Benefit Concert at Healdsburg Center for the Arts
for the Healdsburg Jazz Festival
Date: Friday, March 30, 2012
Time: two sets, 7:30 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.
Location: Healdsburg Center for the Arts, 130 Plaza St., Healdsburg, CA 95448 | Phone: 707-431-1970
Cost: $25.00
Tickets: Online at this page or at the Healdsburg Center for the Arts during business hours (daily 11am – 5pm). Advance purchase recommended due to limited seating.
On Friday, March 30, the Healdsburg Jazz Festival will once again present Babatunde Lea and Friends in a special concert at the Healdsburg Center for the Arts gallery.
This is the first in the 2012 series concerts “Jazz in the Gallery” co-sponsored by Healdsburg Center for the Arts to support and benefit the Healdsburg Jazz Festival.
Performing with Babatunde will be special guest, saxophonist Azar Lawrence, Geechi Taylor, trumpet trombonist Adam Theis, with Frank Martin and Gary Brown rounding out the rhythm section.
This concert coincides with Operation Jazz Band (OJB) week in the schools. Many of the performers are participants in the popular community program which educates 5th grade students in the Healdsburg area about the jazz band and art of jazz. This concert will be an opportunity for OJB parents and others in the community to experience the energy and talent of these top-flight musicians.
Percussionist Babatunde Lea is a charismatic performer who has played with a host of jazz luminaries, from Pharaoh Sanders to Joe Henderson and many more. Saxophonist Azar Lawrence has a career dating back to the 1960s, when he played with Miles Davis, Freddie Hubbard, Elvin Jones and McCoy Tyner. Both Rhonda Benin and Angela Wellman are also inspirational entertainers, who draw upon the rich traditions of blues and jazz in their performances.
Wine and desserts will be available for purchase before the performance and during the break.
The Healdsburg Center for the Arts is located half block east of the Healdsburg Plaza. It is an artist collective that offers exhibits and classes on the arts for members and the public.
The next concert in this series is scheduled for April 28, with the Dmitry Matheny Group featuring Dave Ellis.