SMF APPEARANCES

• SALSA DANCE PARTY: THE JIMMY BOSCH ORCHESTRA
  March 31, 2012 7:30 PM
  Charles H. Morris Center

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• SALSA DANCE PARTY: THE JIMMY BOSCH ORCHESTRA
  March 31, 2012 10:00 PM
  Charles H. Morris Center

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Jimmy Bosch is a powerful force as a trombonist, composer, entertainer and producer widely considered to be one of today’s most important Salsa musicians. His abilities to conquer the rhythmic complexities with his heartfelt and gifted compositional and performing styles have made him one of the most “in demand” musicians in the salsa, Latin Jazz and world music genres.

Appearing on over 70 recordings, Bosch has recorded and/or performed with his own band and a “who’s who” of Latino music including Israel “Cachao” Lopez, Ruben Blades, Celia Cruz, Ray Barretto, Willie Colon, Manny Oquendo y Libre, Paquito D’Rivera, Oscar De Leon, Jose Alberto “El Canario,” Marc Anthony, FANIA Allstars, Eddie Palmieri (with whom he played SMF previously), Spanish Harlem Orchestra, Jon Faddis, Arturo O’Farril and many others. For his Savannah debut as a leader, Jimmy will bring his high octane, nine-piece ensemble. All you need to bring is your dancing shoes.

SMF APPEARANCES

• ZYDECO DANCE PARTY: NATHAN & THE ZYDECO CHA CHAS
  March 30, 2012 6:00 PM
  Charles H. Morris Center

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• ZYDECO DANCE PARTY: NATHAN & THE ZYDECO CHA CHAS
  March 30, 2012 8:00 PM
  Charles H. Morris Center

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• ZYDECO DANCE PARTY: NATHAN & THE ZYDECO CHA CHAS
  March 30, 2012 10:00 PM
  Charles H. Morris Center

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Sponsored by SAVANNAH MORNING NEWS &
SAVANNAH MAGAZINE
Sponsored in part by Wells Fargo Bank &
Wells Fargo Insurance Services
Additional support by Scott K. & Lorraine Boice

Our annual Zydeco Dance Party features Nathan & the Zydeco Cha Chas, one of the most entertaining and in-demand Creole Zydeco bands in existence. Joined by his brother Dennis Paul Williams on guitar, son Nathan Jr. on keyboards and cousin Mark Williams on rub-board. Mr. Williams’ family band is rounded out by the formidable rhythm section of Robert Leblanc on bass and Herman “Rat” Brown on drums (former drummer for Buckwheat Zydeco). Raised in the epicenter of Zydeco in Lafayette, Nathan has remained ensconced in its tradition over the years as a touring artist and at home around El Sid-Os, the renowned dance hall owned and operated by his manager and brother, Sid Williams. Nathan & the Zydeco Cha Chas keep the dance floor hopping, drawing from Nathan’s nearly three-decade commitment to the tradition of Zydeco, his instrumental prowess on the piano accordion and his own distinctive songwriting.

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NOON30: JEFF CLAYTON QUARTET

SMF APPEARANCES

• NOON30: JEFF CLAYTON QUARTET
  March 30, 2012 12:30 PM
  Charles H. Morris Center

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Steinway Piano sponsored by Excelsia Investment Advisors

Co-leader of the acclaimed jazz ensemble The Clayton Brothers, reed virtuoso Jeff Clayton is also a dedicated educator and Swing Central Jazz clinician. Mr. Clayton has worked with Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Lionel Hampton, Lena Horne, Dee Dee Bridgewater and many others. His abilities as an improviser have also made him an in-demand session player, including recordings with R&B and pop artists such as Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight, Michael Jackson and Madonna. Mr. Clayton’s SMF performance, including New Orleans drummer Herlin Riley (Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Dr. John, Harry Connick, Jr.), bassist Rodney Jordan (Marcus Roberts Trio), and pianist Aaron Diehl, promises to be an afternoon of soulful swing!

SMF APPEARANCES

• FIRE & FELLOWSHIP: JON FADDIS FEAT. TERELL STAFFORD & SEAN JONES/BRIAN BLADE FELLOWSHIP BAND
  March 29, 2012 6:15 PM
  Charles H. Morris Center

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• FIRE & FELLOWSHIP: JON FADDIS FEAT. TERELL STAFFORD & SEAN JONES/BRIAN BLADE FELLOWSHIP BAND
  March 29, 2012 9:00 PM
  Charles H. Morris Center

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Sponsored by CRITZ, INC & MERCEDES-BENZ USA and
RON & SUSAN WHITAKER
Additional support provided by Wilson & Linda Fisk-Morris
Steinway Piano sponsored by Excelsia Investment Advisors

This power-packed SMF original double bill features the Savannah debut of the great trumpeter Jon Faddis and his Quartet (David Hazelitine, Kiyoshi Kitagawa, Dion Parsons) along with special guest trumpeters Terell Stafford and Sean Jones, sharing the stage with renowned drummer Brian Blade’s Fellowship Band (Melvin Butler, Jon Cowherd, Chris Thomas, Myron Walden). The three-trumpet lineup will feature fiery and competitive playing on one half of the program while the beautiful and enigmatic style of Blade’s group is an aptly termed fellowship. ”Whether he’s purring into his mute or releasing a meteor shower of spectacular phrases, Faddis plays with authority. Also with dynamics… Faddis talks through his horn, holding up his end of an animated conversation.” -NPR’s Jazz Set
“The Fellowship revolves around the writing of Blade and keyboardist Jon Cowherd, whose concepts tends toward the pastoral, elegant and cathartic.” -NPR Music

SMF APPEARANCES

• HELLO POPS: A CELEBRATION OF LOUIS ARMSTRONG BY WYCLIFFE GORDON & FRIENDS
  March 27, 2012 5:30 PM
  Charles H. Morris Center

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• HELLO POPS: A CELEBRATION OF LOUIS ARMSTRONG BY WYCLIFFE GORDON & FRIENDS
  March 27, 2012 7:30 PM
  Charles H. Morris Center

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• HELLO POPS: A CELEBRATION OF LOUIS ARMSTRONG BY WYCLIFFE GORDON & FRIENDS
  March 28, 2012 12:30 PM
  Charles H. Morris Center

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• HELLO POPS: A CELEBRATION OF LOUIS ARMSTRONG BY WYCLIFFE GORDON & FRIENDS
  March 28, 2012 5:30 PM
  Charles H. Morris Center

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• HELLO POPS: A CELEBRATION OF LOUIS ARMSTRONG BY WYCLIFFE GORDON & FRIENDS
  March 28, 2012 7:30 PM
  Charles H. Morris Center

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Sponsored by CRITZ, INC & MERCEDES-BENZ USA
and VISIT SAVANNAH
Sponsored in part by Carolyn Luck & Don McElveen
Additional support by Don & Kay Gardner
Steinway piano sponsored by Excelsia Investment Advisors

Louis Armstrong (a.k.a. “Pops” and “Satchmo”) is arguably the most important and original American musician in history, and this entertaining and original show celebrates his musical legacy with an ensemble led by SMF veteran and Waynesboro, Georgia native Wycliffe Gordon (top). Mr. Gordon is a six-time “Trombonist of the Year” winner (Jazz Journalist Association, including 2011), and one of the most unique and charismatic soloists in jazz. The city of Augusta, GA recently established “Wycliffe Gordon Day” on August 7th. “Armstrong was and is phenomenal,” says Wycliffe Gordon. “Both as a musician and a person, he meant so much to so many people.”

SMF APPEARANCES

• NOON30: KENNY BARRON, PIANO
  March 27, 2012 12:30 PM
  Charles H. Morris Center

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Sponsored by CRITZ, INC. & MERCEDES- BENZ USA
and THE NEISES FAMILY
Sponsored in part by Berkeley Hall
Steinway piano sponsored by Excelsia Investment Advisors

National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master Kenny Barron began his career in the 1950s as a teenager, playing with such jazz greats as Philly Joe Jones, Roy Haynes, Lee Morgan and James Moody. He worked for years with Dizzy Gillespie, co-founded the group Sphere, played with Stan Getz in his final years, and has performed and collaborated with a who’s who of jazz musicians. Mr. Barron is heralded by the Los Angeles Times as “one of the top jazz pianists of our time,” and this recital promises to be very special. “…the most lyrical jazz pianist of our time.” Jazz Weekly

SMF APPEARANCES

• PIANO SHOWDOWN
  March 26, 2012 5:30 PM
  Charles H. Morris Center

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• PIANO SHOWDOWN
  March 26, 2012 8:00 PM

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Sponsored by CRITZ, INC. & MERCEDES- BENZ USA
and THE NEISES FAMILY
Sponsored in part by Berkeley Hall
Additional support by William Donahue and
Wilson & Linda Fisk-Morris
Steinway Piano Sponsored by Excelsia Investment Advisors

SMF’s original “Piano Showdown” productions have captured the hearts of audiences for the past eight years. Our 2012 edition places piano giants Kenny Barron and Cedar Walton alongside young sensations Kevin Bales and Aaron Diehl. Barron and Walton are NEA Jazz Masters and two of jazz music’s most revered pianists. Hailed by the Chicago Tribune as “The most promising discovery that Wynton Marsalis has made since Eric Reed,” Aaron Diehl’s distinctive interpretations of Jelly Roll Morton, Art Tatum and Duke Ellington pay homage to the tradition while establishing an original voice. Winner of the American Pianist Association’s Jazz Piano Competition, Kevin Bales has played with Rene Marie, James Moody, Marcus Printup, Bunky Green, Eddie Daniel and many others.

National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master Kenny Barron began his career in the 1950s as a teenager, playing with such jazz greats as Philly Joe Jones, Roy Haynes, Lee Morgan and James Moody. He worked for years with Dizzy Gillespie, co-founded the group Sphere, played with Stan Getz in his final years, and has performed and collaborated with a who’s who of jazz musicians. Mr. Barron is heralded by the Los Angeles Times as “one of the top jazz pianists of our time,” and this recital promises to be very special. “…the most lyrical jazz pianist of our time.” Jazz Weekly

NEA Jazz Master Cedar Walton first came to prominence as a member of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers in the 60s, in which he was the arranger in the band with Freddie Hubbard and Wayne Shorter. His performances or recordings with John Coltrane, Kenny Dorham, J.J. Johnson and others have made him one of the most revered pianists in jazz.

SMF APPEARANCES

• NOON30: CEDAR WALTON, PIANO
  March 26, 2012 12:30 PM
  Charles H. Morris Center

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Sponsored by CRITZ, INC. & MERCEDES- BENZ USA
and THE NEISES FAMILY
Sponsored in part by Berkeley Hall
Steinway piano sponsored by Excelsia Investment Advisors

This is a very rare solo recital by NEA Jazz Master Cedar Walton, who first came to prominence as a member of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers in the 60s, in which he was the arranger in the band with Freddie Hubbard and Wayne Shorter. His performances or recordings with John Coltrane, Kenny Dorham, J.J. Johnson and others have made him one of the most revered pianists in jazz.

SMF APPEARANCES

• SANCTIFIED STEEL & SOUTHERN SOUL: RUTHIE FOSTER AND THE CAMPBELL BROTHERS
  March 24, 2012 6:15 PM
  Charles H. Morris Center

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• SANCTIFIED STEEL & SOUTHERN SOUL: RUTHIE FOSTER AND THE CAMPBELL BROTHERS
  March 24, 2012 9:00 PM
  Charles H. Morris Center

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• SANCTIFIED STEEL & SOUTHERN SOUL: RUTHIE FOSTER AND THE CAMPBELL BROTHERS
  March 25, 2012 4:15 PM
  Charles H. Morris Center

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• SANCTIFIED STEEL & SOUTHERN SOUL: RUTHIE FOSTER AND THE CAMPBELL BROTHERS
  March 25, 2012 7:00 PM
  Charles H. Morris Center

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Sponsored by THE KENNICKELL GROUP and
SAVANNAH MORNING NEWS & SAVANNAH MAGAZINE
Sponsored in part by Dede & Alfie Mays
Additional support by Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP
and Harold & Peggy Yellin

This only-in-Savannah production places Ruthie Foster (the “people’s choice” of Morris Center performers during SMF 2010) on a double-bill alongside the commanding Sacred Steel gospel of The Campbell Brothers. Fans of Sam Cooke, Sister Rosetta Tharpe and other gospel-infused blues and R&B shouldn’t miss the rare chance to see Ruthie Foster. The Campbell Brothers present a compelling, rich variety of material from the African-American Holiness Pentacostal repertoire with a new twist: the growling, wailing, shouting and singing voice of the steel guitar.

“…a full-on blast of soul and blues.” Blues Revue

SMF APPEARANCES

• NOON30: SLAVE SHOUT SONGS FROM THE GEORGIA COAST: MCINTOSH COUNTY SHOUTERS
  March 24, 2012 12:30 PM
  Charles H. Morris Center

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Sponsored by THE KENNICKELL GROUP

National Heritage Fellows, the McIntosh County Shouters are foremost practitioners of a very unique segment of Georgia’s musical history, the “ring shout.” The ten-member ensemble consists of the songster, stickman, bassers and the shouters, who collectively re-enact this call-and-response song form and formalized dance-like movement originally established by slaves on the Georgia coast. This is their third SMF appearance.

“A a national treasure that has preserved one of the oldest forms of African American cultural and religious expression with a direct link to African roots.”
-World Music Institute