George Cables Trio
with Essiet Essiet and Victor Lewis
and the Festival All-Stars (second set)
Saturday, June 9
7 p.m. (doors open at 6)
Raven Performing Arts Theater
115 North Street
Reserved Seating: $75 Gold Circle, $45 General
Event Patron Judy Voigt
Just weeks before the start of the Healdsburg Jazz Festival we couldn’t be happier to announce that George Cables will be with us for the 20th! The great pianist was booked to headline the fest months ago, but he later underwent major surgery and could not commit to being here. But he got the green light from his doctor and he will be returning to the stage to make his 14th appearance at the festival.
Without the presence of piano genius George Cables, the Healdsburg Jazz Festival would be a very different animal. He’s been a stalwart here, leading bands and powering those of others with his impeccably agile and immensely wise playing. That is why he was a natural choice to headline the Healdsburg’s 20th.
No matter what is thrown at George, he effortlessly translates it into his personal language of joy. He has done this over the decades for so many jazz greats, from Sonny Rollins to Dexter Gordon to Art Pepper, Freddie Hubbard, and Roy Haynes.
George’s prolificacy as a sideman has undoubtedly kept him a bit in the shadows, but the musicians know. What he brings is virtuosity and heart in equal measure, pushing all his compatriots to be at their best. Though “pushing” isn’t really the right word. “Seducing” is more like it.
His rhythm section of ace drummer Victor Lewis (see June 7) and Essiet Essiet – a solid fleet-fingered post-bopper who has graced the bands of Art Blakey, Kenny Barron, George Adams and more – as brilliant as they are, will now sound that much better. Welcome back, George!