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| Erie Art Museum Holds 14th Blues and Jazz Festival The 14th annual Erie Art Museum Blues and Jazz Festival takes place at Frontier Park Saturday and Sunday, August 5 & 6, with an exceptional lineup of national and regional acts. Traditionally, the festival opens with a special show just for children, and this year is no exception. Folk music performer Dave Ruch presents an engaging show for families. In addition to his performance, Dave Ruch will be doing a "song swap" workshop for families where he'll share some of the songs he's collected from kids, and have the participants share some of the songs they've learned from the oral tradition. Following Dave Ruch is Ron Yarosz and the Vehicle, an Erie-based blues band which won the recent western Pennsylvania Blues Challenge competition. Saturday's third act is Erie's own East Side Edition with a classic Rhythm & Blues performance. At 6 p.m., Louisiana's "Sweetheart of Zydeco, " Rosie Ledet, brings her soulful voice and exciting accordion style to the stage with her band, the Zydeco Playboys. Saturday's events close with the great modern blues sound of Travis "Moonchild" Haddix and the THB band. The band features trumpet, alto and tenor sax, bass, drums and keyboard performing the Moonchild's great soul blues originals. Sunday's outstanding lineup opens with a crowd-pleasing performance of Dixieland classics by the region's longest-running jazz band, the Dixie Doodlers, followed by a Blues & Jazz Festival veteran, Erie's Queen of Jazz, Mary Alice Brown, in a performance of her unique and personal style of jazz, always hip and up to date. Lindsey Horner, a mainstay of the New York jazz scene whose latest cd has been called one of the year's best, brings an outstanding quartet for a set of his mellow originals. At 6 p.m., Soul Clap, an eclectic group of veteran local musicians, brings a lively show of jazz seasoned with Latin, funk and blues. Concluding the Festival is "the best little big band in the land, " Either/Orchestra. For more than two decades, this Boston-based ensemble has been making big band music relevant and up to date. Throughout the Festival, food and drink is available from vendors. The Festival logo, featuring a photograph by Art Becker and type design by Jim Kraut, is available on t-shirts and limited-edition posters. CDs for performing artists are also on sale at the Museum t-shirt tent. Schedule of Performances: August 5, 2006: Noon - Dave Ruch (Kid's Act), Ron Yarosz and the Vehicle; East Side Edition; Rosie Ledet & the Zydeco Playboys; Travis "Moonchild" Haddix & the THB Band. August 6, 2006: Mary Alice Brown; Lindsey Horner Group; Soul Clap; Either/Orchestra. write your comments about the article :: © 2006 Jazz News :: home page |