SAS FEST Write-Ups

SAS FEST on Ink

San Antonio Express~News
June, 2007
Jim Beal, Jr.

JAZZ IT UP

The fifth annual San Antonio Summer Art & Jazz Festival kicks off at 5:00 p.m. today and is set to run daily through Sunday in Crockett Park, 1300 North Main Avenue. Admission is free, but a portion of the proceeds from concession sales goes to benefit Any Baby Can.

Here's the lineup: Friday - Zarabande (5:00 p.m.), Joseph Vincelli (8:30 p.m.), Saturday, Charlie Wood (12:00 noon), Small World (3:30 p.m.), La Bella (6:30 p.m.), Breena' (8:30 p.m.). Sunday - (12:00 noon), Regency Jazz Band Europa (3:30 p.m.), Lara and Reyes (6:30 p.m.), Freddie Ravel (8:30). Paul Elizondo will perform the "Star Spangled Banner" at 5:00 p.m. this afternoon and at 8:25 Sunday night.

Sunday, from 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., several jazz artists will be at Crockett Park to offer free music workshops geared toward student musicians. If that's not enough, the festival will also feature arts, crafts and festival food and beverages.

What kind of jazz is on the bill? A lot of what falls under the genre's large umbrella: straight-ahead (Small World, Regency Jazz Band): Latin (Zaranbande, La Bella, Lara and Reyes, Ravel): smooth (Vincelli, Wood): vocal (Brenna'): and fusion (Europa). The festival will be a little slice of heaven for jazz guitar fans as the string instrument will be wielded by Wood, La Bella and Lara and Reyes. Guitar masters Sergio Lara and Joe Reyes will be accompanied by bassist Greg Norris and drummer Fred Madujano.

Most of the artists working the festival are known quality, first-class and club performers. Keep an ear out for Brenna' and Freddie Ravel. Brenna' Griffin from Converse, Texas is a singer with a big voice and a repertoire of classic jazz numbers such as "My Funny Valentine" and "I Wish You Love". She brings power, passion and fine chops to the material.

Ravel, from Los Angeles, is a keyboard player, singer and composer who writes and performs everything from Latin pop/jazz to orchestra works. Ravel started making music at the age of 5 and by the age of 23, was touring the world as part of Sergio Mendes' Groups. Ravel's latest CD, "Sol to Soul", is a cool/hot fusion of Latin and soul.

San Antoni0 Express~News
June, 2007
Edmund Tijerina

IT'S TIME FOR SUMMER JAZZ

Here's something to consider for the weekend. The San Antonio Summer Art & Jazz Festival beings today and runs through Sunday. Admission is free. It takes place at Crockett Park, at the corner of Cypress Street and Main Avenue.

The program begins this evening at 5.00 p.m.with Latin Jazz from San Antonio-based Zarabande, and continues with sax man Joseph Vincelli, whose sound is more in the realm of smooth jazz. On Saturday, tunes begin at noon with Charlie Wood of San Antonio, local band Small World, then La Bella followed by vocalist Brenna', who combines jazz and R&B stylings. Sunday's music also begins at noon, with the first of several local favorites - The Regency Jazz Band, Europa, and Lara and Reyes. It finishes with keyboard player Freddie Ravel of Los Angeles, whose sound draws upon his Columbian and Eastern European background and several decades of producing and playing with such artist as Prince, Carlos Santana and Madonna.

And did we mention that the is admission free?

SCHOOLING

Something new for this year's festival: on Saturday and Sunday, musicians playing in the festival will teach workshops at the festival aimed at middle and high school students.

Those workshops run from 9:00 a.m. until 1030 a.m. at Crockett Park. They'll focus on saxophone, drums and percussion.

The school year may be over, but learning never stops.

San Antonio Express~News

May 2007
Jim Beal, Jr.

NIGHT LIGHTS

Tuesday at 7:40 p.m. there'll be a CD release party at the County Line on I -10. The disc "Smooth Sailing" features tracks from artist who have worked at the San Antonio Summer & Jazz Festival (scheduled this year for June 1-3 in Crockett Park). Three of the artist who have songs on the disc, Joe Posada, Charlie Wood and Europa, will make the music at the party and they'll be joined by La Bella, Brenna' and Loretta Blue.

San Antonio Express~News
June, 2006
Jim Beal, Jr.

A JAZZY START TO SUMMER

Though summer doesn't officially start until June 22, Jazz fans can get a jump start on the summer season today through the San Antonio Summer Art & Jazz Festival, which takes place at Crockett Park at 1300 North Avenue.
The festival will feature jazz, arts, crafts, food and festival beverages. Admission is free with a portion of the proceeds from the food benefiting Any Baby Can.

Saxophonist Carl Spann of Planet Soul will kick off the festival today at 4:45 p.m. by playing "The Star Spangled Banner on college night with the St. Mary's University Jazz Band playing at 5:00 p.m. followed at 7:00 p.m. by the University of Texas Long Horn Jazz Band, The university crews will close the first night with a jam session together from 9:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Los Jazz Vatos take over at 7:00 p.m. The brainchild of San Antonio native/drummer deluxe Ernie Durawa, the Jazz Vatos featuring the trombone works of Freddie Mendoza and other first class Austin based players as the Vatos concentrate with a Latin twist and a Texas accent.

For those of you into the after party trip, tonight and Saturday festivities will move to the Courtyard at St. Paul's Square behind Ruth's Chris Steakhouse at 10:15 p.m., cover is $5. Proceeds go to Any Baby Can. Tonight's music is by Houston-based Drop Trio, an organ-driven avant-funk-improv band jazz group that attract jazz fans and jazz band fanatics. Saturday at the courtyard it's the jazz/R&B fusion of San Antonio's Europa. Sunset Station will run the trolleys shuttle between Crockett Park and the after party tonight and Saturday.

The Sunday lineup shows the South Texas Jazz Quartet from McAllen, at noon followed by local favorites Michelle Garibay- Cary & Planet Soul at 3 p.m. Sax man Spann will reprise " The Star Spangled Banner" at 6:45 p.m. Acoustic Alchemy will close the festival beginning at 7:00 p.m.

Acoustic Alchemy was founded in England by guitarist Greg Carmicheal and Miles Gilderdale.With Carmichael playing on the nylon-strings acoustic guitar and Gilderdale electric steel-string acoustic guitar, the duo hit with a sound that leaned toward pop/jazz and New Age.

On it latest CD "American/English" Acoustic Alchemy explores every thing from dance music to world influenced instrumental aggregation. This show will feature a quartet version of Acoustic Alchemy, Carmichael, Gilderdale, percussionist Greg Gainger, pianist Terry Disley. Songs such as "Get U (Levantor y Bailar) will bring the festival to a close.

San Antonio Express~News
June, 2006
Edmund Tijerina

FESTIVAL TIME

    This evening, the San Antonio Summer Art & Jazz Festival kicks off its fourth year of music, is now a three-day event. It takes place at Crockett Park, at the corner of Cypress Street and Main Avenue. Tonight's show begins with jazz bands from St Mary's University and UT Austin.
    Saturday afternoon is the Chuck Kerr Quartet, Second Nature and Los Jazz Vatos. Saturday night, the festival moves to St. Paul's Square Courtyard near Sunset Station and a concert with local smooth jazz band Europa.
    On Sunday, it's back to Crockett Park and a line-up that begins with South Texas Jazz Quartet, Planet Soul and closing the show, Acoustic Alchemy. They are a pair of guitarist's from England who combine nylon and steel-stings guitars in a smooth jazz adult pop style.

La Prensa Newspaper
June 2006
Adriana Ledon

DISFRUTE DEL FESTIVAL DE JAZZ EN ESTE VERANO

    La ciudad de San Antonio disfrutar'a de la sabrosa musica de jazz, con el inicio del Festival de San Antonio Summer Art & Jazz. Por cuarta ocasion este festival de jazz que se realizard en tres dias consecutivos ofrece a la comunidad le delicia de escuchar buena musica y sin ningun costo.
    Anthony C. Tobias, Director/Fundador del Festival de Jazz, menciono que "The San Antonio Summer Art & Jazz Festival, es un festival de entrenimiento para el publico en general. Este evento iniciara este viernes 2 de junio desde las 12 del medio dia y terminara despues de dos dias, hasta el domingo 4 a las 10 de la noche".
    El Festival de Jazz promete ofrecer una gran variedad de bandas, ya que la diversion emprezara este viernes con las presentaciones de las bandas de Jazz de algunas universidades, empezado con la de St. Mary's, seguida por la Longhorns de Austin, Texas. Los segueintes dias se podra disfrutar de musicos profesionales y bandas muy experimentados como Europa, La Bella, Joe Posada, Latin Playerz, entre otros.