Chuchito Valdés

Bettye LaVette

Gina Sicilia

Yellowjackets

Felipe Lamoglia

MAY2009

Sir Mack Rice Harmonica Shah

Nicole Henry

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BETTYE LAVETTESUNFEST/MAY 3Bettye LaVette’s tale proves second acts do happen inshow biz. The distinctive soul singer, who recordedfor Atlantic in the 1960s but never lived up to hercommercial promise, performed at Barack Obama’sinauguration celebration in January. The Michigannative provided a highlight of the ceremony, duettingwith Jon Bon Jovi on a powerful rendition of “A ChangeIs Gonna Come.” (She similarly stole the show with herstunning read of The Who’s “Love Reign O’er Me” at lastyear’s Kennedy Center Honors.) LaVette’s late-careersuccess was sparked by her 2003 recording A WomanLike Me, which snared a W.C. Handy Award, and hasgrown into a steady flame. In 2005, she released the

Joe Henry-producedI’ve Got My OwnHell To Raise, whichfound her emotivelyinterpreting the likesof Sinéad O’Connor,Roseanne Cash andFiona Apple. Shereprised that effortin 2007 with TheScene of the Crime,which paired LaVettewith the roots-rockin’Drive-by Truckersand was nominatedfor a Grammy. BW

S P O T L I G H TFELIPE LAMOGLIAVAN DYKE CAFE/MAY 14He’s lived in the U.S. since 1999, but saxophonistFelipe Lamoglia’s roots are firmly planted in hisnative Cuba. After studying, performing and teachingin both his homeland and Brazil, the saxophonistgravitated toward Cuban stars like singer Celia Cruz,trumpeter Arturo Sandoval and pianist GonzaloRubalcaba as a sideman while living in America. Thepast few years have significantly heightenedLamoglia’s profile — he helped win a Grammy Awardfor Rubalcaba (for 2004’s Paseo), a Grammy nomina-tion for drummer Ignacio Berroa (for 2006’s Codes),and yet another Grammy for Sandoval’s 2007 CDRumba Palace, on which he was a performer, composer,

arranger and pro-ducer. Lamoglia alsofound time torelease his own solodebut, Dimensions,that same year. It’sunsurprising thathe covers Coltrane’s“Wise One” on thedisc; as the VillageVoice points out,Lamoglia owes “moreto Coltrane than theCaribbean,” even ashe peppers hismusic with Afro-Cuban spices. BM

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Log on to www.bostonsonthebeach.comfor our complete lineup, menus, photos and more!Located on the waterfront in Delray Beach, Boston’s is the ideal place

for casual dining, live music and sports viewing in our first-floor restaurant, The Beach. Or enjoy great cuisine and cocktails

upstairs at our fine dining restaurant, The UpperDeck. And be sure to check out our Back Bay Tiki Bar for a tropical cocktail

while listening to some of the area’s finest musicians on our outdoor stage. Boston’s… something for everyone!

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BLUES ON THE GREEN with SIR MACK RICEFORT MYERS GOLF COURSE/MAY 2-3Vocalist Sir Mack Rice bills himself as “The OldGangster of Hip Hop Blues,” and if you’re among theskeptical, consider his credentials. Mack joined the1950s vocal group The Falcons after moving toDetroit. That combo included Eddie Floyd (whowould have a huge hit with “Knock on Wood”) andWilson Pickett (who would do the same with Mack’scomposition “Mustang Sally”). He also wrote hits forthe Staple Singers (“Respect Yourself”), RufusThomas (“Do the Breakdown”) and Albert King(“Cadillac Assembly Line”). Joining Mack on the billof this two-day blues festival are Motor City starHarmonica Shah; Ohio-by-way-of-Mississippi vocalist

Willie Pooch; andSouth Florida-basedg u i t a r i s t a n dInternational BluesCompetition winnerJ.P. Soars with saxo-p h o n i s t / v o c a l i s tTerry Hanck. BM

S P O T L I G H TCHUCHITO VALDESATHENS THEATRE/MAY 1If the name Jesus “Chuchito” Valdés looks familiar,there are two generations of reasons why. Born andraised in Havana, Valdés is the third-generationCuban pianist in a trilogy that includes fatherChucho Valdés and grandfather Bebo Valdés. A childprodigy, Chuchito accepted both the advantages andpitfalls of having a famous name, playing his firstprofessional gig as a teenager. After taking hisfather’s spot in the influential Cuban jazz bandIrakere, Chuchito established his own name.Currently living in Cancun, Mexico, Valdés likely willperform material from his 2007 CD Keys of LatinJazz during his performance at the historic Athens

Theatre in DeLand.The concert, whichis part of theDaytona BeachI n t e r n a t i o n a lFestival, featuresValdés and HisLatin Jazz Trio. BM

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NICOLE HENRYAMATURO THEATER/MAY 13Philadelphia-born vocalist Nicole Henry took a cir-cuitous route toward a now-thriving musical career.After studying cello and singing in choirs in her youth,she received a scholarship to the University of Miami— for academics, not music— where she studied archi-tecture. She became a full-time entertainer in 2000,performing around Miami and scoring a pop hit with“Because You Are You,” but switched to jazz in 2002.It proved a savvy move. Henry’s recordings, TheNearness of You and Teach Me Tonight earned her highpraise and chart action, especially in Japan. On herthird CD, The Very Thought of You, Henry interpretsstandards by George and Ira Gershwin, Irving Berlin

and Antonio CarlosJobim, and performssongs associatedwith Etta James(“At Last”), Sinatra(“All the Way”) andJohnny Hartman (thetitle track). Recordedin Miami, the discalso features a host ofarea A-list musicians,including pianistsMike Orta and BrianMurphy, bassistJamie Ousley anddrummer DannyBurger. BM

S P O T L I G H THARMONICA SHAH AND EDDIE KIRKLANDWITH RJ’S RHYTHM ROCKERSBRADFORDVILLE BLUES CLUB/MAY 1Neither was born in Detroit, but Seward “Harmonica”Shah and Eddie Kirkland became blues legends in theMotor City. Shah hails from California, but was raisedin Texas before emerging in Detroit in the late 1960s.His harmonica style owes much to legendary Chicagopredecessors Junior Wells and Little Walter, and hisvocals recall classic blues singers such as Muddy Waters.But Shah’s got his own tale to tell, as evidenced by hisall-original 2006 recording Listen at Me Good. Jamaicanative Kirkland spent his formative years in the DeepSouth, hitting the road at a young age and landing inDetroit in 1943. He worked with John Lee Hooker for

more than seven years,was band leader forOtis Redding, andtoured with LittleRichard. The stogie-chomping, barrel-chested octogenarianremains a powerfulpresence on vocals andguitar, and continuesto tour and record.Shah and Kirklandwill be backed byDetroit’s own RJ’sRhythm Rockers,led by drummer RJSpangler. BM

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S P O T L I G H TGINA SICILIAMAY 23/THE BACK ROOMGina Sicilia possesses a classic blues voice, one thatrecalls the vibrant brass of big-voiced belters fromthe 1920s through the ’60s. Just 23 years old, thePhiladelphia-born singer has released a pair of mature,confident recordings with 2007’s Allow Me To Confessand this year’s Hey Sugar. On the strength of the former,Sicilia won a Blues Music Award for Best New ArtistDebut. Hey Sugar finds the singer in full growl outfront of an outstanding, horn-fueled band, kicking itold-school on sexy charmers such as her own “SoAttracted to You” and Ernest Lawler’s “Kissing inthe Dark.” She also displays a penchant for tear-stained country balladry on standout beauties such

as her own “Whatthe Moon CouldNever Do” and theever-moving DollyParton classic “Coatof Many Colors.”But it’s the bite andraunch of tracks likeSicilia’s “Lowest ofthe Low” that haveendeared her to bluesfans and should keepthe beer flowing atBoca’s Back Room.BW

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YELLOWJACKETS: FLIGHT of the BUMBLEBEESby Bill Meredith

THE YELLOWJACKETS HAVEalternately been labeled a fusionband and a smooth jazz band. Theycould just as easily be dubbed thelast band standing, having survivedthree decades of recording, touringand personnel changes. The group’soriginal members started workingtogether in 1977, when they werehired as session players to backguitarist Robben Ford for his soloalbum The Inside Story.

By 1981, Ford’s group hadreleased a self-titled debut underits stinging new name, with theguitarist still aboard. Yellowjacketshelped create a blueprint for con-temporary jazz that’s still part ofthe genre’s framework 28 years later.

Ford stayed with the band until 1983.Keyboardist Russell Ferrante, bassist JimmyHaslip and drummer Ricky Lawson carried onas a trio until Tower of Power alto saxophonistMarc Russo joined in 1984. Lawson left in1986, and was replaced by Will Kennedy, whostayed on for 12 years. Russo lasted until 1990,when he was replaced by tenor saxophonistBob Mintzer, now in his 20th year with theband. Original members Ferrante and Haslipwill celebrate their 30th recording anniver-saries in 2011.

All of this makes Yellowjackets drummerMarcus Baylor, 32, not only the youngest ofthe musicians, but also the new kid on theblock — despite the fact that he’s nearing hisown 10-year mark. In fact, he now holds thesecond-longest tenure in the band’s drumchair, after Kennedy.

“Wow, I hadn’t thought of that,” Baylor says,speaking by phone from the home in CherryHill, New Jersey, that he shares with wife, JeanBaylor, a guest vocalist on three YellowjacketsCDs since 2003. “I still feel like the new guy.”

The Yellowjackets returned to their guitar-istic origins in 2007, when Mike Sternjoined them onstage at the Montreal JazzFestival. The group’s 2008 release Lifecyclealso featured the guitarist, who toured withthe quartet through last month.

“Mike has a new recording coming out, sohe's playing in Mexico the night we play inFort Lauderdale,” Baylor says, referring tothe May 9 gig that brings the band to theMiniaci Performing Arts Center. “And twodays after that show, the four of us fly toEurope.” The quartet spends the remainderof the month touring Germany, Sweden,

Italy, the Netherlands and Norway, and willhave a new live DVD release by late 2009.

Lifecycle, which was nominated for aGrammy in the Best Contemporary Jazz Albumcategory, is a collaborative effort with Stern,who appears on seven of its 10 tracks. Allfive musicians earn songwriting credits, andthe simpatico results sound like anything buta core group that invited a guest.

“It turned into a really fun thing withMike,” Baylor says. “I look at it more as himbeing a part of the band — five guys workingtogether — than us bringing him on-board.Texture-wise, he makes it a little differentthan the quartet. But he’s a great guy andan amazing musician. Recording with himprovided a format, but then he helped usmake the music evolve over a period of timeby playing it live.”

Baylor’s own evolution as a drummerbegan at age two in his native St. Louis, whenhe started mimicking the drummers at thechurch where his father was pastor. In juniorhigh, he was introduced to jazz when a friendplayed him a Yellowjackets album.

Since 2000, he’s appeared on several ofthose, including Mint Jam, Time Squared,Peace Round, Altered State, 25 and Lifecycle.Baylor’s touring and recording credits nowalso include Cassandra Wilson, KennyGarrett, John Scofield and Joshua Redman.

Not bad for a newcomer.

South Florida JAZZ presents theYellowjackets, 8PM Saturday, May 9, at theMiniaci Performing Arts Center at NovaSoutheastern University in Davie. Call954-462-0222 or visit Southfloridajazz.org.

YELLOWJACKETS

http://waneefestival.com