Sunday Afternoon, June 7

James Moody Quartet

James Moody

featuring special guest

Marlena Shaw

Location: Rodney Strong Vineyards
11455 Old Redwood Highway, Healdsburg

Date: Sunday, June 7
Time: 3 pm (gates open at 2 pm)
Tickets: $45

MC: Greg Bridges
General Outdoor seating on the lawn. Low chairs allowed. Umbrellas permitted along the back fence only. Children 10 and under are free.

“Moody plays with all types of soul, and his music is optimistic music, infectious” — Wynton Marsalis

James Moody is America’s irrepressible ambassador of swing, an NEA Jazz Master whose career stretches back to the advent of bebop when he made his recording debut with Dizzy Gillespie in 1946.

A muscular tenor saxophonist and pioneering flutist with a ravishing tone, Moody is also a delightfully effective singer whose vocalese version of his jukebox hit “Moody’s Mood For Love” is a bona fide classic. At 85, he’s an ageless jazz legend playing with as much brawn and wit as ever, a masterly showman and improviser who combines a wicked sense of humor with a profound improvisational concept.

Marlena Shaw (Allen Mercer Photographer)

In an historic pairing, Moody is joined by the indomitable jazz chanteuse Marlena Shaw. The first female vocalist ever signed by the storied Blue Note label, she’s won a new generation of fans through the widespread sampling of her classic tracks by contemporary R&B and hip hop artists looking for an instant infusion of soul.

While Shaw has sung everything from R&B and rock to disco and gospel, her rhythmic sophistication and salty blues feeling unmistakably distinguish her as jazz royalty, a title conferred by giants with whom she’s toured and recorded, such as Ray Brown, Benny Carter and Joe Williams.

plus

Richard Howell Quintet

“Pharoah Sanders, John Coltrane, Charles Lloyd and Ernie
Watts. . . Richard brings all of that and more.” — Babatunde Lea

Richard Howell (Photo by Francois La Forgia)

Tenor saxophonist/vocalist Richard Howell calls the Bay Area home, but he’s been a leading light on the international scene for decades. A riveting improviser who is also a prolific producer and respected educator, he’s worked and recorded with leading figures in rock, pop, blues and jazz, from Etta James, Chaka Khan and Cecil Taylor to Charlie Haden, Willie Bobo, and Pete Escovedo. Locally he’s been an essential member of the cross-cultural  Mo’Rockin Project and drummer Babatunde Lea’s spiritually charged combo.

It’s hardly surprising that Howell’s at the center of a combustible quintet featuring drummer E.W. Wainwright, bassist Gary Brown, pianist Frederick Harris and Destiny Muhammad on harp and vocals. The ensemble exemplifies the exuberant cultural heritage and spontaneous creativity of jazz. Balancing tradition and innovation, the band explores accessible melodies and grooves while offering spiritual tribute to the great artists who came before.

» Visit Richard Howell’s website

» Return to Complete Schedule

TAGS: None