Blues & Jazz Festival 2004

Erie Art Museum’s 12th Annual Blues & Jazz Festival
August 7 & 8, 2004 in Frontier Park

The Erie Art Museum Blues and Jazz Festival will be held for the twelfth consecutive year on Saturday, August 7, and Sunday, August 8, in Frontier Park, on the corner of 8th Street and the Bayfront Parkway. The Festival is a two-day celebration of music and culture that attracts thousands annually. Bring your blanket or lawn chair and plan to spend the weekend. A wide variety of food and beverages will be available including pizza, ice cream, water and soda. The twelth year anniversary logo, designed by Mike Bocianokwski, will also be available on T-Shirts, buttons, and special edition prints. And don’t worry about parking—shuttle service to and from Frontier Park will be available at the EMTA Park & Ride located along the Bayfront Parkway for only 50 cents a ride. Parking will also be available in the city’s special events lot on Greengarden.

Special Events

Fun and free Children’s Art Activities will be offered both Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Patricia Murphy McCain Outdoor Classroom, courtesy of WQLN.

A reprise of The Jack and Tammy Show will be performed in front of the main stage at 3:30 p.m.

Meet the Artist Workshops will be held at the Arboretum Gazebo on Saturday and Sunday. Be sure to take advantage of this rare opportunity to interact with the Festival’s musicians. Workshops include Henry Johnson at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Rachel Z. and Buster Williams at 3:30 p.m. Sunday, and Chuchito Valdéz at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday.

Each year, the Blues and Jazz Festival is made possible through the generous support of individual and corporate sponsorship and grants, as well as through the dedication of festival volunteer’s. To volunteer for this year’s festival, please call the Erie Art Museum at (814)459-5477.

Major sponsors for this event include the Erie Community Foundation, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, Coca-Cola Bottling Group, Classy 100 & Z102.3, Spiegel Management, Action Printing, the Erie Housing Authority, Saint Vincent Health System, Erie Municipal Airport Authority, Erie Insurance Group, Bill & Martha Hilbert, the Otto Imig Memorial Fund, WQLN Public Broadcasting, the Avalon Hotel, Bay Harbour, the Erie Times-News, Royal Printing, Jazz Erie, and Target Stores. Support for this festival is also provided in part by the Clarence E. Beyers Performance Fund of the Erie Arts Endowment. The Erie Arts Endowment is the endowment of the Arts Council of Erie.

Blues & Jazz Performers 2004

The Jack and Tammy Show performs engaging, rhythmic, original sing-alongs, which get kids on their feet singing and dancing. Featuring Jack Stevenson on guitar and vocals and Tammy Blount on tambourine and vocals, the Jack and Tammy Show presents songs and stories promoting positive messages designed to stimulate the imaginations of children and the young at heart. Their combination of old favorites and original songs engages parents as well as kids. The duo is a local favorite, having performed at numerous festivals and venues in the region.

By Popuar Demand bills itself as "Erie's most versatile band." Veterans of a variety of R&B, blues and Rock banks, By Popular Demand performs a funky mix of blues, soul, and R&B from the 70s to the present. Led by Barry King on vocals, guitar, keyboard, and harmonica, the band also features Ron Iaboni on saxophone and vocals, Dave Pensee n bass guitar and vocals, Robert Altadonna on rhythm guitar and vocals, Richard Carr on Vocals, Maurice Troop on drums and vocals, and special guest, mike Camp on guitar and vocals.

King Johnson brings its funky, horn-driven roots music from Atlanta, Georgia, where it has been voted “Best Band” in the Blues category four of the last five years. The group’s original blend of blues, jazz, Latin and rock regularly inspires what TV Guide calls a “sweat inducing funk throwdown”. Since the release of the first of their four CDs, the band has toured throughout the U.S. and Europe and shared stages with the Funky Meters, Tinsley Ellis, Dr. John, Jimmy Vaughan, Chubby Carrier, Johnny Winter, and many others. King Johnson is comprised of Oliver Wood on guitar and vocals (brother of Chris of Medeski, Martin & Wood), Chris Long on bass and vocals, Greg Baba on drums and percussion, Chris Uhler on congas and percussion, Marcus James on sax, clarinet and flute, and Adam Mewherter on trombone and tuba.

By Popular Demand bills itself as “Erie’s most versatile band.” Veterans of a variety of R&B, blues and rock bands, By Popular Demand performs a funky mix of blues, soul, and R&B from the 70s to the present. Led by Barry King on vocals, guitar, keyboard, and harmonica, the band also features Ron Iaboni on saxophone and vocals, Dave Pensee on bass guitar and vocals, Robert Altadonna on rhythm guitar and vocals, Richard Carr, vocals, Maurice Troop, drums and vocals, and special guest, Mike Camp, on guitar and vocals.

Henry Johnson began playing the guitar at the age of twelve. Since then, he has produced a number of recordings which have reached the top of the music charts, including his recording debut “You’re the One” which achieved the rare feat of number one status on both the Radio & Records NAC chart and the Contemporary Jazz Chart for two months. Born in Chicago and raised in Memphis, Johnson has deep roots in blues, gospel and R&B. His jazz career took off in 1976 when he went on tour with organist Jack McDuff. He has subsequently toured and/or recorded with Ramsey Lewis, Joe Williams, Dizzie Gillespie, Sonny Stitt, Jimmy Smith, Freddie Hubbard and many other jazz greats. Johnson’s most recent CD, “Organic”, with Nancy Wilson, features the hard swinging lineup of guitar, saxophone, organ and drums appearing on the Festival stage.

Lonnie Brooks plays hard Chicago blues with a vibrant mix of rock n’ roll, R&B, funky Cajun boogie, and country twang that gives him a sound all his own. Brooks got his start playing with Zydeco king Clifton Chenier’s Red Hot Louisiana Band. In the mid-50s, Brooks recorded a series of singles for the Goldband label which are regarded today as swamp rock classics. Hitching a ride with Sam Cooke’s traveling caravan in 1960, Brooks arrived in Chicago and dived into the world of Chicago blues. He had his first album release, Broke and Hungry, in 1969 on Capitol Records. Never without a gig, Brook performed blues, rock, and R&B throughout Chicago in the 1960s and 1970s while simultaneously building his diverse repertoire. Brooks has since released numerous albums, and toured with musical legends such as B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Koko Taylor and Junior Wells. He has also performed with Eric Clapton, and on National Public Radio and the BBC, as well as appearing on the Grammy-nominated Blues Deluxe anthology and in Rolling Stone. Appearing with Brooks are Wayne Baker, rhythm guitar and vocals, Michael Rodbard, drums, David “Biscuit” Miller, bass guitar, and Harold “Rusty” Hall on keyboards.

No trip to Erie is complete without seeing the city's very own Queen of Jazz. Mary Alice Brown returns to the festival with an enthusiastic performance in her own superlative style, accompanied by Jim Bauman on drums and percussion, and Cynthia Manus on conga and percussion. After polishing her talent at the Erie Conservatory of Music, Brown has spent a lifetime educating and entertaining with her music. Ms. Brown has traveled the world, performing with greats such as Bob Hope, Kenny Burrell, Jimmy Smith and Dexter Gordon, before returning home to Erie to enliven audiences and inspire students throughout the region. In addition to her great repertoire of concerts, Brown has established a community music school at the John F. Kennedy Community Center and currently works with students at the Center and at Mercyhurst College.

Mambo combines Latin, jazz, funk, and African influences for a sound that brings audiences to their feet wherever they go. Their music has been described as “…spirited yet refined, with lilting guitar lines and percussion that’s busy but not overcooked.” Their repertoire alternates original arrangements of Latin standards with heavy doses of jazz and hip-shaking percussion. Mambo includes father and son Julio and Jeremy Quezada on guitars, Ralph Reitinger on bass, Joel Polacci on congas, bongos, and percussion, and Ricky Hopkins on drums, bells, and percussion.

The Lao Tizer Band is a dynamic group propelled by the energy and creativity of pianist Lao Tizer, whose self-produced albums have sold remarkable numbers (65,000 and counting) and garnered him a nomination as “Best New Artist of the Year” at the National Smooth Jazz Awards. Tizer began his love affair with music at the age of five by improvising on his sister’s piano. After begging his parents for lessons, he finally began his formal training at the age of eight, and subsequently studied with an impressive array of classical and jazz instructors. At 14, he had already released his first album, As the Eagle Soars, followed by Arabian Dusk, with his third, Praeludium arriving at the age of 17. By the age of eighteen, he had formed the Lao Tizer Band. Since its formation, the band has toured with such stars as the Doobie Brothers, Tom Scott, Norman Brown, Jethro Tull, and KC and the Sunshine Band.

The captivating Rachel Z and her piano trio have been mesmerizing audiences with their fresh takes on popular standards. Manhattan born and raised, Rachel Nicolazzo began her musical training with voice lessons at age two and classical piano lessons by the age of seven. “Then I heard Miles Smile when I was 15, started rebelling against the classical by improvising, and played with a band that covered with Joni Mitchell and Steely Dan songs.” Emerging as a versatile and extremely gifted piano player, she has performed with Peter Gabriel, Larry Coryell, Al DiMeola, Wayne Shorter, Steps Ahead, Lenny White and Stanley Clarke. Her collaboration with Wayne Shorter for his comeback album High Life, resulted in a Grammy for Best Contemporary Jazz Album.

Grammy award-winning bassist Buster Williams joins Rachel Z for this special performance. Williams’ versatility and ability have kept him in demand, playing and recording with some of jazz’s biggest stars including Art Blakely, Betty Carter, Chick Corea, Gene Ammons, Sonny Stitt, Herbie Hancock, Miles Davis, Count Basie, Sara Vaughan and many more. He has also recorded soundtracks for movies including Les Choix des Armes and Spike Lee’s Clockers. His music has also been heard on numerous commercials, including Budweiser, Coca-Cola, HBO, and Prudential Insurance. He has also made numerous television appearances including, “The Tonight Show” with Johnny Carson and Jay Leno, “Sesame Street” with Joe Williams, “The Joan Rivers Show” with Bill Cosby, and the Grammy Awards with Herbie Hancock, Tony Williams and Bobby McFerrin.

Chuchito Valdés is the third generation of one of the most distinguished musical families in Cuba. As heir to the Afro-Cuban jazz piano tradition exemplified by his father, Chucho Valdés, Chuchito is recognized as a master of Cuban music, especially in the styles of Mambo, Danzon, and Cuban Timba and Guaguanco. He also draws upon Bebop, Cha-Cha-Cha, Son Montuno, and more in the course of his performances. After a stint with the world-renowned Cuban band Irakere, which he led for two years, Chuchito formed his own Afro-Cuban jazz ensemble, which perform original compositions and arrangements combining classical harmonic and structural techniques with his many influences. Chuchito has performed all over the world, including appearances at the jazz festivals in Chicago, Detroit, San Jose, Havana, Cancun, Merida, and many others.