March 23rd, Saturday Afternoon Jazz in Calistoga
Bay Area All Star Latin/Jazz/Brazilian/Quartet Featuring John Santos - 5 Time Grammy Nominee Latin Percussionist, Plus a new jazz vocal discovery: Charity Goodin-Sanen @Tucker Farm Center, Calistoga
Percussionist John Santos, Larry Vuckovich and Jeff Chambers, will perform Latin Top Hits, Rare Standards, As well as Jazz and Bossa Nova Favorites. New major vocal discovery on the jazz scene: Charity Goodin – Sanen has been added to this program
Vocalist Charity Goodin-Sanen is a fresh new voice on the Bay Area and the national jazz scenes. She has an amazingly diverse repertoire including the Latin/Brazilian classics, jazz standards from the books of Horace Silver Wayne Shorter, Count Basie, plus rare standards from the Great American Songbook….The All-Star Bay Area Latin/Jazz Trio features three jazz veterans including John Santos (5 time Grammy nominee), Larry Vuckovich and Jeff Chambers. Collectively they have performed with the likes of Cal Tjader, Pete Escovedo, Vince Guaraldi, Bobby Hutcherson, Dizzy Gillespie, Tito Puente, McCoy Tyner, Paquito D'Rivera, José Mangual and more. You'll experience their diverse talents performing spontaneous, improvised Latin jazz as well as classic standards. Speaking of standards, one of their specialties is transforming the timeless, beautiful melodies of the Great American Songbook to Latin rhythms and flavors, including boleros, cha-cha's, and mambos. Refreshments will be served.
Venue: Tucker Farm Center 1201 Tucker Road Calistoga, CA 94515
Admission: Tickets: $25
Time: 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Tickets:Brown Paper Tickets 707.774-1672
Featuring: John Santos, Latin percussion, / Charity Goodin-Sanen, vocals/ Larry Vuckovich, piano / Jeff Chambers, bass
Read The Weekly Calistogan Article →
March 30th, Saturday Afternoon
Internationally Acclaimed Jazz Vocalist-Clairdee, with Larry Vuckovich @ Savanna Club, San Carlos – Saturday Afternoon- The Art of the Duo
Clairdee is an internationally acclaimed vocalist who tours regularly including performances with symphony orchestras and big bands. Some of the acclaimed musicians who she worked with are Dick Hyman, Houston Person, Cyrus Chestnut & more. She and pianist Larry Vuckovich have a long time musical association with close chemistry. Due to her special smooth/ soulful sound, Larry has named her appropriately “Mme. Silk.”They will do a program of great standards, soulful blue, silky ballads, plus Brazilian selections. This is a first concert initiating these Savanna Saturday afternoon series and we hope you will join us.
Venue: http://www.savannajazz.com/ 1189 Laurel St San Carlos, CA
Admission: $25 Donation
Time: 3-5:00 PM Saturday Afternoon
Information: (650) 477-2377
Tickets: http://atrainjazz.com/
Featuring: Clairdee, vocals / Larry Vuckovich, piano
April 7th, Sunday Afternoon [SOLD OUT]
Duke Ellington Concert Celebrating Bruce & " The Duke " on Sunday Afternoon, April 7th, @ Blue Note, Napa, CA
Bruce Hopewell was instrumental in originating the Napa Valley Jazz Society together with Bill Hart. Bruce moved to Napa Valley a number of years ago, and prior to that he presented many great jazz musicians in top concerts in New York and on the East Coast. Duke Ellington was Bruce Hopewell's favorite musician and a month of April, being Duke Ellington's birthday, is always the time to honor this great bandleaders/composer. Bruce Hopewell passed away last year and he will always be remembered for presenting so much great jazz in Napa including such greats as Randy Weston and Jimmy Cobb. Today's music will include some of Duke’s well-known selections, as well as some of his lesser known great songs. Plus, several timeless compositions of Billy Strayhorn will be played. The All-Star Bay Area sextet features the wonderful smooth voice of Clairdee, whom I named Mme. Silk. The frontline of trumpeter Joel Behrman and multi-reed saxophone player. Noel Jewkes, is a most authentic one. These cats have been around for a long time and understand the music of Ellington/Strayhorn. The rhythm section made up of jazz veterans: bassist Doug Miller, drummer Leon Joyce and myself on piano, have performed for many years with numerous jazz masters. Interestingly enough, in the early 60s, I did a two-week engagement with a trio, playing intermissions on a bill with the Duke Ellington Orchestra. Bassist Doug Miller actually was a member of the new Duke Ellington Orchestra performing/traveling with them. Don't miss this memorable concert!
Venue: Blue Note 1030 Main St., Napa, CA 94559 (Downstairs in Napa Opera House)
Admission: $25 NVJS Members / $45 Non Members
Tickets: Purchase Tickets
Time: 4:00PM (2 sets)
Information: For tickets, call 707-224-JAZZ
Featuring: Larry Vuckovich, piano / Clairdee, vocals / Joel Behrman, trumpet / Noel Jewkes, multi- reeds / Doug Miller, bass / Leon Joyce, drums
April 14th, Sunday Afternoon
Internationally Acclaimed Jazz/Multilingual Vocalist- Jackie Ryan, with Larry Vuckovich & Jeff Chambers @ Piedmont Piano/Sunday afternoon
Jackie Ryan, called by Jazz Times "One of the outstanding vocalists of her generation, and possibly of all time." Jackie comes for the first time to the Wunderman House in Mountain View. She will be singing her amazingly diverse program of swinging standards, Latin/Brazilian classics including beautiful boleros, sambas plus blues, soulful selections, and her beautiful romantic ballads. This trio combination with pianist Larry Vuckovich and bassist Jeff chambers, showcases close musical chemistry. There have been performing since the 90s and have developed a powerful presentation. Don't miss this special program in this unique, former speakeasy, which now is a comfortable residential home with an excellent acoustical concert venue. Refreshments including various wines and cheeses are available.
Venue: Piedmont Piano New Oakland store 18th and San Pablo, Oakland, CA
Admission: $25 Donation
Time: 4:00 PM Sunday afternoon
Information: (510) 547-8188
Tickets: TicketTailor
Featuring: Jackie Ryan, vocals / Larry Vuckovich, piano / Jeff Chambers, bass
May 5th, Sunday
Larry Vuckovich in Solo Concert @ Maybeck Hall, Berkeley
Larry Vuckovich returns to Maybeck once again and will do a program of surprises- selections that are seldom heard, including the ones he hasn’t played in a while. As always, it’ll be a diverse/wide ranging program of rare standards, classic jazz, bebop, Latin/Brazilian, world music including Balkan Ethnic selections, funky/boogaloo, jazz tango, etc. He came to San Francisco in 1951 as a teenager from Montenegro – former Yugoslavia. He was fortunate to experience the heyday of jazz of which the '50s decade had some of the richest and most diverse developments happening. He heard such great big bands as Harry James, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Woody Herman as well as small groups as Miles Davis, MJQ, Bill Evans, Red Garland, Sonny Rollins, just to name a few. He brings to the solo piano format all the impressions he absorbed from that period and more which developed later throughout his performances with the masters Mel Torme, Jon Hendricks, Dexter Gordon, Philly Joe Jones, Bobby Hutcherson, Charlie Haden, Charles McPherson, Tom Harrell & more. He was fortunate to study classical piano at SF State with the noted Russian classical master pianist Vladimir Brenner. Larry Vuckovich is recognized for his piano touch where he incorporates some European classical themes fused with jazz. Larry is also recognized as a pioneer in the U.S. for combining the Balkan Folk influences with Jazz which is found on his landmark recording "Blue Balkan" featuring Bobby Hutcherson. We hope you will join us for a unique solo piano presentation.
Venue: Maybeck Studio For The Performing Arts 1537 Euclid Ave., Berkeley, CA 94708
Admission: $25 general, $15 students. Online reservations required: Reserve Tickets
Time: 3:00 – 5:00 PM
Information: info@maybeckstudio.org
Tickets: Eventbrite
Featuring: Larry Vuckovich, solo piano
May 19th, Sunday Afternoon
Celebrating Legacy of Jazz Piano Masters: Workshop of Timeless, Important Influences from the Great Pianists that still remain today, with Larry Vuckovich @ California Jazz Conservatory – The JAZZSCHOOL
Since the beginning of jazz there have been important, original jazz pianists who brought out their styles and influenced countless pianists. The music of these master jazz pianists is timeless today, just as the music of, Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin, Brahms, Debussy, Ravel & others. Larry Vuckovich will showcase the creative music of such greats as Art Tatum, Earl Fatha Hines, Teddy Wilson, Bud Powell, Erroll Garner, Red Garland, Bill Evans, Hank Jones, Tommy Flanagan, Barry Harris, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, McCoy Tyner and some of the later ones such as Albert Dailey, who left an important mark on jazz piano playing. Some lesser known ones, who also made an important, original mark in this great music were Carl Perkins, Horace Parlan. Larry will feature the great recordings of these masters, as well as demonstrate their styles on the piano. Pianists are welcome to participate and play after which Larry will add commentary. Vocalist and other instrumentalists also are welcome to participate. Besides the musicians attending this session, jazz listeners who do not play an instrument, are welcome to enjoy and learn more about this great area of jazz.
Venue: California Jazz Conservatory 2087 Addison Street, Berkeley, CA
Admission: Advance $35 - Day of Workshop $45
Time: 12:00 PM (Noon) – 3:00 PM
Information: (510) 845-5373
Featuring: Larry Vuckovich, piano