2002

EDDIE PALMIERI y La Perfecta II
Pianist, composer and bandleader Eddie Palmieri - called "the Sun of Latin Music"- burst out of New York's Palladium Ballroom onto the world at large in the early 1960s with La Perfecta, his dynamic band introducing the gutsy thrust of trombones to the heat of an Afro-Caribbean-New York rhythm section. After 40 years and seven Grammy Awards, Palmieri restates the basis of his breakthroughs with his new release La Perfecta II, and an 11-piece band of the same name. Now 65 years wild, he continues to introduce new directions for Latin jazz based on ageless principles.

The opening act for this evening is Ann Arbor's Cal Tjader-influenced Los Gatos, featuring Pete Siers and Cary Kocher.

KOKO TAYLOR & Her Blues Machine
Koko Taylor's reign as "The Queen of the Blues" is undisputed. In a career spanning nearly 40 years, she's received just about every award the blues world has to offer, including 19 W.C. Handy awards. Rolling Stone Magazine calls her "the greatest female blues singer of her generation." Her long association with Ann Arbor began with an appearance at the original 1972 festival. In attendance that day was a young Bruce Iglauer, founder of then-fledgling label Alligator Records, whose reaction to her set was so profound that he subsequently signed her to a record contract. From foot-stomping barnburners to powerful slow blues, Koko's music is rough, raw and wonderfully upbeat.

KARL DENSON's Tiny Universe
Over the past ten years, Karl Denson has built a resume' unparalleled in popular music. His genre-crossing recordings, including the just-released Dance Lesson #2 on Blue Note Records, have included collaborations with such notables as Jack DeJohnette, Dave Holland, Fred Wesley, Lenny Kravitz, and the String Cheese Incident. With The Greyboy Allstars, he created the ultimate groove band, which became one of the largest draws on the club and festival scene. Now touring with his highly energized power-funk machine, Karl Denson's Tiny Universe is gaining momentum as it tears across the country, leaving exhausted and uplifted believers in its wake.

OLU DARA
Olu Dara earned effusive critical praise and a long-running top 20 Billboard Jazz hit with his Atlantic Records debut, In The World: From Natchez To New York, and the subsequent tour landed him on the 1998 festival lineup. Now, New York City-based Olu Dara returns to Ann Arbor, armed with even more kudos for his sophomore effort, Neighborhoods. An acclaimed bandleader, composer and multi-instrumentalist, Dara effortlessly blends Mississippi blues, modern funk, and a wealth of African styles into a sound that is utterly American and pure Olu. Funky and sophisticated, this is down-home blues and jazz for the 21st Century.

DIRTY DOZEN BRASS BAND
For 25 years the Dirty Dozen Brass Band has boldly forged the traditions of New Orleans Jazz with the modern influences of bebop, funk, R&B and pop. A long-time Ann Arbor favorite, their relentless touring has taken them to every corner of the earth, and they show no signs of slowing down. Renowned as a world-famous music machine, their name is synonymous with genre-bending romps and high-octane performances.

THE SUN RA ARKESTRA
Sun Ra claimed he was from Saturn, and in song he declared, "Space is the Place." Another place where this extraordinary bandleader felt right at home was in Ann Arbor. His performance at the 1972 festival is the stuff of legends. Now under the direction of long-time collaborator Marshall Allen, The Sun Ra Arkestra carries on the legacy of the high commander, charting both the inside and outside of jazz traditions. From swing to bebop to avant-garde to retro mainstream, the Arkestra continues to orbit around Sun Ra.

ANDRE THIERRY & ZYDECO MAGIC
Legend has it that Clifton Chenier once grabbed a young Andre by the arm and said, "That's going to be an accordion man!" Indeed, Andre Thierry was a pre-teen prodigy and has blossomed into the standard-bearer for the new generation. Geno Delafose calls him "One of Zydeco's Ten Best!" In keeping with the festival's tradition of showcasing up-and-coming Zydeco stars, Andre Thierry will perform with Zydeco Magic, featuring the rock-solid rhythm section of the late Beau Jocque's band.

TAB BENOIT
Tab Benoit is a Cajun man who's definitely got the blues. A guitar player since his teenage years, he's played alongside Raful Neal, Henry Gray and other high-profile veterans of the Louisiana circuit, and learned first-hand from a faculty of living blues legends. Now 32, he's clearly hit his stride with his new Telarc release, Wetlands. "With tone as thick as gumbo and licks as fiery as a tablespoon of cayenne pepper, singer/guitarist Tab Benoit may be the hottest thing to come out of Louisiana since Chef Paul Prudhomme," wrote Guitar Player magazine. "Influenced by Buddy Guy's intensity and Albert King's gutsy punch...Benoit's mellow Big Easy personality contradicts the tear-your-head-off intensity of his performances."

ALBERTA ADAMS
"Detroit's Queen of the Blues," Alberta Adams' career as a blues singer spans some 50 years. From here start in Paradise Valley in the 40's to her re-emergence as a recording artist in the 90's, she has weathered the ups and downs of the business, always ready with the down-home wisdom that has become her trademark. A living link to the golden age of the blues, young Miss Adams has garnered W.C. Handy nominations and critical praise for her recent Cannonball Records releases. She never fails to leave her audience shouting for more of her take on life's trials and tribulations.

AL HILL and the Love Butlers
One of Ann Arbor's best-kept secrets, Al Hill has a laid-back demeanor that is the perfect foil for his simmering, soulful vocals and piano playing. His debut recording, Willie Mae, is one of the best albums ever released by an Ann Arbor artist. Backed by a classic horn and rhythm section, Al visits New Orleans, Detroit and Chicago, taking the best from these three musical meccas and fusing it into his own bag of classic and original tunes.

PAUL VORNHAGEN
Paul VornHagen began playing in the Ann Arbor area over 20 years ago. Recently, he has been taking his music from coast to coast. His bands always play a wide variety of jazz, from swing and bop to Bossa Nova to ballads. In concert and on his several albums, he blends standards and originals delivered in such a comfortable, easy manner you could miss the quality musicianship but for the tight, solid swing that infuses every tune. Doubling up on sax and flute, Paul VornHagen makes his long-overdue first appearance at the Festival this year.

The Dobbins/Chandler Quintet
The Dobbins/Chandler Quintet, co-lead by drummer Shawn Dobbins and trombonist Vincent Chandler, swings hard as a classic two horn quintet. Well schooled in the classics, these relatively young cats chose to play original compositions that reflect both the jazz tradition of Monk and Trane and contemporary influences from r&b, rap and some of the young lions who have emerged over the last 10 years like Detroiter Kenny Garrett. In no hurry to join the Jazz drain and head for New York city, this group of Ann Arbor/Detroit musicians are committed to their hometown and making first class Jazz right here in Southeast Michigan.