Jazzin Em Up With Cres O'neal

Grammy Award Winning Pianist/Composer/Educator - Arturo O'FarrillFounder and Artistic Director of the nonprofit Afro Latin Jazz Alliance, and Grammy award winner, Arturo O'Farrill, can appropriately be dubbed "the apple that did not fall far from the tree."  He is the son of the late great Cuban composer and arranger, Chico O'Farrill.  Arturo has worked with a wide range of jazz greats including:  Dizzy Gillespie, Steve Turre, Freddy Cole, The Fort Apache Band, Lester Bowie, and Wynton Marsalis to name a few,With 10 CD's already under his belt, including his recent Grammy winner, "Offense of the Drum", Arturo has produced yet another incredible work that just may garner him another Grammy nomination. "Cuba:  The Conversation Continues", Arturo's newest release, is a heart pounding, chaotic, rhythmic blend of pure Afro-Cuban jazz bliss, that goes well beyond just being about music.  It is also about "repairing the rupture between the US and Cuba."  He pushes it to the limit on this one ya'll!

Ho, Ho, Ho!!!  Time to hang that mistletoe, stuff those stockings, decorate the tree, and kickback with some eggnog and your favorite Christmas tunes.  We have a great show lined up as we celebrate the holidays, and my brithday, with some very special guests!   Have you been nice this year?  I sure hope so! 

December 8 - Grammy Nominated Jazz Organist/Pianist - Brian Charette Brian Charette has established himself as a leading voice in modern jazz. Charette is a Grammy-nominated, Hammond-endorsed artist who was just named the winner of the 2014 Downbeat Critics’ Poll in the "Rising Star: Organ" category.  Besides being a critically acclaimed composer and bandleader, Brian has worked with notable artists such as Joni Mitchell, Chaka Khan, Paul Simon, Cyndi Lauper, and many more.  

November 13 - Blues Guitarist/Composer - Memphis Gold Blues fans all over the world continue to discover the incredible sounds of Memphis Gold.  Born in Memphis, Tennessee in 1955, Memphis Gold, Chester Chandler was the thirteenth child of fourteen. His father also a musician introduced his son to the guitar at the tender age of 4. By the age of 8, he was a regular on historic Beale Street in Memphis where he played the guitar and danced for pocket change from the crowd.Following in the footsteps of his famous cousins, Grammy Award Winner, Denise Williams, and Author/Activist/Comedian, Dick Gregory, Memphis has come a long way on a journey that has lasted half a century. Having released four full length albums to date, he has shared the stage with such artists as Bernard Allison, David Banner, James Brown, R.L. Burnside, Barbara Carr, Big Lucky Carter, George Clinton and the Parliament Funkadelic All Stars, Deborah Coleman, Shemikca Copeland, Robert Cray, Eddie Cusac, John Hammond, Little Jimmy King, Bettye L

October 16 - Bassist/Composer - Kyle Eastwood Among other things, Kyle Eastwood comes from a musical family.  Both parents, Clint Eastwood and Maggie Johnson, played the piano; and, his maternal grandmother taught music at Northwestern University.  So, I guess one can say that his entry into the realm of music was inevitable. Accompanied by a London-based crew of stellar young musicians, Eastwood and company blend infectious grooves and outstanding improvisations throughout eleven diverse tracks on The View From Here. “They’re all really talented players,” says Eastwood, “and we’ve been playing together for a while now, developing a real band chemistry. We ended up writing a lot of these new tunes together either at rehearsals or out on the road during last year’s tour around Europe. Sometimes I would come up with a couple of ideas or Andrew might bring something in, then everybody would just add on to it after that.” Kyle's latest CD, The View From Here, is as true to the genre, and culture of Jazz as one ca