MUSIC CALENDAR

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J. C. Smith,winner of the 2012 Metro Newspapers Best Of Silicon Valley “Best Original/local Band”, and 2006 Bay Area Blues Society West Coast Blues Band of the Year award winner is originally from the San Francisco Bay Area. He is an outstanding performer noted for his energy and charisma. Prior to playing guitar, he was the drummer for the Back to Back Blues Band. In 2000, he emerged from behind his drums, armed with a Gibson 335. J. C. attacks the Blues as if he is being guided by the masters like T-Bone Walker, Albert King, and Johnnie Guitar Watson. The J. C. Smith Band’s current release “Defining Cool” is by far the best recording to date. Listed for the 52nd Grammy Awards for “Best Contemporary Blues CD,” it entered the Living Blues Radio Charts at #16 and was a “Pick to Click” on XM Radio. After 20 weeks on the Roots Report, the CD climbed the charts as high as #25 nationally. In 2004, Smith released “That’s What I’m Talk’n ‘Bout,” co-produced by Grammy Award Nominee Joanna Connor. This CD shows masterful songwriting, outstanding arrangements, and traditional quality. It features a host of Chicago players including Willie “Big Eyes” Smith, who worked with the Muddy Waters Band for twenty years. 2001 marked the release of Smith’s first effort “Midnight Creeper” which brought him international attention. Smith has toured throughout the United States, Eastern Europe, Mexico,South America,and Russia,to sell out crowds. Smith has work with and shared the stage with notable artist such as Hubert Sumlin, B,B, King, Buddy Guy, Buddy Miles, Son Seals Willie Bigeyes Smith, Pinetop Perkins and many more. He is also known as radio personality Johnnie Cozmik on KKUP F.M. J. C. feels that his goal in life is “To keep the Blues alive and take the message to the people.”

Instrumentation

Robert “Jay” Green (Bass). Jay joined the group with a very short notice yet rose to the challenge. Four days after accepting the offer from the band, he played a club date that served as a rehearsal, then three days later he was on tour in Southern California which included two performances at the NAMM show in Anaheim.

Abraham Vasquez (Sax) is one of the hardest working horn men in the Bay Area. His masterful solos and arrangements bring you back to the days of Louis Jordan, and Sam Butera. Vasquez and Smith first teamed up in the late 80’s to form The Back To Back Blues Band. Vasquez has worked with the likes of Tommy Castro, Hall and Oates, Dr. John, and more.

Tommy Maitland (Trumpet) formally with Dub Nation and KFJC Radio.

Gene Reynolds (Trombone) formally with Gregarious Movement.

Todd Reid (keys) is an all around pro. He has worked with as music directector with a host of groups. He delivers a one two punch that will rock your socks off…

Donnie Green (drummer) toured Europe seven times before joining the JC Smith Band. Drumming professionally since the age of 12, you’ve got to hear this solid funk and blues drummer to believe him. He is as exciting to watch as well as listen to because of his style and showmanship.

This band of seasoned players is a true Blues band with one goal in mind…keeping the Blues alive.

http://www.markhummel.com/

Grammy Nominee, Blues Award Winner, Author, Harp Man Mark Hummel has had a banner year in 2014! Grammy Nominated for his “Remembering Little Walter” CD he produced and performed on, Mark also won Best Blues CD AND Blues Traditional Blues CD at Blues Music Awards in Memphis. Mark’s, “The Hustle Is Really On” climbed to # 2 this year and stayed in the top five for four months in the Living Blues Radio Charts. Hummel’s book BIG ROAD BLUES:12 Bars on I-80, has been garnering rave reviews all around the U.S., and was nominated for best Independent Book release.

Mark Hummel started playing harmonica in 1970 & has gone on to become one of the premier blues harmonica players of his generation. Thanks to over thirty recordings since 1985, including the Grammy nominated 2013 release Blind Pig recording “Remembering Little Walter”, part of the Blues Harmonica Blowout cd series Hummel started in 1991. These events have featured every major legend (Mayall, Musslwhite, Cotton, etc.) on blues harp as well as almost every player of note on the instrument- a who’s who of players.

Hummel is a road warrior – a true Blues Survivor. Along the way, he has crafted his own trademark harmonica sound – a subtle combination of tone, phrasing and attack combined with a strong sense of swing. Mark has been with Electro Fi Records since 2000,releasing five CDs. Thanks to Mark’s earlier albums, constant touring and appearances at the major blues festivals, he’s firmly established his solid reputation around the US and Europe.

Born in New Haven, CT but raised in Los Angeles till he graduated high school. Mark moved to the Berkeley at age 18 to pursue a career in blues music, where he felt the music was taken more seriously.

Mark started the Blues Survivors in 1977 w/ Mississippi Johnny Waters. By 1984 Hummel began a life of non- stop touring of US, Canada & overseas, which he still continues at least 130-150 days out of each year. Hummel has toured or recorded with blues legends Charles Brown, Charlie Musselwhite, Lowell Fulson, Billy Boy Arnold, Carey Bell, Lazy Lester, Brownie McGhee, Eddie Taylor, Luther Tucker and Jimmy Rogers.

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Casey Wickstrom is a multi-instrumentalist and live looping artist, vocalist, music producer, writer, and film editor. He plays guitar, lap slide, cigar box guitar, bass, drums, ukulele, harmonica, and other percussion and stringed instruments. Wickstrom produces and writes all his own music, and now works in his home studio in Cupertino, California. He has played all over California, both solo and with various projects. Casey has recorded four full length studio albums, a three track EP, and several singles, all available online. His fifth studio album “Bleed Out,” is now available.

Wickstrom is also a writer, writing blogs and short stories on his website. His short story, “Jolene: A Ghost Story” has been published and is available on Amazon. In his spare time, he practices and teaches yoga in the Silicon Valley.

The Music of Casey Wickstrom: Death, Drugs, and Redemption

Casey Wickstrom was born in Mountain View, California, but grew up in the small isolated mountain town of Durango, Colorado. It was here that he began writing and playing music, inspired by artists like Paul Simon and Ben Harper. The prominent bluegrass scene in Durango influenced Wickstrom to pursue guitar, bass, and take up lap slide guitar, using an old acoustic that he converted into a lap slide. His Colorado band The Shoes! recorded two albums, It’s the Shoes! and Dig This, with all songs mainly written by Wickstrom. After the dissipation of the band in 2008, Wickstrom moved back to Northern California, where he began his solo career with his self-titled album Casey Wickstrom.

In 2011, Casey moved to Los Angeles, and within the first week, disaster struck. He was hit head on by a drunk driver on a freeway offramp — he broke his back, his right knee, his left arm, his spleen was removed, and his liver suffered extreme lacerations which nearly killed him. His face needed reconstructive surgery, and he would never be the same. In the aftermath of this horrendous event, Casey spiraled into four years of suicidal depression and heavy addiction to opiates, alcohol, and other drugs. Still, during this time, he was able to record his three track EP 1984 Sessions, his concert album Live @ the Pocket, Santa Cruz, and his fourth studio album Desperate Times.

Moving back to Northern California in 2014, Casey recorded his hit single “Surf Zombies!” After an overdose, he checked himself into Stanford Hospital in Palo Alto, California, where he was able to finally get clean. He began practicing yoga and meditation, and set up a recording studio in his house in Cupertino, California. Wickstrom’s blog discusses his past in a deeply personal and honest way, giving intimate insight into his music and his life. His musical recordings and videos have been streamed and watched thousands of times, and his fifth studio album Bleed Out is now available. This dark, introspective album covers a wide range of experiences in the aftermath of Wickstrom’s late twenties; from his drug use to his sobriety, from his depression and close calls with death to, ultimately, his redemption.

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Each week Aki brings with him a special guest performer!

www.akikumar.com/tuesday-night-blues-jam

About Aki Kumar:

Dynamic frontman & harp player Aki Kumar is a bonafide star among the next generation of West Coast blues artists and the world’s first professional blues harmonica player to hail from India. A master of the hugely influential Chicago blues sound, Kumar inherits his style from the harp legends of the 1950s and 60s. Aki has a unique voice in the blues, blending elements of blues harmonica pioneers of yesteryear with a signature sound of his own.

“..old school blues at its finest by way of India. And the lad has soul to spare.”
Dan Aykroyd aka Elwood Blues

Born and raised in Bombay (now Mumbai) – India, Kumar has long established his mark on the West Coast blues scene as a top-notch frontman, vocalist , entertainer and blues harp player. The Aki Kumar Blues Band has been the culmination of his journey through American roots music and constantly showcases his ever-evolving sound. This band performs vintage blues with tremendous skill and energy and is guaranteed to entertain audiences across all venues, from intimate listening rooms to large festivals.

“(Kumar) has a natural propensity for the music, with a rich, deep tone and a sensitive, economic style that emphasizes feel over flash.”
Jonny Whiteside, LA TIMES

In recent years, Aki Kumar has performed all across the United States and internationally (Norway, Finland, Sweden, Germany, UK, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Brazil, Chile, India), collaborating with some of the top blues artists on the scene. He has also contributed his blues harmonica licks to numerous recordings produced on the West Coast in the last decade, including several albums produced at the world renowned Greaseland Studios. This year marks another exciting year for Aki Kumar, with upcoming recording projects, internationals appearances and other musical collaborations across the world.

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Thompson was born in Oakland, California, United States, and had mastered basic guitar and slide guitar techniques by his mid-teens.[1] He was educated at Newark Memorial High School, in Newark, California.[2] In the early 1970s, Thompson played backing to Little Joe Blue, and worked solo and as a sideman in San Francisco Bay Area clubs. He joined John Lee Hooker’s backing band in 1975, staying with him for three years. In 1980, Thompson formed his own group, the Resisters, and secured a recording contract with Takoma Records.[1] He played at the San Francisco Blues Festival in 1978, 1979 and 1983.

In 1983, he released his debut album, Treat Her Like Gold. Thompson also found employment separately working with Lowell Fulson, Etta James and Big Mama Thornton. Thompson’s second album Resister Twister was released in 1987 and nominated for a Grammy Award,[3] plus 1990’s Just Like a Devil, was taken from his work on Mark Naftalin’s Blue Monday Party radio show.[1]

Thompson’s 2007 album, Resonator was a purely acoustic production.[3]

Pianist Sid Morris as a teenager in the 60’s he began playing piano in a blues band with South Bay blues pioneer Gary Smith. Gary later introduced him to pianist Alberto Gianquinto, a San Francisco native who was a member of the original James Cotton Blues Band. For a short time in the early 70’s, Alberto was his mentor. Currently residing in San Jose, Sid has been performing since 1970 and continues to be an active member of the San Francisco Bay Area music community. Raised in Houston, Texas before his family moved to the South Bay, Sid performed at the very first San Francisco Blues Festival in 1973 and subsequently appeared at four other SF Blues Festivals. During his early years on the scene, Sid was mentored by Alberto Gianquinto. In 1976, Sid participated in the now legendary recording of the album, Blue Bay, an anthology featuring the elite of Bay Area musicians.

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The Bay Area’s own Chrome Deluxe is a unique and talented band of musicians who share a passion for music and performance. The band provides high quality entertainment for private and public functions; including top Bay Area nightclubs, corporate events and festivals.

Chrome Deluxe has gained a reputation as one of the most diverse R&B, Swing and Blues based bands in the Bay Area with their own special take on both classics and current favorites. Particularly popular with fans who like to dance. The group draws from the innovators of American music while translating the music into their own sound and bringing the audience quality entertainment and a truly fun musical experience.

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Join us at PHB for the swinging’ Jazz and Blues vocalist, Lavay Smith the bandleader of the Red Hot Skillet Lickers for a night of dancing and good times.

Lavay grew up in Southern California and the Philippines and has become an internationally recognized Diva of Jazz and Blues, with a singing style influenced by Billie Holiday, Dinah Washington, Bessie Smith, Little Esther Phillips and other legendary greats. Whether singing her own compositions or drawing on a large repertoire of classics, Lavay and her all-star 7-piece band bake up an instant recipe for dancing and good times.

This sultry chanteuse evokes a sensuous era of Jazz queens and sexy pinups and adds a modern, feminist twist. No wonder Los Angeles Magazine chose her as one of the sexiest people around! Lavay began attracting crowds right from the start thanks to her big, bluesy voice, exciting stage personality, and glamorous approach. According to Fox TV, the band has become “a San Francisco Landmark”, winning numerous awards including a “Wammie” and a “Bammie”. In 1998, the reader’s of San Francisco’s two major newspapers, the Chronicle and the Examiner, voted Lavay Smith and Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers the “Best Band” in the annual readers poll.

Important publications have sung the praises of Lavay Smith and her band, including Downbeat, The Los Angeles Times, Jazziz, The Boston Globe, Blues Revue, The New York Press, Living Blues, and the Alternative Press (see attached pages for juicy quotes). Television and Radio appearances include Public Television’s “The News Hour with Jim Lehrer”, Fox TV’s “Fox Files”, and NPR’s “To The Best of Our Knowledge”. World famous celebrities have jumped on the Lavay Smith bandwagon as well. Johnny Otis says “Lavay is wonderful! She and her band are a breath of fresh air.” Dan Aykroyd, a.k.a. Elwood Blues, says of Lavay’s debut album, “One Hour Mama”, “…this CD is guaranteed to make you feel better.” Even President Clinton has seen the light, proclaiming, “I love this band – they’re great!”

Lavay’s second CD, “Everybody’s Talkin’ ‘Bout Miss Thing” incorporated a variety of classic American musical styles, including swing, bebop, salsa, jump blues, and New Orleans R&B. Enlisting the arranging talents of David Berger, arranger for Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, the album includes 6 outstanding original tunes, many classics and several obscure gems.

Lavay’s latest CD, “Miss Smith To You!” contains 12 tunes, including three more original songs, and features Lavay’s lush vocals with gorgeous arrangements performed by an all-star big band. From the opening swinging horn riff on “Miss Brown To You” to the New Orleans second-line rhythm of “When The Saints Go Marching In”, Lavay and her band have produced another winner, with a variety of tempos and grooves that will have you tapping your feet and singing along.

Lavay Smith’s 7-piece band features some of the finest musicians in the world and is comprised of four horns (trumpet, trombone, alto saxophone and tenor saxophone), piano, bass and drums. Truly an all-star ensemble, Lavay’s musicians have performed or recorded with Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat “King” Cole, Sarah Vaughan, Quincy Jones, Tito Puente, Lionel Hampton, Jay McShann, Johnny Otis, Wytnon Marsalis, Big Joe Turner, Ray Charles, Big Mama Thornton, Erroll Garner, Charles Brown, Rosemary Clooney, Dizzy Gillespie, Frank Sinatra, Rufus Thomas, Taj Mahal, Dr. John, Sy Oliver, Esther Phillips and many more.

Lavay Smith and Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers maintain a busy schedule, including extensive touring throughout the United States, Europe, Canada and Japan. They have performed at many prestigious venues including Lincoln Center, the Monterey Jazz Festival, The Chicago Jazz Festival, The Montreal Jazz Festival, The Playboy Jazz Festival at The Hollywood Bowl, The San Francisco Blues Festival, The Toronto Jazz Festival, The Santa Barbara Jazz Festival, The Ottawa Jazz Fesitval, The Portland Waterfront Blues Festival, The San Francisco Jazz Festival, The Salt Lake City Jazz Festival, The Doheny Blues Festival and Jazz Aspen/Snowmass. When not on the road, Lavay and her band are showcased in the San Francisco Bay Area’s premier nightclubs, including Yoshi’s, The Cafe du Nord, Biscuits & Blues, Enrico’s, Ashkenaz, Rancho Nicasio, Kuumbwa Jazz Center and Moe’s Alley.

Lavay approaches her material from the standpoint of an independent woman, combining world-class singing and musicianship with hilarious, provocative lyrics. Lavay’s musical stance is echoed in her real life role as owner of her own record label, Fat Note Records. Her debut CD, “One Hour Mama” received widespread critical acclaim and her second CD, “Everybody’s Talkin’ ‘Bout Miss Thing!” received a prestigious 4 & 1/2 Star review from Downbeat Magazine. Her red-hot stage presence and high musical standards ensure that this sexy diva will continue to light up stages all over the world.

For Booking, call Jim Cassell of The Berkeley Agency 510-843-4902, or send an email to mail@berkeleyagency.com

To contact Lavay Smith, send an email to lavay@lavaysmith.com

To contact Chris Siebert, send an email to chris@lavaysmith.com

You can visit Lavay at facebook and myspace.

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Each week Aki brings with him a special guest performer!

www.akikumar.com/tuesday-night-blues-jam

About Aki Kumar:

Dynamic frontman & harp player Aki Kumar is a bonafide star among the next generation of West Coast blues artists and the world’s first professional blues harmonica player to hail from India. A master of the hugely influential Chicago blues sound, Kumar inherits his style from the harp legends of the 1950s and 60s. Aki has a unique voice in the blues, blending elements of blues harmonica pioneers of yesteryear with a signature sound of his own.

“..old school blues at its finest by way of India. And the lad has soul to spare.”
Dan Aykroyd aka Elwood Blues

Born and raised in Bombay (now Mumbai) – India, Kumar has long established his mark on the West Coast blues scene as a top-notch frontman, vocalist , entertainer and blues harp player. The Aki Kumar Blues Band has been the culmination of his journey through American roots music and constantly showcases his ever-evolving sound. This band performs vintage blues with tremendous skill and energy and is guaranteed to entertain audiences across all venues, from intimate listening rooms to large festivals.

“(Kumar) has a natural propensity for the music, with a rich, deep tone and a sensitive, economic style that emphasizes feel over flash.”
Jonny Whiteside, LA TIMES

In recent years, Aki Kumar has performed all across the United States and internationally (Norway, Finland, Sweden, Germany, UK, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Brazil, Chile, India), collaborating with some of the top blues artists on the scene. He has also contributed his blues harmonica licks to numerous recordings produced on the West Coast in the last decade, including several albums produced at the world renowned Greaseland Studios. This year marks another exciting year for Aki Kumar, with upcoming recording projects, internationals appearances and other musical collaborations across the world.

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VIEW VIDEO

Thompson was born in Oakland, California, United States, and had mastered basic guitar and slide guitar techniques by his mid-teens.[1] He was educated at Newark Memorial High School, in Newark, California.[2] In the early 1970s, Thompson played backing to Little Joe Blue, and worked solo and as a sideman in San Francisco Bay Area clubs. He joined John Lee Hooker’s backing band in 1975, staying with him for three years. In 1980, Thompson formed his own group, the Resisters, and secured a recording contract with Takoma Records.[1] He played at the San Francisco Blues Festival in 1978, 1979 and 1983.

In 1983, he released his debut album, Treat Her Like Gold. Thompson also found employment separately working with Lowell Fulson, Etta James and Big Mama Thornton. Thompson’s second album Resister Twister was released in 1987 and nominated for a Grammy Award,[3] plus 1990’s Just Like a Devil, was taken from his work on Mark Naftalin’s Blue Monday Party radio show.[1]

Thompson’s 2007 album, Resonator was a purely acoustic production.[3]

Pianist Sid Morris as a teenager in the 60’s he began playing piano in a blues band with South Bay blues pioneer Gary Smith. Gary later introduced him to pianist Alberto Gianquinto, a San Francisco native who was a member of the original James Cotton Blues Band. For a short time in the early 70’s, Alberto was his mentor. Currently residing in San Jose, Sid has been performing since 1970 and continues to be an active member of the San Francisco Bay Area music community. Raised in Houston, Texas before his family moved to the South Bay, Sid performed at the very first San Francisco Blues Festival in 1973 and subsequently appeared at four other SF Blues Festivals. During his early years on the scene, Sid was mentored by Alberto Gianquinto. In 1976, Sid participated in the now legendary recording of the album, Blue Bay, an anthology featuring the elite of Bay Area musicians.