Recently in Jazz Category

Grammy-award winning musician and Midwest native Jonny Lang, along with an exciting lineup of musical talent, will launch the first ever Lakefront Jazz and Blues Festival in Prior Lake, Minn. on Saturday, July 10.

The Lakefront Jazz and Blues Festival is the brainchild of the Prior Lake Rotary and is presented by Mystic Lake Casino Hotel and the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community.

"We are absolutely thrilled to be introducing this exciting event with such high caliber talent as Jonny Lang," said Shaun Naya, Event Co-Chair and Fundraising Chair for the Prior Lake Rotary. "The Prior Lake Rotary has been working hard to bring this festival to fruition and we have been extremely pleased by the support of local businesses and organizations that have stepped forward to help make this event a success."

The day-long festival will start at 1 p.m. with a variety of well known jazz and blues artists and culminate with Jonny Lang's live performance. Food and beverages along with a kids' activity area sponsored by Girl Scouts of America will also be part of the activities provided at Lakefront Park.

"From the very beginning it was our goal to create a free, family-friendly musical event, while showcasing our beautiful city, and raising money to continue the philanthropic missions supported by our club," said Event Co-Chair Dave Card.

In addition to Lang, other performers scheduled to entertain festival guests include:

• Urban jazz headliner Nick Colionne, who dazzles audiences with his captivating live guitar performances and colorful costumes that have tagged him "the best dressed man in jazz."
• Popular guitarist, vocalist and songwriter Joyce Cooling, who is recognized as one of the most dynamic contemporary jazz guitarists in the world for her vibrant, body-moving sound.
• Blues giant Lil' Ed Williams, a talented guitarist, soulful vocalist and member of the popular band The Blues Imperials, which has been performing around the world for 25 years.

Organizers hope to attract 10,000 people to Lakefront Park, which would make it one of the largest music events in the south metro area. The free event does not require admission tickets, and a complimentary shuttle service to the park will be available from various locations throughout Prior Lake.

    
    
    WHAT:       First-ever Lakefront Jazz and Blues Festival
    
    WHERE:      Lakefront Park
                Prior Lake, MN 55372
    
    WHEN:       Saturday, July 10, 2010
                1 p.m. to 10 p.m.
    
    COST:       Free
    

Mystic Lake Casino Hotel is also offering a Lakefront Jazz and Blues Festival hotel package for visitors. The $129 special includes a premier, double occupancy guestroom, free valet parking, free access to Dakotah! Sport and Fitness, complimentary transportation to and from Lakefront Park on Saturday and a variety of exceptional discounts for entertainment at the hotel. For more information about the package or to make reservations, call 1-800-813-7349 and reference code JAZZ10, or visit www.mysticlake.com/hotel.

For more information about the Lakefront Jazz and Blues Festival, please visit www.lakefrontjazz.com.

On February 8, 2009, two band leaders will be seated side by side at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards Ceremony hoping their combined efforts will result in an award for the "Best Latin Jazz Album" of 2008.

Dave Samuels of Caribbean Jazz Project and Joe McCarthy and his Afro Bop Alliance have already landed a 2008 Latin Grammy for their album entitled Afro Bop Alliance. Last year, their two great bands joined forces to make some exceptional music, producing one of the hottest Latin Jazz recordings of 2008.

On the Heads Up label, it's the third recording for the Maryland-based Afro Bop Alliance. Teaming up with the Caribbean Jazz Project, the group swelled to the size of a big band to create a winning sound. The group anticipated neither nomination.

Says Afro Bop Alliance bandleader Joe McCarthy: "I've never made a recording with the intention of trying to win an award. The idea behind the Grammy-nominated recording was to put some of our favorite music into big band arrangements."

This is his third album with Afro Bop Alliance and the second major collaboration with New York-based Caribbean Jazz Project led by Dave Samuels. The Washington Post calls it "an inspired pairing." Amplified by a talented team of brass and reed players, they forge a unique and powerful sound that gets audiences visibly excited and itching to dance.

Samuels wrote the opening high-energy track, "Rendezvous," and four other tunes on the CD. Recognized as the top mallet player of his generation, the award-winning artist shines on both the vibraphone and marimba. Says McCarthy, "Dave is a phenomenal improviser with a wonderful time feel. With him the groove is paramount."

The big band instrumentation lends extra color and power to the music. The CD also features much-praised remakes of Dizzy Gillespie favorite "Sole Sauce," the John Coltrane classic "Naima," and the more conventionally Latin "Stolen Moments" by Oliver E. Nelson. The new versions are receiving plenty of airplay.

Besides the Latin Grammy win and Grammy nomination, the project has yielded two books being published by Alfred Music. One features McCarthy's drum-set-playing techniques; the other taps Dave Samuels' knowledge as a mallet player.

For these musicians, the path has been short on glitz and glamour and long on hard work and discipline. Samuels is based in New York, as is conguero Roberto Quintero. The rest of the musicians on the recording live and work in the Baltimore-Washington area.

Afro Bop Alliance bandleader Joe McCarthy lives in Annapolis and holds the rank of Chief Petty Officer as a musician in the United States Naval Academy Band. He is the principal percussionist of the U.S. Naval Academy Concert Band and the drummer in the jazz ensemble.

McCarthy founded Afro Bop Alliance in 2002, combining the harmonic language of jazz and the rhythmic language of many different Afro Cuban rhythms. The group is infused with the talent and experience of many military band career musicians and others.

About the musicianship of his colleagues he says: "The level is second to none. They are serious and reliable. Had I not been in the Navy Band, I may not have met most of these world-class musicians."

McCarthy's mother is Italian, his father Irish, a testament to the complexity and fire of Latin Music. It's attracted a nation of converts like him who are devoted to the sound. Other band members have equally mixed heritage. What they have in common is in-depth musical training, extensive experience and a love for the distinctive rhythms of Latin music.

Says McCarthy, "When people really understand this music they realize that the categories used to identify all the styles are somewhat limiting. The music's going to happen," he says. "You follow your instincts and your heart and let the music evolve."

Afro Bop Alliance Photo:

http://www.ereleases.com/pr/2009-AfroBopAlliance-Photo.jpg

    Contact:

    Paula Phillips
    443-702-7016

    Joe McCarthy
    410-279-1831

This release was issued through eReleases(TM). For more information, visit http://www.ereleases.com.

 
 
SOURCE Afro Bop Alliance