2008 Sonoma Jazz + Headliners and Tix On-Sale Announced

Fourth Year Event Has Something for Everyone

Four Icons Just to Begin With

    Sonoma, CA.—February 28, 2008— Gorgeously eclectic as always, the fourth Sonoma Jazz + festival will bring musical all-stars from the genres of funk, jazz, and blues/pop/rock to the Field of Dreams this Memorial Day Weekend (Thursday, May 22 to Sunday, May 25).  The Board of Directors and Executive Producer Jim Horowitz are pleased to announce the lineups and on sale information for this year's event:  Kool and the Gang kick off the party on Thursday night, Friday will herald the return of the legendary Herbie Hancock, Diana Krall will hold court on Saturday night, and Bonnie Raitt will dust off her slide guitar and sing on Sunday, with special guest Keb’ Mo.  Other opening acts tba.

    A “Locals Special”, an early pre-sale for residents of Sonoma will be held Saturday, March 8 at the Sonoma Community Center from 2 - 6 P.M. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Monday March 10 at 10AM at www.sonomajazz.org or by phoning 866-527-8499.  Ticket and lodging packages will be available at 800-914-7511 or www.sonomacounty.com. Patron’s tickets are available only by calling 866-468-8355. The last years have been virtual sell-outs.

Thursday, May 22:   Kool and the Gang

            There is a special sound at the intersection of jazz, rhythm and blues, funk, and pop – and when you get there, you find Kool and the Gang – and a party.  It’s no accident that their biggest hit was “Celebration,” but it’s one of many – “Cherish,” “Jungle Boogie,” “Summer Madness,” “Open Sesame” “Ladies Night” – have added up to 70 million albums sold, earning two Grammys, seven American Music Awards, 25 Top Ten R & B hits, nine Top Ten Pop hits, and 31 gold and platinum albums.

            Influenced by Miles Davis, James Brown, and the incredible cornucopia that was African-American music in the mid 1960s, Khalis Bayyan (aka Ronald Bell), and his brother, Robert “Kool” Bell, joined their Jersey City neighbors Dennis “Dee Tee” Thomas and George “Funky” Brown and former members Robert “Spike” Mickens, Ricky West, Woody Sparrow, and (the late) Charles Smith to create Kool and the Gang.

            Along with their own self-propelled hits, they took part in two of pop culture’s most legendary artifacts, when “Summer Madness” was part of the Rocky soundtrack, and “Open Sesame” was one of the featured tunes on Saturday Night Fever.

            Remarkably, Kool and the Gang, of all their peers, have never lost their drive on stage, even after a long career.  Quite simply, their music is an essential part of the soundtrack of American celebration for the past 40 years – and into the future.  Jazz Plus producers will create a special dance floor for this show.        

Saturday, May 24:  Diana Krall

            Ms. Krall is unquestionably the reigning woman vocalist in modern jazz, the Sara Vaughn or Ella Fitzgerald of her generation who also happens to be a first-level pianist.  It’s simply not fair that she’s also stunningly beautiful.

            Born in Vancouver, she began playing the piano at the age of four, and had a jazz group working in clubs by the time she was 15.  After winning a scholarship to Berklee School of Music, she was “adopted” as a protégé by the great bassist Ray Brown (husband of Ella Fitzgerald, and member of the Oscar Peterson Trio), who convinced her to come to Los Angeles and study with the great Jimmy Rowles. 

            In 1993 she released Stepping Out and caught the attention of the high-profile producer Tommy LiPuma, who began to record her; her third album, “All For You,” was nominated for a Grammy and spent 70 weeks on the Billboard charts, and her fourth, Love Scenes, with Russell Malone on guitar and Christian McBride on bass, became a major hit and established her as a star. 

            When I Look In Your Eyes won her a Grammy; The Look of Love went platinum, and her Paris concert in the 2001 tour resulted in a hit live album. 

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