The Mainstay in Rock Hall MD kicks off the Chestertown Jazz Festival with world renowned jazz vibraphonist Chuck Redd at The Mainstay’s annual Tribute to Charlie Byrd on Thursday September 9 at 8 pm. Tickets are $25 online/advance and $30 at the door. Information and ticket sales are available on the Mainstay’s website at
www.facebook.com/mainstayrockhall and www.mainstayrockhall.org. The Mainstay is dedicated to the safety of its patrons, performers, volunteers, and employees. As such we require all patrons to wear a mask indoors at The Mainstay regardless of vaccination status. We also strongly encourage everyone who is not yet vaccinated to do so if they are able.
Thursday September 9 at 8 pm, $25 online/advance and $30 day of show.
Chuck Redd will be leading a quintet in salute to his mentor, Charlie Byrd. The ensemble will feature special guest, veteran saxophonist Charlie Young. The program will include bossa nova standards, American Songbook classics, jazz and blues. With next year marking the 60th anniversary of the landmark Charlie Byrd/Stan Getz recording, Jazz
Samba, Chuck and the group will perform Jobim compositions featured on the album including Desafinado and One Note Samba. Chuck will also share a few anecdotes from his 19 years touring with The Charlie Byrd Trio and The Great Guitars.
Saxophonist Charlie Young is a native of Norfolk, Virginia. Presently residing in Washington, DC, he has served as Professor of Saxophone at Howard University for 30 years, and is now Coordinator of Instrumental Jazz Studies.
Young has had a rich career performing and recording with various ensembles such as the National Symphony Orchestra, the US Navy Band, the Count Basie Orchestra and the Seattle Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Young has shared the concert stage with many of the music industry’s leading icons ranging from Clark Terry, and Ella Fitzgerald to Stevie Wonder, and Quincy Jones. Performance venues have ranged from London’s Royal Albert Hall to New York’s Carnegie Hall.
In 1988, Charlie Young was recruited as a member of the Duke Ellington Orchestra where he presently serves as Artistic Director/Conductor, and lead saxophonist. Young joined the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra in 1995 and has served as the ensemble’s principal saxophonist for over 15 years. In 2013, he was appointed Artistic Director, and Conductor.
In addition to working with legendary ensembles, Young and his jazz quintet, performed at the 1988 San Remo Jazz and Blues Festival as musical ambassador for Washington DC. In 2008, he was invited to present an inaugural concert and lecture at the opening of the New American University in Cairo, Egypt. He is also published on over 30 CD recordings, including his own release “So Long Ago.”
Dave Sanders is a guitarist in the Washington D.C. area. He has appeared at prestigious venues including the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, the Kimmel Center, Arena Stage, and the Music Center at Strathmore. Dave has shared the stage with a diverse range of artists, including Renée Fleming, Patti LuPone, Dionne Warwick, Christopher Jackson, Michelle Williams, Leslie Jordon, Audra McDonald, Jamie Barton, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Liz Callaway, Garrett Clayton, Morgan James, Joan Osborne, Kate Davis, and Betty Who. He additionally works with many of the area’s leading orchestras, including the National Symphony Orchestra, the American Pops (principal), the National Philharmonic, and the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra.
Dave has appeared on PBS in several specials, including “Ella Wishes You A Swinging Christmas,” and the Hispanic Heritage Awards. On the radio, Dave’s version of “America the Beautiful” appeared on NPR and he has have been featured on WRTI FM in Philadelphia. In addition to his performing career, Dave teaches guitar and music theory
Towson University.
Bassist Eric Harper, a Washington native, is a 1995 graduate of Oberlin College. Currently, he can be seen performing with a variety of ensembles at Washington venues. He also has extensive performing experience outside of the DC area, including the Edinburgh Fringe Festival with vocalists Barbara Morrison and Lillian Boutté, the Edinburgh Jazz Festival with saxophonists Scott Hamilton and Bob Wilber, and the Portman Ritz-Carlton in Shanghai, China, with vocalist Jennifer Palor. In addition, he has performed in single engagements with jazz artists such as Charlie Byrd, John Hicks, Chris Cheek, Valery Ponomarov, and Jim Snidero.
Drummer Dominic Smith has been a fixture on the jazz scene for more than 30 years, appearing as a sideman on more than 50 recordings, playing with the cream of the crop of local players as well as visiting musicians from New York and elsewhere. His hard swinging groove, use of dynamics and subtle shadings have been utilized by such jazz notables as Eric Alexander, Harold Mabern, James Williams, Phil Woods, Gary Thomas, Jim Snidero, Dennis Irwin, Keter Betts, Charles McPherson and George Garzoneto name a few.
The Mainstay (Home of Musical Magic) is the friendly informal storefront performing arts center on Rock Hall’s old time Main Street. It is a 501(c)(3), nonprofit dedicated to the arts, serving Rock Hall, MD and the surrounding region and is committed to presenting local, regional and national level talent, at a reasonable price, in an almost perfect acoustic setting. Information and advance ticket sales are available on the Mainstay’s website www.mainstayrockhall.org and information for supporting The Mainstay can be found at www.mainstayrockhall.org/sponsors.
Upcoming Mainstay performances include:
September 9 Charlie Byrd Tribute with Chuck Redd
September 13 Joe Holt with Eddie Sherman and Peggy Raley
September 18 Ellen Cherry
September 25 Danny Paisley and Southern Grass
September 27 Joe Holt with Jen Friedman
October 9 Rock Hall Fall Fest with Philip Dutton and the Alligators
October 11 Joe Holt with Libby York
October 16 Jeff Antoniuk and Helluvaband
October 23 Alynn Johnson and Robert Redd Dueling Pianos
November 6 Karen Somerville
November 8 Joe Holt and Dick Durham
November 13 Frank Vignola
November 20 Sue Matthews
November 22 Joe Holt with Barbara Parker and Bob Taylor
December 12 Harp and Soul Holiday Show
December 13 Joe Holt with Sharon and Shawn
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