Jazz and Wine Festival Celebrates the Good Life
10 Jun 2010
by: Larry Luttinger, Executive Director
Syracuse, NY, 10 June 2010 – World-class quality, diversity and accessibility describe the elements of the 2010 Northeast Jazz and Wine Festival, the first and still the only event of its kind east of the Rockies, to take place in downtown Syracuse July 29-31. Patrons will indulge in the finest family of tastes imaginable – quality wines from around the world, a diverse selection of cuisines, and the greatest jazz that the world has to offer in every imaginable style on three stages, late night club dates, jam sessions, strolling musicians, and a very popular scholastic festival in which regional music students get to perform with nationally known artists.
New wine and main stage sponsor Palm Bay International brings a major presence to the festivities in the form of a portfolio of wines culled from their international holdings on four continents and New Zealand. Vineyards to be represented include Aperol, Cinzano, Cavit, Santa Rita, Portillo, Twin Vines and others to be announced, in educational tastings guided by Mark Chisholm and his staff of Palm Bay experts. To accompany the wide selection of wines, the festival is also offering a diverse and expanded food and product vendor court. Returning sponsor Unimar again underwrites the festival’s twin entertainment pavilions, themed "Mardis Gras" and "World Beat".
Located in Clinton Square, they will feature the best in Dixie, New Orleans and traditional jazz plus many kinds of ethnic jazz, world music and blues.
And what about the jazz? "This festival is a celebration of the diversity and social power of America’s Music in all its forms," said Larry Luttinger, organizer of the event. "Jazz is not just a part of our cultural heritage – it IS our cultural heritage. There is no art that defines America more than the art of improvisation. If any imaginable style of music features the spontaneity of self-expression, then it is jazz. Jazz is this spirit in all music, and the collection of performances that we have assembled this year proves that claim. You’ll experience big band, vocal, RnB, Smooth jazz, Native American, Rockabilly, Latin, symphonic, trad, second line, swing and more, music for newbie and aficionado alike. We bring the same dedication to artistry, education and multicultural outreach to this great festival that we have been delivering in concert, cabaret and educational programs for years."
The festival continues its partnership with an important regional charity as well, the regional chapter of the American Red Cross. All donations made to the festival will serve to support the Red Cross. Learn more about how individuals and businesses can donate by going to the festival web site, www.nejazzwinefest.org
The Northeast Jazz & Wine Festival remains the performing arts anchor of "Syracuse Artsweek", a visual and performing arts "festival of festivals". This combination of events results in a signature summer program for the region, a cultural tourism attraction for Syracuse and a potent image maker for the region’s economic and cultural profile as the "Creative Core" of Upstate New York. Artsweek was created by combining Jazz in the Square with the juried Syracuse Arts & Crafts Festival into one larger event, with Connective Corridor "arts buses" serving as the link to these and other cultural venues in the area. A two-block long "arts walk" serves as a pedestrian conduit between Columbus Circle and Clinton Square, celebrating the visual and performing arts with a focus on public art being made in front of the public’s eyes. This marks the second year that the new and unique sustainability outreach festival, the "Blue Rain ECOfest", is part of Artsweek. This festival is the Northeast’s first multi-day event of its kind targeted at families and households concerned with saving the planet. A proven total audience of over 50,000 will attend all of the events of Syracuse Artsweek.
The Northeast Jazz & Wine Festival marks the ninth year of jazz programming in downtown Syracuse by CNY Jazz. The original jazz festival, Jazz in the Square, was created in response to overwhelming public opinion that indicated Syracuse deserved a downtown jazz festival that would boost the Salt City’s cultural scene and economy. What sets this event apart is that it is produced by a not-for-profit regional performing arts organization, the Central New York Jazz Arts Foundation (CNYJAF), at www.cnyjazz.org). By collaborating with other Downtown Syracuse supporters and destinations to serve the largest downtown footprint possible, the festival has become an anchor event for Syracuse’s cultural revival. It is only one of many initiatives developed by the CNYJAF, now the second largest art music presenter in Central New York and the surrounding region. The arts organization is the region’s primary year-round producer of jazz events in concert, cabaret, scholastic, and festival settings. Its mission is to boost exposure to and participation in the jazz art form for the whole community - downtown residents and merchants, urban youth, and African-American and Latino minorities.
In addition to new sponsor Palm Bay International, all of the festival’s previous sponsors have continued their support to this year’s festival, led by National Grid, SRCTec, Unimar, Green & Seifter, Time Warner Cable, The Downtown Committee, City of Syracuse, WAER, YNN, American Express, Syracuse New Times, Eastwood Litho, Lockheed Martin Employees’ Federated Fund, Inalign, ADWORKS, Sunny 102, Syrasoul, Syracuse Teachers Union, Ra-Lin, Sheraton University, DUMAC, Frontenac, new sponsors Bond, Schoeneck & King and Critical Link and other individual and business sponsors and vendors to make this long weekend of jazz, food and fun happen for Syracuse. Said Luttinger, "I am so pleased with the loyalty shown by our broad family of supporters, especially in this challenging economy. On behalf of our Board of Directors, many thanks for their vision and generosity."
A Cultural Tourism investment in the festival has again been made by Senator John A. DeFrancisco, a strong believer in jazz as an essentially urban art form with great power for social and economic improvement. He knows that downtown Syracuse is kept vital by summer festivals, and by the hard, year-round work of performing arts organizations like the CNY Jazz Arts Foundation. "Once again Larry Luttinger has put together a fantastic lineup for the Northeast Jazz and Wine Festival, including acts like Chris Vadala, The Four Freshmen, and Alex Bugnon with Marion Meadows," said Senator DeFrancisco. "Each year Jazz Central is able to continue to attract quality jazz musicians to Central New York for all of us to enjoy."
Representing the City of Syracuse, Common Council President Van Robinson said, "It is no secret that the Northeast Jazz and Wine Festival has been a popular attraction for well know Jazz Artists and fans alike. We are pleased to welcome many folks from many parts of the country to historic Clinton Square to this high quality cultural tourism destination."
According to Larry Luttinger, organizer of the festival, "Savvy local festival goers can make this event a "staycation" by checking into the University Sheraton ,then come down to Clinton Square for the kickoff Happy Hour sets to sample fine wines, catch a great meal and be in place in time for our main stage offerings. Aficionados can stay for the after-concert music in our new pavilions, and on Friday and Saturday nights, they can hit the late night jams by the main stage artists at Jazz Central until the wee hours. They can also now visit the acclaimed Arts & Crafts festival every day throughout the weekend, and browse through the Artsweek corridor, the Blue Rain ECOfest exhibits, sampling music and dance on the Hanover Square stage. What a jam packed extended weekend of culture and fun, and it’s all here in Syracuse".
The Jazz Festival
Event Schedule
Each night of the festival kicks off with great Happy Hour groups in the twin party pavilions, whose sets alternate with the main stage, creating a schedule of continuous music. Pavilion artists will be announced at a later date.
Thursday July 29th
The opening night of the festival always features the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra playing a night of swing as only they can do, due to the vast library of orchestral jazz left to them by the late Calvin Custer. The fabulous Chris Vadala, long-time saxophonist for Chuck Mangione, will appear as guest soloist.
Friday July 30th
The Palm Bay Main Stage schedule kicks off with a set by today's pre-eminent soul jazz trio, Paradigm Shift, an organ trio that captures the fire of classic organ-guitar pairings like Dr. Lonnie Smith and George Benson. Bandleader/guitarist Melvin Henderson and co-founder/organist Gerry Youngman both cut their teeth on landmark records during that era and have served as sidemen for these giants, including Dr. Lonnie Smith and Jack McDuff. They are well-recorded on the German Nagel-Heyer label, and last presented by CNY Jazz in 2004, when touring in support of their "Shifting Times" CD with Marcus Printup and Joe Locke.
Next up is the incredibly energetic Salsa Son Timba, the 12-piece Latin Timba orchestra that was a breakout hit at last year’s festival in the World Beat Pavilion. The term "Timba" describes the popular dance music in Cuba, today, which combines contemporary Salsa rhythms with Jazz, Funk, Soul, Blues and Cuban Rumba. Cuban émigré Eudy Fernandez high energy orchestra with 4 female vocalists, affectionately know as "las Chicletas", and their dancers, "La Familia de la Salsa."
Finishing the evening’s lineup is the legendary jazz vocal group The Four Freshmen, making their first appearance in Central New York in over 25 years. Now in their 62nd year of performing, The Frosh continue to bring their unique brand of vocal harmony to audiences worldwide. The names and faces have changed a few times along the road, but the legendary sound continues. This group has been cited by many pop vocal groups since as their prime inspiration, most notably by Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, Take Six, and the Manhattan Transfer.
Together as a group since 1948, they soon came to the attention of jazz greats like Dizzy Gillespie, Woody Herman and especially Stan Kenton, who was responsible for bringing them to Capitol Records, an association that sold them millions of records and lasted until 1964. Since then, they have performed continuously, now achieving a jazz resurgence recognized by their colleagues and media alike. They placed #1 in the "Best Vocal Group" category of the 2007 Jazz Times Readers Poll, and play festivals and clubs on all continents.
Two of the group’s original members, Bob Flanigan and Don Barbour, are still actively involved with group in musical matters, although retired from touring. The current lineup consists of Bob Ferreira, a 17 year veteran, Curtis Calderon, a member since 2001, Vince Johnson, onboard since 1999, and brand new tenor, the wunderkind Brian Eichenberger, only the third lead singer in Four Freshmen history.
Many fans are not aware that the Frosh are able to perform self-contained, playing and singing – an incredible musical achievement that no current jazz vocal group is able to achieve. For this occasion, however, a special treat is in store. They will be backed by none other than the CNY Jazz Orchestra, led by Bret Zvacek, playing the finest arrangements written for them by Stan Kenton, Pete Rugolo and others.
After the main stage closes at 11pm, the jam session at Jazz Central will host main stage artists in a free-for-all that always lasts until close to dawn.
Saturday July 31st
Saturday of Jazz in the Square always highlights the talents of Central New York’s finest students in its Scholastic Festival, starting at noon on the Palm Bay main stage in Clinton Square. In keeping with the CNY Jazz Arts Foundation’s deep commitment to jazz education, this event takes on an "open classroom" environment, giving audiences a valuable "inside look" at the creative process at work. Each group gets a chance to play with a main stage artist, who will solo with each group. Then the groups remain on stage to receive comments, demonstrate or replay their repertoire in a master class setting. Following the scholastic activities, a Battle of the Community Jazz Bands commences until 6pm. Then the blockbuster triple bill begins.
First up is Martha Redbone, one of the leading contemporary Native American voices in music. Her unique gumbo of soul, rock, funk and blues is taking the music business by storm. Raised between her grandparents home in the Appalachian mountains of Kentucky and in Brooklyn, NY by her mother (Choctaw, Cherokee, Shawnee) and African-American father, her sound reflects her mixed heritage. Martha's career has been nurtured by legends George Clinton of Parliament Funkadelic, Bonnie Raitt, Taj Mahal, John Densmore of the Doors, and most recently John McEuen of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. This singer/songwriter/producer dynamo is building a loyal world-wide audience cemented by appearances as far afield as the New Orleans Jazz Festival, American Indian Inaugural Ball, Lincoln Center "Out of Doors" Festival, and famous jazz club Ronnie Scott’s in London.
She has garnered prestigious awards including Best Debut Artist at the 2002 Native American Music Awards, Indian Summer Music Awards Best Pop Album 2004 & 2005. In 2006 she walked away with the Independent Music Award Best R&B album for her latest CD "Skintalk". Billboard Magazine calls her "The kind of woman who sets trends" while Performing Songwriter magazine describes her music as "part Aretha Franklin, part Neville Brothers and part tribal powwow." A world class talent, Redbone’s performances are nonstop high-energy affairs featuring soulful vocals and ecstatic dancing seasoned by the tightest, funkiest band imaginable."
Martha is followed by another female artist on the ascendancy to world stardom, Kate Davis, the multitalented jazz singer and bassist now performing at the Blue Note, the Kennedy Center and other prestigious venues. Growing up as a classical violinist in the Pacific Northwest, she has a background similar to Esperanza Spalding, with whom she is frequently compared. While a member of the Portland Youth Philharmonic she began playing bass. From then on, the upright bass and voice became her primary musical outlets. Nurtured by the supportive music community in Portland Oregon, she was able to satisfy her hunger to learn and perform.
Kate is quickly achieving national recognition for her prodigious abilities. She is a four time Downbeat Magazine Student Award winner, a two time participant in the Brubeck Summer Jazz Colony, and was bassist in the Grammy Jazz Ensemble. In 2009, she was selected as a Presidential Scholar of the Arts, one of only twenty in the country, an accolade of distinction which included a White House visit and a feature performance at the Kennedy Center. She is presently finishing her degree at the Manhattan School of Music, and has already played at Dizzy's Club Coca Cola and The Blue Note. Her group will be led by another dynamic and youthful emerging star in the jazz world – none other than Syracuse’s own Noah Kellman, her current music director and fellow Grammy Jazz Ensemble alumnus.
The final festival headliner is Alex Bugnon, dynamic jazz pianist and composer from Montreux, Switzerland, who will be paired with special guest and acclaimed smooth jazz saxophonist Marion Meadows, last year’s festival headliner, in a by-demand return engagement. Bugnon studied at the Paris Conservatory and the Mozart Academy in Salzburg. At age nineteen, he moved to the U.S. and attended the Berklee School of Music. Since then, he has created one of the most recognized styles in today's contemporary jazz piano, a sultry mixture of contemporary jazz, funk, and R&B with hints of gospel.
Growing up in Montreux, Bugnon started playing classical piano at age six. Guided by his father, a jazz guitarist and classical opera singer, Bugnon acquired a love for a wide range of music from Scott Joplin, Thelonious Monk, and Bill Evans to Herbie Hancock, McCoy Tyner, and Joe Sample, as Montreux became the crossroads of the jazz music world during its famous annual jazz festival.
In 1985 he moved to New York where he worked as a session musician and toured with jazz and RnB luminaries such as Patti Austin, Freddie Jackson, James Ingram, Earth Wind and Fire, and Keith Sweat. A solo recording artist since 1989, Alex Bugnon has recorded eight albums as leader, on labels including Narada Jazz. He is a frequent inhabitant on Billboard's Contemporary Jazz charts.
He is joined in this double-bill by Marion Meadows, a giant on the smooth jazz saxophone scene. A student of Joe Henderson, Dave Liebman and Eddie Daniels, he first became a well known sideman, recording or performing with Brook Benton, Eartha Kitt, Phyllis Hyman, Jean Carne, The Temptations, Michael Bolton, Angela Bofill and Will Downing, among many others. An incredibly versatile musician, Meadows also has stretched pop/jazz boundaries as a member of New York’s avant-garde band, the Aboriginal Music Society. Meadows first hit the airwaves in 1991 with For Lovers Only, catching the attention of TV composer Jay Chattaway, who was so impressed that he hooked Meadows up with legendary West Coast keyboardist Bob James.
This marked the beginning of his solo career with major label RCA. He has since become a staple of the smooth jazz world with his subsequent recordings, including Keep It Right Here (1993), Forbidden Fruit (1994) and Body Rhythm (1996) and many more since. Now a Phoenix, AZ, resident, Meadows now records for Heads Up International, a division of Concord Music Group.
After the festival’s Clinton Square Stages shut down on Saturday, the finale late night jam will officially conclude the festivities at the Jazz Central theater, populated by all of the fine artists who performed throughout the day.
Throughout the festival, Montgomery Street locations along the Visual Art Corridor linking Northeast Jazz & Wine festival with the Arts & Crafts festival in Columbus Circle will be stops for roving street musicians. A complete Clinton Square Party Pavilion and Blue Rain ECOfest music and dance schedule will be announced at a later date.
A Note Regarding Our Look
The marvelous, hip and classy look and overall direction of this year’s festival print and web based graphic art is provided by ADWorks of Skaneateles. Our web services provider, Inalign Inc., is responsible for the completely redesigned festival web site at www.nejazzwinefest.org. These efforts bring an international level of visual quality to this event that equals its musical and cultural artistry. Many thanks for their dedication, belief in our mission and total expertise.