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April 15th - 17th 2005
The 23rd Cape May Jazz Festival kicked off Friday, April 15, 2005 with a tribute to the late legend, Ray Charles. David “Fathead” Newman, a tenor sax man who met Ray when the two were teens on the touring circuit will perform his rousing homage “I Remember Brother Ray”, joined by Marcus Belgrave, Howard Johnson and Cynthia Scott.
Newman’s moving tribute to the man and the decades they played together is sure to be an electrifying kickoff to the festival weekend. The festival will had two headliners: On Convention Hall’s seaside stage, Nicholas Payton & Sonic Trance brought their distinct jazz groove, incorporating elements of groove and hip hop with mystical special effects for a complete aural experience. Young trumpet phenom Payton has created a musical landscape intended to take the imagination on a journey. Also Saturday, Pieces of a Dream was the first Cape May Jazz Festival artists to use the new Lower Township Performing Arts Center.
Pianist Monty Alexander got in the spirit of Ray at the Grand Hotel on Friday, grafting the traditions of American jazz to his authentic Jamaican roots. Alexander’s four-decade career has explored the rich depths of musical and cultural diversity, and he has performed and/or recorded with artists from every corner of the musical universe including Frank Sinatra, Ray Brown, Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Rollins, Quincy Jones, Natalie Cole, Robbie Shakespeare and many more.
Three-time Grammy nominee, percussionist Stefon Harris and Blackout lit up the Star of the Sea auditorium on Saturday. Called "one of the most important young artists in jazz" by The Los Angeles Times, Harris has been winning national and international awards for his skilled melodious vibraphone sound.
Young vocalist Sara Gazarek has begun to gain national acclaim, and was awarded the 2003 DownBeat Student Music Award for Best Collegiate Jazz Vocalist. Sara wooed the audience at the Pelican Club on Friday. Also Friday, the AfroRican Jazz Ensemble played Carney’s Main Room and had it dancing like it’s 1950 in Havana. Saturday the Latin grooves continued with the Cintron Orchestra jamming the afternoon away at the Grand, and Ray Mantilla and The New Space Station shook the evening crowd at Star of the Sea.
Rounding out this fabulous lineup was the Budesa Brothers featuring Michelle Beckham on vocals in Carney’s Other Room, The Ed Cherry Organ Project was at the Boiler Room, and the Chris Bergson Band in Cabanas. Trumpet sensation Sean Jones performed at the Grand Hotel, and Lucky Thompson & DNA brought their percussive jazz to Carney’s Main Room. Saturday in Carney’s Other Room, chanteuse Laura Theodore took the mic. The Vinson Valega Trio performed in the Boiler Room, and vocalist Nora Jean Bruso sang the blues at Cabanas.
In addition to these many amazing artists, the 23rd Cape May Jazz Festival welcomed many familiar and many new and notable faces to their Saturday and Sunday jams. Workshops in guitar, singing, horn and percussion were co-sponsored by the Center for Community Arts, and the annual CD signing party took place in the Boiler Room on Saturday. |
