Cape May Jazz Festival

“A Tribute to the Count”

Swing with the timeless, priceless Legendary Count Basie Orchestra* directed by Bill Hughes at the Cape May Jazz Festival presented by New Jersey Department of Travel and Tourism and Bank of America November 6th for one big thrill 8pm – 10pm in the Theatre at Lower Regional High School. The Count Basie Orchestra of today is nineteen performers committed to upholding the Basie tradition with a keyboard set in motion, always swinging Kansas City style, winning 17 Grammies and continuing to perform across North America, Europe and Southeast Asia….come back to Basie.

Friday night continues with Richie Cole and “alto madness” in Carneys Other Room. Richie is a master of the sax, a brilliant arranger, composer who constantly shows that there is life, humor and creativity found in classic bebop. He is “one of the last of the breed – a fast and competitive musical gunslinger demonstrating his command of Charlie Parker’s bebop language” states All About Jazz. Barbara King returns by popular demand with her dusky, Sarah Vaughan-like qualities performing in Victorian Gardens at the Marquis de Lafayette Hotel.

Raised with a mix of family background cultures from Cuba, Jamaica and Costa Rica and surrounded by music and dancing, Barbara was introduced at an early age to jazz legends such as Sarah, Ella, Dinah and Billie who influence her singing. Continuing in Carneys Main Room is the Radam Schwartz Quintet featuring Radam pumping out driving rhythms on the Hammond B3 along with Anthony Ware on sax, James Gibbs III on trumpet.

Radam’s prolific career has led to many successful recordings having performed with David Fathead Newman, Eddie Lockjaw Davis and many others. Friday night is rounded out with Gary Allegretto who is being considered for a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album…. a versatile harmonica rockin’ the pure electric and acoustic blues in Cabanas. Allegretto sings with a natural storytelling appeal, a wry sense of humor while his harmonica comes as natural as his own voice that makes you dance from the first song ‘til the last.

Ravi Coltrane, a true renaissance man who is at the forefront carving up new paths within jazz, opens Saturday night at the Theatre featuring Geri Allen on piano along with Massimo Biolcati, bass, and E. J. Strickland, drums. A modernist who has absorbed a wealth of jazz ranging from his father John Coltrane and Sonny Rollins to contemporary figures such as Steve Coleman, Wayne Shorter who owes equal debt to Joe Henderson.

The listener hears the “elusive beauty” of Ravi through his tenor and soprano saxophone as an explosion of rhythmic and melodic sequences that float through the air with grace…deep, soulful, masterful with the appealingly Hendersonian tendency to lay back even when he is driving hard. Saturday night continues to thrill with Houston Person performing at the Jazz Dinner at Aleatheas with open seating at 11pm. A reviewer calls him the natural heir to the boss tenor crown worn so long and so well by Gene Ammons. It is all “tone”, no flash but instead the warmth of his sound, lingering over every note….his solos are tuneful enough to be part of the melody of any *Count Basie Orchestra trademarks used under license from the Trust of William J. Basie standard.

Denise Thimes graces Victorian Gardens with her brilliant voice ranking with the all-time greats such as Ella, Sassy, Lady Day, Nancy and Carmen to name a few. She has shared the stage with Clark Terry, Dr. Billy Taylor, Jimmy and Tootie Heath, James Moody and will continue to steal the show. Teddy Royal, international instrumental guitarist, will perform with Kyle Kohler on organ and Ken Fowser, sax, in the Boiler Room at Congress Hall. Teddy just won “Best Musician” at the American Idol Talent Show at the Borgata and will fly to Vegas as Borgata’s guest to compete in the finals. Royal calls New Orleans his home where he wrote and recorded with the Staple Singers, Allen Toussaint, Patti LaBelle, the Neville Brothers and was Fats Domino’s guitarist for 30 years.

Royal has had a life-long love affair with music which began while growing up listening to the music of Wes Montgomery…..Wes can be heard throughout his playing. Edgardo Cintron and Inca return to Carneys Main Room by popular demand with a “Tribute to Carlos Santana”, a Latin blast from the past! Trumpeter Dominick Farinacci performing in Carneys Other Room began his career listening to Louis Armstrong and Harry James, received a full-tuition scholarship to Berklee, opened for Wynton Marsalis at the Tri-C Jazz fest in Cleveland after which Wynton invited him to solo with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra . In 2008 he debuted with his own band at the Montreal International Jazz Festival, the Detroit International Jazz Festival and the Tri-C JazzFest.

This gifted, mature and very versatile artist performs with warmth and rich lyricism and is a talent who will be remembered. Memphis Gold who continues the blues tradition at Cabanas evokes the vintage sounds of southern soul and blues and reveals his golden knack for resuscitating southern musical traditions. Gold appeared on the cover of February 09 Living Blues Magazine where he is called a throwback to the blues men of yore who learned their licks at the knee of legendary patriarch Charlie Patton, King of the Mississippi Delta Blues.

The festival includes Jam Sessions Saturday and Sunday in Carneys, Blues Jams in Cabanas with Alan Weber and Frenz Saturday and Frank Bey and the Swing City Blues Band Sunday along with the Saturday CD Signing Party compliments of Barefoot Wines. The 12noon pre-jams at Carneys feature astounding, very talented young musicians ages 11-17….a special treat.

Schedule, musician’s information and sounds bytes are found on the web at www.capemayjazz.org <http://www.capemayjazz.org> . For more information or to be put on the mailing list please call 609-884-7277 or email info@capemayjazz.com. All Event Weekend Pass to attend 18 events beginning 8pm Friday through 4pm Sunday is $150 general admission. Individual Friday or Saturday Night All Event Wristbands are $55. Saturday Afternoon Jam Wristbands $35, Sunday Jams $25. Reserved Seating is available at the Theatre at Lower Regional High School for an additional $25 per person. Complimentary Festival Transportation running every 10 minutes is available between venues all weekend. Please note Box Office moved to Cape May Welcome Center, 609 Lafayette Street across from the Acme Parking Lot.

The 32nd Cape May Jazz Festival is presented by New Jersey Department of State, Division of Travel and Tourism VisitNJ.Com and Bank of America and sponsored by Barefoot Wines, the Delaware River and Bay Authority, WRTI Temple Public Radio, WBGO Jazz 88, WMGM TV40, WCFA 101.5, WTTH the Touch, Cape May Star and Wave, Jazz Times, Verizon Wireless with generous support from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, the New Jersey Cultural Trust, local businesses and donors.