High notes High notes (June 10, 2005)

This year's Brown Bag, Twilight and Stanford Jazz concerts offer something for everyone

by Robyn Israel

The summer winds bring with them the sweet sounds of music as the lazy days of June, July and August ease into the Midpeninsula. A venerable tradition in Palo Alto, the Brown Bag, Twilight and Stanford Jazz concerts are returning to provide nine weeks of outdoor entertainment with an eclectic range of music from pop to bluegrass to jazz.

The Twilight and Brown Bag concerts, formerly funded by the city, have been forced to find fiscal solvency through donations and sponsors. This year, $33,000 was raised to support the series through sponsors, the sale of a compilation CD and beer at the Twilight concerts.

New for this season, Fogarty wine will be sold at the Twilight concerts and the finale of the 10 week series will be held on California Avenue. To purchase a compilation CD online or to make a pledge, log on to http://www.cityofpaloalto.org/artsculture/twilightconcerts.html.

At Stanford Shopping Center, the San Francisco Jazz Festival organizers have created a line-up of formidable performers for its free 19th annual outdoor series.

We hope the following pages have something for everyone; and that you find some time to unwind, listen to good music and enjoy the long warm evenings.

Brown Bag Concert Series

If you work in downtown Palo Alto, be sure to reserve Thursday lunchtime for the next eight weeks. The free concerts will be held from noon to 1 p.m. at Cogswell Plaza, located at the corner of Lytton Avenue and Ramona Street. The Brown Bag Concert Series starts June 16 and runs through Aug. 11. The series, co-presented by the city of Palo Alto Arts & Culture Division and the Palo Alto Weekly, has music to suit all tastes, with jazz, blues, opera, rock, pop and folk.

June 16: Suzy and Eric Thompson with the Thompson String Ticklers, will kick off the series with raucous hillbilly chamber music. This new group finds inspiration in the recordings of the East Texas Serenaders, the Grinnell Giggers, Fiddlin' Doc Roberts and more.

June 23: Hale Baskin Jazz Ensemble "The Forecast Calls for Hale" is the debut CD by Baskin, a fresh young voice in jazz. The program ranges from the bebop charm of "Our Love is Here to Stay" to the sensitive lyric unfolding of "Nature Boy."

June 30: West Bay Opera The performance will feature arias that honor the Palo Alto company's 50th anniversary.

July 7: LaTiDo delivers Afro-Caribbean music from the heart. The quartet hails from Cuba, Mexico, Uruguay and Nicaragua/Cuba.

July 14: Hookslide, a rockin' a cappella quartet, heats up summer.

July 21: Jessie Turner Band The San Francisco-based pop-rock musician returns to Palo Alto, performing her own compositions.

July 28: Tingstad and Rumbel, a Grammy Award-winning duo, performs a blend of Celtic, Spanish, classical and American folk. Eric Tingstad's guitar technique harkens from a Segovian tradition. Nancy Rumbel is one of the few performers in the world on double ocarina.

Aug. 4: San Francisco Opera Soprano Nikki Einfeld, tenor Sean Panikkar, baritone Eugen Brancoveanu and countertenor Gerald Thompson will perform.

Aug. 11: Lara Price Band Price belts out the blues in a season-ending concert.

Twilight Concert Series

Co-presented by the city of Palo Alto Arts & Culture Division and the Palo Alto Weekly, the Twilight Concert Series is a great way to unwind after a long, hard day at work. Taking place on Tuesday evenings from 6:30 to 8 p.m., the 10-week series kicks off on June 14 and runs until Aug. 16. Three different Palo Alto parks -- and California Avenue -- will function as venues for this series. Pack a picnic dinner, bring along some chairs and enjoy the music. Beer will again be provided this year, courtesy of the Mendocino Brewing Company.

June 14: Tempest returns with its brand of Celtic rock. Get the party started at Mitchell Park Bowl, 600 East Meadow Drive in Palo Alto.

June 21: Menlo Atherton Jazz Ensemble Come hear the ensemble in its farewell performance, as half of the 30-member band are graduating seniors. Vocalists Cara Arcuni and Hale Baskin will be featured soloists in the charming duet, "I Can Cook, Too." The performance will take place at Rinconada Park Bowl, 777 Embarcadero Road in Palo Alto.

June 28: Acoustic Son The San Francisco band delivers a repertoire of original songs, blending the styles of Fleetwood Mac and the Dave Matthews Band. Singer-songwriters Ken Kingsbury and Carolyn Shaw will perform at Peers Park, 1899 Park Blvd. in Palo Alto.

July 5: No concert

July 12: Norton Buffalo and the Knockouts A featured member of the Steve Miller Band for more than 28 years, Buffalo returns with his own band. Although best known for his skill on the harmonica, Buffalo also boasts a powerful tenor/baritone voice and strong songwriting skills. The show will take place at Mitchell Park Bowl.

July 19: Blame Sally returns for the third consecutive year to the Twilight Concert Series. The all-female folk-funk-country-soul quartet will perform at Rinconada Park.

July 26: Ed Johnson and Novo Tempo, will perform Latin and standard jazz stylings at Rinconada Park. The Palo Alto-based Johnson is a vocalist, guitarist and bandleader.

Aug. 2: Candela, is a nine-piece Bay Area band led by Uruguay native Edgardo Cambon. The group explores a variety of Latin rhythms, including the son, bolero, merengue, mambo and cha cha, laced with an improvisational jazz tinge. The band's fiery sounds will radiate from Mitchell Park Bowl.

Aug. 9: The Unauthorized Rolling Stones, featuring Rudy Colombini (Mick Jagger), Jim Riddick (Keith Richards), Mark Banning (Ron Wood), Trey Cobb (Charlie Watts) and Kenny Crampton (Bill Wyman), will rock out at Mitchell Park Bowl. Vocalist Boudekka will back up the boys.

Aug. 16: Maria Muldaur and her Red Hot Bluesiana Band will conclude the Twilight series in fine fashion, with a street concert on California Avenue. Muldaur is best known for her 1974 hit, "Midnight at the Oasis."

For more information on the Brown Bag and Twilight Concert Series, call (650) 463-4940 or visit www.PaloAltoOnline.com.

Summer Jazz 19

Starting this month, Stanford Shopping Center and SFJAZZ team up to present "Summer Jazz Nineteen," a string of free jazz concerts featuring groups from Quetzal, a Chicano band from east Los Angeles, to the vintage jump blues of the Johnny Nocturne Band. All concerts are held at the Clock Tower Plaza near Neiman Marcus in the Stanford Shopping Center every Thursday through Aug. 4, from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

June 2: USAF Band of the Golden West, will open the 2005 summer jazz festival with a wide array of jazz, from Big Band to modern tunes. This United States Air Force Band is led by Captain R. Michael Mench and tours all over the West Coast.

June 9: Taylor Eigsti Trio, led by piano prodigy Eigsti, who has worked as a faculty member of the Stanford Jazz Workshop since 1999, will showcase classic jazz music.

June 16: Quetzal This Chicano band hailing from East L.A. spices up the summer jazz series with a unique fusion of Afro-Cuban salsa, rock, soul and jazz.

June 23: Johnny Nocturne Band Saxophone player John Firmin and his nine-piece band have been referred to as the "Big Daddy" of the vintage jump blues movement, that harks back to the Big Band era.

June 30: Mingus Amungus This local Bay Area band honors famous jazz bassist Charles Mingus with their innovative jazz music, led by director and acoustic bassist Miles Perkins.

July 7: Clairdee, is a talented jazz singer, who performs jazz, Latin and R&B pieces. Her influences include Count Basie, Joe Williams and Les McCann.

July 14: LaTiDo with Edgardo Combón,a group of San Francisco percussionists, are accompanied by acoustic guitar and vocal harmony as they perform traditional Cuban music.

July 21: John Worley's 'Worlview' showcases the brilliant trumpet-playing and composition of John Worley, a mainstay on the Bay Area scene. He performs bebop, swing, jazz, R&B and Caribbean dance music.

July 28: Lavay Smith and Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers perform Big-Band tunes with pizzazz and energy with the popular vocals of the Skillet Lickers.

August 4: Beast from the Bay: The Larry Dunlap Nonet with vocalist Bobbe Norris is a nine-piece band featuring jazz singer Bobby Norris. Led by popular pianist and arranger Larry Dunlap, this group of jazz musicians adapts music by Gerry Mulligan, Weather Report, Clare Fisher, and others.

For more information about "Summer Jazz 19," contact the Stanford Shopping Center Concierge at (650) 617-8585 or visit http://stanfordshop.com or www.sfjazz.org

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