39th Annual Telluride Jazz Festival: Initial Line-up 2015

26 Feb 39th Annual Telluride Jazz Festival: Initial Line-up 2015

Grammy-winning saxophonist Ernie Watts, James Brown collaborator Maceo Parker, New Orleans Supergroup The M&Ms & More Set to Play Telluride Jazz Festival July 31 ­- August 2, 2015

Two-time Grammy Award winning saxophonist Ernie Watts, rare New Orleans supergroup The M&Ms featuring John Medeski, Papa Mali, Stanton Moore & Rob Mercurio, decorated James Brown and Parliament-Funkadelic saxophonist Maceo Parker, eclectic Jazz threesome the Bill Frisell Trio, Hammond B3 organ master Joey DeFrancesco, soul-inspiring Nigel Hall project The Nth Power, Big Easy brass band mavericks The Soul Rebels, dynamic steel pan-lead Jazz trio Jonathan Scales Fourchestra, homegrown Colorado Power-Funk outfit Euforquestra featuring vocalist Kim Dawson, and award winning student bands The Voodoo Orchestra and Telluride Student All-Stars Jazz Ensemble round out the initial lineup for the 39th Telluride Jazz Festival.

About The Telluride Jazz Festival:

Primarily taking place in the renowned 36-acre Telluride Town Park outdoor venue outfitted for an unmatched live music and aesthetic experience, and after-hours in the historic theaters and intimate clubs downtown, the Telluride Jazz Festival combines a rich tradition of preserving the artistry of the American art form jazz with a reputation of being America’s destination jazz event. Presented by non­profit music education organization The Telluride Society for Jazz, 2015 will mark the 39th year of offering world-class Jazz, Funk, Soul, Latin, Word Beat, and Brass Bands with a goal of community engagement and student education in the Western Slope region. The historical mining town of Telluride, Colorado sits nestled in a scenic box canyon at 8,750 feet, surrounded by 14,000 foot peaks, and is a prized gem of the majestic San Juan mountain range for offering both unmatched scenery and a musically-­charged local culture.

Additional Festival Information:

The 39th Telluride Jazz Festival is set to take place July 31 ­- August 2, 2015 in the majestic mountain town of Telluride, Colorado in the San Juan Mountains of the Western Slope region. Offering three days and nights of live music, free wine, and spirit tastings, a New Orleans Day 2nd Line parade, themed food, craft beer and vendors, and incredible outdoor recreation combine for one of the most unique Jazz festivals in the world. 3-­Day Park Passes ($105), Weekend All­-Access Passes ($140), Patron Passes ($575), Camping Per Person Passes ($59), Vehicle In Campground Passes ($69), and RV In Campground Passes ($89) are currently available at those prices. Prices will increase on February 25, 2015. Single Day Tickets, Jazz After Dark late night show tickets, and additional artist announcements coming soon.

About Ernie Watts:

Handpicked as the Guest of Honor for the 39th Telluride Jazz Festival, saxophonist and flautist Ernie Watts has notched a five-decade professional career with such benchmarks as being a member of Charlie Haden’s Quartet West, touring with the Rolling Stones, recording with Dizzy Gillespie, Marvin Gaye and Frank Zappa, playing under Doc Severinsen with The Tonight Show Band, and laying down horn lines on the Grease and The Color Purple soundtracks. Grammy Awards came from work with vocalist Kurt Elling and winning Best Pop Instrumental Performance for 1982 hit “Chariots Of Fire Theme.” With nearly two dozen albums as a bandleader, and countless more as a sideman for jazz power players, Watts continues to educate, play, write, and record under his own independent record label Flying Dolphin.

About The M&Ms:

No, they are not the colorful candy produced by Mars, Inc, but it wouldn’t be a far off claim to say the music made by The M&Ms is from another planet. Lead by famed vocalist/guitarist Papa Mali of the 7 Walkers, and properly anchored by the Galactic rhythm section of Stanton Moore and Rob Mercurio, it is the noticeable presence of Medeski, Martin & Wood member John Medeski on keys that completes this rare New Orleans­-inspired supergroup. Able to move with ease between swampy Soul, space Jazz, and rocking Blues, the quartet of sonic heavy hitters are a New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival late night staple, and now recent Jam Cruise veterans that don’t otherwise play together very often. The band that started as an experiment in combining last names with the same first letter has gelled into a unique act with recorded material and an affinity for crushing their limited live performances that they say “melts in your mind.”

About Maceo Parker:

It is impossible to separate which came first ­Maceo Park or the Funk. When you heard a major hit from James Brown in the 1960s, that was Parker backing him up on the saxophone. The unstoppable Funk invasion lead by George Clinton’s Parliament in the 1970s, well, that was Parker’s legendary tone on alto, tenor and baritone sax, too. Born into a musically­-charged family inevitably gave way to his legacy as a leading member of the Funk empire, and there are few artists alive today that more clearly define the continued history of Funk and soulful Jazz horn playing. Breaking out solo in 1990s opened doors for Parker to perform and record with a diverse lineup of artists including Ray Charles, Keith Richards, Living Colour, Bernie Worrell, De La Soul, Bootsy Collins, Ani DiFranco, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Dave Matthews Band, but most impressive has been his elite presence on more than half a dozen Prince albums spanning the last two decades. Now touring under his own monicker, with what is described as the “tightest little Funk orchestra on Earth,” Parker’s impeccable pedigree personifies him as the golden thread that connects the history of Funk to the modern sound environ.

About The Bill Frisell Trio:

Although he is known for having a soft spoken demeanor and casual appearance, Grammy Award winning guitarist Bill Frisell has an real affinity for creating an arresting sound on his Fender Telecaster. Whether it is Jazz, Blues, Folk, or meandering seamlessly between all of them and their sub­genres, Frisell finds a way to gracefully mutate his influences into polished soundscapes that are often more deeply rooted than their beautifully textured appearance. Frisell describes his trio project with Tony Sherr and Kenny Wollesen as “the most flexible, spontaneous group I play with.” There are no setlists. Everything is about the feeling of the moment, and is inspired by other mediums such as old black and white photography, organically created soundtracks made for silent film era works, and even forgotten Honky­tonk melodies. Armed with an array of pedals and gadgets that open the door to seemingly infinite tones, the Bill Frisell Trio is a righteous representation of the never ending possibilities that improvisation and Jazz continue to offer artists willing to take it there.

About Joey DeFrancesco:

Joey DeFrancesco started on the organ keys early in life. The musical influence of his grandfather and father had him playing Jimmy Smith songs by the age of five. Before he was ten he was sitting in with his dad’s band, and then joined tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley and Joe Jones on drums to form Band In Philadelphia. By 16 he was signed to Columbia Records, and released All Of Me, often cited as the record that brought about a resurgence of the Hammond organ sound in popular music. The reception of that album lead to Miles Davis calling on him to join his band. John McLaughlin and Dennis Chambers would follow Davis’ lead and grab him for extensive touring all before he was 25. Since then Grammy Award nominations and sweeping the Down Beat Critics and Readers poll every year since 2002 has compiled on top of playing with George Benson, John Scofield, Jimmy Cobb, Benny Golson and James Moody. Presently DeFrancesco tours with his trio that features Byron Landham on drums and Paul Bollenback on guitar. Beyond his dominant role as a leading Hammond B3 player and respected trumpeter, he is also a practiced educator and inspired inventor currently working on the development of a new KeyB organ that replicates the sound of classic Tonewheel organs.

About The Nth Power:

Proving that soul music can be exponentially greater than the sum of its parts, The Nth Power is on a mission to share the light. Formed during an impromptu late­ night jam in 2012 at the Jazz Festival in New Orleans, the relentlessly funky and soulful band believes in music as a higher power ­­tapping into an energy that is simultaneously sexy and spiritual, with songs that will inspire audiences to dance, groove, make love or just stand there with goosebumps. The quintet hails from diverse musical backgrounds, races and creeds. Singer and keyboardist Nigel Hall has toured with Lettuce, John Scofield and the Warren Haynes Band, while Nick Cassarino came from the Jennifer Hartswick Band and toured with Big Daddy Kane. Female powerhouse Nikki Glaspie was Beyonce’s world­ touring drummer for five years before she joined Ivan Neville’s New Orleans funk outfit, Dumpstaphunk. Bassist Nate Edgar of John Brown’s Body and West African percussionist Weedie Braimah round out the group, and together as one, something kind of holy comes into being. The Nth Power’s 2013 independent EP Basic Minimum Skills Test showcases a first glimpse of the spark shared among the group, delivering gospel­-style vocals with Soul, Jazz, Funk and World­ Beat riffs in nearly mathematical fashion.

About The Soul Rebels:

The Soul Rebels started with an idea shared between founding members Derrick Moss and Lumar LeBlanc – to expand upon the Pop music they loved on the radio and the New Orleans brass band tradition they grew up on. They took that tradition and blended Funk and Soul with elements of Hip-hop, Jazz and Rock. Together with a group of young, like­-minded musicians from all over New Orleans, they formed The Soul Rebels and set out to make their mark on the music they love. The band has settled on an eight­ piece lineup that can be heard on their international debut release Unlock Your Mind. The Soul Rebels built a career around an eclectic live show that harnesses the power of horns and drums in the party like atmosphere of a dance club. When not touring, The Soul Rebels’ weekly show at New Orleans’ Le Bon Temps Roulé is known to erupt with the kind of contagious, shout-­along musical mayhem that The Rebels bring with them wherever they perform. 2014 was an explosive year for The Soul Rebels riding high from touring four continents including Europe, Australia for the second year, debuting in China, selling out shows in New York City, collaborating with artists spanning from Joey Bada$$, Big Freedia, Lotus and String Cheese Incident to sharing stages with Kanye West, The Allman Brothers Band, Gary Clark Jr., John Mayer, Jack White, Dave Matthews Band, and Disclosure.

About Euforquestra featuring Kim Dawson:

The Fort Collins, by way of Iowa City, outfit Euforquestra is the real deal in a thriving Nu­-Funk atmosphere. The eight piece band is an act that organically evolved through phases that stopped on technical Afrobeat, smooth Reggae, and and now prides itself on continuing to push elements of Rock and less easily described auditory signatures through the lens of Funk. Among their peers they stand towards the top of the list, and the culmination of their evolution was manifested in their 2014 studio release Fire. After a year of road testing the 14 track project that was produced by String Cheese Incident’s Kyle Hollingsworth, the present dynamic of the live show leaves an impression with a steady elevation to energetic jams, solo breakdowns, and full­ band peaks where progressive World Beat jumps into old school Funk before colliding with Jazz-­infused improvisational Rock. The addition of standout female R&B/Soul vocalist Kim Dawson, known for her work with Ivan Neville, George Porter Jr., Nigel Hall, and The Motet, elevates the band’s range and dynamic to the point of making them one of the best bands in Colorado.

About Jonathan Scales Fourchestra:

The steel­pan is an unlikely weapon of choice for a technically charged power Jazz trio that ruthlessly demonstrates compositional skills and avant ­garde improvisation. Yet, there are no palm trees and pina coladas associated with the immersive sounds Scales pushes out of the Trinidadian drum, while receiving desirable rhythm support from virtuosic bassist Cody Wright ­ a player Victor Wooten has called “amazing and musical.” Keeping the fire lit is drummer Chaisaray “Chais” Schenck on the standard kit, a skilled percussionist simply for performing the feat of keeping pace with his bandmates. Wooten isn’t the only one offering up accolades for the band members. Scales has been described as a pannist akin to what Bela Fleck is on the banjo in terms of innovation, and Fleck and Wooten’s fellow Flecktones bandmate Howard Levy even guests on Fourchestra’s self­-titled debut. The band has been making a name for itself the old fashioned way too, gigging relentlessly and turning audiences on to their unique sound with jaw dropping performances being felt all over the country and abroad.

About The Voodoo Orchestra:

The Voodoo Orchestra was formed in 2007 under the direction of band director Caleb Chapman. The band has gained national attention for their high energy jump Swing performances, and the fact that this pro 20 piece ensemble is comprised entirely of musicians 18 years old and younger.

About Telluride Student All­star Jazz Ensemble:

This student education program in its 21st year is for the serious music student and is directed by renowned Jazz educator and trumpeter Bob Montgomery and program alumnus saxophone player Josh Quinlan. A national talent search is conducted for students ages 13 to 19 via audition tapes, and those selected receive scholarships to this special week­-long program culminating with a main stage performance that is always the proudest moment of the festival weekend.