Catching up with Kevin Bacon. (Colonial Theater Phoenixville, PA)
Thursday, March 30, 2017
Monday, March 27, 2017
STEVE HACKETT
BILL HALEY
Sunday, March 26, 2017
RANDY BRECKER AT THE BERKS JAZZ FEST
Randy Brecker Joins an All- Star Line up
at 2017 Berks Jazz Fest
By Rob Nagy
Widely
regarded as one of the jazz community’s most coveted treasures, Grammy Award
winning trumpeter and flugelhornist Randy Brecker, now 71, continues to thrive
as a solo artist and a highly sought after session player and collaborator.
An
artist whose masterful playing knows no boundaries, Brecker’s talent has found
him routinely delving into the world of jazz, rock and R&B with ease,
working alongside such luminaries as Charles Mingus, Stanley Turrentine, Jaco
Pastorious, Bruce Springsteen and Frank Zappa, among many others. Brecker is
without question a legend in his own time.
With
the 27th Annual Reading Berks Jazz Fest approaching, Brecker returns
to the area for what is sure to be another memorable appearance.
“The
Berks Jazz Fest has become really important,” says Brecker, from his home in
New York City. “I’ve played there many times, too many to count or remember.
It’s developed into a great event. The crowds are so knowledgeable and it’s
such a great hang. I get to see musicians I only get to see once or twice a
year. The whole thing is really a big thrill. The musicians enjoy the fans, the
fans enjoy us, and it’s just one big happy family. It’s such a great time.”
“I
can guarantee you for this year’s Berks Jazz Fest we have a great band that we
are dedicating the whole show to my good friend and guitarist Mike Stern,” adds
Brecker. “He was supposed to be there but recently had an operation to fix his
shoulders and the nerve in his hand from a bad fall months back. He’s healing
and we’re hoping he will be out there soon and we’re dedicating the whole
concert to him.”
“I
really hope everybody comes out to the concert,” says Brecker. “I think we have
something really good planned. We’re doing a little of everyone’s tunes all
played together throughout the years so I think it will really be something
special.”
Born and raised in suburban Philadelphia, Brecker grew up in a musical
family, and first picked up the trumpet at age eight. Routinely exposed to the
works of Miles Davis, Duke Ellington and Dizzy Gillespie, courtesy of his
father, the seed was planted for what has ultimately blossomed into an
astonishing career.
“I
came up playing a lot of different styles of music in Philadelphia, which was
really a melting pot of all kinds of music from the Philadelphia Orchestra to
American Bandstand,” recalls Brecker. “All those great artists from South
Philly and singers that came through. Of course all the great jazz musicians
that came from there, blues, rock, R&B. By the time I left Philly I had a
lot of different styles under my belt so I became flexible as a player and
enjoyed different styles of music. I’ve never stuck to one format or another.
In other words, I try not to put the same record out year after year so they’re
all kind of different.”
A
graduate of Cheltenham High School, Brecker relocated to New York City
following his studies at Indiana University performing with a variety of
orchestras before ultimately expanding his creative energies into the world of
jazz, rock and R&B.
Forming the infamous Brecker Brothers in 1975 with his brother, the
late Michael Brecker, the group released six albums on the Arista record label
garnering seven Grammy nominations before disbanding in 1982. Reuniting in 1992
their “Out of the Loop” (1994) album release was a double Grammy winner. In 2012, Legacy Recordings
released the boxed set “The Brecker Brothers – The Complete Arista Albums
Collection.”
Randy
Brecker earned his first Grammy award as a solo artist for his album release
“Into the Sun” (1997). Subsequent album releases “34th N Lex”
(2003), “Randy
Brecker Live with the WDR Big Band” (2007), “Randy in Brazil”(2008) and “Night
in Calisia” (2012) all yielded additional Grammy honors.
“When
I was young my expectation was just to move to New York and be a free-lance
trumpet player,” recalls Brecker. “That’s really what I did for 20 years. I was
sucked into the music scene in New York pretty quickly. There was a lot of studio
work. I had no idea the bulk of my work would be doing sessions and writing
sessions and playing on other people’s records. Eventually I got tired of doing
stuff for other people and wanted my own home base and started writing my own
music and try to form my own conception which was far more successful than I
ever imagined in my wildest dreams partially because we had a hit single in
1975 called “Sneakin’ Up Behind You.” That also pushed our performing career
along with a studio career. When I look back on it, it seems like it’s somebody
else’s life.”
“I
wish I had more of an ego,” adds Brecker. “The trumpet will keep you humble.
It’s a difficult instrument and some days it works and some days it doesn’t.
You just have to put the time in. It certainly doesn’t get easier as you get
older. It just keeps you humble. You got your good days and bad days. Sometimes you win. Sometimes the
trumpet wins. It goes back and forth your whole life and then you die and the
trumpet wins.”
For
a complete list of concerts, venues and ticket information for this year’s
Berks Jazz Fest that runs from March 31 to April 9, 2017, visit www.berksjazzfest.com.
To
stay up to date with Randy Brecker, visit www.randybrecker.com
GUITARIST CHUCK LOEB RETURNS TO BERKS JAZZ FEST
Guitarist Chuck Loeb Returns to
To the Berks
Jazz Fest
By Rob Nagy
While
Grammy nominated jazz guitarist Chuck Loeb has not attained the commercial
notoriety of some of his contemporaries, his critically acclaimed prowess on
the guitar has earned him a place among the elite in the world of jazz.
Recognized
around the world for his solo efforts as well as his work with “Steps Ahead”
and “Fourplay,” Loeb once again joins a stellar line-up of artists at this
year’s impending Berks Jazz Fest.
“I
think I’ve been playing the Berks Jazz Fest at least the last 15 years. I think
the first time was ‘96, ’97,” recalls Loeb while waiting for his flight at New
York’s LaGuardia Airport. “Each year I do multiple events at the festival. I
feel very at home there. It’s one of my favorite festivals, maybe my favorite
festival in the whole world because it’s like family at this point. The folks
that put it on are very special people.”
“It
spans ten days,” adds Loeb. “I’m playing with Foreplay, doing my own show,
doing a show called “Bop” and then the all-star jam. For guys like me that are
kind of part of the Berks family, it’s an event. It’s a really important
bonding event where you see a lot of the guys, the players are all my
favorites. It’s a real homecoming.”
“Any
opportunity to get out and play your music for people is important, the Berks
in particular, because it’s such a big audience and they do such a good job of
promoting it,” says Loeb. “It’s a very important festival in that regard.”
Initially
influenced by rock and roll, Loeb’s introduction to the guitar was ignited by
listening to The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and
Led Zepplin.
“For
me because I grew up being influenced more by pop rock, blues and stuff like
that, I discovered jazz a little later,” recalls Loeb. “Jazz incorporates,
especially contemporary jazz, a lot of the elements of all those different
kinds of music, which I love.”
Discovering
the world of jazz at 16, Loeb was drawn to the work of jazz legends Wes Montgomery,
Pat Martino, George Benson and John McLaughlin. Ultimately studying guitar at
the Berklee College of Music, Loeb headed to New York City in the mid 70’s to
pursue a career as a professional musician. Earning his chops performing with
Chico Hamilton, Ray Barreto, Stan Getz and Michael Brecker, Loeb released his
debut solo album “My Shining Hour” in 1988.
“To
define jazz, it’s a little bit difficult to give a definition,” says Loeb. “You
can always say that it’s improvised American music, but we incorporate so many
elements from across the world that you can’t really limit it to that. Jazz is
music based on collaboration, improvisation and creativity at a very high
level. It is music that combines rhythms that people can relate to with complex
improvisation. I think you draw people in with the swing and the groove of the
music and then they are open to hear some of the complexities of the harmony
and melody and improvisation that is within that framework.”
It
wasn’t until his album release “The Music Inside” (1996) that Loeb attained
commercial success when the title track reached Number One on the jazz charts.
Subsequent album releases “Moon, the Stars & the
Setting Sun”
(1998), “Listen” (1999), “In a Heartbeat” (2001), and “All There Is” (2002) earned Loeb much
needed exposure. His work can be heard in a variety of TV shows and commercials
as well as on the soundtrack for the films “The Untouchables,” “You’ve Got
Mail” and “Hitch.”
With
more than two-dozen solo, collaborative and compilation releases to his credit,
Loeb earned a Grammy nomination for “Best Contemporary Instrumental Album” for
his “Unspoken” album in 2016.
“It
was very exciting,” recalls Loeb. “I did not win unfortunately. Just to be
nominated was great. It was my third nomination. I’ve yet to win one but I look
forward to the time when I can go up and grab the little statue. I’m not giving
up.”
“I’m
starting to rev up over the winter, things have been a little bit slow, but
things are starting to heat up now,” adds Loeb. “ I have some shows with
“Fourplay” and some of my own shows and I will also work with “Jazz, Funk,
Soul” which is myself, Everette Harp and Jeff Lorber and other things here and
there.”
“The
most important thing is that I want people to come away feeling positive with a
smile on their face and song in their heart,” says Loeb. “I want to be able to
reach them. Make their day a little bit better…their life as good as it can be
and hopefully just make them want to hear more. I would like them to come away
thinking, ‘I want to get more of this music’ that continues a relationship with
an artist and their fans.”
“I
feel very satisfied,” says Loeb. “I feel I get a lot of recognition for what I
do. People all across the world know my music. Of course I’d like to elevate my music and reach more
people. If I were to look back at
my career if it ended now I would say I was very happy with where I ended up.”
For
a complete list of concerts, venues and ticket information for this year’s
Berks Jazz Fest that runs from March 31 to April 9, 2017, visit www.berksjazzfest.com.
http://www.tickettoentertainment.com/blog/2017/03/23/chuck-loeb-aiming-at-reaching-the-audience/
MY CONCERT PHOTOGRAPHY
Sunday, March 19, 2017
THE McLOVINS AT THE ARDMORE MUSIC HALL (Ardmore,PA) 3/18/17
MUSIC LEGEND DELBERT McCLINTON
Thursday, March 16, 2017
THANK YOU GRAHAM NASH!
My first round of concert photos are off to NYC, L.A. and Hawaii. A huge thank you to Graham Nash for opening this door.
Monday, March 13, 2017
BOB MARLEY
"The truth is everyone is going to hurt you. You just got to
find the ones worth suffering for."
Sunday, March 12, 2017
CLIFF HILLIS
PHILLY MUSIC LEGEND NIK EVERETT
Saturday, March 11, 2017
RUSTED ROOT
Rusted Root recently came through town playing a sold out show at the
Sellersville Theater (Sellersville, PA). Photos by Rob Nagy
ANNA SPACKMAN AT STEEL CITY 3/10/17
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