Troubadour, chronicler of life, juggler of fruit, host of Wine & Song and Jazz at the Blue Guitar.
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Wednesday Sept 19 7:00pm Mare Wakefield & Nomad and Michael McNevin – TICKETS
Tireless troubadours Mare Wakefield & Nomad are currently based in Nashville when they aren’t on a long stretch of road somewhere. Listeners of their music roam through Arizona deserts, Oklahoma oil fields and Amsterdam canals. Journeys go inward too, exploring hope, heartbreak and barroom brawls. Story and song are woven together by Mare’s intimate delivery and Nomad’s exquisite piano and accordion. They are two-time finalists at the prestigious Kerrville New Folk competition. Singer-songwriter and aspiring golf pro Michael McNevin will guest host this show. He began his career in the subways and streets of Greenwich Village. Now a veteran of the folk scene, Michael has played concerts all across the U.S. including main stage appearances at Strawberry, Kerrville, High Sierra, and Philadelphia music festivals.
Thursday Sept 20 7:30pm Mark Towns & Braziliance – TICKETS
Mark Towns & Braziliance is an exciting mix of Spanish, Brazilian, and Caribbean musical textures, combining the virtuosity of flamenco-influenced guitar with seductively exotic Latin rhythms. The sounds will take you on a musical journey conjuring images of hot summer days, panoramic sunsets, and cool moonlit nights. Mark will be joined by Cedric Leonardi (formerly with the Gipsy Kings) on drums and Ross Schodek on bass, with a very special guest appearance by Brazilian vocalist Diana Purim (daughter of legendary jazz vocalist Flora Purim).
Wednesday Sept 26 7:00pm Jill Freeman and Ali McGuirk – TICKETS
Thursday Sept 27 7:30pm Louie Cruz Beltran & his Latin Jazz Band – TICKETS
Louie Cruz Beltran is a charismatic entertainer, singer and master percussionist. His musical career was crafted upon the soulful sounds of his ethnic American background and flavored with contemporary R&B, Jazz, and Salsa as well as the Great American Songbook. Early in his career, Louie performed with great artists such as Ray Barretto, Mongo Santamaria, Tito Puente, Francisco Aguabella, and Jorge Claudio. Recently he has performed with legends Natalie Cole, Gladys Knight, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, Poncho Sanchez and many other renowned artists. Louie will be joined by Carlos Vivas on keyboard, JD Perez, drums on drums, Andrew Ford on bass, and Justin Janer on sax and flute.
A very special 9th anniversary show. Wendy Waldman makes her first appearance at Wine & Song. She is a critically acclaimed recording artist, multi-platinum selling songwriter, and one of the first distinguished female record producers. A Los Angeles native, Wendy’s father composed, among other things, the famous “Perry Mason” theme. In the height of the emerging folk rock scene in LA, Wendy formed Bryndle with fellow artists Karla Bonoff, Andrew Gold, and Kenny Edwards — each highly successful writers, artists, and record producers. Nathan Rivera and Jessie Andra Smith bring their unforgettable brand of gypsy folk. The duo has traveled all over the world sharing their music on streets and stages. Their unique sound is a fusion of jazzy folk and blues on resonator guitars and accordion, with an interesting interplay of harmonies between the two voices. Upbeat tunes rooted in the spirit of jazz, improvisation, storytelling, and humor.
Thursday October 7:30pm
David Arnay Trio – TICKETS
Pianist David Arnay spent his formative years in Ithaca, New York. His keyboard work was essential to a series of original musical projects including a lengthy collaboration in the Zobo Funn Band, with influential guitarist/composer David Torn. In 1994 he joined jazz woodwind legend Bennie Maupin’s quintet which performed some of Arnay’s compositions. In 1997, Arnay released his first CD as a leader — Daddy’s Groove. The disc featured woodwind performances by Maupin and Bob Sheppard, with drummer Peter Erskine and bassists Alphonso Johnson and Dave Carpenter. His second CD was a self-produced trio project, Blues… And Then Some. With drummer Dave Tull and bassist Larry Steen, the album presented eight original compositions along with fresh arrangements of a few standards. The CD remains in regular rotation at KKJZ and beyond. After completing his master’s degree at USC/Thornton School of Music in 1999, David was invited to join the faculty. Arnay performed all keyboard tracks on guitarist Phil Upchurch’s CD, Tell the Truth. He will joined for this show by Jake Reed on drums and Trevor Ware on bass.
Wednesday October 10 7:00pm – TICKETS
Rachel Laven, Five Letter Word, Dennis Warner + more
On the eve of the FAR-West Folk Alliance conference in Woodland Hills October 11 – 13, we’ll hear from some of the top talent on their way to the event. Texas troubadour Rachel Laven, Oregon trio Five Letter Word, Minnesota singer-songwriter Dennis Warner + special guest performances. Gonna be a fantastic evening. Come celebrate the beginning of our tenth year of Wine & Song!
AltaMusica is a musical partnership between pianist Chad Edward and saxophonist Robert Kyle, both long-time residents of Altadena. Combining elements of jazz, Latin, and Brazilian, their unique live performances feature original compositions as well as fresh interpretations of jazz standards. Rob’s performance and recording credits include work with Natalie Cole, Chaka Khan, Pete Escovedo, Billy Mitchell, Lou Rawls, and others. As a bandleader, he has released nine CDs on his Dark Delishious Music label. Chad has performed with artists including Stanley Jordan, Phil Upchurch, and Bill Watrous among others. He was co-leader of the jazz-fusion band Slow Burn, and has appeared on numerous recordings, including his own critically acclaimed “Resolution”. When not playing music, Chad works on missions to explore Mars at Pasadena’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. They will be joined by Jonathan Pintoff on bass and Sandro Feliciano on percussion for this performance.
Wednesday October 17 7:00pm
Claudia Russell & Bruce Kaplan plus special guest TBA –TICKETS
Thursday October 18 7:30pm Mark Goldenberg + Adam Levy/Frank Potenza –
Wednesday October 24 7:00pm
Alice Wallace; Andrew Delaney –
