Ziegler Kettle Moraine Jazz Festival
West Bend, WI
September 7-8, 2007
Last year we decided to venture out of the Washington, DC
area and take in the Zeigler Kettle Moraine Jazz Festival. After
having an amazing time filled with great music and new friends,
we decided that this has to be an annual event. So once
again, we packed and flew to West Bend, Wisconsin to enjoy
another weekend of music.
This year, since we were now considered season veterans of
the Festival, was even more fun. We were pleased to have
our Milwaukee based staff writer joining the East Coast contingent. We
reconnected with our friends from last year and enjoyed the
wonderful weather. Then the music kicked in.
Opening the 10th Annual Ziegler Kettle Moraine Jazz Festival
on Friday evening was Paul Brown and Euge Groove. How
can you go wrong with two powerhouses like that? Paul
came out first and got the crowd pumped with his rendition
of “Winelight.” The crowd was into it from
the very first note. Backed by an incredible band featuring
Derek Organ (drums), Cornelius “take your pants down”
Mims (bass), Marcus Coleman (keys), and Ross Bolton (guitar),
we knew this was going to be fun. Paul played his latest
hit, “Rhythm Method,” and sent the crowd into
a frenzy. Then came Euge Groove. This man really
knows how to work a crowd. With hits like “Mr.
Groove,” “Livin’ Large,” “Sneak-a-Peek,”
“Slam Dunk,” and “Chillaxin,” there
was very little time to sit down! “Just My Imagination”
flowed flawlessly into “Let’s Get It On.”
Then Euge took us to church with his soulful rendition of
“Amazing Grace” and “America the Beautiful,”
which was his salute to the armed forces. “Born
2 Groove” and “Rewind” closed the set, which
the crowd hated to see end.
After a short break, Janita took the stage. The New
York based, Finnish born, neo-soul vocalist and songwriter
performed with a guitarist and percussionist. Halfway
into the set, Paul Brown sat in on drums and filled things
out more. She opened with “Believe Me I Know,” which
showcased her very strong and emotional voice. “Give
Me A Sign,” “That’s How Life Goes,” “Haunted,” and “Let
Me Love You” expressed the deep personal nature of her
songwriting. Janita’s impressive stage presence and obvious
vocal chops tied together this soulful, atmospheric, 8-song
set.
Closing out the night was Norman Brown’s Summer Storm
featuring headliners Jeff Lorber, Marion Meadows, and Peabo
Bryson. Rounding out the band was Tony Moore (drums),
Rob McDonald (bass), Tracy Meyers (percussion), and Gail Johnson
and Travis Milner (keys). Norman Brown came out and set
things on fire with his current radio hit, “Let’s
Take a Ride,” and the title track from his new CD, “West
Coast Coolin’.” Jeff Lorber then joined
him onstage and wowed the crowd with radio hit “Anthem
for a New America” from his latest CD, He
Had A Hat. Then he continued with “Surreptitious” from
the same album. Adding to the fun was Marion Meadows,
who got people moving with “Sweet Grapes,” and
then Peabo Bryson and his sultry voice, showcasing a new song “Show
and Tell.” The crowd was thrown into high gear
with more hits like “Ain’t Nobody,” “Masquerade,” “Dressed
to Chill,” “After the Storm,” “That’s
the Way Love Goes,” and an encore with “What’s
Going On.” The high energy on stage transferred
to the crowd. What an unbelievable way to end the evening.
And a full day was yet to come! Saturday brought more
wonderful weather and another huge crowd.
Opening the day was Kyle Eastwood. For many, this was
the first time seeing this young man, and frankly, he just
blew us away with his talent and charisma. For this compelling
set, the jazz definitely had a straight-ahead edge, with varying
flavors from funk, to post bop, cool chill, world ambient,
and hip-hop breakbeats. With Kyle on electric and upright
bass, he was joined by Doug Webb on sax, Gale Johnson on trumpet,
Dave Karasony on drums, and Bill Steinway on keys. Throughout
the set, the tight horn and rhythm sections were outstanding. Kyle
opened up with “Marrakech,” which was influenced
by a trip to Morocco. It was a very interesting piece,
starting off with the upright bass and keyboard. Another
beautiful song was “Solferino.” Taking a
slice from the past was “Big Noise (from Winnetka), which
had Kyle on the upright bass and whistling! Kyles’ final
song of the set was “How Y’all Doin’,” which
is featured on his latest CD, Now.
It’s essential to note here that the producers of this
Festival are always keen on introducing new music and new artists. This
was no exception. But more importantly, the Wisconsin
crowd is always so open and receptive to new, progressive music
in addition to their smooth jazz favorites. That said,
the crowd really loved Kyle Eastwood, as did these reviewers.
Next up was the group, Guitarzz, featuring Paul Jackson, Jr.,
Chuck Loeb, and Chieli Minucci, and backed by Jay Rowe (keys),
Brian Dunn (drums), and Terry Brooks (bass). What a show
this was! These three men just electrified the crowed
with their energy, talent, and the amount of fun they were
having on stage. All three guitarists came out to play “Guitarzz,” their
theme song and then each had their time in the spotlight, beginning
with “Kickin’ It Hard” (Chieli), “The
Workout” (Paul), and “Just Us” (Chuck). They
floated seamlessly into each other’s music with “Good
Together” and “Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers,” all
of which brought standing ovations. The encore, “On
Broadway,” brought down the house.
Aja Vu was on next,performing the music of Steely Dan. This
was a delightful ride down memory lane for the audience. Almost
everyone was singing along to the classic hits of this famed
band. Aja Vu performed with perfect tune, high energy,
and upbeat personality! The songs were reminiscent
of listening to A Decade of Steely Dan. Hits,
such as, “Rikki, Don’t Lose That Number,” “Peg,” “Pretzel
Logic,” “Deacon Blues,” Kid Charlemagne,” “Black
Cow,” “Reelin’ In The Years,” and “Do
It Again” made this a highly entertaining show. And
the fun that the band was having on stage was infectious. We
highly recommend catching a performance of this band, if you
have the chance.
Closing out this fabulous weekend of music was Mindi Abair,
who continued the high energy and fun feeling that this entire
festival embodied. Backed up by her regular band of Andre
Berry (bass), Jamey Tate (drums), Jay Gore (guitar) and Rodney
Lee (keys), Mindi took this already revved up crowd to another
level. When they hit the stage, they went right into “High
Five,” and “True Blue.” This gave the
crowd a good feel for what they were in for…and this
was only the beginning! Mindi kicked in with vocals “Everytime”, “I
Can Remember,” and “Save Tonight,” as well
as the rockin’ tunes “The Joint,” “Flirt,” “Lucy’s” and
the stadium jazz/hold-up-your-cell-phone-as-your-lighter “Bloom.” Additional
highlights were solos by each of the band members. This
band is so tight and has the greatest time on stage, drawing
the crowd into all of the fun. It was an amazing finale
to the weekend.
The Ziegler Kettle Moraine Jazz Festival is well run, well
attended, and well received. It brings together an entire
community and gives proceeds back to the community.
While it boasts an attendance of over 5,000 music lovers,
it still remains a little under the radar. But for these
jazz festival reviewers, this will be one that is on our schedule
for years to come. Well done!
Bonnie Schendell, Mary Bentley & Anne Aufderheide |
