Superheroes of the Bay Area Jazz Scene. Listen to the magic as Smith, who combines the confessional imperative of a singer/songwriter with the rhythmic acuity of a jazz chanteuse, teams up with Washington, a jazz virtuoso who thrills audiences with his soulful interpretations, seemingly limitless range, and rapid-fire scatting. Both have superb voices that glide ...
Featured wines at this performancePoncho Sanchez’s music is a swirl of some of the hottest colors and brightest lights to emerge from either side of the border. At every show Latin jazz, swing, bebop, salsa and other infectious grooves collide and churn with results that are no less than dazzling. Among the more prominent figures ...
Featured wines at this performanceIrma Thomas won a Grammy in 2007 for Best Contemporary Blues Album and was chosen as one of NPR’s 50 Great Voices. Dubbed the Soul Queen of New Orleans, Thomas will warm your heart with her blend of roots and blues. She has been inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame ...
Two of the most brilliantly talented pianist/composers from the New York scene team up to play the driving, rhythmic music of Adams, Reich, and their own compositions, as well as creative arrangements of popular contemporary songs. The eclectic program was drawn together by the performers' love of great music, regardless of genre, and their interest ...
Featured wines at this performanceThe Joni Mitchell Project, featuring Mark Summer and Serge Merlaud. Tierney Sutton will present some of the material from her acclaimed album After Blue, her tribute to Joni Mitchell. Jeff Simon of the Buffalo News called it “a truly great record” and “Tierney Sutton sings Joni Mitchell, and if you think ...
Grammy-nominated guitarist Alex de Grassi has influenced a whole generation of guitarists with his compositions, recordings and performances for solo guitar. The Wall Street Journal calls his playing “flawless,” and New York Guitar Festival director David Spelman hails him as “a treasure.” Having performed previously at the Festival, he returns to perform his original compositions ...
Featured wines at this performanceThe Festival Big Band comprises seventeen nimble, creative, steaming and swinging pros who come together year after year for the sheer love of music-making with bandleader Allan Pollack, and for the joy of playing for wildly enthusiastic sold out audiences in the big tent on the bluffs. This summer's concert will feature ...
The Jade Jazz Ensemble and singers from the Berkeley Young Musicians Choral Orchestra will present JASBO (Jazz, Art Song, Broadway, Opera). The mission of the Young Musicians Choral Orchestra is to use high quality, intensive, musical training, academic support, and personal guidance to improve the lives of talented, low-income students, ages nine through eighteen, from ...
Featured wines at this performance A bold composer, a brilliant jazz pianist and an inventive vocalist all rolled into one, Clarice Assad floats freely across musical idioms. Born into one of Brazil’s most famous musical families, Assad is a symphonic and chamber music composer, a pianist and an arranger, a producer and a vocalist. Her ...
Alex de Grassi and Grammy award winner Andrew York are widely acclaimed as leading innovators and virtuosos of acoustic and classical guitar; the duo combine their distinctive compositions, arrangements, and technical mastery to deliver an astonishingly diverse program of music. Assad is a vibrant and exciting singer/guitarist from Brazil who transcends traditional styles with her unique ...
This woman can do it all," is how the Los Angeles Daily News describes Clairdee. With her lustrous voice, soulful delivery, and scene-stealing charisma, she has honed a repertoire of standards set to state of the art arrangements that are equally smart and entertaining. Pianist Ken French has been performing jazz piano professionally for nearly ...
This woman can do it all!" --Los Angeles Daily News With her lustrous voice, soulful delivery, and scene-stealing charisma, Clairdee has honed a repertoire of standards set to state of the art arrangements that are equally smart and entertaining. Pianist Ken French has been performing jazz piano professionally for nearly two decades on the San ...
Marko Djordjevic (left) with Julian Pollack (right) An exciting and many faceted evening inspired by traditional Serbian folk music. Enjoy Julian with drummer Marko Djordjevic’s band, Sveti, and their amazing compositions based on Serbian folk rhythms. The international women's vocal group ROSA, specializing in Serbian non-tempered singing, will round out a complex and riveting musical ...
Zoe Ellis's dramatic and colorful voice is well known to music fans in the Bay Area and beyond. Described by reviewers as "a resourceful and inventive vocalist," she sang for many years with the Bay Area funk band, the Mo’Fessionals. A dynamic performer, Ellis’s credits include live performances with the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir, Donald ...
Fingerstyle guitar master Alex de Grassi and Grammy Award-winning classical guitarist Andrew York will perform solo and duo, and will also be joined by members of the Mendocino Summer Guitar Workshop in the premier of a composition for guitar orchestra.
Featured wines at this performance, and sponsoring Kim Nalley's performance. Event Sponsor Kim Nalley has pipes to burn, packing a 3½ octave range that can go from operatic to gritty blues on a dime, projection that can whisper a ballad yet is capable of filling a room with no microphone. She has been compared to ...
Featured wines at this performance Bassist Richie Goods, the youngest person ever inducted into the Pittsburgh Jazz Hall of Fame, has toured with a variety of jazz and popular artists including the Headhunters, Lenny White, and Whitney Houston, among others. Goods’ lengthy discography also includes Grammy award-winning and platinum albums of Alicia Keys and Common. ...
Event Sponsor Guitarist Dimitris Mahlis, drummer Ralph Humphrey, bassist Jerry Watts and saxophonist Antti Suzuki bring life to the multi ethnic compositions of Mahlis. Mahlis’s playing style has been described as soulful and unique, and his compositions have set a standard in cross-cultural pollination. Suzuki's improvisational talents have been showcased over a varied musical landscape. ...
Featured wines at this performance Julian Pollack brings his project and band J3P0 to the Festival stage this summer. Pollack will be joined by Cale Hawkins, Justin Golder and Adam Jackson. These jazz musicians explore popular songs from the later part of the 20th century as well as originals, through the lens of talk box ...
The Mattlock Duo (husband-and-wife team Daniel Lockert and Jenny Matteucci) will transform Preston Hall into a New York cabaret with music that crosses over from favorite standards, to twentieth century “classical” composers, and to Broadway. Their eclectic and humorous show “For the Love of…” will explore the many facets of love and showcase songs with ...
In “A Love Letter to Lena Horne,” Clairdee will commemorate the career of the groundbreaking singer, actress, and activist with fresh arrangements of songs associated with Horne from Harlem to Hollywood, Broadway and beyond. The program will include historical references and personal reflections on Horne’s significance as an American cultural icon. Clairdee’s lustrous voice and ...
Kim Nalley Kenny Washington The red-hot Festival Big Band plays the perennially sold-out concert, this year with two vocalists to add to the high energy. Last year’s Big Band vocalist Kim Nalley returns again this year to set the woods, and the house, on fire. According to Down Beat, "Sultry voiced Nalley brings an irresistibly ...
Once a Leonard Cohen back-up singer, singer-songwriter Batalla launched her solo career with Cohen’s encouragement. The Grammy-nominated Batalla has recorded seven albums, written for both film and television, and toured worldwide. Batalla’s gorgeous, rich, contralto voice adds another layer of beauty to Cohen’s elegantly crafted songs.” Beautifully conceived and executed, Bird on the Wire is ...
Fingerstyle guitar master Alex de Grassi is the founder of the Mendocino Summer Guitar Workshop which runs concurrently with the Mendocino Music Festival. Grammy Award-winning classical guitarist, composer and guest workshop teacher Andrew York joins him again this year in a concert program featuring their solo and duo compositions and arrangements that blend the sonorities ...
Featured wines at this performance With hands that effortlessly glide over the keys and a voice that will carry you to the moon, Sheléa’s musical mastery makes her one of the most exhilarating up and coming artists today. While donning multiple hats of vocalist, songwriter, pianist, arranger and producer, Sheléa evokes the sultry energy of ...
Brazil’s Badi Assad is lauded as one of the world’s most unique performance artists of this generation. She transcends traditional styles of her native Brazilian music with a mixture of pop, jazz and world/ethnic sounds from around the world. Combining an extraordinary guitar talent, unique mouth percussion and beautiful singing, Assad creates an exciting, fresh sound. Fellow Brazilian Diego Figueiredo, a virtuoso with an infectious, joyful feeling, is a fast-rising star among the world’s greatest jazz guitarists. His superb technique and imagination have made him one of the hottest international names as he unites a fusion of Brazilian music with jazz. Twice a winner at the Montreux Jazz Competition, Figueiredo is also a producer, arranger, orchestrator and multi-instrumentalist.
Kathleen Grace has forged a remarkable career that has sent her around the globe playing for audiences who appreciate her eclectic musical tastes that range from jazz, to blues, to indie folk. Following a year recording with the iconic Jim James (of My Morning Jacket) and performing with the chart-topping rock band, Portugal. The Man, ...
If you’re out and about Mendocino on Friday afternoon July 19 during the Festival you may happen upon a little Bach, some bossa nova, or even a classic pop song being conjured up on one or more guitars. The Mendocino Guitar Workshop, in co-operation with the Mendocino Music Festival, will unleash another eclectic crew of ...
Fingerstyle guitar master Alex de Grassi is the founder of the Mendocino Summer Guitar Workshop which runs concurrently with the Mendocino Music Festival. Grammy Award-winning classical guitarist, composer and guest workshop teacher Andrew York joins him again this year in a concert program featuring their solo and duo compositions and arrangements that blend the sonorities ...
Featured wines at this performance. With a reputation as one of the world’s best jazz and blues vocalists, Kim Nalley is back to join the big band musicians in a tribute to the incomparable Aretha Franklin. She has pipes to burn, a 3½ octave range that can go from operatic to gritty blues on a ...
The Odd Dogs’ sound is a melting pot of dynamic rock and world music, expressed through jazz and improvisational sensibilities. The band draws from a rich pallet of musical influences: Rush, Tool, Pink Floyd, Jeff Beck, Joe Zawinul, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Frank Zappa, and Thelonious Monk. Each an accomplished musician in his own right, the members ...
Opening Night, on July 11: With some scenic aerial footage of the tent site and fun discussions with Festival Orchestra musicians and the makers and shakers of the July season, get yourself a glass of your favorite beverage and feel again the heartening spirit of music in Mendocino. 7:30 PM, at your house. FREE TICKET ...
On July 16, spend some time with Lucia Micarelli. Audience members begged us to bring her back after her stunning concert in 2018. She is an unbelievably talented, eclectic musician whose creativity seems almost limitless. A singer, a violinist, an explorer of styles, her musical life will fascinate you. Her fresh youthfulness spills over into ...
Saturday, July 18 is Big Band night! Allan Pollack, Kim Nalley, and the Festival Big Band rhythm section will all get together to talk about Jazz, pop, and the lives that all the players have led. They have played with some famous musicians, and stories of their experiences will be something you won’t want to ...
One of America's most eclectic immigrant composers is the incomparable Kurt Weill, with an array of music ranging from classical to Broadway. Join the Mattlock Duo (Jenny Matteucci and Daniel Lockert) and the Festival Chorale as they explore the breadth of Weill’s works, tracing his journey from the Weimar Republic, through his Paris years, and ...
Grammy-nominated guitarist Diego Figueiredo is a virtuoso with an infectious, joyful feeling that will leave you amazed. A brilliant musician who keeps the tradition of the true essence of Brazilian music, and at the same time can be extremely modern and innovative, he is an extraordinary star among the world's greatest jazz guitarists. Figueiredo’s superb ...
This year’s Big Band Night will feature the great Kim Nalley, singing the most popular tunes and arrangements that she has performed over the past number of years. There will be great music, great soloing, and that good old feeling the band has been bringing to its audiences for decades. Whether playing Count Basie, Aretha ...
Jackie Gage is a jazz singer whose velvety voice, relaxed piano playing, and uplifting songwriting straddle the worlds of jazz, folk, and R&B. Born in San Jose, she relocated to New York City for a few years to immerse herself in a different music scene, and has returned to the Bay Area. A pearlescent, cool-toned ...
Summit is a group of accomplished musicians playing together for the first time to make music that includes original compositions and classic standards from the Great American Songbook. Legendary drummer Ralph Humphrey will be joined by Mitchel Forman on keyboards, Jerrold Watts Jr. on bass, and Dmitris Mahlis on guitars. Each artist has performed with ...
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, "Kim Nalley is a vocal powerhouse with pipes to burn and works the stage like she means it." Put her in front of the seasoned Festival Big Band musicians and you have an evening of red-hot jazz, steamy blues, and sexy swing.
Classical composers have always been inspired by animals. Think of orchestral works like Carnival of the Animals by St. Saens or Peter and the Wolf by Prokofiev. In the field of vocal music, the great lieder composers found inspiration in bird flight, the galloping of horses, or the tranquility of the gazelle. The Italian madrigal, ...
An internationally renowned violinist and composer originally from Copenhagen, Denmark, Mads Tolling now calls San Francisco home. As a former nine-year member of both bassist Stanley Clarke’s band and the celebrated Turtle Island Quartet, Mads won two Grammy Awards, and he was nominated for a third Grammy in 2015. He was the 2016 winner of ...
Kalil Wilson’s bright re-imaginings of jazz standards and originals are informed by the rich history of great jazz singing and meld with their heartfelt, eclectic stylings. An Oakland native, they are the offsping of Nigerian bassist/bandleader Babá Ken Okulolo and an American mom with a record collection of vintage jazz, African, R&B, and salsa. Mentored ...
This year the big band musicians are going to find their groove with Maiya Sykes, a former back-up singer whose rendition of “Stay with Me” on The Voice in 2014 catapulted her to lead singer fame. Based in Los Angeles, Sykes is a classically trained musician who graduated from Yale and studied with Betty Carter ...
Julian Pollack, along with bassist Trey Henry and drummer Ray Brinker, will begin the evening with jazz standards beautifully and inventively performed. Tierney Sutton will join the band for the second half in a tribute to the great drummer Ralph Humphrey. A fabulous singer with a gorgeous trio—who could ask for more? Sutton is not ...
Pianist, accordionist, composer, and educator from San Francisco, Reider brings together various streams of American music, from jazz and folk tunes to popular song and contemporary composition. He has appeared as a bandleader and soloist at major festivals and venues around the world, and his performances and original compositions have been featured on NPR, PBS ...
Embark on an evening of soul-tinged jazz and fusion, with a look to the future, marbled by intricate glistenings of electronica and hip-hop. This trio, who tours throughout the year with Chris Botti as his rhythm section, features Albion native Julian Pollack on piano and synthesizers, Juilliard-trained Dan Chmielinski on bass and synthesizer, and the ...
Dr. Kim Nalley has been a fixture in the San Francisco Bay Area—and here in Mendocino as well—as a quality soulful jazz and blues singer, very much in the tradition of the best vocalists of the 1940s and ‘50s. Always exciting to hear, she can go from operatic to gritty blues on a dime, with ...
Maiya Sykes completely and utterly wowed the audience at the 2023 Big Band concert. She’s a former back-up singer whose rendition of “Stay with Me” on The Voice in 2014 catapulted her to lead singer fame. Based in Los Angeles, Sykes is a classically trained musician who graduated from Yale and studied with Betty Carter ...
These extraordinary Los Angeles based musicians are the power drivers of the always thrillingly swinging Festival Big Band, and now you can hear them break out on their own. Julian “J3PO” Pollack is known for his innovative playing in jazz, fusion, hip-hop, and electronic styles of music. He has toured extensively with Marcus Miller, Chris ...
