Since 2010, the Monty Alexander Jazz Festival in Easton, MD has grown from two concerts to six concerts over the Labor Day Weekend. Hundreds of Shore residents, who never considered themselves jazz enthusiasts, now support the Festival as benefactors and patrons and the Festival is drawing a small but growing number of jazz lovers from states near and far.
Monty Alexander, the Festival namesake and artistic director, comments, “We look for top notch talent and good will, good taste and positive outlook. It’s like a delectable meal. We want to be feted with outstanding and varied ingredients.”
Pictured is legendary jazz pianist, Monty Alexander, who will perform at the fifth annual Monty Alexander Jazz Festival on Saturday, August 30, 2014.
The top-ranked artists visiting the Festival are the ones making waves on the New York jazz scene and often around the world. Al Sikes, founder of the Festival, talks “top-ranked quality” musicians, while his counterpart, Monty Alexander, talks “uplifting music.” This year’s 5th anniversary line-up promises both.
The Festival kicks off on Thursday, August 28 at 8 p.m. at the Academy Art Museum with recording and touring artist Frank Vignola, who’s spectrum of music ranges from classical to jazz, rock, pop and even rhythm and blues. Vignola has recorded and/or toured with Madonna, Leon Redbone, Ringo Starr, with famed trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, and has performed with the Boston Pops. The New York Times named him “one of the brightest stars of the guitar.”
The fifth anniversary Festival will open on Thursday night, August 28 at 8 p.m. and will feature extraordinary guitarist Frank Vignola in an intimate night club-style concert at Easton’s Academy Art Museum.
Trumpeter, composer, educator, and bandleader, Etienne Charles, will charm audiences on Friday, August 29 at 8 p.m. as he headlines the Avalon Theatre with his quintet. With a rich musical history in jazz and the music of the Caribbean, this native of Trinidad brings a Creole flavor to his music that ranges from subtle to unavoidable, weaving a variety of stories with panache. Applauded as a “daring improviser” by Jazz Magazine, he has arranged interpretations of the complex and varied rhythms of the Spanish, French, Dutch and English-speaking Caribbean in a fresh and exciting sound that builds upon those diverse origins, yet takes jazz in a new direction. He is also planning some new compositions and arrangements for the Festival, which will surely delight Festival goers.
Trumpeter, composer, educator, and bandleader, Etienne Charles, will charm audiences on Friday, August 29 at 8 p.m. as he headlines the Avalon Theatre with his quintet.
The Festival will continue on Saturday, August 30 in the morning with New Orleans jazz in Easton’s downtown Thompson Park. The band will then lead a second line parade to the Tidewater Inn where a lunch will be served from 11:30 a.m. – 1:15 p.m., preceding the afternoon showcase.
This year’s Saturday afternoon concert at 2 p.m. at the Avalon Theatre will feature a special salute to the legendary jazz pianist and composer, Dave Brubeck, who passed away in 2012. The salute will be led by Bobby Militello, who became Brubeck’s alto saxophonist after the death of Paul Desmond. Brubeck, on the cover of Time Magazine in 1954, vaulted jazz to the apex of the music world with his hit, Take Five.
Saturday night continues the magic of the Festival at 8 p.m. at the Avalon Theatre with the incomparable jazz pianist Monty Alexander and his trio including Hassan Shakur on bass, Dennis Mackrel on drums, and special guest Frank Vignola on guitar. Alexander continues to astonish audiences with his energy and spirit. This year’s concert promises no less.
Wrapping up the weekend on Sunday afternoon, August 31, at 2:00 p.m., is returning jazz and gospel virtuoso, Dee Daniels, who will bring to her adoring audience a unique blend of spirituals, gospel and jazz. Today, many musicians perform gospel music using a jazz style and Dee Daniels embodies this tradition. Dee Daniels will be joined by a local choral group led by Jana Leslie.
The Avalon Theatre’s intimate setting and the lineup of world class artists make The Monty Alexander Jazz Festival an Eastern Shore destination for Labor Day weekend. The Monty Alexander Jazz Festival, presented by Jazz on the Chesapeake, is a program of Chesapeake Chamber Music. Tickets are on sale now for the Monty Alexander Jazz Festival. For further information, visit ChesapeakeJazz.org.
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