Funky soul, rhythmic salsa, gospel singing and Caribbean jazz will get music lovers dancing this summer during a series of concerts cosponsored by the City of New Haven, Yale and the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven in association with International Arts Initiatives.
Noted performers in the series include soul singer Wilson Pickett, jazz and pop vocalist Nancy Wilson, saxophonist David Sanborn and flutist Nestor Torres.
The musical offerings include the annual New Haven Jazz Festival on Saturday nights on the New Haven Green, as well as an evening of "Latin Fusion" and "Gospel Fest."
The series began in July with a "Blues and Roots Fest," which featured Grammy Award-winning blues performer Keb' Mo' and the James Cotton Blues Band at the Shubert Theater on July 19, followed by performances by Grammy Award-winning blues vocalist Etta James, Nathan and the Zydeco Cha-Chas and The Fairfield Four in a free concert before a crowd of about 30,000 people on July 20 on the Green.
On Saturday, July 27, four-time Grammy winning salsa musician Ruben Blades will perform with the Editus Ensemble in a free concert on the Green. Opening the concert, which begins at 6:30 p.m., will be Hector Bonet.
The Panama-born Blades, who is also a composer and actor, began a career in music after working as a lawyer in his native country. He become popular as a salsa singer during the 1970s and has written music for several movies, including "Oliver and Company" and "Do the Right Thing." He has also appeared in such films as "Crossover Dreams" (which he also co-wrote), "The Milagro Beanfield War," "The Two Jakes," "Mo' Better Blues" and "Devil's Own." He ran unsuccessfully for the presidency of Panama in 1994.
Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and soul singer Wilson Pickett, known for such hits as "In the Midnight Hour" and "Mustang Sally," will be the headline act in a concert on Saturday, Aug. 3, on the New Haven Green. This event, which begins at 5 p.m., is also free and open to the public. The opening acts for Pickett are WAR and Ricky Alan Draughn.
Pickett's other hit songs have included "634-5789," "Funky Broadway," "Don't Knock My Love," "Get Me Back on Time," "Engine Number 9," "Fire and Water" and "Land of 1000 Dances," which was his biggest pop hit.
For more information on the performances by Pickett and Blades, call (203) 782-4395.
Gospel singer Kurt Carr and the Kurt Carr Singers will be the featured act in a Gospel Fest taking place on Saturday, Aug. 3, at the Goffe Street Park. This concert begins at 7:30 p.m. For more information on the event, call (203) 624-9228.
Kurt Carr, a graduate of the University of Connecticut formed the Kurt Carr Singers after he served as music director at the West Angeles Church of God in Christ in Los Angeles. In 1997, the group's first hit record, "No One Else," remained on the Billboard Gospel charts for over 40 consecutive weeks. Its latest album is titled "Awesome Wonder."
Legendary jazz and pop singer Nancy Wilson will kick off the New Haven Jazz Festival on Aug. 10.
Once described by a record company executive as having "the nasal quality of Dinah [Washington] and the tear of Billie [Holiday], Wilson's early 1961 single "Guess Who I Saw Today" became a staple on jazz radio and in black urban America. Her subsequent hits have included "Save Your Love for Me," "When Did You Leave Heaven," the Grammy-winning "(You Don't Know) How Glad I Am" and "You're As Right As Rain." She has also performed a number of popular Irving Berlin tunes. Wilson won an Emmy Award for the 1967-1968 season for her own television series "The Nancy Wilson Show," and she has performed on numerous other television programs, including "The Carol Burnett Show" and "The Flip Wilson Show." In 1991 she collaborated on a project with Barry Manilow, who wrote melodies for lyrics written by Johnny Mercer. Manilow selected Wilson to sing the new songs. Wilson has also been a host of the National Public Radio series "Jazz Profiles."
Saxophonist David Sanborn will perform on Aug. 17. Early in his career, he played with the Paul Butterfield Blues Band. He subsequently worked on stage and in the studio with such artists as Paul Simon, the Eagles, the Rolling Stones, David Bowie and Pink Floyd's Roger Waters. He also spent two years as part of Stevie Wonder's band. He recorded his first solo album, "Taking Off," in 1975. His 1980 album, "Hideaway," remained for over a year on both the Urban Contemporary and Jazz charts. The album also earned Sanborn a Grammy nomination for best rhythm and blues instrumental performance. The saxophonist has subsequently scored the soundtrack to the Italian film "Stelle Sulla Citta" ("Stars Above the City") , in which he also acted, and released the album "Backstreet," which has been a major hit among contemporary jazz fans.
The final New Haven Jazz Festival concert will feature Latin jazz flutist Nestor Torres, who combines the rhythms of his Caribbean homeland with catchy melodies. Torres' debut album, "Treasures of the Heart," featured his Grammy-nominated song "Luna Latina." He subsequently released "This Side of Paradise." While known as a jazz flutist, Torres says he developed his skills playing charanga, a traditional form of Cuban dance music that originated in Haiti. He also made a recording debut
as a salsa vocalist on the tropical dance
track "No Te Enamores," which he also composed.
All of the New Haven Jazz Festival concerts begin at 7 p.m. For more information on the concerts, call (203) 946-7821.
This summer's musical offerings are also supported by SBC/SNET, Bayer Pharmaceuticals, New Haven Savings Bank, United Illuminating Company and the Town Green Special Services District.
Renowned and local jazz musicians are also performing at several other city sites this summer. A series called "Jazz in Millennium Plaza" features lunchtime concerts in the plaza behind City Hall. Concerts take place at noon Aug. 12-16 and Aug. 19-23.
Millennium Plaza is also the site for the series "Blues, Berries and Jam!" featuring jazz concerts and a farmer's market. Visitors may purchase fresh fruits and vegetables as they listen to the music on specific Wednesdays --July 31, Aug. 7 and Aug. 28.
Concerts will also take place at various neighborhood parks throughout the city at 6 p.m. on Wednesday evenings through Aug. 7. All of the concerts in this series, titled "Jazz in the Neighborhoods," are free and open to the public.
For more specific information on "Jazz in Millennium Plaza," "Blues, Berries and Jam!" and "Jazz in the Neighborhoods" call (203) 946-7821.
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