2009 TGIF: Jazz In The Parks Schedule

It’s summer time again and that means sipping wine to the sounds of the finest traveling bands in the business as the City of Carlsbadistan kicks off its 24th season of TGIF Jazz In The Parks.

This summer, like last, only three parks will be in the mix: Stagecoach, Poinsettia, and Calavera. Here’s what we all have to look forward to:

Stagecoach Park 3420 Camino de los Coches, 92009
June 19 Canned Heat – boogie blues
June 26 Nathan & the Zydeco Cha Chas – zydeco
July 3 Big Time Operator – big band swing
July 10 Bill Magee Blues Band – southern blues

Poinsettia Park 6600 Hidden Valley Road, 92011
July 17 Ricardo Lemvo & Makina Loca – afro-cuban
July 24 Lowrider Band – latin/funk
July 31 Roddie Romero & the Hub City All-Stars – cajun

Calavera Hills Park 2997 Glasgow Drive, 92008
August 7 The Screamin’ Primas – jump jive swing
August 14 Tinsley Ellis – electric blues
August 21 Coco Montoya – rockin’ blues

All concerts are 6 – 8 p.m. Follow the jump for all the details.
Presented by the Cultural Arts Office/City of Carlsbad

The 24th season of TGIF Jazz in the Parks has received generous support from the Carlsbad Friends of the Arts. Major support for the Opportunity Drawings, which are organized and conducted by the Friends, comes from AjaMed Lifestyle Spa in Del Mar, Alaska Airlines, Legoland, and Pueblo Bonito Oceanside Spas Mexico. Concerts are produced by Rob Hagey Productions. The free Souvenir Program is produced in collaboration with Wheelhouse Media, LLC, publisher of Carlsbad Magazine.

The 2009 TGIF Jazz in the Parks Concert Schedule
Celebrating twenty-four years of (great) music in Carlsbad

The twenty-fourth season of Carlsbad’s “TGIF Jazz in the Parks” free outdoor concerts continues its mix of popular local performers and acclaimed touring bands from outside the region, covering a wide range of jazz and blues styles. Ten TGIF concerts on consecutive Friday evenings begin June 19 and continue through August 21, presented by the City’s Cultural Arts Office and produced by Rob Hagey Productions. All concerts begin at 6 pm and end at 8 pm.

Stagecoach Park 3420 Camino de los Coches, 92009
The first four concerts take place at Stagecoach Park, 3420 Camino de los Coches, between La Costa Avenue and Rancho Santa Fe Road. The concert site is on Baseball Field #1 on the park’s upper level. Free parking is available until 9 pm directly across the street at La Costa Canyon High School.

June 19 Canned Heat – Boogie Blues
Woodstock headliners and sixties blues revival groundbreakers, Canned Heat created cutting-edge classics in the counter-culture era. Canned Heat’s unique blend of modern electric blues, rock and boogie earned them international attention and secured their niche in the pages of rock ‘n’ roll history with their performances at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival (along with Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and The Who) and a headlining slot at the original Woodstock Festival in 1969. Now celebrating their 40th anniversary, Canned Heat is still going strong. Anchored throughout by the steady hand of drummer/band leader Adolfo “Fito” de la Parra (a member since 1967), Canned Heat is on track to carry the boogie-blues it made famous well into the 21st century.

June 26 Nathan and the Zydeco Cha Chas – Zydeco
The accordion-driven dance music of this Creole band is the expression of a remarkable South Louisiana family. Joining founder Nathan Williams (accordion), brother Dennis Paul Williams brings his jazz-influenced guitar chops to the group. Rubboard player Mark Williams is a cousin and keyboardist Nathan Williams Jr. takes the tradition to the next generation. With surprising musical turns and a distinctive Caribbean lilt that reaches back to the very beginnings of Creole culture, Nathan and the Zydeco Cha Chas deliver uplifting, new music that stays true to its history.

July 3 Big Time Operator – Big Band Swing
An all-time favorite of Carlsbad audiences, this ten-piece powerhouse returns for its eleventh appearance at TGIF. Tradition-true and yet completely contemporary, the swingin’ players in Big Time Operator have a look, a feel, and a totally contagious enthusiasm that’s hard to beat and impossible to ignore. Their reputation as Entertainers Extraordinaire is backed up by five San Diego Music Awards as Best Big Band. Led by singer Warren Lovell, Big Time Operator excels at playing classic big band arrangements, latin arrangements, and impressive original songs.

July 10 Bill Magee Blues Band – Southern Blues
Bill Magee and his group are righteously called “San Diego’s Hardest Working Blues Band.” A huge favorite at TGIF, the band is making its ninth appearance in the Carlsbad series. After getting his start forming the duo-guitar band, Jimmy James and the Flames with Jimi Hendrix, Magee played with B.B. King, Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, Otis Redding, John Lee Hooker, Bobby ‘Blue’ Bland, Wilson Pickett, and Bo Diddley in venues such as Madison Square Garden, The Filmore East, and both Yankee and Shea Stadiums. This is smokin’ southern blues at its finest, with a few influences from Chicago and Kansas City thrown in for good measure. Bottom line: every time Bill performs, it sounds like he invented the blues.

Poinsettia Park 6600 Hidden Valley Road, 92011
TGIF moves to Poinsettia Park, 6600 Hidden Valley Road, for three concerts in July. Free shuttle service will operate between 4:30 and 9 pm from two locations: south of the park at Pacific Rim Elementary School at the corner of Hidden Valley Road & Camino de las Ondas and north of the park at the Legoland parking lot off The Crossings Drive, just north of Palomar Airport Road.

July 17 Ricardo Lemvo & Makina Loca – Afro-Cuban
TGIF welcomes back a huge favorite of the 2007 and 2008 seasons. At Ricardo’s
concerts, it’s hard to decide what’s more important, the singing or the dancing. His voice is vibrant and melodious, whether kicking out a Cuban jam or taking afro-pop to the bridge. Backed by his band Makina Loca and singing in English, French, Spanish or Lingala, Congo-born Ricardo combines Latin and African elements from salsa and merengue to soukous, inspiring his audiences to let loose and dance away their worries.

July 24 Lowrider Band – Latin/Funk
A classic group of huge renown performs under a new name. After losing the rights to the name War years ago in a court battle, Harold Brown, B.B. Dickerson, Lee Oskar and Howard Scott from the landmark ’70s soul-rock band now play their music together as the Lowrider Band, a reference to one of their biggest hits and a song that earned them lifelong respect in Latino car culture. The group’s signature funk-rock sound – a steamy Afro-Latin R&B groove, always with a social message grounded by their distinctively breezy Southern California vibe – propelled a series of ’70s hits, including “Slippin’ Into the Darkness,” “All Day Music,” “The World Is a Ghetto,” “The Cisco Kid,” “Why Can’t We Be Friends?” and “Low Rider.” Today the funky jam band is on a mission to stake their rightful claim as the indisputable authorities of their top hits.

July 31 Roddie Romero & the Hub City All-Stars – Cajun
In their 2008 TGIF debut, the audience picked up on it right away – a rich gumbo of heartfelt Louisiana rhythm and soul, plus supreme musicianship – right out of Cajun country. This year brings them back for a repeat of bon temps at Poinsettia. Acclaimed as the tightest band to rise from the Louisiana swamps, Roddie Romero & the Hub City All- Stars were Grammy-nominated in 2008 for their double album, “The La Louisianne Sessions.”

Calavera Hills Park 2997 Glasgow Drive, 92008
Calavera Hills Park, site of the final three concerts, is at 2997 Glasgow Drive on the corner of Carlsbad Village Drive. Free shuttle service will operate between 4:30 and 9 pm from Hope Elementary School, 3010 Tamarack Drive and from Calavera Hills School, 4100 N. Tamarack Drive at College Avenue.

August 7 The Screamin’ Primas – Jump Jive Swing
Louis Prima, the Rat Pack-vintage entertainer whose voice is still heard in Italian restaurants to this day, also wrote the swing-era classics “Sing, Sing, Sing” and “Jump, Jive and Wail.” And who can forget Louie and Keely Smith’s version of “That Old Black Magic?” This eight-piece tribute band is no pale imitation, capturing the energy, emotion and excitement of Prima’s late 1950s Las Vegas Night Club show via live re-creations performed in the original Louis Prima style.

August 14 Tinsley Ellis – Electric Blues
Guitarist and singer-songwriter Tinsley Ellis brings his fast-moving, high-energy, guitar-drenched urban-style blues to TGIF for his first appearance here after wowing fans all
over the world. He’s been wanting to play Carlsbad ever since his 2008 gig was the first TGIF concert ever to be canceled, due to a West Nile Virus concern. Whether he’s out
with his own band or sharing stages with The Allman Brothers, Robert Cray or Widespread Panic, no one’s better at igniting a crowd than combustible Tinsley Ellis.

August 21 Coco Montoya – Rockin’ Blues
Over his 30-year career, guitarist and vocalist Coco Montoya’s explosive guitar playing and soul-driven voice have propelled him to the upper reaches of the blues-rock world. Montoya performs non-stop at clubs, concert halls and major festivals all over the world, serving up mind-bending guitar licks and impassioned vocals. “The fiery blues that issue forth from Coco Montoya’s guitar are awe-inspiring and boogie requiring,” shouts The Village Voice. TGIF’s crowd went wild in 2006 and Coco’s return promises more unforgettable fret fireworks to close out the 24th season.

What to Bring – and Not Bring
Patrons should bring low-back beach chairs and ground cover to TGIF concerts. Long-sleeve shirts, long pants, and insect repellent with “deet” are recommended as a precaution against mosquitoes carrying West Nile Virus. Many patrons bring picnics; light refreshments are also available for sale. At each intermission, Opportunity Drawings are conducted by the Carlsbad Friends of the Arts to support the concert series and other cultural programs.

The use of bikes, skateboards, skates and roller blades is NOT allowed in the parks during concerts.

Pets and personal barbeques are NOT allowed in City parks by municipal ordinance.

Want more info about shuttle bus service, directions to the parks, and more? Keep checking the Arts Office Web page for the latest details: www.carlsbadca.gov/arts

For more information on TGIF Jazz in the Parks concerts, visit the City of Carlsbad Web site: www.carlsbadca.gov/arts or call the Carlsbad Cultural Arts Office Info Line: (760) 434-2904.
For more information, contact:
(760) 434-2904
For additional information, visit:
http://www.carlsbadca.gov/arts/4tgif.html