Woody Woodland and Carol Stone, founders of the award-winning Cape May Jazz Festival, are back on the scene presenting Philly Jazz Fest “Remembering Grover” September 22, 2012, at the Sheraton Philadelphia Downtown Hotel Ballroom. Philly Jazz Fest, Inc., a newly formed nonprofit corporation is proud to have sponsors WRTI Temple Public Radio and Jazz Times joining them for a spectacular jazz event. The Sheraton is the perfect location offering its restaurants, bar, parking and balcony overlooking the lobby.
The festival opens at 1pm with the Immanuel Wilkins Project. Wilkins impressed Cape May Jazz Festival crowds since age 9 and now at 15 he is a prominent young alto performer in the Philadelphia area. A jam will follow with many of the musicians area fans want to hear including vocalists Barbara Walker and Jeannie Brooks, sax greats Louis Taylor, Jesse Andrus, Ken Fowser; trumpeters Daud El-Bakara and Eddie Morgan; guitarists Darrell Daughtry and Jimmy O’Dell; keyboardist Will Brock and bassist Steve Green. Between 5pm and 7pm guitarist Teddy Royal with Tony Day on congas will entertain in the bar area.
At 7pm the Denise King Quintet with vocalist Denise King, tenor player Bootsie Barnes, trumpeter Duane Eubanks open, followed by Pieces of a Dream performing “Remembering Grover”. Grover mentored and promoted Pieces for many years when they were still teenagers in East Mt. Airy and was instrumental in their becoming an internationally famous quintet that has traveled throughout the jazz world. If you have not experienced this group you are in for a thrill as you watch James Lloyd on keyboards and Curtis Harmon on drums. You will not want to miss the Swing City Blues Band with Philadelphia favorite, Frank Bey, whose Georgia-blues voice is reminiscent of Otis Redding.
Philly Jazz Fest, with plans to move into a three-day weekend festival, will become THE Philadelphia jazz showcase restoring the greatness of the Mellon Jazz Festival of yesteryear with some of the jazz greats who got their start in Philadelphia.
Contact (609) 884-8919 or go to www.phillyjazzfest.org for more information to buy tickets, or read bios.
Leave a Comment