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CONTACT: Regina Davis, Davis & Associates Public Relations PLAYBOY JAZZ PRESENTS FIRST LIVE CONCERT AT THE ROSE BOWL * * * * * * * New location provides great setting for the many facets of the jazz genre offering fans the best free music event in town
“Since the Playboy Jazz Festival and the Pasadena Summer Fest teamed up to bring a weekend of music, entertainment and fun to the Southland, our collaboration has become a much-anticipated Memorial Day weekend tradition,” says Bill Farley, Vice President, Marketing Events at Playboy Enterprises, Inc. “Our events at Central Park and Brookside Park have attracted large and enthusiastic crowds, and this year's move to the legendary Rose Bowl augurs well for 2005 to be our biggest and best year ever. Short of the Playboy Jazz Festival itself, the Pasadena Summer Fest is the best place for jazz fans to enjoy the music they love. And, best of all, it's free!” This Playboy Jazz Festival event has been an integral part of the “Pasadena Summer Fest” for eleven straight years, and it just keeps getting bigger and better. “We are thankful for the opportunity to present some of the best talent seen collectively at a free outdoor event,” says Summer Fest producer Ray Leier. “I am still amazed at how the event has grown. Before Playboy, we presented a small two-day event that offered entertainment on a small stage, an unexciting food court, a few rides and amusements for the kids and an art show. Now we have five events under our banner. Together we have created good chemistry and a great vibe!” Free admission, rides, games and amusements, lots of good food and beverages for sale, and parking is available for $10.00. The event will benefit local schools and non-profit organizations in Pasadena and the surrounding area. This year, festival-goers are encouraged to bring blankets, beach/lawn chairs to the new location; there will be NO stadium seating available. However, as in past years, NO umbrellas, canopies, coolers or picnic baskets, backpacks, glass containers, cans, alcoholic beverages, audio recorders, video cameras, barbecue grills or dogs will be allowed entry to the site, and smoking is not allowed on the Rose Bowl lawn. For additional information, visit the website at www.PasadenaSummerFest.com or call the Summer Fest hotline at 626/797-0421. Scheduled performances, not in order of appearance and subject to change, are as follows: Saturday, May 28: Jeff Kashiwa and Costal Access (smooth jazz), Henry Franklin Group (traditional jazz), Vocal Legacy featuring Victor Fields and Clairdee (classic jazz/pop/urban contemporary), Oskar Cartaya & Enclave (Latin jazz), The Hi-Fi Quintet (classic cocktail-lounge jazz); Trio Gonzalo (gypsy guitar), and Pasadena’s own John Muir High School Jazz Band. Sunday, May 29: Ronnie Laws (jazz fusion), Bill Fulton Band (contemporary jazz-fusion/Latin/gospel), Odara (Afro-Cuban) Kristin Korb (jazz/bassists), CJS Quintet (be-bop, classic straight-ahead acoustic jazz), and the Chatsworth High School Jazz Band. Monday, May 30: Steve Oliver (adult contemporary/pop/smooth jazz), Rickey Woodard (jazz saxophonist), Taylor Eigsti (jazz/soulful be-bop), Luis Conte (Afro-Cuban), Sandy Graham (jazz vocals) and the Eagle Rock High School Jazz Band. This year’s other festivities will include the traditional favorites: Family Fun Fest, presented by K-EARTH 101 , features rides, amusements and interactive games, plus an entertainment stage showcasing ethnic dancers, singers, storytellers, mimes, puppeteers, magicians, and oldies-but-goodies performances. Rides, interactive games and amusements range from $1.00 to $5.00 and discount family pack tickets are available. A Taste of Summer, presented by KLXS 97.1 FM and 93.1 JACK FM, offers treats from restaurants, cafés and eateries from throughout Southern California. Beverage selections include fruit drinks, iced teas and soft drinks; plus a selection of wine, beer and frozen margaritas for adults. Food and beverage selections range from $1.00 to $10.00. Summer Art Fest, presented by KNX 1070 NewsRadio, showcases fine art, prints and photography; gold and silver jewelry; hand-made clothing and wearable art; sculpture; furniture; hand-blown glass, pottery, and ceramics; children’s toys, furniture and clothing, and more. The Sports Zone, presented by KFWB News 980, introduces L.A. sports teams cheerleaders and dance squads, presents exhibitions of extreme sports including BMX racing, inline, and skateboard ramp shows, offers sports buffs interactive games, beat-the-pros contests, autograph signings and photo opportunities. Interactive sports games, rides and amusements range from $1.00 to $5.00 and discount family pack tickets are available. Playboy Jazz at the Rose Bowl is presented in cooperation with the 2005 Playboy Jazz Festival, KTWV The Wave and KKJZ 88.1 FM, and is supported in part by the Recording Industry Music Performance Trust Fund. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitor’s Authority sponsor this year’s “Playboy Jazz Festival.” Darlene Chan, vice president of Festival Productions, Inc., produces the event with bookings coordinated by Billy Mitchell. Ray Leier of Altadena-based del Mano Productions, co-owner of Brentwood’s del Mano Gallery produces the annual “Pasadena Summer Fest.” # # # 052904rmd
May 28-30, 2005 Biographical Sketches Saturday, May 28 Jeff Kashiwa and Costal Access. After a ten-year stint with The Rippingtons, Kashiwa stunned his fans when he left the group to devote more time to developing his career as a solo artist. The care and dedication to honing his craft has made him one of smooth jazz’s most popular performers. Simple Truth, the follow-up to Jeff’s smash debut album, Another Door Opens, featured two “Top Five” radio hits and garnered a “Top Ten” selling record on “Billboard’s Contemporary Jazz” chart. To make this latest CD, produced by Chuck Loeb and engineered by Klaus Genuit, the band headed to Germany for a musical journey and creative seclusion. Kashiwa, who wanted this project to be recorded as a group, with all the musicians playing off one another in the studio, refers to the experience as a life-changing event that they will never forget. “There was an artistic bond that went beyond description that has been captured forever.” Kashiwa can also be heard on a number of soundtracks for movies and television, including the main theme song for ABC-TV’s “All My Children.” Henry Franklin. A native of Los Angeles, the jazz bassist, began his career with the Roy Ayers Latin Jazz Quintet while still in high school. In the early days, Franklin worked with such jazz greats as Ornette Coleman, Don Cherry, Billy Higgins and Scott La Faro, toured the East Coast with Willie Bobo, and earned a Gold Record with Hugh Masekela for Grazing in the Grass. Later Franklin toured with O.C. Smith, The Three Sounds, Freddie Hubbard and Count Basie, collecting another Gold Record for his performance with Stevie Wonder on The Secret Life of Talking Plants. He started experimenting outside be-bop with John Cater and Bobby Bradford to create two albums, Self Determination Music and Secrets. With more than 10 albums under his own leadership, the Henry Franklin Group is sure to lend a bit of hard knocking style to their Playboy Jazz at the Rose Bowl appearance. Vocal Legacy featuring Victor Fields and Clairdee. A double-header featuring two northern California jazz singers with a passion for great old songs with a classic jazz, pop, and urban contemporary twist, both vocalists will appeal to the classic jazz, pop, and contemporary audience at Playboy Jazz, be they fans of Ella Fitzgerald and Joe Williams, or Alicia Keys and Brian McKnight. Victor Fields, an accomplished singer and songwriter influenced by the likes of Nat Cole, Billie Holiday and Joe Williams, stretches the music way beyond its traditional boundaries and guides his listeners across the urban/jazz/pop spectrum. “A stylistically accomplished singer who deserves much more attention,” said Don Heckman, noted jazz critic at the Los Angeles Times of Fields’ Summer Fest performance in 2003. Clairdee’s style might be described as a combination of sassy irreverence a la Carmen McRae, Diana Krall’s understated sophistication, and the silky soulfulness of Natalie Cole. “A force to be reckoned with!” says WBGO Radio, the East Coast arbiter of jazz. When Vocal Legacy takes the stage, backed by a small combo known as the Legacy Ensemble, their show will include duets as well as solo selections from their respective new CDs – Victor and Clairdee’s Music Moves recorded live at Yoshi’s – scheduled for release in mid May. Among the old pros who have offered encouragement to Victor and Clairdee, are Ruth Brown, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Lou Rawls who calls Victor “the man with the golden voice,” and Nancy Wilson who says, “In the tradition of all great vocalists, Clairdee infuses each song with her own unique style while always remaining true to the song itself.” Oskar Cartaya & Enclave. Latin Beat, hailed Cartaya’s solo debut project, My Music, My Friends, My Time as “…one of the best Latin jazz recording of the year.” While KPFK said, “Oskar is definitely Grammy-bound.” The group’s compositions range from funky grooves, to salsa friendly dance tunes, to orchestrated jazz-fusion masterpieces, to the serenity and beauty of Brazilian rhythms. After twenty years of collaborating, composing, musical directing, and arranging for many of his friends, Cartaya’s time is now; the results of his musical endeavor are fresh, original and astonishing. Cartaua and his Enclave will take the audience on a mesmerizing journey of jazz and funk with an inferno of frenzied Latin fervor. The Hi-Fi Quintet. Sharing a love for the classic jazz and the American songbook, this quintet is comprised of five of Southern California's top studio/jazz musicians—trumpeter/flugelhorn/vocalist Tony Guerrero, vocalist Elizabeth Lamers, trumpeter Tony Guerrero, drummer/percussionist Matt Johnson, tenor saxophone/flutist Robert Kyle, and B3 organist Rob Whitlock. The ensemble embraces the jazz spectrum from its earliest roots, to the birth of the big bands, to the optimistic sounds of the Las Vegas Strip of the 50’s and 60’s. In addition to being musical virtuosos, the members of the swingin’ five-some are engaging entertainers who deliver this timeless music with a Rat-Pack punch. Each member of this ensemble brings a varied musical background to The Hi Fi Quintet but they all agree on one thing: they dig this band's happy upbeat vibe. The bands debut CD, the self-titled Hi-Fi Quintet, is a stylistic blend of jazz reminiscent of the sounds emanating from the Las Vegas Sands Hotel in ’62. The Hi-Fi Quintet, with its classic “B3” organ sound, is taking the retro-jazz scene by storm. Trio Gonzalo. Guitarist Gonzalo Bergara arrived to Los Angeles, in November 2003, a month later he met guitarist Pat Ciliberto and bassist Jimi Hawes who were members of “Swing Finger,” a Gypsy jazz quintet. With legendary Django Reinhardt as their main inspiration, Trio Gonzalo was fascinated by the different styles of other gypsy musicians such as the Rosenberg Trio, Angelo Debarre, Birelli Lagrene, Jimi Rosenberg, Tchavolo Schmit, and others. Bergara first discovered music as a child in his native Buenos Aires, and music has been his life ever since. The first decade or so, he spent learning the blues. Once he mastered the form, he infused the music with his own spirit, simultaneously ferocious and tender, reckless and precise. Upon arriving in the United States (1999), he went to work with a jump blues band in Florida. Four years later, he moved to Los Angeles and created his own blues trio, Gonzalo, and seriously studied Django Reinhardt and Gypsy Jazz. Trio Gonzalo has established itself as a featured swing jazz group in Southern California and on the Gypsy Jazz Festival circuit. John Muir High School Jazz Band. Sunday, May 29 Ronnie Laws. Houston native Laws grew up in a family rich in musical talent along with sisters Eloise, Debra, and brother Hubert. At the age of eleven, he became proficient player and began forming his own group while still in high school. After college, he moved to Los Angeles and worked with several artists including Walter Bishop and Hugh Masekela, before joining Earth, Wind and Fire, where he developed as a sax player and started to incorporate R&B rhythms into his jazz playing. In 1975, he launched his solo career and produced his first release, Pressure Sensitive, for Blue Note Records. In an emerging jazz-funk scene, the classic instrumental cut, “Always There,” became one of the greatest jazz-funk anthems of all time. Pressure Sensitive and two additional Blue Note recordings attained Gold status. In 1978 he moved to United Artists, and continued to label hop—from Liberty/EMI, Capitol, and recordings on various independents—he returned to the Blue Note in ’98 for a concept album, A Portrait of the Isley Brothers and Ronnie Laws Tribute (to Eddie Harris). Regardless of the record company, award-winning Laws remains an inventive non-traditional jazz/fusion alto-saxman. Bill Fulton Band. Oakland native Fulton started playing trumpet the age of seven, later switching to piano at 14. After majoring in music composition at Cal State University (Hayward), Fulton worked exclusively in the Bay Area as a teacher, arranger and engineer. As a keyboardist, he worked with Shelia E, KSAN radio personality Steve Jordon, Chuck Mangione, Grant Geissman, and many other fine Bay Area musicians. In 1987, Fulton moved to Los Angeles to attend the Grove School of Music’s composing/arranging program. A year later he landed a staff position as a composer for MCA TV and The Arthur Company Television and Motion Pictures, creating themes and underscores for “The Munsters Today,” The New Dragnet,” The New Adam 12,” “FBI: The Untold Stories,” and many other institutional/instructional films and commercials. By the mid 90s, Fulton was writing for Warner Bros./Hanna-Barbera Cartoons/Cartoon Network. With the release of his new album, Time (Rhombus, 2003), Fulton shows his skills as the leader of a contemporary jazz band with high-energy original compositions that blend jazz, fusion, Latin and gospel. Odara. A term used in the Afro-Cuban folkloric tradition to define something that is “firmly rooted” and/or “well grounded,” Odara, a Los Angeles-based band, pays homage to the traditional organic sounds of Afro-Cuban folklore. Guided by the talents of master drummer/vocalist/composer Lazaro Galarraga, a native of Havana, Cuba, and former artistic director of the National Folkloric Troupe of Cuba, together with the multi-instrumentalist/composer/arranger Guillermo Céspedes, former musical director of Conjunto Céspedes, Odara delivers original scores deeply rooted in the ancestral traditions of Afro-Cuban music. The profound musical eloquence of the ensemble is further enhanced by the talent of master drummer Humberto “Nengue” Hernández, formerly with Mongo Santamaría, Mickey Hart, and Cachao. The ace musicians of Odara compliment the ritual singing and spirited savvy of Galarraga, resulting in a soothing exploration of sounds and irresistible rhythms ranging from the son to the rumba, chachachá, guaracha, bembé and tumba Francesa. Kristin Korb. Imagine a player who sings in the tradition of Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan and plays an acoustic upright bass with the authority and swing of the great Ray Brown. With these and many other strong influences, Korb has created a style and presence all her own. Get Happy, Korb’s latest recording, is a collaboration with the highly esteemed 6-string electric bass pioneer Todd Johnson and drummer Kendall Kay. Throughout the twelve classic jazz standards and three original compositions, Korb sings and plays traditional jazz bass lines on acoustic upright while Johnson outlines the harmony with richly textured chord voicings on his Yamaha 6-string electric bass. Korb’s bass lines bounce, her solos swing, and her voice sets the new standard amongst female jazz vocalists. Born and raised in Montana, Kristin grew up in a musical family and her passion for music eventually led to a bachelor’s degree in music education from Eastern Montana College. In 1992, she moved to San Diego to hone her bass skills, earned a master’s degree from the University of California (San Diego), and became one of the busiest bassists in San Diego. After a stint as Director of Jazz Studies at Central Washington University (Ellensburg, Washington), Korb relocated to Los Angeles to focus on her performing career. Now the leader of her own ensemble, Korb cut her musical teeth playing with many jazz greats including Ray Brown, Benny Green, Bill Mays, Jeff Hamilton, Joe LaBarbera, Tamir Hendelman, and Mike Wofford. CJS Quintet. Offering a melodic mix of be-bop classics with classic straight-ahead acoustic jazz and original tunes, this ensemble swept four categories in the first-ever Long Beach Jazz Search Competition (2002) and was named “Mainstream Jazz Artists of the Year.” CJS Quintet, co-founded by tenor saxophonist Chuck Johnson and pianist Art Hillary, includes flugelhorn/trumpeter James Smith, acoustic bassist Wendell Williams, and drummer Gerryk King. Their debut project An Affair of the Art can be heard on KKJZ-FM 88. “We wanted to create the initial recording around the ensemble’s devotion to classic, straight ahead jazz,” said Johnson. These seasoned pros have been developing the quintet’s identity, redefining its driving rhythms, soulful harmonies and ebullient solos in clubs throughout Southern California since the mid 90s. Chatsworth High School Jazz Band. Monday, May 30 Steve Oliver. With two simple and inspiring words, Oliver perfectly captured the brilliantly sunny, joyfully optimistic vibe of his music and life with the title of his 2002 breakthrough release Positive Energy. Establishing the smooth, funky and ultra-soulful guitarist and vocalist as a bona fide smooth jazz star, the album hit the Billboard “Top 20” on the strength of the # 3 radio single “High Noon” (one of the most played songs of the year), earned him Smooth Jazz Awards nominations for “Best New Artist” and “Best Guitar Player.” A spirited blend of deep musicality and fun continues as he enters an exciting new dimension on his appropriately titled third album, 3-D (Koch Records, 2004). “As with Positive Energy and my debut album First View (1999), my titles always reflect the vibe of the music and where I am in my career and my life,” he says. “Calling it 3-D reminds listeners that it's my third disc and it's very three dimensional musically, rhythmically and harmonically. I’m always incorporating new sonic ideas and seeing how I can explore more exotic styles while keeping my core sound. There’s a real contemporary flavor here that touches upon my love for electronica music, and I’m venturing into more samba grooves and some lush orchestral flavoring on the closing vocal track ‘See You Soon.’ I may be doing some different things musically, but the overall energy is still uplifting and positive.” Co-producing for the first time with keyboardist Tom Schuman, a founding member of superstar instrumental group Spyro Gyra, Oliver digs deep into a rich variety of influences for a multi-faceted romp through the worlds of pop, jazz, urban/hip-hop, world beat, Brazilian and Latin music. Rickey Woodard. This Nashville native was born into a family of musicians and was taught the saxophone and piano by his father. With his sisters, brothers, cousins, uncles and anybody in the neighborhood who wanted to play or sing, they formed a family band to play in the roadhouses and clubs of Tennessee. His earlier gigs were in blues and R&B, but leaning toward jazz. Influenced by the big explosive style of Gene Ammons, Coleman Hawkins and Hank Moberly, and the intellectualism of John Coltrane, Woodard developed a distinctive, soulful, and seductive style. By his late twenties, he was a permanent member of the Ray Charles Band, with whom he toured worldwide for seven years. Currently working with the Clayton Hamilton Jazz Orchestra and Frank Capp’s Juggernaut Big Band, he’s a popular visitor to venues in Europe and the UK, as well as the international jazz festival circuit. In addition to the tenor, alto, and soprano saxophones, Woodard also plays clarinet, flute and guitar. One of the most sought-after saxophonists on the scene today, with a mellow but strong style and impeccable chops; he has performed with such legends as Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Ernestine Anderson, Benny Carter, and Horace Silver. Taylor Eigsti. At 21-years old, this jazz pianist prodigy plays with amazing technical precision and a soulful be-bop attack. His style is enthusiastic, straightforward, and swinging, with elements of stride and bop, soul, and funk. He began piano lessons at the age of four, opened for David Benoit when he was eight, performed with Dave Brubeck at 13, and recorded his first CD at 14, with Dan Brubeck on drums. Eigsti’s musical parents were supportive of his career, but also made sure he had a normal childhood, including pursuing his love of basketball despite the risk to his hands. Attracted early on to the spontaneity of jazz, Eigsti’s first taste of Art Tatum inspired him to explore the worlds of Oscar Peterson, Gene Harris, Monty Alexander, Phineas Newborn, and Benny Green, among others, while ongoing classical studies helped forge his formidable technique. After studying at the Stanford Jazz Workshop for several years, he joined their teaching staff at age 15. A year later, Red Holloway, who'd heard Eigsti perform in San Jose, invited him to be his band's special guest on the prestigious SS Norway jazz cruise; two years later, he headlined on the cruise with his own trio. Eigsti has opened for Diana Krall, Al Jarreau, Natalie Cole, and Hank Jones. Graduating as salutatorian of his high school class, Eigsti went on to jazz studies at USC. In September of 2002, Eigsti's well-oiled trio, including bassist John Shifflett and drummer Jason Lewis, made their first appearance at the Monterey Jazz Festival.” Eigsti’s June 2003 national CD debut, Resonance (Bop City, 2003), demonstrates both his achievements and sky’s-the-limit potential as a first-rate player and composer. Luis Conte. The Afro-Latin, Latin, and Afro-Cuban bandleader, conductor, composer, and arranger’s late-‘80s 16-piece Afro-Cuban jazz band was overlooked and under-recorded by Latin jazz and jazz companies until the release of albums like Buena Vista Social Club, sparked a renaissance of interest in Cuban music. Grammy-winner Conte is an acknowledged master of percussion. His celebrated career includes touring and/or recording work with some of the greatest names in contemporary music, including Madonna, Eric Clapton, Phil Collins, Santana (Supernatural), Jackson Browne, Celine Dion, Barbara Streisand, Ray Charles, Tony Bennett, James Taylor, Shakira, Ozzy Osborne, Queen Latifah and Cuban legends Arturo Sandoval and Cachao. He can also be heard on the scores and soundtracks to such box office smashes as “Mission Impossible,” “Rain Man,” ‘Waiting To Exhale,” “Coming To America,” “Drumline,” “Out of Time,” “The Italian Job,” “Oceans 12,” “Sideways,” Disney’s animated “Tarzan,” “Brother Bear” and countless others. Endorsed by the Meinl and Zildjian instrument companies, Conte has designed his own signature series of instruments and drumsticks. “I really don't know how I got started playing. As far back as my memory will go, I owned a drum. It’s like asking someone how long they've been breathing.” His percussion clinic tours take him around the world, teaching musicians the essentials and history of Afro-Cuban rhythm. He has recently just released his signature line of congas, timbales and shakers for the Meinl Company that will be unveiled at NAMM 2005. Conte’s Unitone Recordings debut disc Cuban Dreams is an earnest musical statement that is notable for its epic sweep and its astounding relevance. Inspired by original compositions and traditional songs from the pre-revolutions era, this is one of the most important records of our time. Sandy Graham. A silky, warm-voiced jazz vocalist who caresses the lyrics with perfect enunciation, Graham comes from a musical family who introduced her to all types of music at an early age, especially jazz. She received most of her training from her father, saxophonist/arranger Garland Graham. She’s worked exclusively with composer/conductor John Cacavas on may network television shows including “Today’s FBI,” “Secret Agent Boy,” “Hawaii Five-O,” “The Eddie Capra Mysteries,” “Lady Blue,” “ Riker,” and others. Graham has performed with such greats as Dizzy Gillespie, Gerald Wiggins, Stacy Rowles, Shorty Rogers, Poncho Sanchez, Lalo Schifrin, the Gerald Wilson Orchestra, Bill Berry’s L.A. Big Band, the Capp/Pierce Juggernaut Band, and given vocal clinics at Jefferson High School of the Performing Arts (Portland, OR) and at USC. Her latest recording By Request, is dedicated to her many supporters and fans she has entertained night after night in supper clubs, festivals and theaters around the world. Jazz Link Enterprises’ Jude Hibler has called her “one of the best singers in the world today.” Eagle Rock High School Jazz Band. # # # |
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(Pasadena, CA—April 24, 2005) Playboy Jazz at the Rose Bowl will be the first-ever jazz concert held at the world-famous stadium. This annual free music event, presented as part of the “Pasadena Summer Fest,” will feature live performances all day long—from contemporary/smooth and traditional jazz, to R&B, blues, Afro-Cuban and Latin/salsa, beginning at 11:00 a.m. daily.