35th Season Headliners Include Phil Woods, Cedar Walton, Jimmy Heath, Paula West, Chris Potter, Regina Carter, Cyrus Chestnut, Floyd Dixon
STANFORD, CA—The 2006 Stanford Jazz Festival begins June 24 and continues through August 5, featuring more than 100 artists performing more than 30 mainstage concerts. Presented by See's Candies and the Stanford Jazz Workshop (SJW), the annual festival is renowned for presenting a healthy dose of straight-ahead jazz, flavored with innovative modern stylings, traditional, blues, salsa, Brazilian, and other cross cultural approaches to improvised music.
Top performances for the 2006 Stanford Jazz Festival will include sets by master saxophonists Jimmy Heath and Phil Woods; acclaimed violinist Regina Carter; talented pianist Cedar Walton in a solo performance and a trio concert; rising saxophone stars Eric Alexander and Chris Potter; a jazz tribute to the Stevie Wonder featuring the Joe Gilman Trio. Many Stanford Jazz Festival events will feature an "Inside Jazz" presentation, a series of free pre-concert talks by prominent jazz artists and educators presented before selected concerts, providing context and insight into the art form.
Over the 30-plus years of the Stanford Jazz Festival, audiences have enjoyed the special intensity and energy of the performances, due to the relationship between the concert stage and classroom. The annual Stanford Jazz Festival coincides with the Stanford Jazz Workshop's acclaimed educational summer programs, which include a Jazz Camp for students aged 12-17 and a Jazz Residency for adults and advanced youth. Most of the Stanford Jazz Festival performers are also faculty for SJW's educational programs. From veteran statesmen to emerging talents and local standouts, these artists work closely together—collaborating, teaching, interacting, jamming—while inspiring and being inspired by our enthusiastic students aged 12 to 80. This intensive interaction fuels the energetic performances at the Stanford Jazz Festival.
Founded in 1972, the Stanford Jazz Workshop (SJW) has attracted jazz artists and enthusiasts each summer to the campus of Stanford University. As SJW’s programs grew, involving prominent artists such as Dizzy Gillespie and Stan Getz, the organization began presenting public concerts to encourage community appreciation and awareness of jazz. These early concerts served as the beginning of the Stanford Jazz Festival. Today the festival attracts 15,000 music enthusiasts and is ranked by many critics and fans as one of the top jazz events on the West Coast.
For more information on the 2006 Stanford Jazz Festival schedule or the Stanford Jazz Workshop’s educational programs visit StanfordJazz.org or call 650.736.0324. Tickets to most Stanford Jazz Festival events range from $10 - $40 general admission (depending on concert) with a half-price discount for students with valid ID and children under the age of 18. Box office: 650.725.ARTS (2787) or TicketWeb.com
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Stanford Jazz Workshop & Festival
2006 Calendar of Upcoming Concert Events
June 24 – August 5, 2006 | Stanford University
Festival passes $500 includes admission to all shows.
Trio: Purchase tickets to three – five performances and get a 10% discount.
Sextet: Purchase tickets to six or more performances and get a 15% discount.
Artists, dates and venues subject to change.
Information: 650.736.0324 or
www.stanfordjazz.org
Tickets: 650.725.ARTS (2787) or
www.ticketweb.com
STANFORD JAZZ FESTIVAL JUNE EVENTS
Cyrus Chestnut Trio with Donald Harrison and Wycliffe Gordon
Featuring Donald Harrison, saxophone; Wycliffe Gordon, trombone; Cyrus Chestnut, piano; Michael Hawkins, bass; Neal Smith, drums
Saturday, June 24 | 8 pm | Dinkelspiel Auditorium
Tickets: $32 general | $16 students
Inside Jazz: Jazz and Blues: From the Church to the Bandstand
7 pm | Free pre-concert lecture with concert ticket
Speaker: Cyrus Chestnut
A crowd-pleasing pianist and brilliant jazz improviser steeped in gospel and blues, Cyrus Chestnut arrives at Stanford riding the success of his latest Telarc release, Genuine Chestnut. The genial Baltimore native possesses consummate virtuosity, swings hard, and takes seriously his mission to entertain an audience. Trained at Peabody and Berklee, Chestnut has played alongside all the greats of contemporary jazz, including Wynton Marsalis, Betty Carter, Russell Malone, James Carter, Billy Higgins, and Joe Lovano. Chestnut will be joined by his longtime friend and Berklee classmate, Donald Harrison, and acclaimed trombonist Wycliffe Gordon, a longtime member of Wynton Marsalis' Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. A talented post-bop altoist who rose to fame with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, Harrison's New Orleans roots are never absent from his music. The Chicago Tribune declared: "To many listeners, the brilliant jazz saxophonist and New Orleans native Donald Harrison embodies the spirit of the city." Praised by audiences and critics alike, trombonist Wycliffe Gordon enjoys an extraordinary career as a performer of hard-swinging, straight-ahead jazz. His trombone playing—which mixes powerful, intricate runs with sweet notes extended over clean melodies—has been featured on eight CDs as a leader, as well as on recordings by Wynton Marsalis, Marcus Roberts, Branford Marsalis, Rodney Whitaker, and Joe Temperly.
Tuck & Patti
Featuring Patti Cathcart, vocals; Tuck Andress, guitar
Sunday, June 25 | 2:30 pm | Campbell Recital Hall
Tickets: $40 general | $20 students
The Palo Alto-based duo Tuck & Patti has attracted legions of fans with a winning combination of Tuck's sensitive, virtuoso guitar and the smoky romantic intensity of Patti's soulful vocals. Together for more than 25 years, the duo first came to national attention with their acclaimed recordings for Windham Hill, and have built their reputation on sublime interpretations of classic songs from all genres. Tuck Andress' arresting style of guitar-playing exemplifies the art of simultaneously playing a bassline, chords, melody, and a percussive back-beat to create a full sound that envelops the listener. His playing is complemented by Patti Cathcart's equally accomplished vocals to create an irresistible musical experience.
Paula West Quartet
Featuring Paula West, vocals; Adam Shulman, piano; John Wiitala, bass; Eddie Marshall, drums
Friday, June 30 | 8 pm | Campbell Recital Hall
Tickets: $28 general | $14 students
Masterfully navigating the waters between jazz and cabaret, vocalist Paula West is arguably one of the finest jazz vocalists to emerge in the past decade. Often compared to Billie Holiday and Lena Horne, West's voice moves easily from her familiar luscious contralto to a strong midrange soprano. From the Plush Room in San Francisco to the Oak Room in New York, the San Francisco-based chanteuse delights audiences with her diverse repertoire, which includes her trademark song "The Snake," inspired by the Oscar Brown fable about caring women and the reptiles they attract. Putting a personal spin on every performance, West also lends her signature style to songs from Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Gershwin, Duke Ellington, and Hoagy Carmichael.
STANFORD JAZZ FESTIVAL JULY EVENTS
Early Bird: Finding the Rhythm Around Us Featuring Crosspulse
Featuring Edgardo Cambón, Amber Hines, Tacuma King, Evie Ladin, Keith Terry
Saturday, July 1 | Kids 1-7, 10 am; Kids 8-12, 11:15 | Dinkelspiel Auditorium
Tickets: Free
Bending and blending traditional and contemporary music and dance, Crosspulse presents captivating, seamless performances that both entertain and educate young audiences—exploring the rhythmic possibilities in the world around us. Crosspulse will lead participants in making music from anything and nothing. Crosspulse will perform as a duo for the 10 am performance, and as a full quintet for the 11:15 performance. Supported by Alice Lee and Gregory Melchor.
Descarga 3: Salsa Meets Jazz
Featuring Wayne Wallace, trombone; Mary Fettig, saxophone/clarinet; Mike Olmos, trumpet; Murray Low, piano; David Belove, bass; Louie Romero, timbales; Michael Spiro, percussion; Babatunde Lea, drums
Saturday, July 1 | 8 pm | Dinkelspiel Auditorium
Tickets: $24 general | $12 students
Inside Jazz: Descarga! The Masters of the Latin Jam Session: Israel Lopez Cachao, Bebo Valdes, Chico O'Farrill, Walfredo De Los Reyes
7 pm | Free pre-concert lecture with concert ticket
Speaker: Chuy Varela, KCSM Jazz 91.1 FM
Over the past two summers, one of Stanford Jazz Festival's favorite crowd-pleasing events has been our Descarga. Led once again by trombonist Wayne Wallace, Descarga returns to the festival for 2006 with a stellar lineup in a larger venue. The jam session is perhaps jazz music's most treasured tradition. For years, one of the best jam sessions took place at New York's legendary Village Gate club. The Monday night event was known as "Descarga" and it regularly featured a veritable who's who of famous jazz soloists performing with great Latin rhythm masters.
Big Band Music of Duke Ellington and Count Basie
Under the direction of John Coppola, featuring John Coppola, Joe Rodriguez, Allen Smith, Zane Woodworth, trumpet; Noel Jewkes, Ray Loeckle, Charles McNeal, Lisa Pollard, Jim Rothermel, saxophones; Danny Gruen, Derek James, Mike Retna, trombone; Mike Greensill, piano; Vince Lateano, drums
Sunday, July 2 | 2:30 pm | Dinkelspiel Auditorium
Tickets: $24 general | $12 students
For a generation of musicians, the Big Band sound defined "Swing." Bands led by Duke Ellington and Count Basie lit up dance floors and concert stages for nearly 50 years. In addition to leading his famed ensemble, Duke Ellington was the most important composer in the history of jazz. Ellington used his band as a musical laboratory for his new compositions and shaped his writing specifically to showcase the talents of his musicians. Count Basie was among the most important bandleaders of the swing era. Leading from his piano, Basie's orchestra was characterized by a light, swinging rhythm section, lively ensemble work, and generous soloing. Basie's instrument was his band, which was considered the epitome of swing and influenced countless jazz musicians. The Big Band music of Ellington and Basie will come alive with this energetic show featuring a 16-piece ensemble of local musical luminaries. Supported in part by Wesley and Mickie Ayres.
Jazz and the Music of Brazil: Celia Malheiros Band
Featuring Celia Malheiros, vocals; Mary Fettig clarinet/saxophone; Rich Kuhns, accordion; Carlos Oliveira/guitar; Celso Alberti, drums
Friday, July 7 | 8 pm | Campbell Recital Hall
Tickets: $28 general | $14 students
Inside Jazz: The African influence in contemporary Brazilian culture
7 pm | Free pre-concert lecture with concert ticket
Speaker: Celia Malheiros
Admired as both a performer and composer, Celia Malheiros has been a major player on the Bay Area music scene for years. A native of Rio de Janeiro, Malheiros has opened for the Grateful Dead, Carlos Santana, and the late Ray Charles; performed with her group Batucaje throughout the Bay Area and East Coast; served as music director at San Francisco's Carnival Ball; and appeared at jazz festivals in San Jose, Monterey, and San Francisco. Her 2002 debut CD, Sempre Crescendo, has been lauded by music critics and Brazilian music enthusiasts alike. Recorded in Rio de Janeiro, Sempre Crescendo features master instrumentalist Hermeto Pascoal as a special guest, as well as Jovino Santos Netos and other great Brazilian musicians.
Early Bird: An Intro to Jazz for Kids
Featuring Jim Nadel and Friends
Saturday, July 8 | Kids 1-7, 10 am; Kids 8-12, 11:15 | Dinkelspiel Auditorium
Tickets: Free
An annual event designed as an entertaining introduction to the wonderful world of jazz for kids and families. Saxophonist and Stanford Jazz Workshop founder Jim Nadel and a friendly group of musicians will lead an enjoyable tour through basic jazz concepts and instruments. Supported by Alice Lee and Gregory Melchor
Chris Potter's Underground
Featuring Chris Potter, saxophone; Craig Taborn, keyboards; Adam Rogers, guitar; and Nate Smith, drums
Saturday, July 8 | 8 pm | Campbell Recital Hall
Tickets: $36 general | $18 students
Chris Potter is often cited by critics, musicians, and a steadily increasing number of fans as the finest saxophonist of his generation. As an "in-demand" sideman and polished leader, Potter has toured and recorded with many of the greats, including performances on recent Grammy-nominated recordings by Dave Holland, Danilo Perez, Marian McPartland, and Steely Dan. A featured performer with the Dave Holland Quintet, Potter also performs regularly in combos led by Paul Motian, Steve Swallow, Jim Hall, Dave Douglas, Billy Hart, and the Mingus Big Band. Potter's growing catalog of recordings as a leader—including 2005's live album Lift and his funkier new release Underground—has garnered significant critical praise.
Everything You Wanted to Know About Jazz
But Were Afraid to Ask
Sunday, July 9 | 2:30 pm | Campbell Recital Hall
Tickets: $10 general | $5 students
Jazz education pioneer and SJW founder Jim Nadel leads an ensemble of veteran Bay Area jazz artists in an entertaining concert enhanced with commentary and conversation. This event will take the audience through a musical survey of jazz styles from Swing to Modern Jazz. Nadel and his friends share insights into how jazz is created, the roles of specific instruments, and offers insights that help listeners hear the music from the musicians’ point of view.
(Re)Birth of the Cool: Miles Davis 80th Birthday Celebration
Wayne Wallace and John Worley, co-leaders
Featuring Jamie Davis, vocals; John L. Worley Jr, trumpet/flugelhorn & co-leader; Wayne Wallace, trombone & co-leader; Kristen Strom, alto sax; Fil Lorenz, baritone sax; Diane Ryan, French horn; Steve Tyler, tuba; Murray Low, piano; John Hettel, bass; Jason Lewis, drums
Friday, July 14 | 8 pm | Campbell Recital Hall
Tickets: $28 general | $14 students
Inside Jazz: Birth of the Cool: Some History
7 pm | Free pre-concert lecture with concert ticket
Speaker: Sonny Buxton, KCSM Jazz 91.1 FM
Miles Dewey Davis III (1926-91) was one of the most influential and innovative musicians of the 20th century. A trumpeter, bandleader and composer, Miles Davis was at the forefront of almost every major development in jazz after World War II, playing on many important early bebop records, helping develop modal jazz, and helping launch jazz fusion. The landmark album Birth of the Cool, recorded over several sessions in 1949-50, not only put Miles Davis on the map, it started a whole new style of jazz music. Its slower and softer sound resonated throughout the jazz world and influenced musicians everywhere, helping launch the mellow sound that would later be called West Coast Jazz (Dave Brubeck, Gerry Mulligan, Chet Baker.) The Stanford Jazz Festival celebrates the genius of Miles Davis on the 80th anniversary of his birth, with this concert led by local jazz luminaries Wayne Wallace and John Worley.
Marcus Belgrave Quintet Featuring John Handy
Featuring Marcus Belgrave, trumpet; John Handy, saxophone; Matt Clark, piano; John Wiitala, bass; and Akira Tana, drums
Saturday, July 15 | 8 pm | Campbell Recital Hall
Tickets: $36 general | $18 students
Detroit's premiere jazz trumpeter for more than 40 years, Marcus Belgrave has honed his intimate yet intricate style over a long career playing with everyone and everything from Mingus to Motown. He has toured and recorded with an unparalleled variety of musicians across musical generations, including Ray Charles, Ella Fitzgerald, McCoy Tyner, Dizzy Gillespie, Eric Dolphy, Aretha Franklin, and Wynton Marsalis. Bay Area saxophone legend John Handy recorded and performed with Charles Mingus in the late 1950s, made a sensational debut and recording at the 1965 Monterey Jazz Festival, recorded the R&B hit "Hard Work" and performed with Ali Akbar Khan and a young Zakir Hussain in the 1970s, and continues to headline at venues across the US.
Ruth Davies' Blues Night Featuring Floyd Dixon
Featuring Floyd Dixon, piano/vocals; Charles McNeal, saxophone; Danny Caron, guitar; Ruth Davies, bass; Ndugu Chancler, drums
Sunday, July 16 | 7:30 pm | Dinkelspiel Auditorium
Tickets: $24 general | $12 students
Stanford Jazz Festival's annual Blues Night has grown so popular we needed to move the show to a larger venue. This year's Blues Night features legendary pianist and singer Floyd Dixon, acclaimed as a leading performer of West Coast blues—a more piano-based and jazz-influenced style of R&B. An impeccable keyboardist with a deep, gravelly voice, Dixon signed with Modern Records in 1949, specializing in jump blues and clever double entendres ("Red Cherries," "Too Much Jelly Roll".) After moving to Specialty Records a few years later, Dixon released several hit recordings, including "Hey Bartender" and "Hole In The Wall." In 1997 Living Blues Magazine recognized Dixon as Most Outstanding Blues Musician (Keyboards), and he also received the W.C. Handy award for Comeback Album of the Year for Wake Up And Live (1996).
Anton Schwartz Quartet
Featuring Anton Schwartz, saxophone; Dave Mac Nab, guitar; John Wiitala, bass; Tim Bulkley drums
Monday, July 17 | 7:30 pm | Campbell Recital Hall
Tickets: $18 general | $9 students
Jazz saxophonist Anton Schwartz has been drawing listeners in with the power, spirit, and subtle complexity of his music since he bounded onto the San Francisco jazz scene in 1995. Schwartz quickly gained an enthusiastic following as music fans responded to what the San Francisco Chronicle has called his "warm, generous tone, impeccably developed solos and infectious performance energy." In the years since, Schwartz has won over listeners and critics at high-profile jazz venues across the country, including the Blue Note in New York, Washington D.C.'s Blues Alley, and the Monterey Jazz Festival.
View So Tender: (Stevie) Wonder Revisited
Featuring Joe Gilman, piano; Joe Sanders, bass; Justin Brown, drums
Tuesday, July 18 | 7:30 pm | Campbell Recital Hall
Tickets: $18 general | $9 students
Stevie Wonder has recorded more than 30 Top 10 hits, won a record 24 Grammy Awards, and been inducted into both the Rock and Roll and Songwriters halls of fame. Who wouldn't want to pay tribute to this genius of modern music? After completing an acclaimed two-disc project of Dave Brubeck recordings, Joe Gilman and his trio mates turned to several songs by the great Stevie Wonder for their next recording project. The trio approached Wonder's repertoire as a dialog between the genres of jazz and R&B, delving deep into a catalog and finding ways to creatively re-assemble the music.
Kristen Strom Quintet
Featuring Kristen Strom, saxophone; Scott Sorkin, guitar; Peter Stoltzman, piano; Josh Thurston-Milgrom, bass
Wednesday, July 19 | 7:30 pm | Campbell Recital Hall
Tickets: $18 general | $9 students
San Jose saxophonist Kristen Strom has been a mainstay on the Bay Area music scene for nearly two decades, acclaimed for beautifully rendered melodies, exceptional tonality, and accomplished musicianship. In addition to regular performances with her husband, guitarist Scott Sorkin, Strom has played alongside many well-known artists, including the Temptations, Natalie Cole, The Four Tops, Manhattan Transfer, Roberta Flack, Johnny Mathis, Jimmy Heath, Steve Turre, and Jon Faddis. Strom released a highly regarded solo album, Intention, and has recorded with several jazz and pop artists.
André Bush Group
Featuring André Bush, guitar; SJW faculty members
Thursday, July 20 | 7:30 pm | Campbell Recital Hall
Tickets: $18 general | $9 students
Nominated for a 2005 Grammy (for his collaboration with Nnenna Freelon), André Bush combines the lyrical and creative approach of modern jazz heroes such as Wayne Shorter, Keith Jarrett, and Pat Metheny, with the high-energy grooves and complex sonic structures of innovate guitarists John McLaughlin, Scott Henderson, and Nguyen Lé. Author of the instructional handbook/CD Modern Jazz Guitar Styles, Bush has released three acclaimed recordings as a leader, including The Jazz Review's 1999 CD of the year, Invisible City. Bush returns to the Stanford Jazz Festival with a great combo of faculty artists.
Regina Carter Quintet
Featuring Regina Carter, violin; Jeff Sanford, clarinet; Fred Harris, piano; Peter Barshay, bass; Albert "Tootie" Heath, drums
Saturday, July 22 | 8 pm | Campbell Recital Hall
Tickets: $36 general | $18 students
Inside Jazz: String Things
7 pm | Free pre-concert lecture with concert ticket
Speaker: Victor Lin
Detroit-born violinist Regina Carter combines dazzling technical proficiency and profound compositional and improvisational gifts with a fresh, aggressive approach to her instrument. The first jazz violinist to be invited to record using Paganini's famed instrument, Carter demonstrates an exceptional ability to explore musical combinations and contexts both familiar and unexpected. Carter returns to the Stanford Jazz Festival to perform selections from her latest recording of music from the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s. Supported in part by Robert and Sharon Yoerg, and Western Jazz Presenters Network.
Taylor Eigsti/Julian Lage Band
Featuring Taylor Eigsti, piano; Julian Lage, guitar; Dayna Stephens, saxophone; John Shifflet, bass; Jason Lewis, drums
Sunday, July 23 | 8 pm | Dinkelspiel Auditorium
Tickets: $24 general | $12 students
An appealing pairing of two phenomenal jazz talents. Long familiar to Stanford Jazz Festival audiences, pianist Taylor Eigsti burst on the scene opening for David Benoit at the age of eight. He would play with Dave Brubeck at 12, release his first CD at 14, and join the faculty of the Stanford Jazz Workshop at 15. Another prodigal artist familiar to Stanford audiences, 18-year-old guitarist Julian Lage has recorded with David Grisman and Gary Burton, performed on the Grammys, played along with Carlos Santana, Toots Thielemans, and Herbie Hancock, and been the subject of a Academy Award-nominated documentary, Jules at Eight (1996).
Howard Wiley and Vocal X
Featuring Howard Wiley tenor/soprano saxophone; Jeannine Anderson, Lorin Benedict, vocals; David Ewell, bass; Sly Randolph drums
Monday, July 24 | 7:30 pm | Campbell Recital Hall
Tickets: $18 general | $9 students
Born in Berkeley, young saxophonist Howard Wiley displayed the seeds of his musical talent early. Wiley found himself playing in a familiar environment for young African American musicians: the church. Throughout the history of jazz, the church has been a central training ground for the community, and Wiley’s music is a direct reflection of this youth. A longtime standout with Lavay Smith's Red Hot Skillet Lickers band, Wiley has recorded and performed with many artists, including Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, Dayna Sean Stephens, Marcus Shelby, and Norman Brown.
Rob Schneiderman Quartet Featuring Tootie Heath
Featuring Rob Schneiderman, piano; Andrew Speight, alto saxophone; Michael Zisman, bass; Albert "Tootie" Heath, drums
Tuesday, July 25 | 7:30 pm | Campbell Recital Hall
Tickets: $24 general | $12 students
New York-based pianist Rob Schneiderman is an in-demand sideman, having performed and recorded with such artists as Sonny Stitt, Harold Land, Charles McPherson, J.J. Johnson, Chet Baker, James Moody, Art Farmer and Clifford Jordan. His collaboration with Slide Hampton included the recording New Outlook, the first of Schneiderman's nine recordings as a leader on the Reservoir Music label. Professor Schneiderman—he has a PhD in mathematics from UC Berkeley and teaches at the University of Pennsylvania—is also active as a jazz clinician and educator, including assignments at William Paterson University, Queens College in New York, and Berkeley's Jazzschool.
Standards Night Featuring Bill Tapia
Featuring Bill Tapia, ukulele; Ruth Davies, bass; Akira Tana, drums; and other SJW faculty artists
Wednesday, July 26 | 7:30 pm | Campbell Recital Hall
Tickets: $24 general | $12 students
With his humor, energy, and skill intact after a career stretching back to World War I-era vaudeville, ukulele legend Bill Tapia is unstoppable at age 98. Tapia's virtuoso playing, iridescent smile, and performing charisma have garnered worldwide recognition. And Tapia doesn't intend to slow down. Plans for early 2006 include a live album release, completion of a new documentary, and more touring on the West Coast, in Hawai'i, and his debut performance in New York City. Joined by several SJW faculty artists, Tapia will perform a celebration of the beloved romantic songs of the 1930s and 1940s that have come to be known as the great jazz standards.
Paster, Ryan & Hall
Featuring Bennett Paster, piano; Gregory Ryan, bass; Keith Hall, drums
Thursday, July 27 | 7:30 pm | Campbell Recital Hall
Tickets: $18 general | $9 students
The trio of Paster, Ryan & Hall has been playing regularly together for several years; the roots of their connection run deep. Pianist Bennett Paster and bassist Gregory Ryan met more than a decade ago at Stanford Jazz Workshop, where both are frequent faculty members. They have collaborated regularly since then, both in trio settings and with Grupo Yanqui, the Latin jazz band they co-lead. Drummer Keith Hall, having performed with both Paster and Ryan, was a natural to join them in a trio created in 2002. The amazing groove the three established has continued up to the present, and is very evident on the trio's first recording, Skyline (2005).
Cedar Walton
Featuring Cedar Walton, solo piano
Saturday, July 29 | 8 pm | Campbell Recital Hall
Tickets: $40 general | $20 students
One of the premier players in contemporary jazz, pianist Cedar Walton combines rock-solid technique and an urbane lyrical quality with compositional skills that have produced widely played jazz standards such as "Bolivia," "Mosiac" and "Ugetsu." Walton joined Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers in 1961, and played along side Freddie Hubbard and Wayne Shorter. Today, Walton is a jazz giant in his prime, as demonstrated by his solo performance on his latest HighNote release, Underground Memoirs. Walton returns to the Stanford Jazz Festival for a rare solo performance in the superb acoustics of Campbell Recital Hall. Supported by Evan and Violet Brooks
Heath Brothers
Featuring Jimmy Heath, saxophone; Harold Mabern, piano; Joe Sanders, bass; Albert "Tootie" Heath, drums
Sunday, July 30 | 8 pm | Dinkelspiel Auditorium
Tickets: $32 general | $16 students
Inside Jazz: Jazz Brothers
7 pm | Free pre-concert lecture with concert ticket
Speaker: Dr. Herb Wong, jazz journalist, historian, critic, and concert producer
As individuals leading their own combos, and as a family unit that has released numerous acclaimed albums, the Heath Brothers always deliver accomplished, exemplary, hard bop. In concert, the Heath Brothers share an intense yet relaxed musical intimacy that can only exist among family. Bassist Percy Heath, a longtime player with the influential Modern Jazz Quartet, is missed after his death last year. Saxophonist Jimmy "Little Bird" Heath has a distinctive sound on tenor, is a fluid player on soprano and flute, and a very talented arranger/composer whose originals include "C.T.A." and "Gingerbread Boy." Drummer Albert "Tootie" Heath made his recording debut on John Coltrane's first album as a leader and has since played with titans like Dexter Gordon, Herbie Hancock, and Yusef Lateef. The two surviving Heath Brothers return to Stanford to carry on the family tradition of outstanding hard bop. Supported in part by Bruce Powell, NEA Jazz Masters on Tour.
Goldings, Stewart & Bernstein
Featuring Larry Goldings, Hammond B-3 organ; Peter Bernstein, guitar; Bill Stewart, drums
Monday, July 31 | 8 pm | Dinkelspiel Auditorium
Tickets: $28 general | $14 students
Since the early 1990s, guitarist Peter Bernstein, organist Larry Goldings, and drummer Bill Stewart have logged a lot of musical time together. Recording and performing as a trio under each of their individual names, they've evolved the kind of chemistry that can only come from a longstanding and purely cooperative relationship among talented equals. Their acclaimed recordings have included Sweet Science (as Goldings trio, 2002) and Live at Smoke (as Bernstein trio, 2005). Larry Goldings is considered by many to be one of today's premiere jazz keyboardists. Already in 2006 Goldings has toured as the sole accompanist with James Taylor and as part of John Scofield's Trio Beyond (also featuring Jack DeJohnette). Guitarist Peter Bernstein has been playing the New York Jazz scene for over a decade and has established himself as a consummate leader, a highly cooperative sideman and a gifted composer. A past teen participant at Stanford Jazz Workshop, drummer Bill Stewart is among a scarce handful of artists who take the drums and create an environment that fosters mystery, personal expression, and a fair amount of wit. Well known for his associations with John Scofield and Pat Metheny, Stewart made a very impressive recording debut as a leader with Snide Remarks in 1995, featuring Scofield and Joe Lovano.
STANFORD JAZZ FESTIVAL AUGUST EVENTS
Eric Alexander Quartet
Featuring Eric Alexander, saxophone; Harold Mabern, piano; Rodney Whitaker, bass; Joe Farnsworth, drums
Tuesday, August 1 | 8 pm | Dinkelspiel Auditorium
Tickets: $28 general, $14 students
Boasting a warm, finely burnished tone and a robust melodic and harmonic imagination, Eric Alexander brings a seasoned veteran's proficiency and poise to his performances and recordings. A fixture at the venerable New York all jazz nightclub Smoke, Alexander has released nearly a score of albums and appeared on recordings by numerous artists, including Cecil Payne, Irene Reid, Jim Rotondi, Little Jimmy Scott, Pat Martino, and Randy Johnston. In the early 1990s Alexander threw himself into the whirlwind life of a professional jazz musician. He played with organ trios on the South Side of Chicago, made his recording debut in 1991 with Charles Earland, and cut his first album as leader in 1992 (Straight Up). Alexander returns to the Stanford Jazz Festival for an evening of energetic straight-ahead jazz with longtime bandmates Harold Mabern and Joe Farnsworth, and the great Detroit bassist Rodney Whitaker.
Cedar Walton Trio
Featuring Cedar Walton, piano; Tony Dumas, bass; Joe Farnsworth, drums
Wednesday, August 2 | 8 pm | Dinkelspiel Auditorium
Tickets: $32 general | $16 students
With his exceptional expressive touch and vigorous melodic sense, Cedar Walton makes sparks fly across the keys as one of today’s most influential hard-bop pianists. A brilliant interpreter of the classics, he has also penned many originals that have become permanent fixtures in the jazz repertoire. After a recent performance at the Kennedy Center, the Washington Post praised him as a master with a "flair for subtle embellishments...who doesn't come to town nearly often enough." He comes to Palo Alto even less frequently. Cedar Walton makes his first return to the Stanford Jazz Festival in nine years, as his trio presents its trademark blistering blues and bop.
SJW All Star Jam Session
Featuring Phil Woods, Jimmy Heath, Eric Alexander, Andrew Speight, saxophone; Brian Lynch, trumpet; Madeline Eastman, Dena DeRose, vocals; Harold Mabern, Stefan Karlsson, piano; Rodney Whitaker, bass; Joe Farnsworth, drums
Friday, August 4 | 8 pm | Dinkelspiel Auditorium
Tickets: $32 general | $16 students
Inside Jazz: The Soul of Jazz
7 pm | Free pre-concert lecture with concert ticket
Speaker: Sonny Buxton, KCSM Jazz 91.1 FM
The annual defining event of the Stanford Jazz Festival experience is the All Star Jam Session. The tradition of "jamming"—musicians crowded on a stage casually contesting one another in friendly extended improvisational sessions—is a jazz hallmark. And rarely will such a combination of competition and camaraderie equal the diverse, multigenerational star power crowded onto the stage for Stanford Jazz Workshop’s faculty jam.
Phil Woods Group
Featuring Phil Woods, saxophone; Brian Lynch, trumpet; Stefan Karlsson, piano; Rodney Whitaker, bass; Joe Farnsworth, drums
Saturday, August 5 | 8 pm | Campbell Recital Hall
Tickets: $40 general | $20 students
A four-time Grammy-winning alto saxophonist, Phil Woods is one of the great alto saxophonists in jazz, adding his expressive tones and driving rhythmic pulse to a host of great recordings. A jazz artist whose lineage is clearly rooted in Charlie Parker, Benny Carter, and Johnny Hodges, Woods has also contributed to pop recordings by artists such as Paul Simon, Steely Dan, Tony Bennett, Carly Simon, and Billy Joel. The now 74-year-old Woods returns to the Stanford Jazz Festival with for an unforgettable closing night event in intimate Campbell Recital Hall. Supported by Lisa Friedman & James Harris
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2006 Stanford Jazz Festival
Information: 650.736.0324 or
www.stanfordjazz.org
Tickets: 650.725.ARTS (2787) or
www.ticketweb.com
Festival Pass: $500 includes admission to all shows.
Trio: Purchase tickets to three – five performances and get a 10% discount.
Sextet: Purchase tickets to six or more performances and get a 15% discount.
Artists, dates and venues subject to change.
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Information
For more information visit Stanford Jazz Workshop's website at StanfordJazz.org, or call 650.736.0324.
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