Temecula Valley International Jazz Festival July 9, 10, 11 PONCHO SANCHEZ, INTERNATIONAL SINGING STAR TRINI LOPEZ, in Honor of ELLA FITZGERALD with Tributes featuring ... FREDA PAYNE, HERB JEFFRIES, ARTHUR RAND and the Legendary INK SPOTS, RAY BROWN Jr., & BRIAN AUGER, DAVID ARKENSTONE, CORYELL AUGER SAMPLE Trio, PATRICIA TALEM (Brazil), more

These Photo's are Courtesy of Snider Studios (951) 551-8721

Temecula festival hits the right notes

By: MICHAEL J. WILLIAMS

Alto saxophonist and bandleader Richie Cole talked to the audience last Saturday at the Temecula Valley International Jazz Festival about the inspiration for his composition "Harold's House of Jazz."

Harold's, a club in Washington, D.C., was the kind of joint you won't find in California, he said.

"It was the kind of place where everybody smoked, drank and talked with bad words, all at the same time," he said. "It was an amazing place."

Implicit in Cole's tribute is that, more important than the uninhibited behavior of the patrons, Harold's was the kind of place found in most big cities ---- joints like the Village Vanguard in New York City and the Green Mill in Chicago, where jazz musicians get together nightly to sharpen their skills, compare notes and present their creations.

Southwest County may not be ready to support such a scene, but if there's anybody who can make it happen here, it would be Jon Laskin, director of the Musicians Workshop in Temecula and the organizer of last weekend's festivities.

Jazz is much like the term "modern art" ---- it has come to mean just about anything anyone wants it to. Laskin managed to put together a lineup last weekend at The Promenade mall and the Temecula Community Recreation Center Amphitheater that ran the gamut from the crackling Charlie Parker-inspired bebop of Cole and his band, the Alto Madness Orchestra, to the jazz-rock fusion of the sizzling homegrown group, Savio, and the infectious Latinized hard-bop of the L.A. group, the Elliott Caine Sextet.

The relationship of the American art form of jazz to musical stylings from around the world was showcased at the community center with artists such as the Bomani African Drummers and the Brazilian percussionist Julio Figueroa with the group Kyrios.

Ironically, the oldest genre represented at the festival was performed by the youngest of the musicians. Laskin's Musicians Workshop Advanced Jazz Band, with members ranging from junior high to high school age, led off with a version of the Benny Goodman specialty "Sing, Sing, Sing" and excelled on a series of other swing numbers, such as Duke Ellington's "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)."

Among others, the band featured Menifee resident John Tribelhorn, a University of Redlands bound-trumpeter who exhibited the chops of a professional section leader, and violinist Antonio Pontarelli, already a virtuoso and gifted jazz soloist at the age of 13.

One spot Saturday that exemplified the electrifying spontaneity that is the trademark of jazz came when Tribelhorn and Pontarelli were featured as guest soloists with Cole and his band. Each got a chance to improvise on the Thelonious Monk blues composition "Straight, No Chaser."

Cole was so delighted by Pontarelli's playing after he tore up a couple choruses, the veteran altoist kept urging him to take more, and later when they were trading ad-libs in four-bar segments, the precocious violinist held his own with Cole, inspiring the veteran to blow line after effusive line. Booting the soloists on was one of the greats, bassist Marshall Hawkins, director of the Idyllwild Arts Academy's jazz program.

While there were obviously some hard-core fans scattered among the crowd at The Promenade, quite a few folks undoubtedly came out to hear singer Cybill Shepherd.... She did a nice version of Duke Ellington's "Sophisticated Lady," and showed she could live up to her background as a Memphis belle when she bellowed on the blues.

A consecration of sorts occurred with Shepherd's presentation of a national recognition to legendary pianist, bandleader and composer Horace Silver, who was too hobbled to play, but expressed gratitude for the honor. Showing appreciation for someone with the credentials of Silver was demonstrative of Laskin's commitment to jazz as a vital artistic expression rather than its diluted, commercial adaptations.

The craziest thing about this festival was that it was free of admission, aside from a benefit concert by Les Brown and His Band of Renown on Saturday night and a wine-tasting Sunday.

To hear top-flight musicians without having to meet steeply-priced cover charges and concert tickets was quite a treat. The success of the inaugural event, with contributions from the likes of Cole and the Caine quartet, certainly bodes well for the future.

The proceeds from the admission events and donations are going toward an effort to create a cultural arts center in the region.

It might not be another Harold's, but it could give the area recognition as a place where music, and jazz in particular, is thriving.

Michael J. Williams is a Californian staff writer.

 

International jazz fest takes off in Temecula
Haute Culture

09:13 AM PDT on Tuesday, July 13, 2004

The Temecula Valley International Jazz Festival is starting off on a high note with actress-singer Cybill Shepherd as the inaugural headliner.

"Our goal is to make this a signature event for Temecula Valley," said Jon Laskin, executive director for the festival, which runs Saturday and Sunday. "We tried to pay attention to what would fit this community, and we have brought together 12 different bands at three locations."

Most everything is free, including the performance by Shepherd at 5:30 p.m. Saturday on the American Jazz Stage at the Plaza in the Promenade.

Cybill Shepherd



Shepherd will perform songs from her two new CDs. Known for her work as a model and an actress of stage, screen and television, Shepherd started singing with her church choir at age 8 and began voice lessons at age 16. Since then, she has performed around the world, blending rock, blues, ballads and standards.

"We're incredibly fortunate to have Ms. Shepherd offer to be part of this inaugural event," Laskin said.

The American Jazz Stage opens at 1 p.m. Saturday with the MSJC Menifee Jazz Ensemble performing swing, funk and Latin jazz styles. Savio, a local group that combines saxophone and violin, will perform at 2 p.m.; at 4:30, alto saxophonist Richie Cole and the Alto Madness Orchestra will take the stage to perform bop and ballad jazz renderings.

At 6 p.m., an All-Star Celebrity Jam will follow Shepherd's performance, and the Elliott Caine Sextet, focusing on Afro-Cuban jazz mixed with hard bop, will close the stage with a 7 p.m. performance.

The festival also features the World Jazz Stage at the Community Recreation Center Amphitheater on Rancho Vista Way (linked to the other stage by a free shuttle). It opens at 4 p.m. Saturday with the Bomani African Drummers, followed at 5 p.m. with the Ken Garcia Band, combining soulful folk rock with a Latin and Hawaiian flavor.

Common Sense, with a blend of reggae, rock and funk, will perform at 6 p.m., and Brazilian percussionist Julio Figueroa and the Brazilian jazz band Kyrios will wrap up with an 8 p.m. set.

The only ticketed event at $50 per person is the Dinner Dance with Les Brown's Band of Renown. It will begin at the Temeku Hills Country Club on Rancho California Road at 7 p.m. A mainstay of the Bob Hope radio and television shows, the 15-piece band features a classic big band jazz sound.

Sunday's main event, the Jazz and Wine Tasting at the Plaza at the Promenade, runs from 3 to 7 p.m. and features music by Bandidos De Amor, playing a brand of music the band calls "California Rumba." While wine and food tasting tickets cost $15 per person, the music is free.

The event also includes a clinic from noon to 2:30 p.m. Saturday at 28690 Mercedes Street in Old Town Temecula.

For more information and to purchase dinner tickets, call (909) 678-2517 or visit www.musiciansworkshop.org.

 

Locals heat up jazz festival
STAR POWER: Cybill Shepherd, Horace Silver and Richie Cole dazzle Inland fans.

11:58 PM PDT on Saturday, July 17, 2004

By LYLE SPENCER / The Press-Enterprise

TEMECULA - Songstress/actress Cybill Shepherd, legendary piano player Horace Silver and alto sax magician Richie Cole were the headliners, but local ensembles also made their presence felt in the inaugural Temecula Valley International Jazz Festival on Saturday at the Promenade mall.

Shepherd, enduring star of stage and screen, dazzled an appreciative crowd with her versatile stylings, ranging from jazz to blues to standards. She offered tribute to Silver after presenting him a U.S. Congressional Certificate of Recognition of Lifetime Achievement.

"I'm very honored to be at the Temecula Jazz Festival, on stage with these great musicians - and to be in the presence of one of my idols, Horace Silver," Shepherd said.

Frank Bellino / The Press Enterprise
Benjamin Menancio, left, and J.C. Mondragon with Savio perform during the Temecula Valley International Jazz Festival on Saturday.



A crowd of several hundred responded enthusiastically as Shepherd drew from her upcoming album, "At Home with Cybill," alongside pianist Tom Adams.

"I can sing a little," she said, noting that this would be her 11th album.

Cole, also performing a tribute to Silver, brought cheers of approval preceding Shepherd. Following Shepherd was an all-star celebrity jam, and, in the finale, the Elliott Caine Sextet.

In the eyes of one musician, Savio violinist Jesse Mondragon, the real star of the show was a Temecula woman who braved the searing heat to do an impromptu solo dance during his band's set.

"Oh, I just love them," Lorri Perkins, 44, said. "They're great. I'm a music lover, and I love to get out and dance."

Savio, formed by Mondragon and saxophonist Benjamin Menancio after they blended on open mike night at the Rhythm & Brews in Old Town Temecula, had spectators swaying to their contemporary jazz sounds.

"We've been together for less than a year, but we're going to keep at it. We have a demo CD out, and we'll be recording a CD of originals," said Menancio, a Temecula resident who works in law enforcement.

Drummer Alex Gonzalez is from Murrieta. Completing the band are guitarist Danny Flores, percussionist David White, bass player Vince Cabrera and Jordan Bellino on keyboards.

Cabrera is a software engineer living in San Diego. Flores and Bellino live in Murrieta, White in Temecula.

Kicking off the festival was the Mt. San Jacinto Menifee Jazz Ensemble, delighting the crowd with its eclectic sounds and the vocals of Mishel Brown.

"The people really got into it, especially when Mishel did the blues tune, 'Since I Fell For You,' and a funky version of 'Blue Skies,' " said trumpet player Brandon Shaw.

A music teacher at MSJC, Shaw replaced Stephen Torok, music department chairman at MSJC, when Torok was summoned to Santa Barbara to play alto sax with the Temptations.

The 13-member ensemble is formed largely of MSJC faculty and musicians from the community, with two students in the current alignment.

Following Savio was the Musicians Workshop Advanced Jazz Band, under the guidance of Jon Laskin, workshop founder and producer of the festival.

The festival wraps up today with Bandidos de Amor, from 3 to 7 p.m. at the Promenade mall. A $15 wine tasting also highlights the finale.

Reach Lyle Spencer at (951) 375-3737 or lspencer@pe.com