Notes The Newsletter of Blues Boulevard Jazz Greenville August FEATURED ARTIST: Calendar of Events 8/1 Ho Gritz Band 8/2 Brad Jepson Quartet RENOWNED 8/3 Mike Frost Band 8/4 Jazz Brunch—Jamie Wright MASTER 8/7 Shannon Hoover’s Jazz Jam 8/8 Erica Berg DRUMMER 8/9 Sonny Thornton Trio 8/10 Ian Bracchia Quartet SONNY 8/11 Jazz Brunch—Dan Z & Donna Kaye 8/14 Ladies’ Night—Dan Z THORNTON ©Frank Zipperer Photography 8/15 Funk Rush Band 8/16 Jamie Wright Experience & 8/17 Calvin Edwards Band The Sonny Thornton Trio Sonny Thornton takes the Blues Boulevard 8/18 Sonny Thornton Jazz stage this month on August 9 & 18 8/21 Ladies’ Night—Dan Z 8/22 Julius Cobb & Howard Beeks 8/23 To be announced One of the South's most creave, intuive 8/24 Adam Knight Band musicians, Sonny Thornton is a master drum‐ 8/25 Jazz Brunch—Jamie Wright mer. Born in the District of Columbia, he was 8/28 Ladies’ Night—Charles exposed to music at a very young age. Living in Smooth Jazz Top Ten Twilley & Lawrence Jamison New York City while his mother furthered her 8/29 Erica Berg August 10, 2013 8/30 Calvin Edwards educaon, Sonny heard the music at one of its sources. Aer moving to New Orleans, he GOT TO GET YOU INTO MY LIFE learned from the players and atmosphere in Dave Koz ft. Gerald Albright, Mindi the Crescent City, widely acknowledged as the Abair, Richard Elliott Drink Features birthplace of jazz. While living there, he devel‐ IN THE FLOW - Althea Rene DEEP IN THE WEEDS - Bob James, Marni of the Month: oped a friendship with Ed Blackwell, one of the David Sanborn “The Etta James Sour Apple” most influenal drummers of the Tweneth CAN’T WE ELOPE - Yellowjackets Absolut Vodka, Sour Apple Pucker, lime juice, Century. Ed's influence on Sonny's concept of SEASIDE DRIVE - Tim Bowman triple sec, and a splash of Sprite, $7 music is undeniable. Thornton is extremely MAN IN THE MIRROR - Rick Braun, Beer of the Month: sensive to the needs of the music and can be Kirk Whalum, Norman Brown TIL THE END OF TIME Samuel Smith’s Nut Brown Ale, $5 understated in his approach just as Blackwell Chieli Minucci & Special EFX Wine of the Month: was. IT’S A PARTY IN HERE - Kim Waters Franciscan Cabernet Sauvignon, $7 Sonny's sense of freedom and his melodic style JUST WHAT YOU NEED Brian Simpson of soloing also sets him apart from most drum‐ UNFORGETTABLE - George Benson mers performing today. Upon relocang to ft. Wynton Marsalis South Carolina, Sonny embarked on his long career of making music in the purist sense. He has performed with innumerable arsts, both EVERY WEDNESDAY IS regionally and naonally known. Groups of most every format from organ trios to big bands to recent drum and keyboard duets LADIES’ Blues Boulevard Jazz Greenville have crossed Sonny's path. When you experi‐ 300 River Street, Suite 203 ence one of his performances, you will hear NIGHT Greenville, SC 29601 one of the world's truly gied musicians. (864) 242‐BLUE (2583) Ladies, your first house martini www.BluesBoulevardJazz.com is always FREE on Wed at BBJ!!! ――――――OPEN 6 DAYS―――――― Tue-Fri 5pm until ▪ Sat noon until ▪ Sun 11a to 10p Blues Boulevard Jazz Spartanburg 99 S. Church Street Spartanburg, SC 29319 (864) 573‐9742 Spartanburg www.BluesBoulevardJazz.com ――――――OPEN 5 DAYS―――――― Tue‐Thu 5p to 11p ▪ Fri 5:30p to 1a ▪ Sat 7:30p to 1a SPARTANBURG FEATURED ARTIST: The Lovely & Talented Rev. Sydney McMath Rev. Syd & The Homewreckers BBJ Sydney McMath is a Maryland nave who graduated from Converse College with a Bach‐ Spartanburg elor of Fine Arts in Ceramics. Sydney has been playing piano since age 3 and guitar since age August 11, and teaching both since age 15. Sydney applied to Juilliard School of Music and was Calendar of Events accepted but did not aend in order to pursue 8/1 Sydney McMath art rather than music. Sydney performed lo‐ 8/2 Craig Sorrells Project cally throughout her life, including being cast 8/3 The Good Chemistry Band in over 40 musical theater performances, but 8/6 Tim Bethea not as a professional musician. However, 8/7 Open Jazz Jam shortly aer graduaon from Converse Col‐ 8/8 JJ Dae lege, she found her way back to music (rather, 8/9 Rev. Syd & the Home‐ music chose her) when she was offered and wreckers accepted a posion at First African Methodist 8/10 Jamie Wright Experience Church in Spartanburg, SC, as music director 8/13 Tim Bethea and pianist. While Sydney was sll at FAM, she 8/14 Open Jazz Jam also accepted a posion as music director for 8/15 Sydney McMath contemporary worship at Covenant United 8/17 Gregory Hodges Band Methodist Church in Spartanburg. During this 8/20 Tim Bethea me, Sydney resumed teaching piano and 8/21 Open Jazz Jam voice lessons and began performing more 8/22 Shampoo Duo regularly. Today, Sydney performs solo as well 8/23 Craig Sorrells Project as plays piano and is the lead singer for Rev. 8/24 Tameka Diaz Syd and the Homewreckers who play a mixture 8/27 Tim Bethea of funk, blues, and rock and perform from 8/28 Open Jazz Jam South Carolina to New Orleans. Currently, 8/29 Taylor Moore Sydney is sll the music director at Covenant 8/30 Whitney Walters and and has around 30 students who are being Groove Planet instructed in piano, voice, guitar, theory, and composion. Music is now Sydney's full‐me Sydney McMath takes the Blues Boulevard profession, and she plans to relocate to New Spartanburg Jazz stage this month on August Orleans at the end of the year to pursue music 1, 9, and 15. on a larger scale. Aug 31—7:00p Stanley Clarke/George Duke Regional Sep 1—7:00p Joe Sample and Randy Crawford, the Jazz Explosion featuring Everette Harp, Chuck Jazz Events Loeb, and Jeff Lorber www.lowcountryjazzfestival.com Aug 3—8:00p Carolina Jazz Concert Series Sep 13—8:00p Najee with Alex Bugnon & Terence Young An Evening with Roy Ayers Halton Theater—Charlotte, NC 2013 Charlotte Sunset Jazz Festival http://tix.cpcc.edu http://sunsetjazzfest.prideawards.net Aug 30—Sep 1 Sep 15—7:30p The 5th Annual Low Country Jazz Festival Ben Harper & Charlie Musselwhite North Charleston Performing Arts Center North Carolina Music Factory: The Fillmore—Charlotte, NC Aug 30—7:00p Dave Koz & Friends (Mindi Abair, Gerald Al- AUGUST 30—SEP 1 JAZZ ROOTS SERIES at COBB ENERGY CEN- bright, Richard Elliott), Jazz in Pink all female TRE, Sep 25—8:00p all-star band featuring, Althea Rene, Gail Tribute to Ella, Joe & Basie Johnson, Pamela Williams, & Karen Briggs. With Janis Siegl of Manhattan Transfer, Kevin Mahogany, and the Count Basie Orchestra. .