Photos
from 17th Annual Berks Jazz Festival
March 16-25, 2007
Reading, PA
“Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.” Herodotus, Greek historian
While this quote is synonymous with the US Postal Service, it could also be used in regards to all of the artists and fans at this year’s 17th Annual First Energy Berks Jazz Festival. March usually symbolizes the start of Spring and the start of the jazz festival season. This year it gave us a dose of seasons past and future with seven inches of snow, rain, fog, wind, and sun. But none of this deterred the hundreds of musicians, volunteers, and thousands of fans who make their annual trek to Reading, PA.
For ten days, Reading becomes jazz Mecca. From smooth to contemporary jazz, this festival appeals to almost every taste. If you’ve attended the First Energy Berks Jazz Festival before, you know the kind of musical talent they showcase. Festival producer, John Ernesto, outdoes himself year after year and assembles a truly remarkable list of musicians. This year’s line-up included: Mindi Abair, Rick Braun & Friends (which included Richard Elliot, Jonathan Butler and Jackiem Joyner), Downright Upright All-Stars (Jeff Lorber, Brian Bromberg, Dave Weckl, Gary Meeks and Randy Brecker), Guitars & Saxes (Gerald Albright, Kirk Whalum, Jeff Golub and Tim Bowman), Warren Hill, Nick Colionne, Boney James, Chuck Loeb, Kevin Mahogany, Dave Liebman, Pat Martino Quartet, Nelson Rangell, Phillippe Saisse, David Sanborn, The Sax Pack (Jeff Kashiwa, Steve Cole and Kim Waters), Gerald Veasley, Heads Up Superstars (Doc Powell, Pieces of A Dream, Bobby Lyle, Joe McBride, Alexander Zonjic, Marion Meadows. And that doesn’t even include the talented line-up from two outstanding tribute shows, which played to sold-out audiences during the festival.
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| The festival opened on a Friday night, in the midst of a snow storm. The Downright Upright All-Stars got things started with Brian Bromberg on bass, Jeff Lorber on keys, Dave Weckl on drums, Gary Meeks on sax, and Randy Brecker on trumpet. After a 12 hour drive from Boston in the snow, the band played a very late-night show to an appreciative crowd. They played some straight-ahead jazz and some upbeat, funky tunes. It was such a treat to see these exceptional musicians together.
On Saturday afternoon, we were treated to An Afternoon of Heads Up, featuring Heads Up label artists. This was such a terrific idea for this label to showcase some of their smooth jazz artists. First up was Pieces of a Dream. This band is a local favorite and never disappoints. The band featured the usual members: James Lloyd, Curtis Harmon, David Dyson, and Jerrod Gibbs. Each band member got a chance to solo, showing their unique talents and why, when they come together, they are incredibly tight. They played “Wake Up Call” and were joined on stage by Gerald Veasley for “Valdez in the Country” and “Sugar Time,” from Live at the Jazz Base. Gerald Veasley makes playing look so easy, but as anyone who has attended his annual Boot Camp can tell you, it is anything but easy. The Berks Jazz Festival Horns joined in with the band and added some great brass sounds.
Doc Powell then joined in and played the first single from his new album. He then recruited three women from the audience to be his back-up singers on a cover of “It’s Too Late.” Bobby Lyle joined in on the fun, playing his version of “Sweetest Taboo.” Then Bobby, James Lloyd and Jerrod Gibbs played the most amazing version of “A Night in Tunisia.” All three of them, 30 fingers, played the piano and rotated spots on the keys, playing different sections throughout the song. This is what professionals do! Bobby then went into a rousing take on the Doobie Brothers tune, “Minute By Minute.” Doc Powell got to do a great electric guitar solo and then a back-and-forth exchange with Bobby Lyle. Joe McBride then joined the stage, accompanied by Doc Powell, David Dyson, and Curtis Harmon for “Don’t Know Why.”
This was our first time experiencing the flute of Alexander Zonjic. We don’t usually think of the flute as a jazz instrument, but it is gaining in popularity thanks to people like Alexander who make it contemporary. His playing is wild and infectious and he really knows how to shake up the crowd. He was joined by Marion Meadows on soprano sax. What a treat! The two instruments really compliment each other well. Marion then played “Dressed to Chill,” the title track from his latest CD. Finally, all of the Heads Up artists took the stage for a grand finale of “Higher.” Terrific show with fantastic musicians and music!
Later that day, Boney James took the stage at the Sovereign Performing Arts Center and played to a packed house. If you have ever been to a Boney show, you already know what a high energy show this can be. At times Boney was running through the crowd, and even went up to the balcony section! He played his biggest hits and some new music from his latest release, Shine.
Sunday afternoon started off with Joyce Cooling. Her band consisted of Jay Wagner on keys, Billy Johnson on drums, and Victor Little on bass. Joyce played “Come and Get It,” “Daddy-O,” “Savannah,” and “Expression,” which was a very percussion-filled song. Her latest CD, Revolving Door, was for sale, with much of the proceeds going to NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, a cause very dear to her. Joyce ended her set with a song written especially for her supporters called “I’ll Always Love You.” It was a solo guitar piece that truly captured the hearts of her fans.
Continuing on in the afternoon was a spectacular performance by the Phillippe Saisse Trio (which included Scooter Warren on drums and Dave Fink on bass), and Nelson Rangell. This was the first time these two artists had ever performed together, but you would never know that. Phillippe opened with two songs, his latest hit, “Do It Again,” and “September.” He was joined by Nelson Rangell, who came out playing “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout A Thing.” The two artists continued to alternate between their own songs, but accompanying each other. “A Night in Tunisia” was performed by Nelson and then “Moanin’” was handled by Phillippe. Nelson then treated the crowd to the song “Sonora.” What was special about this performance was that it was not played on any instrument – it was Nelson whistling the entire tune. It was absolutely amazing! The crowd loved it. This was definitely one of the highlights of the weekend.
Sunday night ended the first weekend of the festival with the tribute show Celebrating the Life & Music of Luther Vandross, produced by Jason Miles. The show included performances by Dionne Warwick, Kirk Whalum, Walter Beasley, Cissy Houston, Doc Powell, James “D Train” Williams, Tinker Barfield, Buddy Williams, and Sharon Bryant. The show was completely sold out, and unfortunately we were not able to attend because of overcrowding in the Performing Arts Center.
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The first week, the weather sought to complicate the festival. The second week’s issues were airline related. However, the show must go on, and go on it did.
For us, the second part of the festival kicked off on Thursday evening with a sold out performance at the Abraham Lincoln Hotel Ballroom by the very talented Mindi Abair. Despite having some frustrating and scary airline experiences on route to Reading, Mindi and her band (Jay Gore, Andre Berry, Jamey Tate, and Rodney Lee) were in top form as they performed songs from her latest release, including “True Blue,” “Bloom,” and “The Joint,” as well as some from her previous releases, ”High Five,” “Everytime,” and the songs that put her on the map, “Flirt,” and “Lucy’s.” Live performance standout songs “Work Song,” and “It Just Happens That Way,” get to show off the musical prowess of her band. The show was very high energy most of the night. This was just what was needed after making the three hour trip up to Reading. Mindi even performed an encore and signed CD’s after the show, despite the fact that she had to head over to the The Sheraton Ballroom to take part in the Berks All Star Jazz Jam.
The All Star Jazz Jam is always interesting. It’s one of the highlights of the festival, and the crowd loves it. The talent on stage for this event is always astonishing. This is something that you’ll see only at the First Energy Berks Jazz Festival, so those that come to see this, get an amazing treat. This year’s incredible line-up consisted of: Chuck Loeb, Rick Braun, Joe McBride, Richard Elliott, John Blake, Rayford Griffin, Gerald Veasley, Brian Bromberg, Steve Oliver, Nick Colionne, Warren Hill, Mindi Abair, Jackeim Joyner, and guitar legend, Pat Martino. This is always a special event because it gives the musicians, as well as the audience, a chance to experience musical collaborations that they probably would not experience in any other environment. How cool is it to have some of today’s best smooth and contemporary guitarists share a song with jazz guitar legend Pat Martino? What a treat it was to hear Rick Braun step out of the smooth jazz world and play something a little different then what we’re used to hearing. Songs heard that night included, “Fingertips,” “The Chicken,” and a beautiful rendition of “Summertime,” which featured Steve Oliver and Mindi Abair.
Rick Braun brought along some of his friends (and family) for another night of fantastic music. Rick’s friends, Richard Elliott, Jonathan Butler, and Jackeim Joyner, know how to throw a party, as do band members Rayford Griffin, Ron Reinhart, and Stan Sergeant. The band was rounded out by a horn section that included Rick’s brother, Russ on trombone, Dan Fanero on trumpet, and long time Rick Braun sax man, Jimmy Roberts. Rick got it started with crowd pleaser “Cadillac Slim.” Richard Elliott kept it going with all of his incredible energy, when he played “Corner Pocket,” and Jonathan Butler played “Wake Up” (which gets one of us up on her feet every time). While the high energy numbers kept everybody grooving, there were some deep, soulful and moving, low and mid tempo songs as well. How do you not get goose bumps when you hear Jonathan Butler perform “No Woman, No Cry?” How do you not get a chill when Rick Braun performs “Notorious,” or when you hear the opening notes of Richard Elliott performing “When a Man Loves a Woman?”
The David Sanborn Group made an appearance at this year’s First Energy Berks Jazz Festival for the late show. With him were longtime band members Richard Patterson and Nick Moroch, as well as recent additions Deron Johnson and Terion Gully. It’s always a privilege to see and hear a master craftsman at work. Some of the musicians on hand thought so, too. There were several in the audience that night watching the show. Sanborn performed a wide range of songs from his extensive musical catalog including “Proclamation,” “Comin’ Home Baby,” “As We Speak,” a different version of “Tin Tin Deo,” “Soul Serenade,” and the always popular crowd favorites “Maputo” and “Chicago Song.” The crowd sat mesmerized when the band performed “Lotus Blossom.” Between the passionate sound of the alto sax, and the soft Nick Moroch guitar solo, you could hear a pin drop in the large ballroom.
As mentioned previously, airline related problems plagued several of the musicians playing this year’s festival. Warren Hill and Nick Colionne were the scheduled afternoon entertainment at 1:30pm. At 9am that morning, Warren found out that the majority of his band, for whatever reasons, didn’t make their flights and could not make it in time for the show. The only one of his regular players on hand was Andre Berry, who had been there Thursday night for Mindi Abair, left on Friday to play a gig with Mindi in Florida, then returned to play the Warren Hill show on Saturday. Because this was a multi venue/multi day festival and not a single venue/single day concert, there were many musicians around. Thankfully, Warren was able to secure Jerry Johnson (guitar player for The Sax Pack,) Chris Miskel, (drummer for Nick Colionne,) and Ron Reinhart (keyboard player for Rick Braun and Richard Elliott) to help in out for his gig. Warren mentioned this early into his gig, but, had he not, I don’t think that too many people in the audience would have known that these musicians were pinch hitting for Warren Hill. They performed several songs, including “Come Together,” with Warren singing as well as playing his sax. Warren is a great player and he knows how to move the crowd whether he’s playing fast and furious like “Mambo 2000,” or soft and mellow like “Our First Dance.” Also on the set list were “Mr. Magic,” which morphed into “Wine Light,” and “Light My Fire.” This is one of the reasons why we at Smoothviews have such high regard for the side musicians, and we have a special place for them here on our site. Here are three musicians who were brought in to sub with only hours to learn a full set list. Andre taught the music to Jerry while riding in the limo from the airport to the hotel. The others learned it in short periods of time as well. They stepped up at the last minute and played the way they always play, like the true professionals they are. Warren Hill did not have to mention any of that, but, the fact that he did makes us appreciate even more the talent that these musicians possess.
Nick Colionne played next and entertained the crowd as only he can do. The best dressed man in the genre played songs from several of his CDs, making it a highly entertaining afternoon. Nick delivers every time he takes the stage. He’s having so much fun playing, interacting with his band (Chris Miskel, Dave Hiltebrand, John Erickson, and Tim Gant) and entertaining the audience that you forget that it’s really not as easy as he makes it look. It’s pretty much a given that Nick Colionne has to sing these days, as well as play, so he did “Rainy Night,” which the crowd always responds well to. Also on the list were “Hurry Up This Way Again,” and “High Flyin’.”
The second Jason Miles show of the festival was called Soul Summit. This one focused on classic soul music. Once again, Jason (keys and vocal introductions/narrations) assembled a talented group of musicians – David Mann (sax), Steve Ferrone (drums), Bob Babbitt (bass), Reggie Young (guitar), Sherrod Barnes (guitar), Carl Denison (flute), and Barry Danilian (trumpet) to back the many other artists who came out to perform specific songs. Among the featured performers were Mike Mattison, Susan Tedeschi, Richard Elliott, and the wonderfully talented Maysa, who is a crowd favorite wherever she appears. Some highlights from this concert were “Memphis 2000,” “Memphis Underground,” “What a Man,” and “Chicken and Waffles.”
Back to the Sheraton for the late show; The Sax Pack, featuring Jeff Kashiwa, Steve Cole, and Kim Waters. Not only was the music great, but these three musicians kept the audience laughing in between songs for most of the night. The Sax Pack introduction was played together as a group, then, the players separated and each played some of their own material. If they look like they’re having a good time, you can take it on good authority that they really are. “Actually, more (laugh) because you don’t see what goes on backstage (laughs.) It’s probably some of the most fun I’ve ever had playing. It’s great. The thing I love about it is that our styles are so different. The thing we strive to do also is play together more than people are used to with some of the other group shows. We play together because it’s a whole lot more fun, but when we play our little features when we’re alone, our styles are so different that it’s almost like a whole other experience every time somebody comes out.” Steve Cole said this about The Sax Pack when Smoothviews interviewed him a few months ago.
Those music fans that purchased a raffle ticket were treated to a late night jam session hosted by Nick Colionne, promoting the upcoming 2008 Brian Culbertson All Star Smooth Jazz Cruise. Many musicians who will appear on the cruise were either already at Berks, or flew in especially for this show. There were also a few surprises as well. Nick’s band backed a barrage of musicians who continuously rotated on and off stage to play throughout the two hour jam session. Who knew the mandolin could be part of a jazz jam? Steve Walker, “the best mandolin player in Reading” knew. The flute was also represented by Althea Rene, and DC area local favorite, Alvin Fisher. Some of the highlights included local Philadelphia sax man, Andrew Neu, paying homage to fellow local Philadelphia native, the great Grover Washington, Jr. by playing “Winelight, “ accompanied by Nick Colionne; good friends Alan Hewitt and Steve Oliver playing a duet; Althea Rene, Michael Manson, and Jackeim Joyner jamming on “Always There”; Gerald Veasley, surprise player Scott Ambush, and the incredible Maysa doing their version of the classic “Summertime,”; and a trio of bass players , Veasley, Ambush, and Manson, facing off.
The last day of the festival began with a great show: Chuck Loeb featuring the Berks Jazz Fest horns, plus the members of the Sax Pack, and Gerald Veasley. Chuck is such a mesmerizing player that it’s so easy to lose yourself in one of his songs. He played several of his hits including the lovely ballad, “Starting Over,” “E-Bop,” his latest, “Presence” and a stellar rendition of James Taylor’s “Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight,” with the amazing Josh Dion doing double duty on drums and vocals. Chuck also played “Mr. Martino,” a tribute to guitar great Pat Martino. Chuck Loeb is an excellent headliner, but he also has no problem sharing the stage with other talented musicians. (He’s probably written for and/or produced many of them.) Gerald Veasley joined him and played a tune written for Gerald’s wife of many years, “Forever.” The audience sat deep in the throws of Veasley’s powerful and passionate playing. The members of the Sax Pack each played a song with Chuck, including a powerful rendition of “Georgia,” accompanied by Steve Cole on sax, and Josh Dion on drums and vocals.
The last show of the 2007 festival was this year’s Guitars & Saxes, which featured Jeff Golub, Tim Bowman, Kirk Whalum, and Gerald Albright. They began the show with each player performing part of one of their popular songs, which became the opening medley. They took turns performing many of their hits, “Dangerous Curves,” (Golub) “Grover Worked and Under Paid,” (Whalum) “Columbus, GA” (Bowman), and “Bermuda Nights.” (Albright) Gerald Albright even received a beautiful bouquet of long stemmed red roses from one of his fans. These four very talented musicians were backed by Ricky Lawson, Nate Phillips, and Marlon McClain. They continued to play and entertain the audience, bringing the festival to a rousing conclusion.
The Berks Jazz Festival is different from some other festivals that we’ve attended. It is not the result of a concert promoter just putting on a show. This is a community coming together to make this happen, as they’ve done for the last 17 years. This year made it a little more special for those in the Philadelphia area. Philadelphia lost it’s very popular smooth jazz radio station recently when Clear Channel flipped it to another format. It was a major loss for smooth jazz lovers, and we wondered what kind of effect it would have on this festival. But, as you may know, smooth jazz is alive and well and back in Philly. WJJZ has found a new home, and all is right with the world.
Be sure to mark your calendars for the 2008 festival, which will run from March 28 – April 6, 2008.
- Bonnie Schendell
- Mary Bentley |
