

Memphis Minnie's Bar-b-que Joint of San Francisco Presents

EXCLUSIVE EAST BAY SCREENING

AWARD-WINNING NEW DOCUMENTARY ABOUT

HISTORIC NEW ORLEANS NEIGHBORHOOD AND ITS MUSIC

Screening and Discussion with Iconic

New Orleans Newspaperman and Author Lolis Eric Elie

Special Appearance by Linda Tillery and the Cultural Heritage Choir

All Proceeds Benefit the Oakland Public Conservatory of Music

OAKLAND--The winner of "Best Documentary" at the 2008 San Francisco Film Festival, Faubourg Tremé: The Untold Story of Black New Orleans gives viewers a riveting introduction to of a little-known part of American history set in the fascinating New Orleans neighborhood where jazz was born.

Scheduled to coincide with the fourth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, this exclusive, one-night-only event is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Saturday, August 29, at the Kaiser Center Auditorium, 300 Lakeside Drive, 2nd Floor. On hand to discuss the film with audiences will be its co-producer, co-writer and central narrator, nationally renowned New Orleans newspaperman Lolis Eric Elie. Director Dawn Logsdon and producer Lucie Faulknor will also bring their perspective and expertise to the panel discussion.

Linda Tillery and the Cultural Heritage Choir will make a special appearance. Also featured are the Oakland Public Conservatory Youth Marimba Band and The Frederick Douglass Youth Ensemble.

All proceeds benefit the Oakland Public Conservatory of Music, the East Bay's leading source for affordable music education and performance for local youth and families. The event is made possible by Memphis Minnie's Bar-b-que Joint of San Francisco, which Gourmet Magazine said "may well be the finest barbeque restaurant in the state."

"American music would undoubtedly don a different swagger without the city of New Orleans, and the Tremé district in particular," said Angela Wellman, founding director of the Oakland Public Conservatory of Music. "This event is a perfect opportunity for our community to celebrate jazz and the city that birthed it, and to support the Conservatory's efforts to nurture jazz study, scholarship, and appreciation for generations to come."

Arguably the oldest black neighborhood in America, Faubourg Tremé was home to the largest community of free black people in the Deep South during slavery. In the film - which critics have called "revelatory" and "flat-out brilliant" - Elie takes audiences on a tour of his city, and explains why this most un-American of American cities must be saved. But the neighborhood's recovery after Katrina is just another chapter in its singular history.

"In the early 1800s, while most African Americans in the South were toiling on plantations, free black people in Tremé were publishing poetry and conducting symphonies," Elie said. "Long before Rosa Parks, Tremé leaders organized sit-ins and protests that successfully desegregated the city's streetcars and schools. And jazz, the area's greatest gift to America, was born from the embers of this first American Civil Rights movement."

The mission of the Oakland Public Conservatory of Music is to connect East Bay youth and their families the world-class instruction and performance of private conservatories at affordable rates. The Oakland Public Conservatory of Music exists to provide local audiences access to and an appreciation of our rich, shared and diverse American musical heritage.

Faubourg Tremé: The Untold Story of Black New Orleans was executive produced by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer/musician Wynton Marsalis and Stanley Nelson (Jonestown, Murder of Emmett Till); directed by Dawn Logsdon; co-directed and written by Lolis Eric Elie; produced by Lucie Faulknor, Lolis Eric Elie and Dawn Logsdon; edited by Dawn Logsdon, Sam Green (Weather Underground) with original music composed by Derrick Hodge (of Terrence Blanchard's Band).

Tickets for the screening are $25 in advance, $30 at the door and can be purchased at

http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/76969.

All proceeds benefit the Oakland Public Conservatory of Music.

Visit the Conservatory online at www.opcmusic.org

To view a trailer or for more information about the film, go to http://www.tremedoc.com.

This film is a co-production of Serendipity Films, LLC, Independent Television Service (ITVS), WYES-TV12 New Orleans and Louisiana Pubic Broadcasting (LPB) in association with the National Black Programming Consortium (NBPC).

Media Contact: Laurie Cahn

415-824-2857

415-608-4092 (c)

Photos and interviews available

One of the things I love about the Bay Area is that the music festivals and local events are jumping from now through end of September. If I have missed any, please let me know. :-)

This is the final weekend of the Stanford Jazz Festival with the Stanford Jazz Workshop All-Star Jam on Friday and Dena DeRose and Steve Davis on Saturday.

The East Bay Express Best of the East Bay 2009 Party is Friday evening from 5pm to midnight at Oakland Museum of California.

The 20th AT&T San Jose Jazz Festival is this weekend from Friday through Sunday in Downtown San Jose. Only $15 per day for three days of great music featuring Allen Toussaint, Sharon Jones, Wayne Wallace, Tierney Sutton, Spanish Harlem Orchestra, Bill Henderson, Sony Holland, Bettye Lavette, Jon Santo, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Buster Williams, Patrice Rushen, and many more.

The 9th Annual Art & Soul Oakland Festival is August 15 and 16. New weekend but the same great fun and entertainment for everyone. The lineup includes Shawn Colvin, Will Downing, Bobby Caldwell, and Walter and Edwin Hawkins.

Friends of the Golden Gate Public Library presents Jazz on Sunday Series every Sunday at 3pm at the Golden Gate Public Library, 5606 San Pablo Ave., Oakland, California.

Don't forget the AfroSolo Arts Festival 16 and the Yerba Buena Art Festival are running now through October.

Oakland City Center Concert Series - Concerts every Wednesday at noon at the Oakland Center in Downtown Oakland.

Kaiser Rooftop Garden Concert Series - Concerts every Friday at noon through September.

Sunnyvale Jazz Series

Aug. 15 - Tony Lindsay w/Tom Politzer (r&b & contemporary jazz)
Aug. 22 - Ed Johnson & ; Novo Tempo Quintet (contemporary Brazilian jazz)
Aug. 29 - Chester Smith Ensemble (organ straight ahead jazz)

This FREE event is open to the public and is located on Murphy Avenue (between Washington & Evelyn). For more information call 408-516-7217 or visit www.DowntownSunnyvale.com

SFJAZZ Summer Concert Series is underway and tickets for the SFJAZZ Fall Festival Season are now on sale.

Mt. Diablo Jazz Festival

Northern California's largest jazz festival returns to the Sleep Train Pavilion at Concord on August 22nd with a new lineup and a new name. Previously the JVC Jazz Festival, now called the Mt. Diablo Jazz Festival, this year brings Anita Baker, Boney James, Fourplay, Jazz Attack and local group Times 4 to Concord. Tickets for the Mt. Diablo Jazz Festival are on sale now at Livenation.com.

Downtown Berkeley MusicFest - August 27-29

Dancing in the streets, drumming in the avenues, and singing on the boulevards: all of these and more are yours this week as Berkeley's arts and entertainment hub springs into action for the Downtown Berkeley MusicFest! Highlighting the amazing diversity of Berkeley's downtown scene, the festival features a rich array of musical performances at venues throughout the downtown area.

Jazz at Filoli

Celebrate our 19th Season and Filoli's 100th Jazz Concert

Filoli Jazz lovers, please join us as we once again showcase six delightful Sunday afternoon jazz concerts held outdoors on the beautiful grounds of Filoli. Let us pamper you with great entertainment. Tables and chairs are set up on the tennis court surrounded by glorious oak trees. Parking is free, as well as snacks and drinks, including beer and white wine. Gourmet boxed lunches are available for purchase in advance. This year's program features an incredibly strong lineup of world class jazz musicians. After reading the descriptions below, I think you will agree that this year might just be our best ever. Concerts are from 1:30 pm -4:00 pm.

Next up at Filoli The Bobby Hutcherson Quartet - August 30

33rd Russian River Jazz and Blues Festival

The 33rd Russian River Jazz and Blues Festival has combined two great festivals into one weekend on September 12 and 13 at Johnson Beach Resort in Guerneville. The jazz lineup (September 12) includes Al Jarreau, Jonathan Butler, Richard Elliott, Jazz Attack, and Rick Braun with more acts to be announced. The blues lineup (September 13) includes The Neville Brothers, Dr. John, Tommy Castro Band, and Bernard Allison with more acts to be announced.

Montclair Village Jazz and Wine Festival

The lineup for the Montclair Village Jazz and Wine Festival on Sunday, September 13 includes Kitty Margolis, Wayne Wallace Latin Jazz Quintet, Marcus Shelby Jazz Orchestra, Mo'Rockin Project, and Taylor Eigsti.

52nd Annual Monterey Jazz Festival

The 52nd Annual Monterey Jazz Festival will be held September 18-20 at the Monterey County Fairgrounds in Monterey, Ca. Three days of great music. Performers include Lizz Wright, Wynton Marsalis, Chick Corea, Joshua Redman, Soulive, Dave Brubeck, Esperanza Spalding, Kenny Barron, Regina Carter, Kurt Elling, and many others throughout the festival grounds.

Rockridge Out & About Street Festival

On Sunday, September 27th, College Avenue in North Oakland's famed Rockridge neighborhood becomes the stage for musicians, street performers, fashion shows, lifestyle expos, wellness activities, and picnicking.

Sponsored by the Rockridge District Association, "Rockridge Out & About " features food, fun, education, health forums, live music, and dancing at this popular annual event. College Avenue becomes a culinary and shopping extravaganza as chefs fire up the grills and serve tasty delights and unique vendor booths and large tents showcasing the districts unique mix of locally owned retail shops businesses line over half a mile of
College Avenue. Take BART to Rockridge on September 27th to stroll, shop, wine and dine, dance, play and experience Rockridge Out & About.

Photo Credit: James Knox

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

BAY AREA'S COOLEST SUMMER FESTIVAL COMES EARLY THIS YEAR

SHAWN COLVIN, THE BODEANS, WILL DOWNING, BOBBY CALDWELL, MO'FONE, RAMANA VIEIRA, WALTER HAWKINS AND MORE

9th Annual Art & Soul Features a Packed Two-Day Schedule of Top Flight Entertainment

OAKLAND, California (July 24, 2009)--The City of Oakland announced headliners and featured performers for this year's 9th Annual Art & Soul Oakland Festival. Thanks to guaranteed stellar lineups, abundant parking, easy BART access and the bargain price of just $10 per day, Art & Soul Oakland has been named the Bay Area's "best annual cultural event" by Oakland Magazine and Best Festival by East Bay Express. The SF Weekly added, "Art & Soul is dialed in to practically everything that makes Oakland great." Held in beautiful, re-energized downtown Oakland three weeks earlier on Saturday August 15, and Sunday, August 16, 2009, the festival delivers four concert stages offering simultaneous talent and diversity featuring an eclectic all-star lineup of 40 national recording artists and hot Bay Area bands sure to please every musical taste. While stage lineups are still being finalized, the acts continue the diverse and wonderful variety that has made Art & Soul the region's most popular music festival.

Saturday is anchored by headliner and multiple Grammy winner Shawn Colvin on the Art & Soul Main Stage (in association with KFOG 104.5 FM/97.7 FM) Colvin's tender, crystal clear voice sings of poignantly vivid images of relationships and life with great insight. Her performances are all at once astonishing and haunting, provocative and seductive. Sharing the stage are the BoDeans, the danceable, lean and scrappy folk/rock band once named best new band by Rolling Stone magazine. Now, 20 years later, their romantic sensibility and passionate harmonies linked to simple but potent guitar based rock and roll still excite.

The new Yoshi's Jazz Stage is newsworthy in and of itself. The lineup was selected through collaboration with the booking agents for both the Oakland and San Francisco Yoshi's Jazz Club. Headlining on Saturday are the funky brass sounds of Mo'Fone. Jazz Weekly says Mo'Fone, "Snaps and crackles like James Brown's Famous Flames with a New Orleans second line." Jazziz sums it up with, "Mo'Fone brings the grease." The Oakland Public Conservatory of Music under the direction of famed jazz trombonist Angela Wellman opens the day at 12:30 P.M. The smoky saxophone sound of Dayna Stevens follows and then the cool Latin/Soul of Sepia leads into the roaring Mo'Fone close.

Headlining the Plaza Stage's Local Voices programming on Saturday is world renowned Fado singer Ramana Vieira. Called "A rising star in World Music," by the San Francisco Examiner, Ramana has solidified her place as an artist who understands the tradition of Fado singing, but constantly combines new musical textures and original compositions. Berkeley-based Indie Rock singer/songwriter Jesse Strickland (aka Dear Indugu) brings an intensely passionate presence and personal lyrics to open the segment, followed by the Afro-Venezuelan sounds of Oakland 's Rosa los Santos .

Abby and the Pipsqueaks and Jump Street open the Plaza Stage with humorous children's music and family entertainment.

In addition, Saturday features the wildly popular Gospel Stage with Edwin Hawkins and Bishop Walter L. Hawkins and the Community in Praise Mass Choir. An entire afternoon of uplifting, roof-raising Gospel music will abound including Terence Kelly & Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir, the Love Center Choir, Kevin Moore, Carl Wheeler & Men of Endurance and Derrick Hall & Company.

This Sunday, guitarist Calvin Keys and his trio 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 19th Annual Jazz on Sundays Summer Concert Series which runs through August 30.

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 donation are welcome.

Upcoming concerts:

July 26, 2009
Calvin Keys Trio

August 2, 2009
John Handy and Special Guest

August 9, 2009
Bay Area Blues Society Caravan of All Stars

August 16, 2009
Howard Wiley

August 23, 2009
Julius Courtney Big Band (Temescal Creek Park)

August 30, 2009
Rhonda Benin & Quartet

Photo Credit: James Knox

For event information, http://www.oaklandnet.com/documents/0401609_uptown_unveiled.pdf

Seize the Time! The 9th Annual Malcolm X Jazz Arts Festival!
Saturday, May 30th, 11-7pm, San Antonio Park (18th Ave + Foothill Blvd)
EastSide's 9th annual Malcolm X Jazz Arts Festival is one of the last free festivals in Oakland, so come and enjoy! One of the most important pieces of our festival are the community of local artists and food vendors.

For more information, www.eastsideartsalliance.org

After 10 years of work and millions of dollars in renovations, the Fox Theatre in downtown Oakland reopened on 2/5. In addition to being a music venue, the Fox Theatre is home to the Oakland School for the Arts.

I did not attend the opening gala last week, but you can click here to see photos from opening night.

For more information:

http://www.foxoakland.org/
http://www.thefoxoakland.com/

Rhythmic Concepts Inc. presents
In the Name of Love
The 7th Annual Musical Tribute Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Sunday, January 18, 2009, 7:30 pm at the Oakland Scottish Rite Center.

Rhythmic Concepts, Inc., with the generous support of Target Corporation, will present In the Name of Love, the 7th Annual Musical Tribute honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Oakland's only non-denominational musical tribute honoring Dr. King. Since its debut in 2003, this program has become one of Oakland's most prominent civic and cultural events, bringing our diverse community together to celebrate the life and work of one of the greatest humanitarians of our time. With Barack Obama as our President-Elect, and only two days from his historical inauguration, this year's event promises to be a profound celebration of civil rights.

"In the Name of Love" features both local and national talent, children from our Oakland public schools, archival footage of Dr. King shown on a larger than life screen, and the presentation of the "City of Oakland Citizen Humanitarian Award", given to an outstanding member of our community working to make a difference. All of these elements help make "In the Name Of Love" one of the most memorable and soulful events of the year.

Each year, 1,400 adults, elders, children and families, from extremely diverse backgrounds, come together to share in the inspiration of Dr. King's teachings, through the joy of music. Our talent for this year includes the Marcus Shelby Jazz Orchestra featuring The Dynamic Miss Faye Carol, Kenny Washington, Jeannine Anderson, and Nicolas Bearde; the powerful 60-voice Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir; an exciting performance by Destiny Arts Youth Performance Group; and the Oakland Children's Community Choir with over 100 children from our Oakland elementary schools, backed up by Khalil Shaheed's Oaktown Jazz Workshops.

Our emcee for the evening will be Clifford Brown Jr., KCSM, KDYA, KDIA. Archival footage of Dr. King's powerful oratories will be shown throughout the evening and the Citizen Of Oakland Humanitarian Award, chosen in conjunction with the Oakland Department of Human Services, will be presented to an individual who has given back to the community in extraordinary ways.

******************************************************************

Concert date/time: Sunday, January 18, 2009, 7:30 pm

Location: Oakland Scottish Rite Center, 1547 Lakeside Drive, Oakland, CA

Box office opens 5:00 pm; doors open at 6:30 pm

Advance Tickets: $12 general admission; $5 children (6-12); under 6 FREE.

Affordable ticket pricing made possible by Target.

Tickets by phone: (800) 838-3006, or to purchase online: click Brown Paper Tickets.

Local Ticket Outlets (click for info and directions):

Berkeley: Reid's Records, Pegasus Books (two locations)
Oakland: Pendragon Books, Marcus Bookstore, Laurel Bookstore

For more info, please contact:
Stacey Hoffman, Executive Director
2501 Harrison Street, Oakland, Ca., 94612
(510) 287-8880
RCI@jazzcampwest.com

Presented by Rhythmic Concepts, Inc. RCI is an Oakland-based non-profit organization. "In the Name of Love" has been made possible through the generosity of Target Corporation, City of Oakland, Cultural Funding Program; William and Flora Hewlett Foundation; Alameda County Arts Commission; R.O.O.F Foundation; See's Candies; Bay Area News Group East Bay; Oakland Tribune; KBLX; and Solstice Press.