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George Duke
Sunday, September 7, 2008
An enduring figure in fusion, straightahead jazz, R&B and funk since the 1960s, George Duke entered the scene in the 1960s as a pianist in a trio in San Francisco. By the end of the decade, he had begun exploring more progressive avenues by recording with the likes of Jean-Luc Ponty and Frank Zappa. In the ‘70s, he worked with an array of artists: Sonny Rollins, Michael Jackson, Stanley Clarke and others. By the ‘80s, he had shifted his emphasis to producing – Dee Dee Bridgewater, Take 6, Anita Baker and more – yet still maintained a solo discography of his own. He has also composed music for numerous motion picture and television projects, has scored six GRAMMY nominations for solo recordings, and has produced numerous albums for other artists that have been GRAMMY winners.
Click photo for biography and artist websites.
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We are proud to announce the list of performers for the 2008 JazzFest West, slated for July 19 & 20 at Bonelli Park. Once again, two stages will be filled with an incredible mix of music; contemporary jazz, R&B, vocals, funk... and everything in between!
Saturday, July 19- Norman Brown's Summer Storm featuring guests Chanté Moore, Alex Bugnon and Paul Taylor
- Fourplay featuring Bob James, Harvey Mason, Larry Carlton and Nathan East
- Patti Austin - performing the Hits & R&B Show
- Pete Escovedo Orchestra with Sheila E, Juan & Peter Michael Escovedo
- The Sax Pack: Jeff Kashiwa, Kim Waters & Steve Cole - just added!
- Lao Tizer Band with Chieli Minucci & Karen Briggs
- Gail Jhonson
Sunday, July 20- The O'Jays
- George Duke
- Wayman Tisdale
- Jonathan Butler
- Marcus Johnson
- Brian Simpson
- Lina
CLICK HERE to download the Performance Schedule
(last update 07.05.08)
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Fourplay
Bob James, Nathan East, Larry Carlton, Harvey Mason
Saturday, July 19
Fourplay - keyboardist Bob James, bassist Nathan East, guitarist Larry Carlton, drummer Harvey Mason - has enjoyed consistent artistic and commercial success by grafting elements of R&B and pop to their unwavering jazz foundations. In a span of seventeen years and ten albums, the quartet has explored the limitless dimensions of jazz while appealing to a broad mainstream audience.
Click the photo for artist links and biography.
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Norman Brown's Summer Storm
Saturday, July 19
Norman Brown has a lot to live up to. Since the release of his critically acclaimed 2002 album, Just Chillin' - which won a Grammy® in the prestigious Best Pop Instrumental Category - this innovative and original guitarist has been front and center in the fast evolving fusion of pop, R&B and jazz that has captured the imagination of true music aficionados across the country and around the world.
Click on photo for artist links and biography.
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Chanté Moore
Performing with Norman Brown's Summer Storm
Saturday, July 19
Since arriving on the R&B music scene over 15 years ago via her sensual debut single "Love's Taken Over," Chante Moore has flourished into an accomplished female favorite. After recording two duet projects with fellow R&B vocalist Kenny Lattimore (also her husband of six years) and achieving regard in the gospel world, the Grammy-nominated vocalist returns to the solo spotlight with her new CD, Love the Woman, which was released June 17th on Peak Records.
Click on photo for artist links and biography.
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Paul Taylor
Performing with Norman Brown's Summer Storm
Sat. July 19
Expanding upon the sensuous and romantic smooth jazz vibe that has made him one of the genre's most dynamic saxophonists, Paul Taylor makes his fourth Peak Records release a true Ladies' Choice creating his most soulful instrumental tracks ever and keeping company with some of today's most acclaimed female R&B vocalists.
Click on photo for biography and artist websites.
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Alex Bugnon
Performing with Norman Brown's Summer Storm
Saturday, July 19
Alex Bugnon has created one of the most recognized styles in contemporary jazz piano. It is a sultry mixture of contemporary jazz, funk, and R&B with hints of gospel.
His latest album, Free (and the previous record Southern Living were both recorded in Atlanta, which Bugnon now calls his second musical home. Free is a refreshing blend of exotic rhythms with haunting, soulful melodies and the signature Alex Bugnon piano sound.
Click on photo for artist links and biography.
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Patti Austin - performing the Hits & R&B Show
Saturday, July 19
Winner of the 2008 GRAMMY® Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album for Avant Gershwin.
She crosses all musical genres, has made 17 solo albums, and has performed her award-nominated hit songs on the GRAMMYS® and the Oscars. As a performer, songwriter and vocalist she has had a star-studded career that began at the age of four, making her one of the most beloved artists the world over and a mainstay on the Billboard Jazz Albums charts. Charlie Rose calls her “the most underappreciated voice in music today.” She is Patti Austin, whose extraordinary career continues to cross over boundaries and reach new heights.
Click on photo for artist links and biography.
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Pete Escovedo Orchestra
featuring Sheila E, Juan & Peter Michael Escovedo
Saturday, July 19
Timbalero Pete Escovedo played with Cal Tjader and formed his own Chicano-rock group, Azteca, before coming to prominence with Carlos Santana's band in the 1970s. Throughout a long career (and as patriarch of a talented musical family), Escovedo has focused on a vision of contemporary Latin jazz filtered through a pop-tinged prism. His eleven-member group produces a unique and powerful sound, a mixture of African, Brazilian, contemporary Latin, jazz, soul and pop styles.
Click on photo for artist links and biography.
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The Sax Pack
Jeff Kashiwa, Kim Waters & Steve Cole
Saturday, July 19
The Sax Pack is a class act consisting of three signature sax players; Jeff Kashiwa, Kim Waters and Steve Cole. Backed by a tight rhythm section, the talented trio combine their life-long love of music and their passion for performance, to make an impact on audiences that love music as much as they do.
Click the photo for artist links and biography.
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Lao Tizer with Chieli Minucci & Karen Briggs
The Garden Stage
Saturday, July 19
Keyboardist Lao Tizer is an independent artist that has made his mark in the contemporary jazz scene, and for this performance at JazzFest West, Lao has joined forces with two incredible performers in their own right:
Chieli Minucci: founder of Special EFX and jazz solo artist who is an acclaimed composer, having won three Daytime Emmy Awards.
Karen Briggs: violinist-extrordinaire, who has played with a who's who of contemporary musicians: Yanni, India.Arie, Unwrapped All-Stars, and Stanley Clarke/Bela Fleck.
Click on photo for artist links and biography.
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Gail Jhonson
The Garden Stage
Saturday, July 19
Philadephia native, Gail Jhonson is no stranger to the world of Smooth Jazz, having served for many years as Musical Director for Norman Brown (and now for the multi-act "Summer Storm" tours).
Jhonson has a brand new CD out on NuGroove entitled "Pearls", and it currently resides in the Top 10 of the Smooth Jazz Charts. Guests include Paul Brown, James Lloyd and Norman Brown.
Click on photo for artist links and biography.
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The O'Jays
Sunday, July 20
American treasures or living legeds, either term can be used to describe the O'Jays. As one of music's greatest vocal groups, the O'Jays epitomize the "Philly Sound". With a slew of platinum albums and industry awards, the O'Jays have cemented their place in musical history.
The O'Jays live show features many of their nine #1 R&B singles, including For the Love of Money, Backstabbers, Love Train, Use Ta Be My Girl, I Love Music and much more. The O'Jays in concert includes an 8-piece horn section, full band with backup singers and the three gentlemen down front... Eddie Levert, Walter Williams and Eric Grant.
Click photo for website and biography.
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George Duke
Sunday, July 20
An enduring figure in fusion, straightahead jazz, R&B and funk since the 1960s, George Duke entered the scene in the 1960s as a pianist in a trio in San Francisco. By the end of the decade, he had begun exploring more progressive avenues by recording with the likes of Jean-Luc Ponty and Frank Zappa. In the ‘70s, he worked with an array of artists: Sonny Rollins, Michael Jackson, Stanley Clarke and others. By the ‘80s, he had shifted his emphasis to producing – Dee Dee Bridgewater, Take 6, Anita Baker and more – yet still maintained a solo discography of his own. He has also composed music for numerous motion picture and television projects, has scored six GRAMMY nominations for solo recordings, and has produced numerous albums for other artists that have been GRAMMY winners.
Click photo for website and biography.
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Wayman Tisdale
Sunday, July 20
Sometimes a word can mean one thing your entire life, and then circumstances alter to provide a totally different interpretation. For NBA-icon-turned-musical-star Wayman Tisdale, rebound meant to grab possession of a basketball during a game.
But in 2007, that all changed. Tisdale was diagnosed with bone cancer after he fell down a flight of steps and broke his leg. Knee replacement surgery and months of chemotherapy followed. And rebound took on a new significance. “It really showed me what’s important in life, man. It’s not getting as many houses as I can, not driving the biggest cars,” he says. “What’s important is family and being healthy.”
That reinvigorated joy and sense of purpose pervades Rebound, the bass guitarist’s eighth album and his third on Rendezvous Entertainment.
Click on photo for artist links and biography.
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Jonathan Butler
Sunday, July 20
Jonathan Butler leads a life few can imagine. Born in South Africa under the shadow of apartheid and raised in poverty, Butler is the first non-white artist to be played on South African radio and appear on national television. Though his musical abilities would take him away from the world he grew up in, Jonathan would neither forget the plight of his fellow South Africans, nor the man that led them to freedom, Nelson Mandela... who credits Butler’s music as having inspired him during his imprisonment. His new CD, Live in South Africa, allows Jonathan to come full circle.
"Despite enduring real pain, I know I'm blessed. I've got an incredible wife for twenty years now, three beautiful children, and I make a living making music. Life is sweet."
Click on photo for artist links and biography.
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Marcus Johnson
The Garden Stage
Sunday, July 20
During the past decade, Johnson has developed a reputation as a stellar showman, wowing audiences with his emotive displays of keyboard dexterity, while mixing his jazzy beats with R&B, go-go, Latin funk, a taste of salsa and a sip of hip hop. It’s an unbridled genre that has allowed him to cultivate both mature smooth jazz fans as well as the younger urban-contemporary audiences.
Click on photo for artist links and biography.
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Lina
The Garden Stage
Sunday, July 20
Neo-Soul, 1920s style. That's the initial impression that talented young singer/songwriter Lina gives to listeners of her music. The Dallas, Texas native first hit the national airwaves in 2001 with her debut album, Stranger on Earth, on Atlantic Records. It was an unusual blend of genres ranging from hip-hop to swing, and included a minor hit with "Playa No Mo." Lina proved herself to also be a solid songwriter, penning "Ain't Nothing Like a Jones" for Tyrese.
In 2004, Lina moved to up-and-coming urban adult label Hidden Beach, home of artists such as Jill Scott & Mike Phillips. Lina's HB debut, the adult-oriented The Inner Beauty Movement, was released in June, 2005, several months after its initial single, "Come to Mama," hit radio. True to her genre-bending ways, Lina continues to ambitiously combine elements of various contemporary and past styles, especially early swing sounds of the 1920-30s, mixing them with modern beats and sensibilities.
Click on photo for artist links and biography.
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Brian Simpson
Sunday, July 20
A longtime studio musician, musical director, and touring keyboardist to stars as diverse as Janet Jackson and Dave Koz, Brian Simpson’s breakthrough as a solo artist with his Rendezvous Entertainment debut It’s All Good was the genre’s major story of 2006. Focusing once again on compelling acoustic piano melodies, bright jazz improvisations and spirited funk grooves, Simpson keeps the extraordinary momentum hopping--and, true to the moniker he chose for the new album, soaring--with Above The Clouds.
Click on photo for artist links and biography.
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