The Fourth Annual Hillsborough Jazz Festival
Hillsborough Jazz Festival 2012
celebrating Thelonius Monk
The 2012 Hillsborough Jazz Festival
September 15 from 11am to 6 pm
The festival will take place outdoors at a very special venue...
The Historic Moorefields estate is an idyllic homestead on 84 beautiful acres just a few miles from Hillsborough, NC.
Come and enjoy great jazz, the scenic vistas & cool shaded gardens of beautiful Moorefields...
General admission is just $20 at the door, with lawn seating. Parking is free!. Festival attendees are asked not to bring recording devices, animals, tents, grills, coolers, or alcohol.
Delicious food and drink will be available at the festival. There will also be elegant white and rich red wine available. In addition we will be serving the award winning craft beers from North Coast Brewing including their very special 'Brother Thelonius Ale' check out the food and beverage offerings here.
Advance tickets are $15.00 and are available at the Sportsplex during regular business hours or at the Hillsborough Arts Council from 1-4pm Tuesday thru Saturday. Children 10 and under are free.
To purchase advance tickets on line click here
Rain Date is Sunday Sept 16th from 1pm to 6 pm. It will be posted here if the event date is changed to Sunday.
As per the Fire Marshall, This is a non- smoking event. Smoking will only be allowed in one designated smoking area. Thank you.
- 11:00am - 12:00 Capital Transit
- 12:15pm-1:15pm James Saxmo Gates
- 1:30pm-2:30pm Alamance Jazz Band
- 2:45pm-3:45pm Lenny Marcus & The Big Easy
- 4:00pm-5:00pm Freeport
- 5:15pm-6:15pm M4B
Capital Transit is an energetic, four-part vocal jazz ensemble with musical accompaniment. Many songs are reflective of the New York group “Manhattan Transfer,” and the group can branch out into blues, swing, and Doo-Wop. What makes this group SO unique and showcases each member's talents is that, in addition to singing four-part harmony, the members accompany each other with flute, sax, guitar, bass, and hand percussion. This Triangle-based seasoned group of vocal musicians includes Laura Ridgeway (soprano), Lola Youngman (alto), Tim Smith (tenor) and Ben Palmer (bass). Dave Youngman tickles the ivories and plays multiple instruments as well. Collectively, this group represents 125 combined years of performing jazz!! Capital Transit performs at festivals, restaurants, parties, dances, and special events – and is sure to make your event special and entertaining.
A graduate of Berklee College of Music Saxsmo is one of the young lions of Jazz. Having played with Dizzy Gillispie, Art Blakey, Larry Carlton, Fred Wesley, Robert Flack, and his own group of 804 JAZZ Allstars, Saxsmo is the real deal. James left the music department at Virginia State University to spread his wings in Boston at Berklee. While there he joined the young giants of Jazz. Just the mention of his name brings a smile to the faces of Terri Lynn Carrington, Lynne Fidmont, Walter Beasley, Alex Bugnon, Cyrus Chestnut, Billy Kilson, Brandon Marsalis, Delfeayo Marsalis, Jeff Watts, Shelia Ford, Marvin Smitty Smith, Wallace Roney, Mako Ozone, Ron Savage, Omar Hakim, Lala Hathaway, Carl Jenkins, Greg Osby, Kevin Eubanks, Robin Eubanks, Wil Calhoun, Donald Harrison, and many many others. Poised to make a move James has partnered with 804 JAZZ and Bill McGee to take his career to the next level. In his home town of Richmond, Virginia SAXSMO is known as one of the hottest jazz men to pick up a sax. Following in his father's footsteps SAXSMO has made a name for himself as an energetic saxophonist capable of playing all styles from bop to the smoothest progressive jazz
The Alamance Jazz Band was organized in December, 1987 by area musicians who in their past had considerable experience playing in jazz groups. A member group of the Alamance County Arts Council, its purpose is to provide an organized program for those interested in learning, performing, and enjoying music of the big band idiom.
The Alamance Jazz Band has given hundreds of performances since its founding: outdoor and indoor concerts, civic celebrations, dinner dances, convention banquets, fund raisers, wedding receptions, and other private and public engagements. Although the band usually performs in Alamance County, it also has performed in Charlotte, Greensboro, Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Winston-Salem, Durham, and Raleigh.
The members of the Alamance Jazz Band come from a variety of occupational fields which include banking, real estate, education, construction, computer science, music, sales, food service, business, management, and health care. Often, area high school and college students become members. Six members have been with the band since its founding.
The band’s repertoire consists of swing era hits of the 1930s and 40s, jazz standards, contemporary arrangements and compositions for big bands, and even a few selections of beach music and rock..
Lenny Marcus hails from Wash, DC, but he worked for many years in New Orleans, studying and performing with legends such as Ray Bryant, Ellis Marsalis, Alvin Batiste, and recording with David “Fathead” Newman, Charlie Byrd, Frank Foster, Sonny Fortune, Brian Lynch, Jane Powell and others. His band is a well schooled jazz group. “Their jazz is infectious!,” says Jazz Times magazine.
Lenny has recorded 18 CDs to date, performed in two international jazz festivals, and has had his music featured on the National Weather Channel (many songs over the last several years), NPR’s ALL that Jazz and ALL Songs Considered. Two of his songs were finalists in the ISC international song writer’s competition.Lenny’s music goes from modern high energy to a more contemplative, meditative approach.
Lenny is a highly trained jazz pianist who also plays flute and adds vocals. His compositions are refreshing and uplifting, and he has been compared to Vince Guaraldi, Oscar Peterson, Keith Jarrett, McCoy Tyner, Mose Allison-type vocal style, Ray Bryant, and many others. His original melodies and harmonic counterpoints also provide a high potential for film/TV soundtracks.
Freeport
Bassist Scott Marvill, the founding member of Freeport, is originally from Philadelphia, PA. In his twenties, he found himself attending Combs College of Music, playing gigs, teaching guitar and bass, traveling and being a session man mainly at Ridge Sound Studiosin Philly. He worked with numerous acts such as The Temptations, Four Tops, Grover Washington Jr, Leslie Gore, The Dovells, and most of the touring oldies acts in the 1980s. With a friend he started
Freeport in 1981 and found themselves opening for Tower Of Power, The Temptations, Special EFX and other national acts. Freeport continues today
Steve Thornton, a well known musician in the North Carolina music scene joined Freeport in April 2007. He found woodwinds at a very early age. He plays just about every other instrument known to man. These days he is focused on the sax but do not be surprised if he picks up a guitar, a bass, or plays some keyboards. Name a style of music and he has performed it. Gospel, Jazz, R&B, Classical, Reggae. This experience has bled into his playing creating an exploration of melodies and solos not found in other musicians. A very soulful, appropriate, inquisitive, and smooth approach to performing
Jo Daniels is no stranger to the entertainment world via TV, radio, and performing many styles of music. From Cincinnati, Ohio Jo came to North Carolina at a young age. He finished a B.S. in Music Education and more recently a Masters in Educational. He is a former Professor of Commercial Music classes and online music classes at Winston Salem State University. He was the Conductor/Arranger for the original National Black Theatre in 1984 with Larry Hamlin.
He found himself living and touring in France, Belgium and Africa . Additionally he released three CDs on the JWP International label. His works are publishes through Jo-Wee Publishing and ASCAP..
Tony Testa Hailing from Niagara Falls, NY, Tony learned to play the drums/percussion at age 5! He was schooled through many forms of study from some of the greatest instructors in the Up-State New York Jazz Communit. Tony continues to spur his musical growth through Study, performance and studio work.
His musical path has taken him from New York City, to Seattle, to Texas, and now settled in central North Carolina.
M4B prides itself on the ability to write and record jazz tunes that are assessable and enjoyable to everyone. Exploring the symbiotic nature between jazz and funk, their neo-jazz sound is more than meets the eye & ear.
The players in this band are amazingly diverse, however one thing holds them together; they are all crossover artists. For a project such as this it was necessary to find musicians with the ability to play both jazz and funk at an exceptionally high level. Top shelf musicians are difficult enough to find, but with the ability to play both genres is next to impossible. The formula was convoluted, but ingenious. First, a drummer who could play funk on the bottom and jazz on the top. Second, a straight ahead pianist who could play analogs synths like a seventies keyboardist. Third, a guitarist who could funk with his eyes closed, but used jazz harmonics. Fourth, a fretless bass player who loved straight-ahead, but was a closet funk-a-teer. And last but not least, a saxophone player who could bop, bang, and use multi-phonics as a rhythmic device. The impossible was accomplished in 2010 with musicians ranging up and down the east coast from New York, New York, the Carolina coast, down to Miami, Florida.
The M4B project is unique in that all the players agree that to be successful you must allow an audience to access your music. Instead of playing over their collective heads, there should be something in each song that every individual could enjoy personally, without suffering the quality of the music. Music is a very real relationship between the musicians and the listener, one to be respected, and each party in turn teaches the other something. It is this very spirit that drives M4B to write and perform songs that allows this access and what will ultimately make them broadly popular among listeners and fans.
PAST FESTIVALS
The Second Annual
Hillsborough Jazz Festival 2011
The exciting 2011 Hillsborough Jazz Festival will be September 17 from 11am to 6 pm
The festival will take place outdoors at a very special venue...
The Historic Moorefields estate is an idyllic homestead on 84 beautiful acres just a few
miles from Hillsborough, NC.
Come and enjoy great jazz, the scenic vistas & cool shaded gardens of beautiful Moorefields...
General admission is just $20.00 at the door, with lawn seating. Parking is free. Festival attendees are asked not to bring recording devices, animals, tents, grills, coolers, or alcohol.
As per the Fire Marshall, This is a non- smoking event. Smoking will only be allowed in one designated smoking area. Thank you.
Advance tickets are $15.00 and are available at the Sportsplex during regular business hours or at the Hillsborough Arts Council from 1-4pm Tuesday thru Saturday. Children 10 and under are free.
To purchase advance tickets on line click here
Rain Date is Sunday Sept 18th from 1pm to 6 pm. It will be posted here if the event date is changed to Sunday.
The Jazz Tones
The JazzTones sextet plays mainstream jazz in the styles of the 50's and 60's. Behind the sultry vocals of Alice Brower, the JazzTones cover tunes ranging from standards and swing tunes that make you want to dance, to ballads that touch the heart. Also including in their repertoire jazz-infused blues, latin and bebop, the JazzTones cover the spectrum of popular American jazz music that everyone knows and enjoys. Our members come from the greater North Carolina Triangle area. Our group includes:
Alice Brower - Vocals, Keyboard, Violin
Luciano "Chano" Suarez - Guitar
Eric Hallman - Trumpet, Flugelhorn and Congas
Stan Levy - Tenor and Soprano Saxophones
Bob Brower - Bass
Kaan Uzun- Drums
The Will McBride Group
A bold foray into the area between jazz, funk, rock, and pop is what The Will McBride Group has created since 2004. The live energy of this masterful trio was captured on their latest CD "Trifecta" Two tracks from Trifecta have received many plays on 100.7TheRiver, as well as WSHA in Raleigh.Will McBride (guitars, vocals), leader/founder/songwriter/composer of the WMG has over 30 years of performing experience. He toured with James Brown sax man, the late St. Claire Pinckney, and has shared the stage with international artists such as Sam Bryant (Kenny Wayne Shepherd), sax man David Sanchez, Nantucket, PKM, and Roger "Hurricane" Wilson.
Jeff Hatley (bass, vocals), originally from Charlotte, is a veteran bassist who has performed with numerous bands in jazz, rock, pop, and funk genres. Jeff has also contributed to several stage and studio productions, including two complete CD projects with Will McBride, and is sought after as a fill-in artist in several large area churches. Jeff also has a classical background and has performed on cello in area orchestras. Jeff has been with the WMG since 2004.
Eric Weaver (drums, vocals) is a graduate of the Berklee College of Music and studied with world renowned educator and drummer Gary Chaffee. Eric has performed with such national artists as Bette Midler and Saga as well as Raleigh favorites Mighty Lester, Shine, MPS Trio, Fusion Collective South, as well as founding Wannabeezer (Weezer Tribute), and 80s Glam band Headbanger. Eric's drumming creates a canvas of sound that shapes the soul of The WMG.
You’ll be entertained by the remarkable skill, the groove in the music, variety and presentation from this trio of veteran musicians out of the Raleigh, NC area. The most consistent compliment heard at a WMG show is how amazingly full the sound of the band is with only three musicians. The Will McBride Group will “satisfy your cool side…and move your backside”.
Frankie Alexander
Frankie Alexander is often referred to as a musicians singer. Like an instrumentalist, she rarely performs a song the same way. Her understated style has been compared with such vocalists as Carmen McRae and Shirley Horn, two singers that Alexander is quick to claim as influences. A resident of Durham since the late seventies, Alexander has worked with and learned from some of the most talented and influential musicians in the area including Yusuf Salim and mentor, Bus Brown.
Here's a new review:
"Frankie Alexander is also a very good singer full of a conviction that recalls Sarah Vaughan or Abbey Lincoln. She caresses the words on “Moonlight In Vermont” and “Once I Loved” while exploding on “Taking A Chance” and “At Long Last Love.” Her singing isn’t technically polished but that does not matter because she makes an emotional connection to what she sings, creating performances that are haunting and affecting. Frankie Alexander seems to be one of those vocalists who can bring heart to whatever she sings." - Jerome Wilson in the May 2007 issue of Cadence Magazine
Sweet Dreams
Since 1984, Sweet Dreams Band has built a reputation that spans the Southeast. SWEET DREAMS is especially popular in North and South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee and Georgia. They have played a diversity of events and venues. So professional is this band, that they are the contract players of choice for many recording artists playing live events in the area.Mainstream saxophonist, Courtney Pines, was shocked at the ease with which SWEET DREAMS was able to back his complex improvisations. Gerald Albright, a contemporary saxophonist; loved their funky and fun-loving support while rhythm and blues singer Jeffery Osborne demanded a group who could compliment his style. SWEET DREAMS met the demand with distinction.
…And SWEET DREAMS brings this same top-level professionalism to every engagement; be it an intimate corporate cocktail/ dinner party or a large outdoor festival.
Sweet Dreams Founder
Fred Mills –- keyboardist who is also a talented bassist and gives SWEET DREAMS solid support from his tenor vocals. It was Fred who founded SWEET DREAMS twenty years ago in Charlotte, North Carolina. The former keyboardist for cutting-edge vocalist, Betty Davis; Fred was also the lead vocalist for Atlantic Records recording group Chops. He is also a contributing songwriter to the soundtrack of the motion picture “White Girl” produced by Tony Brown.
Fred Mills
Keyboards and Vocals
James Yourse
Keyboards
Lynn Woods
Saxophones, Keyboards and vocals
SWEET DREAMS: a band of soft jazz, moving ballads and funky dance grooves.
SWEET DREAMS…THE BAND YOU’VE ALWAYS DREAMED OF…
Marcus Anderson
Anderson, a South Carolina native, is from a large musical family of seven siblings. Growing up, both of his parents sang regularly, but it was his father who introduced him to Jazz, which has become his passion. Aware of his natural talent, his parents nurtured his musicality and he began performing in church with his older brothers. He graduated from Dorman High School in Roebuck, SC and after graduation he continued his jazz studies at North Carolina Central University. There he was a member of the program’s world renowned Jazz Ensemble directed by Dr. Ira Wiggins. He studied with Branford Marsalis and Gospel Saxophonist, Donald Hayes for several years.
His numerous accolades include All-State High School Jazz Ensemble for South Carolina three consecutive years, receiving the Chancellor’s Award three times, and having performed for Hilary Clinton and Jesse Jackson. He was a member of the HBCU All-Star Jazz Ensemble as 1st Tenor Sax for three consecutive years, and he is a proud member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity of America. He was recently nominated and won the North Carolina Gospel Announcers Guild 2011 Prestige Awards for Gospel Jazz Artist of the Year.
Alamance Jazz Band
The Alamance Jazz Band was organized in December, 1987 by area musicians who in their past had considerable experience playing in jazz groups. A member group of the Alamance County Arts Council, its purpose is to provide an organized program for those interested in learning, performing, and enjoying music of the big band idiom.
The Alamance Jazz Band has given hundreds of performances since its founding: outdoor and indoor concerts, civic celebrations, dinner dances, convention banquets, fund raisers, wedding receptions, and other private and public engagements. Although the band usually performs in Alamance County, it also has performed in Charlotte, Greensboro, Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Winston-Salem, Durham, and Raleigh.
Marcus Mitchell
Marcus H Mitchell is not only a rising saxophone star but is also CEO and President of 24th Music, a division of MHM Entertainment Group based in Maryland. The youngest independent executive to be on the voting committee for the Grammy Awards he is about to release his latest CD, the excellent ‘R & R – Rest & Relaxation’. It follows on from his 2005 debut ‘Jumpin’ and is a classy eleven track collection of fresh urban jazz sounds that is epitomized by the tune ‘Just Groovin’. With a title that pretty much sums up what Mitchell does throughout the album it is replete with his own brand of edgy smooth jazz and, although rest and relaxation may not entirely be what Mitchell is all about, the smoky title track, the chilled out ‘Deep Concentration’ and finally ‘Summer Breeze’ all demonstrate that he knows mellow urban jazz. Not to be confused with the Isley Brothers song of the same name this latter track features excellent backing vocals from Yvette Thomas and is the perfect antidote to a stressful day.When Mitchell ups the tempo for ‘Groove Lounge’ he finds a jazzy vibe that sits delightfully on the tight rhythmic foundation afforded by the production of M Anthony Hemmings’. He stays in jazzy mood for the always funky ‘Sharpshooter’ then welcomes back Hemmings to produce and plays keyboards on the tight and edgy ‘Makin Moves’. They collaborate again for rich sounding ‘Diamond In The Ruff’ and with Mitchell’s driving sax to the fore they together deliver one of the albums standout tracks.
Equally good is ‘When We First Met’. Featuring Blackbuddafly on vocals this smoky urban chiller is wonderfully indicative of the very best of the genre. In demand writer producer and sax player Darren Rahn contributes the catchy smooth jazz number ‘Saturday Night’. He also plays backing saxophones, Jeff Lorber gives an outstanding performance on both piano and Fender Rhodes and as the track builds to a raucous climax Mitchell blows up a storm on alto sax. Just as dazzling is his playing on the albums only cover, The Gap Band classic ‘Outstanding’. Funky in the extreme and with vocals from Tara Aldridge that are just perfect this is a welcome new outing for a much loved favorite from 1982.
With contemporary jazz currently enjoying a shift into urban territory ‘R & R – Rest & Relaxation’ is very much an album for its time and should ensure Marcus H Mitchell gets the exposure that his talent richly deserves.