The Occidental Center for the Arts is hosting its first-ever Occidental Jazz Festival on Friday and Saturday, September 18 and 19.
Local promoter and jazz musician Greg Johnson brought the idea to Tina Marchetti, executive director at the Occidental Center for the Arts. They agreed upon the weekend in September, and Johnson got to work selecting the bands and organizing the festival.
Johnson is a composer and jazz pianist. He plays in the band Glass Brick Boulevard, which has been well-established in the Mill Valley area for many years. In fact, Johnson has played with bassist Rob Fordyce for about 30 years. Also in the band is Paul Hanson on bassoon and Celso Alberti on drums.
Glass Brick Boulevard has recently performed a few times at the Occidental Center for the Arts to enthusiastic audiences.
So, it’s apparent that this area has an affinity for jazz. Historically, the town of Guerneville, a few miles away, hosted a jazz festival at Johnson’s Beach for 45 years, starting in 1977. The last jazz festival Guerneville hosted was in 2017, leaving a void for jazz aficionados in West County.
Johnson and Marchetti decided to step into the breach.
Johnson and his wife, fine artist Laura Lake, moved to Occidental about two years ago, and he says that right away it felt like home. Laura has Lake Imagery Art Studio next door to the Occidental Center for the Arts, where she paints and displays her gorgeous oil paintings. Greg’s grand piano is also in the studio, and one can often hear the beautiful strains of jazz piano music wafting through the air.
Johnson grew up near Gary, Indiana, a rather rough industrial town but infused with the musical offerings of Detroit and Chicago. In his teens, he got hooked on rhythm and blues, classical, and then jazz fusion, combining jazz and rock. Johnson says that he was influenced as a composer by an eclectic group including Erik Satie, Gustav Mahler, Chick Corea, Miles Davis, Steve Allee with Woody Herman, and Stan Kenton.
In addition to music composition, Johnson studied business administration in college and worked as a project manager in manufacturing for many years. Those project management skills have been useful in planning the Jazz Fest, and Johnson has high hopes for expanding the festival in the future.
One of Johnsn’s passions is teaching music and mentoring youth. In fact, his proteges, the Junior Jazz All Stars, will be performing on Saturday afternoon at the festival. Johnson collaborated with music directors Casey Jones of Analy High School, Bennett Friedman of Santa Rosa Junior College, and Gary Jones of Marin School of the Arts to assemble this extraordinary group of young musicians. Johnson jokingly refers to the All Stars as “2 ½ Twins” because four out of the six are twins. The band is comprised of guitarist Julian Nelson, drummer Julia Busci, keyboardist Robbie Paterson, bassist James Paterson, Choegyal Hergenrather on soprano and alto sax, and Songsten Hergenrather on tenor sax.
Another exciting aspect of the festival is the vital Occidental community involvement. The village of Occidental is going through a bit of a Renaissance, with many of the businesses being revitalized with new ownership and expanded offerings for restaurants, lodging and entertainment. In addition to the many concert performances, classes and workshops at the Occidental Center for the Arts, many of the other businesses in town offer entertainment. Some of the local contributors to the festival include the Inn at Occidental, Bohemian Bistro, the Altamont, the Union Hotel, and Howard’s Station Café.
Who’s playing at the Occidental Jazz Festival?
Here is a brief description of what you can look forward to hearing at this year’s Jazz Festival:
Glass Brick Boulevard
Created in 1991, Greg Johnson and Glass Brick Boulevard rose to acclaim in the Bay Area in the late ’90s. Now reunited after a hiatus, they’re making soul-soothing music once again and inspiring audiences the world over. Led by their composer-pianist Johnson, the band draws on a diverse array of influences, including gospel, Beethoven, The Who, and Motown, to name just a few. Says Johnson, “If Beethoven came back as Seal, we’d be his band.” Glass Brick Boulevard is Greg Johnson on Piano, Paul Hanson on Bassoon, Rob Fordyce on Bass and Celso Alberti on Drums.
Hanson, Manring & Amendola
Bass virtuoso Michael Manring is joined by drummer Scott Amendola and Paul Hanson on electric bassoon. Get ready for an ensemble like you’ve never heard before!
Michael Manring is an acclaimed American fretless bass virtuoso, renowned for revolutionizing solo bass playing through innovative techniques, alternate tunings, and his signature Zon Hyperbass. A protégé of Jaco Pastorius, Manring has released multiple solo albums, including Soliloquy and Small Moments, and was named 1994 Bassist of the Year by Bass Player Magazine.
Paul Hanson has recorded and/or performed with Grammy winners Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, Jon Batiste, Wayne Shorter and Taylor Eigsti. He has recorded/ toured with Billy Cobham’s Crosswinds Ensemble, Peter Erskine, Billy Childs, Harmonica virtuoso Gregorie Maret, Billy Higgins, David Binney, Ray Charles, and many others. He has also been a jazz soloist with the Oakland East Bay Symphony Orchestra and a classical soloist with the Napa Symphony Orchestra.
For Scott Amendola, the drum kit isn’t so much an instrument as a musical portal. Over a career spanning more than three decades, Amendola has forged deep ties across the country, and throughout the world. As an ambitious composer, savvy bandleader, electronics explorer, first-call accompanist, and capaciously creative foil for some of the world’s most inventive musicians, Amendola applies his wide-ranging rhythmic virtuosity to a vast array of settings.
Ken Cook Trio
The Ken Cook Trio includes Michael Pinkham on bass and Kendrick Freeman on drums.
Californian native Ken Cook spent close to twenty-five years on the east coast free lancing, touring, recording and teaching. He has performed in Europe, Latin and South America and much of the Eastern United states with various groups including the great New Orleans singer Johnny Adams. Currently based in the SF Bay Area, he performs often with his Jazz trio and can be found backing many other west coast musicians. His music is a blend of Modern Jazz, Soul, Blues, Latin and Brazilian music. He has performed with Brazilian guitarist Ricardo Peixoto, Blues singer Terrie Odabi, cellist Mark Summer (Turtle Island String Quartet). He holds a Masters degree in Jazz Performance from the New England Conservatory in Boston and is an alum of The Berklee College of Music in Boston. He is an active clinician and educator and currently holds the Jazz piano chair in the Jazz Studies Department at Sonoma State University in Rohnert Park, CA.
The Junior Jazz All Stars
The Junior Jazz All Stars are an extraordinary group of young music enthusiasts. This amazing ensemble is assembled and directed by Greg Johnson of Glass Brick Boulevard, and mentored by Music Directors Casey Jones - Analy High School, Bennett Friedman - Santa Rosa Junior College, and Gary Jones - Marin School of the Arts. Coming from a variety of musical backgrounds, they forage a cool, contemporary jazz sound. For the inaugural Jazz Festival, they’re putting their own stamp on a few familiar Glass Brick Boulevard compositions.
The Jaycie Grady 4Tet
The Jaycie Grady 4Tet is a San Francisco-based jazz ensemble led by drummer Jaycie (JC) Grady. Primarily playing contemporary jazz, their style is rooted in traditional jazz fundamentals but incorporates modern elements and diverse instrumentation, such as the violin. JC was featured recently in the San Francisco Women in Jazz event.
Jose Neto and the Netoband
World-class guitarist José Neto and his band, the Netoband, have been performing together for over 25 years. For the last 18 years, Neto has also been touring internationally as Steve Winwood’s guitarist, collaborating on numerous songs and projects together. Neto’s life and diverse musical journey from Brazil to the United States and England was the subject of the award-winning documentary, The Man Behind the White Guitar, which was released to international film festivals in 2019. The Netoband features Frank Martin on piano, Celso Alberti on drums, José Neto om guitar, and Gary Brown on bass.
Schedule and tickets
Friday September 18th
7:00 – 9:30 PM Glass Brick Boulevard (indoors)
Saturday September 19th
1:00 - 2 :40 PM Paul Hanson, Michael Manring and Scott Amendola (outdoors)
2:00 - 3:40 PM Ken Cook Trio (indoors)
4:00 -4:40 PM Junior Jazz All-Stars (outdoors)
5:00 - 6:40PM Jaycie Grady 4Tet (outdoors)
7:00 - 9:00 PM Jose Neto and Netoband (indoors)
Separate tickets are available for Friday night, Saturday afternoon (1-6:40 pm) or Saturday day & night (1-9 pm). Please note that to attend Friday and Saturday you will need to make two ticket purchases — one for each date. Discounts are available for OCA members. Ticket prices are:
Friday night Glass Brick Boulevard $35
Saturday afternoon only (1 pm to 6:40 pm) $40
Saturday afternoon & evening (with Netoband) $70
Kids 12 and under are free. There is free parking and the venue is accessible to people with disabilities. Bring your own seat cushion or low-backed chair for the amphitheater.
The Occidental Jazz Festival is located the Occidental Center for the Arts, 3850 Doris Murphy Ct., Occidental.
