18 APRIL 2018 | LUKE MELAMEDE
I went to Radiobean on Thursday to watch The James Harvey Group. The group did cover songs of jazz and blues artist, and one of the songs I heard them play was get out of town. Which was a jazz song sung by Ella Fitzgerald. The performance I went to had no lyrics so they had the bass playing the harmony while the piano played the counter melody to what someone would sing. The drums played the classical smooth jazz beat with some occasional fills.
One of the songs they played was jazz and had a more up beat feel to it and you could see it through the way they played their instruments during a fast paced song of slow paced song. What made this performance so great was that they didn’t just play the instrument, and made it more of them needing to act like if they were playing in a play. They had to put that raw emotion into their performance. The James Harvey Group was a great band.
31 MAY 2018 | CALEB MOREHOUSE
June 6th of the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival features acts such as The Nth Power Does the Dan. The Nth Power Does the Dan starts at 8pm at Nectar’s. They blend funk, soul, and gospel into their own variety of Jazz. The description of this act mentions every possible genre possible, so be prepared for a wild ride. Also, this group sets itself as one of the prime acts by featuring some of the biggest musicians at the event. Overall, this event will be a tour-de-force for any attendees.
Another act to look out for is the Johnny O’Neal trio. This group features Charlie Goold on drums, Luke Sellick on bass, and the titular Johnny O’Neal on Piano and Vocals. While this is less experimental than the other offerings. It is more for the older Jazz fans, who enjoy Neo-bop. Other genres it could be classified as include bop and blues. Expect a laid back, refined experience!
The most prominent act on June 8th of the Jazz Festival is Leslie Odom Jr. Odom Jr. is a singer who made waves with his performance as Aaron Burr in the Broadway show Hamilton. His individual talent is exceptional and his diverse talents draw comparisons to Donald Glover. His self titled album topped Jazz charts in 2016. Expect an exciting afternoon if you show up at the Flynn main stage at 8pm!
Another main talent coming on the 8th is Sasha Berliner. She is a vibrant vibraphonist, who has been working with Grammy award winning artists since age 13. She was iconic at the Atlanta Jazz Festival, and her brave, energetic style is feeding into her burgeoning career. But she could not have done it without her band that includes Chris McCarthy on Piano, Ben Tibero on bass, and Jeremy Dutton on drums.
1 JUNE 2018 | CANDACE HOSMER
On the Last day of Jazz fest on June 10th, there is a band called High Summer that will be performing from 5:30-7:30 pm. High summer is a rhythmic cover band full of amazing artists. Miriam Bernando is on vocals, Andric Severance on keyboard, Pat Ormiston plays bass, Jason Thime on the drums, Al Teodosio is on guitar, Gordon Clark plays the trombone, and Jacob Deve Racusin plays the tenor sax and percussion. Here's a video of one of their most popular songs that they cover, "Naive" by the Kooks. Catch them as the last performance of Jazz Fest!