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Berklee BeantTown Jazz Festival: Kickin' the Blues

Presented by Berklee College of Music at Berklee Performance Center

September 25, 2009

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Now in its ninth year, the Berklee BeanTown Jazz Festival—Boston's largest and most popular outdoor festival—has expanded to nine days and nine stages at locations in Boston and Cambridge, and has named world-renowned drummer and Berklee professor Terri Lyne Carrington its new artistic director. From September 18 to 26, superstars and local artists will come together in free and ticketed offerings that have drawn upwards of 70,000 people of all ages from every neighborhood in Boston and all over New England. The festival's largest roster yet will feature performances by more than 20 bands and 130 musicians at the Berklee Performance Center (BPC), Scullers Jazz Club, Regattabar, Wally's Cafe, Berklee's Cafe 939 and David Friend Recital Hall, and outdoor stages along Columbus Avenue. The Berklee BeanTown Jazz Festival is sponsored by Target and Dunkin' Donuts. Friday, September 25- Kickin' the Blues, Featuring David Sanborn, Kevin Mahogany, and Amina Claudine Myers. David Sanborn Renowned and revered the world over as one of the greatest saxophone players of all time, two-time Grammy winner David Sanborn is an artist whose music has inspired countless other musicians while creating a body of work that spans the genres of rock 'n' roll, r&b, pop, and jazz. A naturally gifted performer, Sanborn has helped defined the saxophone's modern sound while influencing a generation.

Growing up in St. Louis, Missouri, Sanborn was inspired by the rich legacy of great Chicago blues artists who would play their way through town. Before he had finished high school, he had played with names such as Albert King and Little Milton. Since then he has performed with the Butterfield Blues Band, Stevie Wonder, David Bowie, the Rolling Stones, Paul Simon, and James Taylor. Throughout the nineties and into the present, Sanborn has continued to tour and record, having amassed a wide and enthusiastic fan base around the world. Amina Claudine Myers Pianist, organist, vocalist, composer, actress, and educator Amina Claudine Myers has proven herself adept in the creative musical arts. She is well known for her works involving voice choirs, voice and instrumental ensembles, and performances in any combination of formations. Since 1976 Myers has resided in New York, where she has moved into the theater realm, writing pieces for this medium and acting and composing music for a number of off-Broadway productions. She has recorded and/or performed with Archie Shepp, Charlie Haden's Liberation Orchestra, James "Blood" Ulmer, Gene Ammons, Sonny Stitt, Muhal Richard Abrams, Lester Bowie, and Bill Laswell. She currently has nine recordings released under her own name. Kevin Mahogany Kevin Mahogany's arrival in the early '90s on the jazz scene created an unprecedented stir and resurgence of vocal jazz. He grew up listening to the richly diverse musical sounds of his hometown of Kansas City, Missouri, and recorded three well-received albums with Enja, the independent German label, before signing with Warner Brothers in 1995. His self-titled Warner debut received a host of accolades to include Newcomer of the Year (Penthouse) and the first of four nominations as No. 1 Jazz Singer of the Year (Down Beat Critics Poll). In 2003 and 2004, Mahogany, along with Kurt Elling, Jon Hendricks, and Mark Murphy, toured extensively as the Four Brothers. Mahogany now tours in various configurations and conducts jazz clinics around the world.