Festival Highlights
Thur. 10/10: Jazz In Pink Breast Cancer Awareness
Fri. 10/11: Jazz Golf Tournament at Moody Gardens
Sat. 10/12: 50TH Anniversary celebration with Ronnie Laws
Sun. 10/13: Gospel Brunch
“The Red Cat Jazz Festival comes to Galveston Island to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of great Jazz saxophonist and Houston native Ronnie Laws.”
The Red Cat Jazz Festival celebrates the true American Music form - jazz – from the best of traditionalists to innovative new sounds, from internationally renowned players to the hottest local jazz groups, and from young students starting their musical careers to a jazz veteran celebrating 50 years of great music.
The Red Cat Jazz festival will feature great performances in a fun festival atmosphere by the Gulf, with vendors offering a wide variety of food, arts, crafts, and music with activities for kids. This festival has grown over the years with a goal of becoming the Gulf Coast’s great regional Jazz Festival, benefiting Jazz Education, Inc and the Red Cat Jazz Preservation Society to help keep this vital music alive and pass it on through coming generations.
The festival begins on Thursday with performances by Jazz in Pink, promoting breast cancer awareness month. Jazz in Pink is an all-star ensemble of women in jazz. Their mission is to promote women in jazz and celebrate their contribution to the history of jazz. Through performances, education and mentoring, they provide opportunities and support to upcoming rising stars. There will be on-site mammograms and breast cancer screening, and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to local entities that provide information and support to those affected by breast cancer.
Friday kicks off with a golf tournament at the Moody Gardens Golf Course, with some of the Houston area’s most beloved sports figures joining in. The former Municipal Golf Course underwent a $16 million renovation, creating a beautiful 18 hole seaside course through native wetland habitat.
Ronnie Laws
On Saturday, Jazz veteran Ronnie Laws celebrates 50 years in music. The Houston native is brother to famous jazz flautist Hubert Laws and R & B singer and actress Debra Laws. He attended Stephen F. Austin before embarking on his musical career. In 1972, he joined the fledgling group Earth, Wind, and Fire, playing saxophone and flute. He started his solo career in 1975 with the album, “Pressure Sensitive,” which included his best known song, “Always There,” The song became an instant jazz-funk classic, covered by numerous artists. Laws has also recorded with numerous other artists, including Arthur Adams, Howard Hewett, Ramsey Lewis, Jeff Lorber, Hugh Masekela, Alphonse Mouzon, David Sea, and Sister Sledge. A tribute to "Always There," was performed by a group of musicians including Boney James, Rick Braun, Kirk Whalum, Kenny Garrett and Larry Carlton at the Montreux Jazz Festival. In August, Ronnie Laws will be inducted into the Black Music Association Hall of Fame.
Sunday will focus on Gospel music, where the energy and passion of jazz and blues creates a unique American music of faith that is rich, joyous, and powerfully uplifting. Additional events include “Lunch With the Legends of Jazz” and
“Students of the Sound Jazz Scholarship Seminar.”
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Other performers include:
Marva King
Marva King, a former Prince and New Power Generation singer, who has been heard on the classic Michael Jackson "Bad" album among many others, is perhaps best known for her starring role in the hugely successful film, “Diary of a Mad Black Woman,” which launched the career of writer/producer Tyler Perry. King started performing at the age of four, and became accomplished at quite a young age. She is heard on albums by Phil Collins, Tupac Shakur, Prince, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Jimmy Cliff, Chaka Khan, and Lionel Richie, just to name a few. She co-wrote the Whispers’ single, “Innocent”, which debuted at #4 on the Billboard Hot Singles Chart. She has performed live with artists like Lenny Kravitz, Seal, and Will-I-Am, and has toured with the likes of Stevie Wonder, Prince, and The Isley Brothers. Beyond any stereotype or genre, her past recordings include music that is Rock, Pop, Hip Hop, R&B, Funk, and Reggae. Her mesmerizing delivery inspired Larry Flick to write in Billboard, “Marva King is a supreme diva, and her name will go down in history as one of the best."
Joey Sommerville
Trumpeter Joey Sommerville has performed and recorded with a wide range of artists including mega-rock group Phish. He was the featured instrumental soloist on the Cirque de Soleil's Grammy-nominated and Juno Award winning album, Alegria. In 2001, he scored a Gavin Top 20 Contemporary Jazz hit as a writer/producer with Bob Baldwin for the single "Business Call". He produced bassist/vocalist Rhonda Smith’s “RS2” which features Prince, Sheila E. and gospel great, Fred Hammond and made the 2007 Grammy Ballot.
Eric Darius
Composer and performer Eric Darius has been known for his dynamic and exhilarating live shows since his explosive arrival on the contemporary jazz scene at age 17 caused a frenzy. Only in his twenties, the ambitious saxophonist, has already shared the stage with everyone from Prince, Carlos Santana, Wynton Marsalis, Wyclef Jean, George Benson, and Brian McKnight, released an auspicious recording debut, has scored #1 on Billboard’s Contemporary Jazz Charts, had several top ten hits and has already made an appearance at the famed Montreux Jazz Festival.
Tom Browne
Trumpeter Tom Browne has been described by George Benson as "joy filled in expressiveness" and "believable in any musical style," Browne began to carve a path for his musical future early on, studying via scholarship under Murray Karpilovsky (principal trumpeter with the NBC Orchestra directed by Arturo Toscanini.) Browne became a regular on the New York jazz scene, learning first hand from masters like Jimmy Nottingham, Richard Williams, Woody Shaw and Freddie Hubbard. He earned domestic and international recognition as sideman to jazz greats Weldon Irvine and Sonny Fortune. Browne went on to win prestigious Billboard honors of Best Instrumentalist, Best Jazz Cross-Over, Best Jazz Artist-Trumpet and Best Jazz Solo Album.
• The Kashmere Stage Band – the reunited, storied Kashmere High School Stage Band subjects, of the documentary film, “Thunder Soul,” produced and narrated by Jamie Foxx
• Top 40 R & B contemporary keyboardist Alex Bugnon from Montreaux
• Maurice Brown, Mike Phillips, Kevin Toney, Brian Best, Dean James, Theresa Grayson, Jeanette Harris, Chris Mitchell, and more
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Contacts:
Performers and Festival information:
Lauren Williams
Red Cat Jazz Preservation
832-722-1383
Media Contact:
Bob Fuldauer
Turn To Productions
[email protected]
281-802-2656
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