The free seven-hour Albany Riverfront Jazz Festival brings a high-quality parade of performers on Saturday to either the Riverfront Amphitheatre or the Palace Theatre (19 Clinton Ave., at N. Pearl St., Albany), depending on another parade — of tropical storms or hurricanes. Visit albanyevents.org for an update on Saturday morning.
For now, check out the lineup, which is a bit more compact than at the Tanglewood Jazz Festival last weekend or the Lake George Jazz Weekend next, but pretty strong, culminating with alto saxophonist David Sanborn for fireworks onstage followed by fireworks over the river.
First up is another sax man, local hero Keith Pray at 12:30 p.m. with his 17-piece Big Soul Ensemble. Unlike many retro-swing big bands — not that there’s anything wrong with that — these guys write and arrange much of their own material.
The Brubeck Brothers Quartet hits at 1:45 p.m. Drummer Dan Brubeck, bassist/trombonist Chris Brubeck, guitarist Mike DeMicco and keyboardist Chuck Lamb are all rooted in straight-ahead jazz but bring in more modernist elements, too.
Singer Ernestine Anderson steps up to the mike at 3:15 p.m. She turns 80 soon and released her first album at 30, after hitting the road at 18 with Johnny Otis and singing with the giants of blues and jazz ever since. Quincy Jones, who produced her most recent albums, calls her voice “honey at dusk.”
“Foodies” might know Doc Gibbs — who takes over at 4:45 p.m. -- better than music fans: The versatile percussionist led TV chef Emeril Lagasse's band, and his name often appears in small lettering on albums by Anita Baker, Whitney Houston, Bog James, Rickie Lee Jones, Grover Washington Jr. (who nicknamed him “Doc” after Gibbs recommended herbal remedies for an ailment), Erykah Badu, Al Jarreau, Wyclef Jean and others. This time around, he leads his own group, Picante (Espanol for “spicy”).
For now, check out the lineup, which is a bit more compact than at the Tanglewood Jazz Festival last weekend or the Lake George Jazz Weekend next, but pretty strong, culminating with alto saxophonist David Sanborn for fireworks onstage followed by fireworks over the river.
First up is another sax man, local hero Keith Pray at 12:30 p.m. with his 17-piece Big Soul Ensemble. Unlike many retro-swing big bands — not that there’s anything wrong with that — these guys write and arrange much of their own material.
The Brubeck Brothers Quartet hits at 1:45 p.m. Drummer Dan Brubeck, bassist/trombonist Chris Brubeck, guitarist Mike DeMicco and keyboardist Chuck Lamb are all rooted in straight-ahead jazz but bring in more modernist elements, too.
Singer Ernestine Anderson steps up to the mike at 3:15 p.m. She turns 80 soon and released her first album at 30, after hitting the road at 18 with Johnny Otis and singing with the giants of blues and jazz ever since. Quincy Jones, who produced her most recent albums, calls her voice “honey at dusk.”
“Foodies” might know Doc Gibbs — who takes over at 4:45 p.m. -- better than music fans: The versatile percussionist led TV chef Emeril Lagasse's band, and his name often appears in small lettering on albums by Anita Baker, Whitney Houston, Bog James, Rickie Lee Jones, Grover Washington Jr. (who nicknamed him “Doc” after Gibbs recommended herbal remedies for an ailment), Erykah Badu, Al Jarreau, Wyclef Jean and others. This time around, he leads his own group, Picante (Espanol for “spicy”).
For more information contact All About Jazz.
