Announcing: Lavay Smith and Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers will be performing on the Main Stage at the 2nd Annual 2015 Mercedes-Benz SLO Jazz Festival May 16, 2015, Presented by Alfano Motorcars.
Also, the Broad Street Stage Headliner BOOGIE STOMP will feature a PIANO DUO ROMP... adding what amounts to a Blues & Swing Lover's delight to the festival lineup!
LIVE AT MISSION PLAZA IN SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA, ON MAY 16, 2015
April 5, 2015 – If you love New Orleans music, and dig seeing a woman sing the blues, and hear the horns rip into swingin' lines to make you wanna swing dance and chase the blues away, well, this act is for you!
What can we say about Lavay Smith that hasn't already been said?
“Lavay is wonderful! She and her band are a breath of fresh air. It is so unlikely and so exciting that a band would appear on the scene today that plays classic jazz and blues so well and so convincingly.” – Johnny Otis
“A lush vocal style recalling both Bessie Smith and Dinah Washington.” -- Don Heckman
“Hands-down the best thing to come out of the jump/swing revival...the gal can sing her tail off.” -- Paul de Barros, Seattle Times
You get the idea... Lavay leads the band with a sense of humor, and what we'd describe as Billy Holliday-esque vocals swoon and a band that swings.
(Above: Lavay Smith)
With Saxophone giants both opening and closing the main stage (we previously announced Grammy Winner Paul McCandless w/Charged Particles and 2x Grammy Nominated Joshua Redman Quartet as our Headliner for the Main Stage), you will find that her Red Hot Skillet Lickers don't disappoint, either.
Lavay's trumpet player, Mike Olmos, is currently the trumpet player for the great Etta James. Bill Ortiz, trumpeter, currently performs with Carlos Santana. Allen Smith, trumpet, replaced Clark Terry in the Navy Band. Danny Armstrong, trombone, worked with Johnny Otis. Jules Broussard, a man who can play two saxophones at once, has recorded with Ray Charles, John Handy, and Steve Miller. Howard Wiley has worked with Clarence Gatemouth Brown. Charles McNeal has worked with McCoy Tyner, John Faddis, and Wynton Marsalis. Pete Cornell was a founder of Steve Lucky and the Rumba Bums. Charlie Siebert, guitarist, has performed with Larry Vukovich, Mal Sharpe, and other greats. David Ewell, bass, recently performed with Lauren Hill.
You get the idea. These guys will knock your socks off! Swing dancers - bring your shoes for this one! Learn more at www.lavaysmith.com
Tickets are on sale now at all Vallitix locations, Boo Boo Records, and 1-888-825-5484, and more acts are being added daily!
And, announcing on our BROAD STREET STAGE - that's right, you heard it, we've gone INTERNATIONAL on our 2nd Stage this year!
BROAD STREET STAGE:
5:30PM - 7PM BOOGIE STOMP - a Blues, Swing, and Piano-lover's delight!
HEADLINER: BOOGIE STOMP!
No holds-barred dueling boogie woogie piano duel!
(photo: Boogie Bob Baldori and Arthur Migliazza)
As featured in San Luis Obispo International Film Festival in 2014, we brought them back LIVE and IN PERSON to headline our Broad Street Stage! Featuring Boogie Bob Baldori and Arthur Migliazza, Bob Baldori previously performed with non other than the great Chuck Berry!
In addition to Berry, Boogie Bob has worked and recorded with many other blues and rock legends, playing piano and harmonica. They include Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Luther Allison, Del Shannon, John Hammond, Hubert Sumlin and Bo Diddley. Along the way he developed a style of piano playing heavily influenced by boogie, jazz, and the relentless blues styles of Lafayette Leake, Otis Spann, James Booker and Johnny Johnson. If you like classic, no holds barred rocking piano boogie, this is for you!
Arthur has been inducted into the Arizona Blues Hall of Fame, was a finalist at the 2010 and 2014 International Blues Challenge in Memphis, TN, and in his 20+ years of performing has shared the stage with Albert Lee, John Mooney, Little Milton, Buckwheat Zydeco, Guitar Shorty, Saffire the Uppity Blues Women, Cephas and Wiggins, Robert Cray, Bob Margolin, Elvin Bishop, Tommy Castro, Bob Malone, Bruce Katz, Henry Butler and David Maxwell to name a few!
Learn more about this fabulous piano duo at:
http://boogiestomp.com/home/
SLO Jazz Festival, Inc., is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization helping residents and patrons of San Luis Obispo celebrate the human spirit through jazz music, one event at a time. Featuring year-round events, including the Alfano Motorcars Presents: the 2nd Annual 2015 Mercedes-Benz SLO Jazz Festival on May 16, 2015. Proceeds from the jazz festival benefit the 2nd Annual 2015 Summer Jazz Workshop for our youth to learn jazz in a combo format. Our organization offers many more reasons to get involved, listen, donate, sponsor, and join as a member. Visit our website at www.slojazzfest.org for more details.
Here's the EVENT PAGE at Facebook to learn more about artists we are announcing:
https://www.facebook.com/events/1779447012281017/
Please make sure to "LIKE" the page, and SHARE the event on
your own Facebook wall. The more you share our posts, the more popular Facebook rates them and the more people will see them!
To Volunteer for the 2015 SLO Jazz Festival, use the following link:
http://www.slojazzfest.org/volunteer.html
If you are a member of the SLO Jazz Festival from 2014, Membership for 2015 is now due, and includes a ticket(s) to the jazz festival, discounts on merchandise, and additional discounts to additional concerts and events.
Click here for membership information.
Oh, and before we forget, we'd like to wish you a very HAPPY EASTER!
Helping you SWING into SPRING!
The SLO Jazz Festival team
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