Free Jazz in the Park Concerts Pack In Talent
The talent is set and the amphitheater is ready for another season of music with Clark County Parks and Recreation’s Jazz in the Park concert series, which celebrates its 22nd year. This year, the free series will feature Paul Taylor on April 23, Brenda Russell on May 7, Sypro Gyra on May 14, Jeff Lorber Fusion on May 21 and The Sax Pack on June 4. Seating for those with picnic baskets, blankets and low-back chairs will begin at 7 p.m. with performances beginning at 8 p.m. at the Clark County Government Center Amphitheater, 500 S. Grand Central Parkway. Food vendors also will be available on site. Parking is free.
Saxophonist Paul Taylor will launch the series on April 23. Taylor, a Denver native, was discovered by keyboardist Keiko Matsui at the Catalina Island Jazz Festival. Matsui hired him to play in the band of her and her husband, Kazu Matsui. Kazu Matsui produced Taylor’s debut album in 1995 On the Horn, which reached the jazz charts and created the hit Til We Meet Again. His most recent album Burnin’ was released in 2009, which was a follow-up to his 2007 hit Ladies’ Choice, which earned him a number one debut on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz Chart.Taylor is a graduate of UNLV’s nationally recognized jazz program.
Tony and Grammy award-winner Brenda Russell will continue the music on May 7 when she brings her unique musical perspective to Jazz in the Park. Composer of the classic songs “Get Here,” “If Only For One Night” and the Grammy-nominated “Piano in the Dark,” Russell crosses music genres and combines styles to deliver the music that has made her famous. Russell co-wrote the lyrics and music for “The Color Purple” on Broadway and earned a Grammy nomination in 2007 for the effort. She has scaled the musical divides of rock, R&B, pop, classical, jazz and Latin and forged them into her own distinct style.
The rhythmic spirit of Spyro Gyra will lift the crowd on May 14. The group brings an energy to the series that has made it popular for more than 30 years. Since its first release in 1979, Spyro Gyra’s music and style have made it an original force in the music industry. It started in 1974 when bandleader and saxman Jay Beckenstein and keyboardist Jeremy Wall developed an ensemble. Through the years, Wall made his mark as a producer while members Scott Ambush, bass; Julio Fernandez, guitar and Tom Schuman, keyboards joined Beckenstein in the honored Spyro Gyra tradition. Genre icon Boney James described Spyro Gyra’s music in Jazziz Magazine as combining “accessible pop qualities with happy uplifting tones, bringing together elements of jazz, Latin and R&B effortlessly and unconsciously. What they’re doing with electric jazz and unique instrumentation has always had a timeless quality to me.”
On May 21, Jeff Lorber Fusion brings its musical evolution to Jazz in the Park. The band, which was together primarily from 1977 to 1981, released many albums, such as Water Sign and Wizard Island, that became recognizable in the mainstream media and later went on to be sampled by rap and R&B artists such as Lil’ Kim and SWV. The band is also the foundation of legend as the album Wizard Island introduced a young saxophonist known to the world now as Kenny G. Although Lorber, a Grammy Award-nominated keyboardist, composer and record producer, pioneered the smooth jazz genre as a soloist, the band reunited in 2010 to release Now is the Time, returning it to its roots and diving into its early catalog and compositions from its heyday.
On June 4, The Sax Pack will conclude the series with high-energy saxophone technique that combines their individual styles and diverse backgrounds for a fresh approach to the music that inspired them all to become musicians – jazz. Highlights of the tour will feature original music written specifically for The Sax Pack as well as each saxophone player’s signature hits, classic funk, R&B and jazz tunes that get fans out of their seats. Additional sponsors of the event include the Department of Air Quality & Environmental Management, Clear – the superfast mobile internet, View Neighborhood Newspapers, City Life, Smooth Jazz 105.7 FM, Miller Lite. Those interested can call Clark County Parks and Recreation at 455-8200 or visit the Web site at Clark County Parks and Recreation also can be found on social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook by visiting http://tinyurl.com/4dfw8ea.
###
Clark County is a dynamic and innovative organization dedicated to providing top-quality service with integrity, respect and accountability. With jurisdiction over the world-famous Las Vegas Strip and covering an area the size of New Jersey, Clark is the nation’s 14th-largest county and provides extensive regional services to more than 2 million citizens and 40 million visitors a year. Included are the nation’s 7th-busiest airport, air quality compliance, social services and the state’s largest public hospital, University Medical Center. The county also provides municipal services that are traditionally provided by cities to almost 900,000 residents in the unincorporated area. Those include fire protection, roads and other public works, parks and recreation, and planning and development.