Friday, July 23rd

 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm; The Michael Clark Band featuring Tracy Clark   R&B, Blues, Soul, Rock, Jazz, Funk. These are the musical styles tastefully blended by The Michael Clark Band featuring Tracy Clark -- sometimes in the same song! In the classic tradition of The Ike and Tina Turner Revue, the band incorporates many different musical styles into their show. Powerful vocals and tight musical arrangements are trademarks of every performance. This is music you can dance to as well as listen to. There are no "set" set lists; the band generally starts with an instrumental then Tracy takes the stage and look out! Whether honoring the original rendition of a classic number or performing an original tune, the music is presented in the band's own funky style. The Band: Tracy Clark, Vocals; Michael Clark, Guitars; Mark Summitt, Drums; Dave Hil, Bass; Bill Cann,Trumpet, Harmonica;Curtis Brown, Saxophone, flute; Roy Brown, Trombone;John Wilkins, Organ .

  7:00 pm - 8:30 pm & 9:00 - 10:30 pm; The Superstars of Jazz Fusion featuring:  Lonnie Liston Smith is one of contemporary music's most versatile musicians.  In a career that spans some 25 years, he has been headlined in a variety of recordings as a featured sideman for some of Jazz music's most illustrious leader's before stepping out to reveal his own original concepts as a bandleader in the mid 70s.  He is a keyboardist of the first rank and has influenced a generation of young players who have acknowledged his rhythmic (swing), harmonic acumen and composing skills.

Ronnie Laws name is virtually synonymous with good music. True Laws fans know this gifted contemporary music artist is by no means a new comer to the business. A native of Houston, Texas, born October 3, 1950, the third in a famous line of four musicians that include his classically trained Jazz flautist brother, Hubert and his vocalist sisters, Eloise and Debra. Laws taught himself to play alto saxophone at the age of eleven and after an eye injury sidelined early dreams of a career in professional baseball, partially to fulfill his mom's dream of playing the horn, his instrument became his all-consuming passion. He studied music in High School, at Stephen F. Austin State and Texas Southern University, developing a progressive mastery and technique.

Roy Ayers: Vibraphonist/vocalist Roy Ayers is among the best-known, most-loved and respected jazz/R&B artists on the music-scene today. Now in his fourth decade in the music business, Ayers, known as the Godfather of Neo-soul, continues to bridge the gap between generations of music lovers. In the '60s he was an award-winning jazz vibraphonist, and transformed into a popular R&B bandleader in the '70s/'80s. Today, the dynamic music man is an iconic figure still in great demand and whose music has been sampled by music industry heavyweights, including Mary J. Blige, Erykah Badu, 50 Cent, A Tribe Called Quest, Tupac, and Ice Cube. Ayers recently recorded with hip-hop artist Talib Kweli (produced by Kanye West) and jazz/R&B singer Will Downing. Many of Ayers' songs including "Everybody Loves the Sunshine,", "Searchin", "Running Away" have been frequently sampled and remixed by DJ's worldwide.

Tom Browne: Consider the songs in our hearts that inspire us toward uplifted continence; melodies that ring out in a manner that is soulful ... even funky! Now think of an instrumental artist; an artist who George Benson describes as "joy filled in expressiveness and believable in any musical style," topping the jazz and adult contemporary/R & B charts with his kickin' trumpet and rich jazz melodies. That artist ... is trumpeter Tom Browne. Browne began to carve a path for his musical future early on, studying classically via scholarship under Murray Karpilovsky (principal trumpeter with the NBC Orchestra directed by Arturo Toscanini.) A student at the co-joined High School of Music and Art /Performing Arts in New York (renowned courtesy of the motion picture entitled "Fame"), Browne became a regular on the New York jazz scene and had the fortune of learning first hand from masters like Jimmy Nottingham, Richard Williams, Woody Shaw. and Freddie Hubbard. Browne soon played his first pro - level performances as sideman to jazz greats Weldon Irvine and Sonny Fortune for which he earned domestic and international recognition. It was no surprise that Downbeat Magazine would single out his "warm trumpet" during the review of Fortunes'1976 "Infinity Is." album.

Wayne "Trombone" Henderson: From his formative years in the Lone Star Republic (Texas) to his present international recording artist status, multi-instrumentalist and producer/composer Wayne Henderson is identified by his ebullient persona and scintillating trombone style. Without sounding rhapsodic, we're also compelled to emphasize that Henderson's effervescence, combined with the legendary Jazz Crusaders many smash hit-recordings, is in large part responsible for the cosmic success of these musical icons since the group's inception in 1961. More than forty-years ago, Wayne Henderson, along with childhood buddies Wilton Felder, Joe Sample, and Nesbert "Stix" Hooper, formed the nucleus of the Jazz Crusaders/Crusaders. As a fledging, attending Houston's Phyllis Wheatley Jr. High School, the precocious Henderson took the lead in sculpting the group's dazzling style into one that was ground breaking, with considerable eclectic overtones. By fusing elements of jazz, funk, soul, R&B, rock, Latin, and gospel, an iridescent sound emerged with such impact that a musical revolution was unearthed. As the quartet's cornerstone, Henderson's objective was to accentuate the straight-ahead (often restrained) jazz sound with other musical styles that, ironically, are the offspring of generic, or classic jazz. As a result of exposure to all of the above-mentioned forms while growing up, Henderson's transcendent appreciation for all musical elements compels him to subconsciously or otherwise express those nuances in live performances and on recordings.

Saturday, July 24th

 5:30-6:30 pm;Pamela Williams: An American smooth jazz saxophonist, songwriter, producer and painter. Williams exhibits diverse musical elements in her repertoire, including Nu Jazz, Funk, R&B, House, Latin and Pop. Williams is also known for her visual art. Williams grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which was also the adopted hometown of an early influence of hers, Grover Washington, Jr. Playing with the Martin Luther King Jazz Ensemble at King High School in Philadelphia's historic Germantown section, Williams was required to embrace both electric jazz-funk and hardcore bebop. In 1996, she first found fame as a member of Patti LaBelle's backup band, furthering her subsequent career. Williams has toured with Teena Marie and performed with Prince, Babyface and Chante Moore. She has appeared in a music videos by artists ranging from Barry White ("Come On") to rapper/actress Queen Latifah ("Hard Times").

7:15 pm - 8:30 pm; Fattburger:  In an industry notorious for ego clashes, break ups over trivial artistic differences, and ever-evolving shifts in the public's often fickle tastes, smooth jazz supergroup Fattburger--whose irresistible melodic blend of funk, blues, pop and Latin influences is often called "The Sound of San Diego"--has bucked the odds and stayed together for nearly fifteen years. Reflecting on the band's longevity and ten best-selling recordings which have so perfectly epitomized the genre's many charms, keyboardist Carl Evans, Jr. says, "The key is that we've always created music that's satisfying and gratifying to us artistically, but also speaks clearly to the public. Listeners and fans recognize that we are a true band with team spirit and synergy, and they're always eager to hear what we have to say." The band keeps the flow going into the new millennium with their fourth Shanachie release Fattburger.com, whose tongue-in-cheek title is not only a nod towards the modern age, but also a reminder to fans that there is finally a Fattburger website in cyberspace. Anyone who has faithfully followed the band's career since 1986's One of a Kind knows its members have a great sense of humor, often poking playful fun at the name by incorporating edible concepts into music that is truly delicious. "Fortunately" Evans adds, "with five guys contributing, our creativity is like a river that never stops flowing. On the new album we take a look back on the music we were all inspired by in the 70s, while also stretching out into areas which define our future."

 9:30 pm - 11:00 pm; Jeff Lorber Fusion: Over three decades after breaking ground as leader of the pioneering Jeff Lorber Fusion, the Philly-born and bred composer, producer and keyboard legend is still keeping the vibes fresh and the grooves funky, inspiring contemporary jazz fans everywhere to exclaim with each new musical excursion: Heard That. On his highly anticipated Peak Records debut, Lorber keeps the soulful momentum going, collaborating brilliantly on pop, jazz, R&B and blues-influenced tracks--and even harkening back a bit to his early 80s Fusion heyday--with one of urban jazz's top hit makers and sonic architects, Rex Rideout. Highlighted by a swinging, bluesy-brass twist on Amy Winehouse's Grammy winning "Rehab," (the first single,) Heard That features a typically vibrant Lorber all-star guest list, including trumpet great Rick Braun, guitarist Paul Jackson, Jr., bassist Alex Al, and Peak labelmate, saxman Gerald Albright. Lorber has been touring all throughout 2008 as part of Guitars & Saxes with Albright, Jessy J, Jeff Golub and Peter White. As high charting, pop-jazz oriented releases like West Side Stories (1994), State of Grace (1996) and Midnight (1998) were establishing him as one of the genre's top artists, Lorber also became an in demand producer; every artist looking for a hit melody and groove, from Albright to Eric Marienthal, Richard Elliot and David Benoit, tapped his behind the board talents. But on his later projects, Lorber sought new inspiration himself by collaborating with other producers. On his first three Narada Jazz sessions, including Kickin' It (2001), Philly Style (2003) and 2005's Grammy nominated Flipside, the keyboardist partnered with producer Steven Dubin. Leaning more jazzy on his eclectic 2007 date He Had A Hat, he worked with legendary Blood, Sweat & Tears drummer and Chris Botti producer Bobby Colomby. Eager to return to his trademark R&B sound when he signed with Peak, Lorber immediately sought out Rideout, who has lent his Midas touch over the past ten years to a virtual who's who of contemporary jazz and soul instrumentalists and vocalists: Albright, Elliot,,Boney James, Paul Taylor, Kirk Whalum, Maysa, Will Downing, Lalah Hathaway and Ledisi.