Posts Tagged ‘Syracuse Jazz Festival’
Tuesday, November 10th, 2015
Christine Fawcett-Shapiro and Mike Massurin (Syracuse International Film Festival), along with Frank Malfitano (Syracuse Jazz Fest) and Eric Bush (General Manager of Sound Garden) announced that the DVD release and Northeast film premiere of Jaco will take place in Syracuse.
A quartet of Syracuse arts groups, including The Place Theater, Syracuse Jazz Fest, The Syracuse International Film Festival and Sound Garden, held a press event today in Armory Square. The group will collaborate to host a premiere of Jaco, a documentary about bassist Jaco Pastorius. The film was produced by Robert Trujillo and directed by Paul Merchange and Stephen Kijak.
Trujillo will make an appearance at the screening, which will take place at the Palace on Friday, November 27. Earlier in the day he will he will do a in-store DVD signing at The Sound Garden.
The 2007 Syracuse Jazz Fest was dedicated to Jaco Pastorius.
Tags:2015, Bass, Frank Malfitano, Jaco Pastorius, Music, Syracuse International Film Festival, Syracuse Jazz Fest, Syracuse Jazz Festival, the palace theater, The Sound Garden
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Tuesday, June 28th, 2011
Return to Forever IV: Chick Corea
Bass Man: Stanley Clarke
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Klyde Jones: Average White Band
Dance, Dance, Dance: AWB Fans
Robert Cray
Nothing but strings: RTFIV’s Jean-Luc Ponty
Al Chez and his family of funk
Picking up the Pieces: AWB’s Onnie McIntyre
Tags:2011, Al Chez, Average White Band, AWB, Chick Corea, Frank Malfitano, Jean-Luc Ponty, Lenny White, Music, Onnie McIntyre, Photos, Return to Forever IV, Stanley Clarke, SUNY OCC, Syracuse Jazz Fest, Syracuse Jazz Festival
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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
Tags:2010, Canadian Musicians, Clifford Carter, Dave Mann, Entergy, Frank Malfitano, Kenneth Williams, Louis H. Everding Main Stage, Marc Roberts, Michael Kaeshammer, Natalie Cole, Onondaga County Executive Joanie Mahoney, Sheryl Bailey & The OCC Orchestra w/ Special Guest Jay Ashby, SUNY OCC, Syracuse Jazz Fest, Syracuse Jazz Festival, Syracuse Piano Tuner, Toph-E and the Pussycats, Will Lee, Y94 FM
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Thursday, July 2nd, 2009
Kenny G JazzFest 2009
I had the opportunity to cover the 2009 Syracuse Jazz Fest at OCC last week and see Spyro Gyra and Kenny Gorelick (aka Kenny G.) I’m familiar with some of Gorelick’s work, and maybe my favorite cut is “Hi! How Ya Doin, ” which was produced by Kashif. If you check out the video, you can see Kenny G before he had the long curly hair and you can even see his dance moves.
What I didn’t know about Kenny G is that he has sold over 50 million albums, he started out playing with Barry White’s Love Unlimited Orchestra and his wife is photographer Lyndie Benson.
Before Kenny G took the stage I had a wonderful conversation for the Jazz Fest’s piano tuner Kenneth Williams back stage. I know Williams from a previous job and we’ve had brief conversations about his vision (he’s legally blind) his hearing (he has what he calls “good relative pitch.”) and his love of music (he doesn’t own a piano but he is actually a trumpet player).
Kenneth Williams, piano tuner
Williams is a jovial personality who does some of the best impressions I’ve heard outside of Hollywood. He does a great John Wayne, Pearl Bailey and Jimmy Stewart. I asked him how long would he continue to work (he’s been a piano technician and tuner for longer than I’ve been alive). I’m never going to retire, he said. I’m having too much fun.
Tags:2009, Arista Records, Best-selling jazz artist of all time, Breathless, Duotones, Frank Malfitano, Kashif, Kenneth Williams, Kenny G, Kenny G Live, Kenny Gorelick, Louis H. Everding Main Stage, Lyndie Benson Photography, Piano, Smooth Jazz, Spyro Gyra, SUNY OCC, Syracuse Jazz Fest, Syracuse Jazz Festival, Syracuse Piano Tuner
Posted in Art, Media, Music, Photography | 3 Comments »
