The wait is over! Tonight, Aug. 21, this year’s Blue Jay Jazz Festival – known as Shuffle, Swing and Sizzle – kicks off with Ms. Monet & Friends.
Born Conesha Monet Owens, this California native has fulfilled her fondest wish: To do something in the arts – singing, dancing, acting. “I just wanted to perform all the time,” she has said.
Ara Tokatlian quintet
Her five-octave vocal range has led to her touring with Boz Scaggs, Michael McDonald and Joe Bonamassa.
She will be joined at the Thursday night concert by “friends” Lake Arrowhead resident George Whitty on keyboard and Michael O’Neill on guitar.
But before they take the stage at Tavern Bay Beach Club, the audience will be treated to the stylings of DAP (Digital Audio Projekt). DAP includes Andre Berry on bass, Bruce Rubio on sax and Harold Allen Jr. on electronic drums.
But that’s not all – The Future Generation Jazz Scholars will not only be recognized but they will perform with DAP.
The jazz will continue on Friday, Aug. 22 with Gordon Goodwin and his Little Phat Band. The band members are seasoned pros, ready to win over every audience they entertain. The band features Mike Rocha on trumpet; Brian Scanlon, saxophone; Francisco Torres, trombone; Gordon Goodwin, piano; Kevin Act, bass; Ray Brinker, drums; Will Brahm, guitar; Joey De Leon Jr., percussion; and Vangie Gunn, vocals.
The Little Phat Band has been described as a contemporary group of great soloists who put out an exhilarating sound that is fiery. Their music is said to be an extension of the music of Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Buddy Rich and Earth, Wind and Fire that sounds astonishing in live performance.
Opening for the Little Phat Band will be the mountain’s own Ara Tokatlian and his quintet. Tokatlian – an alto and soprano saxophonist, pianist and vocalist – has toured with his father’s band, Arco Iris, a rock and jazz fusion band from Argentina. He is currently studying jazz saxophone at Riverside City College and has a goal of majoring in music performance.
The quintet also includes bassist Javier Alverez, drummer Joseph Orellana, pianist and flautist Jade Pareja and guitarist Carson Ramos.
The Thursday and Friday concerts will take place at Tavern Bay Beach Club, 28399 East North Shore Road in Lake Arrowhead. Gates open at 5:00 p.m. No food or beverages will be sold so guests should bring their own picnic baskets.
The third and final concert will take place on Saturday, Aug. 23, featuring jazz pianist Tamir Hendelman, who will be joined by vocalist Eddie Wakes.
The jazz pianist began his keyboard studies at the age of 6 in Tel Aviv. He moved to the U.S. in 1984, winning Yamaha’s national keyboard competition two years later at age 14. Concerts in Japan and at the Kennedy Center followed.
Hendelman then studied at the Tanglewood Institute in 1988 and received a bachelor of music composition degree from the Eastman School of Music in 1993. He then became the youngest musical director for Lovewell Institute, a national arts education nonprofit organization.
Since returning to Los Angeles in 1996, Hendelman has been in steady demand as both pianist and arranger.
Vocalist Eddie Wakes – who appears to channel Nat King Cole – was featured in the documentary Nat King Cole: Afraid of the Dark in 2014 along with Tony Bennett, Natalie Cole and others.
At the Aug. 23 concert, Wakes will bring the music of Nat King Cole and others to life for the audience. His vocal style has been called “reminiscent of another time, with his velvety, wide-ranging baritone.”
Wakes’ life as a singer is said to be the “stuff movies are made of.” He performed at the Super Bowl as a youngster and then was discovered years later, singing on a Los Angeles street by Hollywood A-listers.
This concert will take place on the lawn of the Lake Arrowhead Resort and Spa at 5:00 p.m., with gates opening at 4:00 p.m. Light refreshments and beverages will be sold on site by the Resort; no outside food or drink will be allowed.
For tickets to this year’s Blue Jay Jazz Festival – Shuffle, Swing & Sizzle – visit bluejayjazz.org/tickets or call (909) 366-6955.