Jazz woodwind artist Lew Tabackin’s International Trio will perform on Sunday, Nov, 20th at 6 p.m. in the Sheraton Harrisburg on Lindle Road (formerly the Marriott).

Lew Tabackin is an award winning jazz artist known for his flute virtuosity. Equally gifted on tenor saxophone, Lew’s International Trio is comprised of bassist Boris Kozlov (Russia) and drummer Shinnosuke Takahashi (Japan).

The event opens at 5pm with the Youth Jazz Ensemble of the Trez Music Center led by pianist/educator Beth Trez.

General admission tickets may be purchased from the web site (www.cpfj.org) or at the door the day of the concert. ($25 – adults; $12 students – children under 12 are FREE!)

Host of BlogTalkRadio’s “Livin’ the Dream! with JBlair Brown,” Judith features artists in the entertainment industry, as well as authors and writers weekly. You can connect to each interview by clicking the links below.

Amy Banks

Etienne Charles

Eric Darius

George Duke

Champian Fulton

Jon Gold

Aaron Goldberg

Aaron Goldberg

Euge Groove

Cal Harris, Jr.

Christian McBride

Steve Rudolph

Leslie Summey

Lancaster native and Hempfield High School alumni Fred Hughes returns to perform in concert as part of the Fulton Theater’s Jazz Upstairs series on Friday May 6, 2011 at 7:30 p.m.

While stationed in Korea as a member of the Eighth Army Band, Fred formed the jazz group Just Friends which recorded 6 albums and performed to sold out houses as well as live radio and television broadcasts.

Fred returned to Lancaster in 1985 and formed the jazz trio Alternative with whom he performed locally as well as throughout the eastern U.S. He later went on to join the United States Army’s premier touring jazz ensemble, the Jazz Ambassadors performing at prestigious jazz festival venues such as Newport, Montreux, Nice and the North Sea Jazz Festival.

Fred has performed with the Lancaster Symphony Orchestra, the Kennedy Center Orchestra and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra as well as with jazz greats Claudio Roditi, Al Cohn, Roy Hargrove, Bill Waltrous and Toots Thielemans. As a conductor he has directed the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, the Atlanta, Dayton and Grand Rapids Symphony Orchestras and the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

An extremely accomplished jazz pianist, as well as composer, Fred is an energetic performer exhibiting a strong, hard swinging style. Fred will be joined by bassist Keith Mohler and drummer Dan Monaghan performing jazz standards as well as original compositions.

Tickets are $10.00 advance $12.00 door, call 717.397.7425 or visit www.thefulton.org

For more information visit www.fredhughes.com

Interview contact: 410.703.0755 or email fhughes@comcast.net

LIVE at the Hollywood Casino!

CPFJ will present the legendary Mulgrew Miller to perform at THE HOLLYWOOD CASINO this Sunday, April 17th for a one-time performance!

Miller, who has over 400 recordings, had appeared all over the world with such greats as: Art Blakey, Betty Carter, Woody Shaw and a host of other renowned artists.

Joining Miller will be Steve Nelson (vibes), Ivan Taylor (bass) and Rodney Green (drums).

The show starts at 5:30pm. General parking is FREE.

For more information, contact CPFJ at 717.540-1010 or log onto our website at www.cpfj.org.

Steve Rudolph

Rudolph was born and raised in Evansville, IN. He fell in love with music, first as a trumpet student and, at age 22, transitioned to the piano.

A natural on the keys, Rudolph found himself, a few short years later performing with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, backing up the likes of Helen O’Connell and the Mills Brothers. After moving to Harrisburg in 1978 (my center of the universe!), Rudolph became a main staple at the renowned Holiday Inn Town. With his ever-increasing reputation as a solid jazz pianist, his name became pseudonymous with greats like Royce Campbell, Johnny Coles, Freddie Hubbard, Joe Hunt, Lonnie Lester, Joe Lovano, Buddy Tate, JJ Wiggins, and many others.

Rudolph has performed at Carnegie Hall and across the US as well as throughout Europe. During the early 80′s, he and a small group of jazz enthusiasts founded Central PA Friends of Jazz – and we’re all the better for it.

You can connect to the LIVE show by clicking here at 2pm on Wed, April 6th at 2pm. The show’s chat room will also be open, so feel free to scroll to the bottom of the page and share your questions or comments for Steve. And if you’re truly daring…DIAL IN anytime during the 30-minute segment and be heard LIVE on the radio! The number to dial is 347-539-5805. Hope you can attend!

Etienne Charles

A storyteller of sorts, the night was peppered with folklore told in Charles’ native Trinidad and Tobago. In fact, the name of his latest CD is titled “Folklore,” and represents the tales told to him as a child: of mermaids, forest dwellers and such. It’s a splendid cocktail of lively tempos and beats as distinct as Charles’ own style of storytelling.

A natural artist and storyteller, Charles weaved his childhood tales into his gig effortlessly. And then there was audience participation in an echoing of ooohs, ahhhs, boo-be-boo-bows, and more “does he seriously think we can mimic THAT sound?” moments.

It was quite a festive occasion. And why wouldn’t it be – because that’s how we do it here at CPFJ.

Etienne Charles

As a precursor, BlogTalkRadio’s “Livin’ the Dream! with JBlair Brown” will interview Charles for this upcoming concert. The show’s host, Judith Brown, is also the publicist for CPFJ and says, “It’s a natural solution to getting the word out there. Of course, we (CPFJ) also use traditional means – such as press releases, ads and social media – to publicize our events. But adding my show to the mix is definitely an added benefit.”

Other CPFJ-associated artists interviewed on “Livin’ the Dream!” include Aaron Goldberg (who performed at CPFJ’s February Sunday concert) and Amy Banks (a friend and former board member of CPFJ).

To hear Etienne Charles’ interview LIVE, click here on Friday, Mar 18th at 2pm, where you’ll also be able to participate in the chat session during the interview.

You can also listen on your phone by dialing 347-539-5805.

If you were privy to attend this past Sunday concert featuring The Aaron Goldberg Trio, you know that what I’m about to say is absolutely true; if you weren’t: too bad, too sad…because the Goldberg Trio lit up that Hilton Harrisburg like fireworks on Independence Day! They were truly awesome!!!

But that’s not the whole story. Let me give you the Reader’s Digest version:

Goldberg, who performed in Haiti Saturday night (yes, the real Haiti, not…like “little Haiti” that might refer to a small Haitian community in the states…THE HAITIAN ISLAND!). Anyway, in order to make it to CPFJs gig, Goldberg did everything short of bribery to get here. Seriously. And if you were there on Sunday, you would know that this also is true: apparently Goldberg’s second career is stand-up comedy. His deadpan delivery is simply classic. Perfect timing (which comes in handy in music too) and straight face (which could be attributed to jet lag) were spot-on, regardless of the inspiration.

To add to the night’s “are you kidding me?” theme: When renowned bassist Omer (pronounced o-MARE) Avital picked up his instrument to begin the set a string popped. Just like that – POP! But Omer is so gifted that no one could tell the difference. Add to his flair Goldberg’s skills and the rock-solid performance by drummer Eric Harland – and you had yourself one of the best concerts to hit this circuit. Hands down!

So there you have it: the recap from this past Sunday’s concert. It was an “out-of-this-world, Lord-have-mercy!, give-me-some-more” classic jazz performance.

Up next: CPFJ presents The Etienne Charles Quartet LIVE at the Hilton Harrisburg on March 20th at 6pm (with a local jazz ensemble starting us off at 5pm). And on April 17th, CPFJ brings back by popular demand the great Mulgrew Miller – this time LIVE at Hollywood Casino.

Yeah, folks…we’re just gettin’ started…

She's a baddddd girl!

So today we feel pride and dignity and appreciation toward a panel of people (whoever they are) who (obviously) realized that jazz is an important and formidable presence in American society (which WE always knew!).

So glad they finally figured it out.

The Central Pennsylvania Friends of Jazz (CPFJ) rolls into 2011 by announcing the appearance of the Aaron Goldberg Trio on Sunday, February 20, 2011 at 5pm at the Hilton Harrisburg, Second Floor Ballroom, One North Second Street, Harrisburg, PA.

Aaron Goldberg was born in Boston in 1974. He began studying piano at seven. By 17 he was at the New School for Jazz. Then he enrolled at Harvard where he won the International Association of Jazz Educators’ Clifford Brown/Stan Getz Fellowship and was a member of Betty Carter’s “Jazz Ahead” Program.

After graduating from Harvard, Aaron went to NYC and quickly became an in-demand sideman for the likes of Wynton Marsalis, Joshua Redman and Madeline Peyroux.

He is faculty member at the New School and a clinician at conservatories and universities around the world.
His most recent release is “Home,” which appeared on both DownBeat’s and JazzTimes’ “Best Releases of 2010” lists.

“He’s versatile and impressive, and he swings hard.” — New York Times

“A talented artist whose calling card is unadorned musicianship.” — Billboard

Joining Goldberg will be noted bassist Omer Avital and equally talented drummer Eric Harland. Avital comes straight from his gig in Italy where he performed with Jason Lindner and featured Jeff Ballard on drums. Harland, who was discovered by Wynton Marsalis during a high school event, went on to the Manhattan School of Music on a full scholarship. He comes to CPFJ following the concert event The Development of Eric Harland.

Ticket prices for concerts are: General Adult Admission – $28
General Student Admission – $10
CPFJ Adult Member – $20
CPFJ Student Member – $5
Children under 12 are always admitted free!

CPFJ Sponsor and Corporate Members receive their tickets in the U.S. mail.

Tickets may be purchased at www.cpfj.org or at the door after 4:30 pm on the day of the concert or by visiting www.cpfj.org.