The Blue Jay Jazz Foundation invites one and all to “Come Swing with Us” at their three-day festival on Aug. 25, 26 and 27.
The jazz fun will begin on Thursday, Aug. 25 at Tavern Bay with Emmy-nominated saxophonist Jessy J as the headliner. Also performing will be the award-winning Cal Baptist University Jazz Ensemble with special performances by the Blue Jay Jazz Foundation Future Generation Jazz scholars: Ara Tokatlian, Alexander De Leon, Evangeline De Leon, Luca Stickney and Parker Lawrence.
Jessy J has been known for her trademark blend of sensual Latin-tinged horn playing. She has now combined that with the vibrant soul and blues energies of the 60s and 70s. Born in Oregon, she was raised in Southern California. Over the years she has worked with Michael Buble; toured with The Temptations, Jessica Simpson, Michael Bolton and Seal; and performed or recorded with Taylor Swift, Chance the Rapper, Robin Thicke, Anita Baker and Audra Day.
The festival continues at Tavern Bay on Friday evening, Aug. 26, featuring the 17-piece Ron King Big Band direct from Indonesia’s prestigious JAVA Jazz Festival. Rim High graduate Olivia Clark – who sang Etta James’ “At Last” at the 2008 Blue Jay Jazz Festival at the age of 14 – will join Ron King on stage.
She was the first recipient of a Blue Jay Jazz Foundation Future Generation Jazz scholarship when she was a freshman at Rim High.
Ron King began playing the trumpet at the age of 8. He has gone on to win multiple awards and has played for countless movie, television and commercial soundtracks.
The party moves to the Lake Arrowhead Resort and Spa on Saturday, Aug. 27 with the return of pianist Yuko Mabuchi. She will be joined by Grammy-winning pianist Billy Mitchell, who is working with saxophonist Ara Tokatlian and vocalist Parker Lawrence, who will perform with Yuko Mabuchi.
Yuko Mabuchi has been described as “a virtuoso pianist who also is extremely entertaining and exciting to watch.” She started playing classical piano at the age of 4 in her hometown of Fukui, Japan. As a teenager, she was fascinated by American R&B, hip-hop and blues. She studied jazz piano in Kyoto, then performed in Japan as a soloist and as a member of a jazz trio. She arrived in Los Angeles in 2010 and the rest, as they say, is history.
Tickets for the festival are available at https://bluejayjazz.org/; both general admission and tables are available. The Aug. 25 and 26 shows will be at Tavern Bay; the Aug. 27 show is at the Lake Arrowhead Resort and Spa. Doors open at 4 p.m. on Aug. 25 with the show beginning at 5 p.m. On Aug. 26, doors open at 5 p.m. with the show starting at 6 p.m. And doors open at 11 a.m. on Aug. 27 with the show at noon.
For questions about ticketing, send an email to tickets@bluejayjazz.org or call (909) 366-6955.
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