July 21st , Sunday Afternoon
Grammy Nominee vocalist Jamie Davis & Larry Vuckovich, Jeff Chambers perform the music of Johnny Hartman/blues/great standards @ Wunderman House in Mountain View
Jamie Davis an alumni of The Count Basie Orchestra, travels the world as guest vocalist of Big Bands & Orchestras in UK, Europe, Russia, Asia & USA. He and the Basie Orchestra were nominated f Grammy with the new release, All About That Basie. Jamie was featured at the recent Grammies with Take 6, Kurt Elling and Stevie Wonder. “The rich bass-baritone voice of Jamie Davis proved to be a revelation, and his trio of songs from the classic 1963 John Coltrane/Johnny Hartman album was one of the year’s musical highlights.” Jazzwise Magazine - Peter Quinn. Larry Vuckovich has performed with top musicians of various influences, from Jon Hendricks, Philly Joe Jones, Mel Torme, Don Byas, and Red Norvo to today's artists. He has won acclaim from critics and jazz audiences for his deeply imaginative style and repertoire. Larry Vuckovich will receive a lifetime achievement award in August at the Nišville Festival in Serbia for being the only jazz musician from the former Yugoslavia, residing in performing with numerous greats for six decades. Bassist Jeff Chambers is one of the jazz veterans, having performed with such greats as Bobby Hutcherson, Freddy Hubbard and, Jamal. Don't miss this inspiring afternoon in hearing a vocalist of world-class stature, such as Jamie Davis. Complimentary refreshments will be served.
Venue: Wunderman House 655 Eunice Avenue Mountain View, CA 94040
Admission: $25 donation suggested
Time: 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Tickets/Information: Ilona Obrien - konailona@gmail.com
Featuring: Jamie Davis, vocals/ Larry Vuckovich, piano /Jeff Chambers, bass
July 28th, Sunday
Larry Vuckovich and his Contemporary Swinging Hard Bop /Latin Jazz Ensemble @ Filoli Gardens
Larry Vuckovich's jazz associations include numerous jazz masters. The music at the Filoli Gardens this Sunday will include some of their famous compositions as well as some of Larry's originals. Some of the selections performed will include the music of Dexter Gordon, Mel Torme, Bobby Hutcherson, Vince Guaraldi, Cal Tjader, and some of Larry Vuckovich's acclaimed originals. The members of the Bay Area All-Star sextet include the phenomenal young 23-year-old guitarist, Kai Lyons; the hard bop tenor saxophonist, Rob Roth; exciting Puerto Rican percussionists/vocalist Hector Lugo; powerful rhythm section of Jeff Chambers bass and Jason Lewis on drums; the featured vocalist is the soulful Clairdee. Don't miss this concert in a beautiful Filoli Gardens setting. Food and drinks are also available.
Venue: Filoli Gardens - 86 Cañada Road, Woodside, CA 94062
Admission: Filoli Historic House & Garden
Time: 1-4 PM
Tickets: Tickets
Featuring: Larry Vuckovich, piano /Clairdee, vocals/Rob Roth, tenor/Kai Lyons, guitar/ Hector Lugo, Latin percussion/vocals/Jeff Chambers, bass /Jason Lewis, drums
August 4th, Sunday Afternoon
Celebration of Blue Balkan – Larry Vuckovich Lifetime Achievement Award @ Piedmont Piano/Sunday afternoon
LarryVuckovich has just received the Lifetime Achievement Award from his former country, Yugoslavia, as being the only jazz musician from those parts who has performed in the US with numerous greats & received top reviews from the NY Times & major publications. His landmark recording, “Blue Balkan” featuring Bobby Hutcherson, is a pioneering release in the area of World Music, being the first to fuse Balkan ethnic elements with American Jazz. Sychronisticly Larry will be leaving for Serbia the following day to perform at the Nišville Festival where he receives the award. Joining him today will be master violinist, Eric Golub, who performed on the original LP with Bobby Hutcherson, plus Vince Delgado on Middle-Eastern percussion, Coralie Russo on oud, & veteran bassist Jeff Chambers. The esteemed New York critic, Gary Giddins chose “Blue Balkan: Then & Now“ for his top CD list of 2002 in the Village Voice. Besides the Balkan Middle Eastern material, this ensemble will also perform some swinging bebop, jazz/Latin, and some funky Boogaloo material. Don't miss this inspiring performance, which will also be a sendoff to Larry on his trip to the Nišville Jazz Festival in Serbia.
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: / Larry Vuckovich, piano /Eric Golub, violin, viola / Vince Delgado, dumbek, Egyptian tambourine/ Coralie Russo, oud/ Jeff Chambers, bass
August 7 – 8, Wednesday/Thursday
Larry Vuckovich Lifetime Achievement Award: Ceremony on Wednesday, August 7th, 5 PM at City Hall in Niš, Serbia; Press Conference Thursday, August 8th at 12 noon, performance 8 PM @ Nišville Jazz Festival, Niš, Serbia
Larry Vuckovich is honored to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from his former country of Yugoslavia, this time being from the country of Serbia. This August 2019, Larry will receive the award at the Nišville Jazz Festival, where the award will be given on Wednesday, August 7th at City Hall. The following day, August 8th at 12 noon there will be a press conference which will include a number of foreign journalists. Larry Vuckovich will perform the same night, Thursday evening with an All-Star Big Band featuring the acclaimed trumpet player from Serbia, Stjepko Gut. Besides playing with the big band, Larry will also perform in a solo and trio format, plus in a quintet ensemble featuring Stjepko Gut and other top European jazz musicians.
Venue: Earth and Sky Stage
lifetime achievement award: http://nisville.com/en/a-lifetime-achievement-award-to-larry-vuckovic/
Time:Thursday evening, August 8, 8 PM
Tickets: Link →
Featuring: Larry Vuckovich, piano /Stjepko Gut, trumpet,/ Enzo Favata, saxophone/ Sandro Zerafa, guitar
August 17th, Saturday Afternoon Jazz in Calistoga
Grammy Nominee vocalist Jamie Davis & Larry Vuckovich All Star Quartet (Steve Heckman /Jeff Chambers /Akira Tana) perform the music of Johnny Hartman/blues/great standards/hard swinging jazz@ Tucker Farm Center
Jamie Davis an alumni of The Count Basie Orchestra, travels the world as guest vocalist of Big Bands & Orchestras in UK, Europe, Russia, Asia & USA. He and the Basie Orchestra were nominated f Grammy with the new release, All About That Basie. Jamie was featured at the recent Grammies with Take 6, Kurt Elling and Stevie Wonder. “The rich bass-baritone voice of Jamie Davis proved to be a revelation, and his trio of songs from the classic 1963 John Coltrane/Johnny Hartman album was one of the year’s musical highlights.” Jazzwise Magazine - Peter Quinn. Larry Vuckovich All Star Quartet, a powerful unit, will perform on their own several selections thus making this performance a double bill. Larry has worked with top musicians of various influences, from Jon Hendricks, Philly Joe Jones, Mel Torme, Don Byas, and Red Norvo to today's artists. He has won acclaim from critics and jazz audiences for his deeply imaginative style and repertoire. Larry Vuckovich will receive a lifetime achievement award in August at the Nišville Festival in Serbia for being the only jazz musician from the former Yugoslavia, residing in performing with numerous greats for six decades. Tenor saxophonist Steve Heckman, originally from New York, performed with such greats as Howard McGhee, Slam Stewart and Roswell Rudd. Bassist Jeff Chambers is one of the jazz veterans, having performed with such greats as Bobby Hutcherson, Freddy Hubbard and, Ahmad Jamal. Drummer Akira Tana, also performed with jazz greats including Sonny Rollins, Stan Getz, Lena Horne and is one of the most versatile drummers in jazz. Don't miss this inspiring afternoon in hearing a vocalist of world-class stature, such as Jamie Davis, plus a powerful, hard swinging all star San Francisco Quartet. Various wines, cheeses will be available for purchase.
Venue: Tucker Farm Center 1201 Tucker Road Calistoga, CA 94515
Admission: Tickets: $25
Time: 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Tickets: Brown Paper Tickets 707.774-1672
Featuring: Jamie Davis, vocals/ Larry Vuckovich, piano /Steve Heckman, tenor saxophone Jeff Chambers, bass /Akira Tana, drums
August 25th, Sunday Afternoon
Legendary multi-reed saxophonist Noel Jewkes with Larry Vuckovich and Doug Miller, featuring multifaceted vocalist. Kay Kostopoulos @ Wunderman House in Mountain View
Noel Jewkes, the San Francisco Bay Area legendary multi-reed saxophonist, besides playing instruments in this group, can play basically any other instrument under the sun, so to speak…. In addition, Noel plays excellent trumpet , valve trombone, piano, bass, sings beautifully and is an all-around amazing talent , plus being a composer as well. For over six decades, Noel Jewkes has been in high demand on the Bay Area jazz scene performing with numerous visiting major artists, who sought out his services. They were Jon Hendricks, (with whom he has recorded a number of albums.), Mel Torme, Billy Eckstine & more. Stylistically, Noel Jewkes is also one of the most versatile jazz musicians on the planet. … He has created a wonderful collaboration with vocalist/lyricist Kay Kostopoulos, who is also a multifaceted, talented lady. Kay is a drama teacher at Stanford University, has a beautiful voice, writes wonderful lyrics, and was a former professional belly dancer. It was Kay Kostopoulos who released and produced an attractive video, singing my original composition, " View From Telegraph Hill ". Kay's lyrics for my piece create a visual journey of San Francisco, thus enhancing this beautiful video. Together with Noel Jewkes. Kay Kostopoulos has released an excellent CD " Exotica " which has been warmly received. I'm happy to say that I perform on two tracks on this CD with Kay.… Today's program will be one of the most interesting and diverse presentations at the Wunderman House: Noel Jewkes will play several instruments, and do some of his originals. On my Balkan original composition, Kay Kostopoulos will play some rhythmic finger cymbals, which she does in a most authentic and exciting way. … Rounding out the group will be the wonderful bassist Doug Miller, who at the early age of 20, performed with the Count Basie orchestra. Doug Miller is a great asset to the Bay Area jazz scene. As always, complimentary refreshments will be served including fine wines and cheeses, plus dark chocolate.
Venue: Wunderman House 655 Eunice Avenue Mountain View, CA 94040
Admission: $28 donation suggested
Time: 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Tickets/Information: Ilona Obrien - konailona@gmail.com
Featuring: Noel Jewkes, multi-reeds / Kay Kostopoulos, vocals/finger cymbals / Larry Vuckovich, piano / Doug Miller, bass
August 31st, Saturday
All-Star Latin/Jazz trio featuring John Santos, the seven-time Grammy nominee Latin percussionist with Larry Vuckovich and Jeff Chambers @ JB Piano Company in San Rafael
The All-Star Latin/Jazz Trio is comprised of John Santos, Larry Vuckovich and Jeff Chambers. Collectively these three Jazz/Latin veterans have played with the likes of Cal Tjader, Tito Puente, Pete Escovedo, Bobby Hutcherson, McCoy Tyner, Paquito D’Rivera, Jose Mangual, and more. One of their specialties is transforming the timeless, beautiful melodies from the Great American Songbook to jazz rhythms and flavors including boleros, cha-chas, mambos, and sambas. Also, they present a wide ranging repertoire which includes swinging bebop, jazz classics, funky Boogaloo sounds and more. The sound of this trio is unique – you’re in for an exciting experience! . . . The acoustics in this venue are excellent. Refreshments including wines and cheeses will be offered.
Venue: JB Piano Company 540 Irwin St, San Rafael, CA 94901
Admission: $25 donation suggested
Time: doors open at 6:30 PM – program starts at 7:30pm
Information: (510) 845-5373
Tickets: Brown Paper Tickets
Featuring: John Santos, Latin percussion / Larry Vuckovich, piano / Jeff Chambers, bass
September 8th, Sunday Afternoon
The music of Bill Evans/Jim Hall : featuring Larry Vuckovich and Kai Lyons @ Piedmont Piano/Sunday afternoon
Pianist Larry Vuckovich has encountered the great pianist Bill Evans several times while living and performing in Europe and also prior to Bill Evans' passing, Larry Vuckovich and Noel Jewkes performed in a duo format alternating sets with the Bill Evans Trio at the Great American Music Hall in the late 70s. During intermission, Larry and Bill reminisced warmly about their European encounters. Bill complimented Larry on the music he played with Noel that evening, and also in a quiet, most dignified way, brought up the recording session of kind of blue, which he did with Miles Davis. Bill told Larry: " You know that I did most of the work on the kind of blue recording project ". It was Bill Evans' original harmonic concept and also his command of the new modal jazz language, that made the kind of blue session a success. Kind of blue recording is the highest selling album of all time. Due to Bill Evans' ability and vision, it brought a revolutionary change in jazz music, which originally attracted Miles Davis in hiring Bill, who also opened the door for this new exciting music.… On today's concert, Larry Vuckovich and the talented young 24-year-old guitarist, Kai Lyons will pay homage to the jazz great Bill Evans. Bills memorable duets with the creative guitarist Jim Hall made a mark on jazz history, thus creating a fresh new way of playing duets using spontaneous and creative interplay between two musicians. Their duo recordings, " Undercurrent " and " Intermodulation " were critically received as something totally fresh in this genre. Their musical conversations covered all of the important jazz elements: strong sense of creative swing, lyrical and melodic jazz improvisation, impressionistic harmony bringing out the beauty in music, and spontaneous conversations between two great musicians.… Larry Vuckovich was originally introduced Bill Evans's music in the latter 50s, fell in love with it, and was strongly influenced by Bill Evans’ harmonic concept and is beauty, also adding to creative rhythmic improvisation. Larry and Kai Lyons look forward to re-creating some of this exciting history , and also will present some of their other diverse selections, thus rounding out today's concert as an exciting musical journey.
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: Larry Vuckovich, piano / Kai Lyons, guitar
September 21st, Friday
Larry Vuckovich plays the greats: Nat King Cole, Oscar Peterson, Vince Guaraldi, featuring vocalist Charity Goodin Sanen, September 21st, 7pm @ Oakmont Berger Center, Santa Rosa
Larry Vuckovich presents an exciting jazz historic trio format. Before the modern jazz piano trios of piano/bass/drums such as from Bud Powell, Oscar Peterson and Hank Jones trio formats, the original jazz piano trio included the combination of piano/guitar/bass. Nat King Cole popularized this format. Art Tatum also at times played in this combination. Vince Guaraldi’s first recordings were also in this form. One of Jim Hall’s favorite recordings was done with Carl Perkins on piano and Red Mitchell on bass. Larry is excited to bring this swinging jazz trio to Oakmont, a rarely heard concept today. It features bassist Doug Miller, who at the early age of 20 had the distinction of playing with Count Basie. In addition, gifted young discovery Kai Lyons will play guitar. Joining them will be Charity Goodin-Sanen, a new fresh voice on the jazz scene! Don’t miss this special concert!
Venue: Berger Center 6575 Oakmont Drive, Santa Rosa, CA
Admission: $25 at the door
Time: 7:00 PM
Information/tickets: call 707-537-7720
Featuring: Charity Goodin-Sanen, vocals/Larry Vuckovich, piano/Doug Miller, bass/Kai Lyons, guitar