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JAZZTRAX CHRISTMAS CONCERT TOUR PUTS SMOOTH JAZZ STARS AND HOLIDAY SONGS IN THE SPOTLIGHT
The 18-city tour, which includes stops in Milwaukee, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Colorado Springs and Phoenix, kicks off December 1 in Northern California and concludes back on the West Coast December 22 in the San Diego area. Each of the four recording artists will take his turn in the limelight and will also back his fellow performers when they take center stage.
Few musicians can convey the universal holiday message of peace and hope better than singer/songwriter/guitarist Jonathan Butler, whose ninth album, Story of Life (N-Coded Music), traced his struggle and triumph over a childhood under South African apartheid. Butler, the youngest of seventeen children, landed his first record deal at age 12 and went on to become one of the first black musicians to have his music played by white-owned radio stations in his homeland. Known for his clever synthesis of organic African melodies and rhythms, funky R&B, rousing gospel and slick jazz, the soulful guitarist has garnered two Grammy nominations -- for the pop hit, “Lies" and the instrumental “Going Home."
Trumpeter/composer Chris Botti joins the JazzTrax tour on the heels of top-charting radio success with Slowing Down the World (GRP), his third CD release as a leader. He just wrapped a months-long international tour with pop star Sting (who contributed a guest vocal to the young horn player's new album) and has previously toured with pop luminaries Paul Simon and Joni Mitchell. In addition to his work on numerous jazz and pop recordings, Botti's trumpet solos can be heard prominently on the soundtrack he composed for the critically acclaimed feature film Caught and on John Barry's score for Playing By Heart (starring Sean Connery).
Keyboardist Alex Bugnon caught the jazz bug at an early age, accompanying his musician father to the Montreaux Jazz Festival in Switzerland and hearing the likes of Bill Evans, Herbie Hancock, Thelonius Monk, Aretha Franklin and many others. Bugnon's six albums, including the recent Alex Bugnon...As Promised (Narada), fuse R&B, jazz, funk and gospel influences to create a sound honored with two Soul Train award nominations (for “Best Jazz Album") and several radio chart-topping singles.
Former Phoenix Suns forward and NBA star Wayman Tisdale traded in his basketball shoes for a bass guitar a few years ago, and the smooth jazz world came out the winner. An accomplished musician long before his career on the courts began, Tisdale has recorded three CDs as a leader, including the Billboard Top 10-charting Power Forward and In The Zone. His most recent release, Decisions (Atlantic), moves between fusion-influenced R&B and urban-AC balladry to worldbeat and jazz vibes.
Produced by nationally syndicated radio host Art Good, the annual JazzTrax Christmas concert tour has become a seasonal favorite in cities throughout the US. Other contemporary jazz stars who have performed in the series in recent years include Rick Braun, Brian Culbertson and Mark Antoine.
JAZZ TRAX CHRISTMAS CONCERT TOUR
December 2000
December 1 Tower Theater Fresno, CA December 2 State Theater Modesto, CA December 3 Crest Theater Sacramento, CA December 4 Portland Art Museum Portland, OR December 5 Sun River Resort Bend, OR December 6 Center on the Grove Boise, ID December 7 Civic Center Theater Peoria, IL December 8 Astor Street Hotel Milwaukee, WI December 11 New Daisy Theatre Memphis, TN December 12 Fountain Square Theatre Indianapolis, IN December 14 San Destin Resort Destin, FL December 15 Folley Theater Kansas City, KS December 16 Colorado Music Hall Colorado Springs, CO December 17 Beech Activity Center Wichita, KS December 18 Convention Center Tucson, AZ December 19 Red River Music Hall Phoenix, AZ December 21 Victoria Hall Santa Barbara, CA December 22 California Center for the Arts Escondido, CA
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