Posts Tagged ‘Kenneth Williams’
Throwback Thursday
Thursday, April 7th, 2016Jazz Fest, Day 2: MVP
Sunday, July 19th, 2015
Most Valuable Piano Tuner: Kenny Williams.
Part of our wish list this year is to recognize Kenny Williams. We bet he’s tuned piano for each of the 30 plus Jazz Fests (give or take a few) here in Syracuse. He’s an expert at his craft,but he’s also an all-around cool guy. We wonder what it will take to get him a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Festival?
Extension: Jazz Fest, Day 2
Saturday, July 6th, 2013
Napoleon Murphy Brock of the Grandmothers of Invention and Festival Producer Frank Malfitano hug it out during a lengthy rain delay.
At Day Two of the Syracuse Jazz Festival the weather almost trumped the music. After lightning flashes, a near monsoon, and baseball-length rain delay, however the music continued and the GrandMothers of Invention (formed in 2002 from Frank Zappa’s Mothers of Invention) gave those remaining a high-impact show.
Earlier in the day, Sophistafunk and the Yellowjackets, as well as Giacomo Gates, were on stage.
William Kennedy, Drummer, Yellowjackets
Adam Gold, Keyboardist, Sophistafunk
Don Preston, who started with Frank Zappa in 1967, is showing no signs of slowing down on this “One Size Fits All” US Tour. He came to the Syracuse show from Chapel Hill, NC. Tomorrow the GrandMothers of Invention play Annapolis, then NYC, before heading back Upstate to Rochester on July 10.
WAEF FM 88’s GM Joe Lee brings on the Yellowjackets.
Sophista-Fan
Piano tuner Kenny Williams has been working festivals and concerts in Syracuse for more than a half century.
Napoleon Murphy Brock (left),who started with Zappa in 1974 and now is the lead vocalist for the GrandMothers of Invention, shows off his Suavenicity during an opening number.
Jazz for a Sunday Afternoon
Tuesday, June 29th, 2010
Dave Mann, Will Lee and Chris Parker
The 28th Annual Syracuse Jazz Fest took place again at Onondaga Community College last weekend. I got cover the final day, which featured Natalie Cole, Toph-E, Sheryl Bailey, and Michael Kaeshammer. One fan I spoke with said the Friday night Jam Session was the best set he’d seen at this particular event (he’s been attending for over 20 years).
Michael Kaeshammer and Marc Roberts
Other artists who performed on days one and two of the festival (who I missed) included Gil Scott Heron, Boz Scaggs and Jeff Lorber.
It was also good to see, photograph and talk with piano tuner Kenneth Williams. According to Jazz Fest Producer Festival Frank Malfitano: “[Williams] is the best in the business and a very dear friend of the festival, he’s indispensable.”
Natalie Cole
