Guitarist, songwriter, producer, and bandleader Craig Chaquico, originally of Jefferson Starship/Starship and now in his fourth decade of topping national charts, brings rock origins to the new age smooth jazz genre.
Boasting a combined 20 gold records between Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship, and Starship, Chaquico was instrumental in making one of the most successful bands in history. Among the songs he has penned or co-penned are the hits Jane, Find Your Way Back, and Layin' It on the Line.
Chaquico began his smooth jazz career with 1993's Acoustic Highway, Billboard's No. 1 New Age Album and Adult Alternative Album of the Year. His latest smooth jazz album, Follow the Sun, was released in May.
An iconic saxophonist, guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter, Warren Hill delights audiences with chart-topping hits and jaw-dropping solos. He has gone from studying guitar at age seven and saxophone at age 12 in hometown Toronto, Canada, to winning six Canadian Smooth Jazz Awards — the most wins in the history of the awards ceremony.
Hill focused on saxophone at the Eastman School of Music as well as the Berklee College of Music in Boston, where his career began when legendary record producer Russ Titleman approached him. Within a year of moving to Los Angeles, he signed with RCA Records.
In addition to touring with greats like Natalie Cole, releasing 11 albums, and creating Warren Hill's Smooth Jazz Cruise, Hill also began his own record label, PopJazz Records. It's under this label that he's released his latest album, La Dolce Vita, which earned the Artist of the Year, Album of the Year, and Song of the Year (title track) awards at the 2009 Smooth Jazz Awards in Ontario.
9:15 p.m.: The Rippingtons, featuring Russ Freeman
Since its beginning in 1986, The Rippingtons has continuously evolved while staying true to the classic Ripps sound. Band founder and Grammy-nominated guitarist and keyboardist Russ Freeman leads the pioneering band in blazing new trails at the start of its incredible third decade.
Joining Freeman are saxophonist Jeff Kashiwa, accordionist Bill Heller, drummer Dave Karasony, and bassist Rico Belled.
Following a long 20th Anniversary tour, the band released Modern Art on March 10, an album with soaring horns, melodic keyboards, and driving percussion all anchored by Freeman's intricate guitar styling.
To the delight of its worldwide fan base, The Rippingtons offers audiences more than 20 years of popular hits and exciting performances of fresh contemporary jazz.
Known as the hardest working band in the Twin Cities, Davina and The Vagabonds features a New Orleans jazz sound and high-energy stage performance. Davina Sowers commands attention onstage with her skill at the piano and powerful voice reminiscent of Bonnie Raitt and Etta James.
The band features Michael Carvale on string bass and vocals, Dan Olson on drums, Zack Lozier on trumpet and vocals, and Scott Agster on trombone and vocals.
According to John Hammer of Blue Monday, "Davina and The Vagabonds are based out of the Twin Cities and play hot jazz-blues-cabaret-soul-lounge-rock that warms the soul an' just plain makes ya' wanna dance."
With two platinum and four gold albums, Najee was a pioneer of the rhythm and jazz movement of the 1980s and '90s, and continues to shed new light on the contemporary jazz scene. Playing clarinet, saxophone, and flute, Najee combines jazz improvisation and R&B, and with his talented band he makes audiences jump to their feet.
Najee performed for then-President Bill Clinton and is the recipient of many music awards including the Soul Train Music Award for Best Jazz Artist. He's also a two-time Grammy nominee. With his seductive sax and melodious flute, Najee is working toward his fourteenth album to be released in the next year.
A funky, soulful, and always original guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter, Joyce Cooling is recognized as one of the most dynamic and popular contemporary jazz artists in the world. She has recorded seven albums, including 13 charting singles, and garnered multiple music awards and nominations.
A self-taught guitarist, Cooling learned to play by ear and has developed a personal style of finger picking, giving her playing a unique sound and feel. Though based in San Francisco, she was raised in New York in a house filled with musical influences that varied from Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix to Stravinsky and Brahms.
Cooling has performed with such jazz giants as Joe Henderson, Stan Getz, and Charlie Byrd. Her seventh studio album, Global Cooling, was released in April.
Saxophonist, vocalist, songwriter, producer, and educator Walter Beasley, a stage and recording veteran with an R&B background, demonstrates a master musician's ability to fuse soulful melodies and hypnotic contemporary rhythms. The Boston-based musician has long mastered an exhilarating high wire act of balancing a successful career as a contemporary jazz recording artist and performer with an equally thriving presence in the field of music education.
At the age of nine, Beasley began playing saxophone and found inspiration in Grover Washington, Jr. He attended Berklee College and, after graduating at age 22, became one of the school's teachers.
In addition to numerous instructional DVDs and audio lessons and interviews, Beasley has 18 studio albums, the latest being Free Your Mind, released in January. He is one of the top five best-selling African-American saxophonists in the world since the late '90s.
