Jazz & Blues Florida July 2023 Issue

BEN FLOURNOY

There is a sophistication and worldliness about seventeen-year-old Ben Flournoy that goes far beyond his years. Homeschooled since seventh grade with the family radio set to pop and blues, Flournoy first picked up the guitar at age ten after watching the movie Back to the Future. Struck by the fervor of Marty McFly’s “Johnny B. Goode,” he begged his parents to get him his very own guitar. Once that guitar appeared, the northeast Florida native taught himself to play by ear, a remarkable feat for his age. With a list of heroes including Stevie Ray Vaughan, Elvis Presley, Albert King, B.B. King and Jimi Hendrix, Flournoy was determined to follow in their musical footsteps. That list is rounded out with John Mayer and singer/songwriter Allen Stone as strong influences and dream collaborators. Also, Flournoy is particularly taken with the idea of changing style and genre for every album.

This aspiring singer/songwriter/guitar hero is focused on making a name for himself internationally. His music resonates with his particular age group while still being totally understood by the masses. “My goal was to borrow everything I loved from these players and create Ben, the guitarist,” Flournoy explains. “I wanted to hear myself on the radio and know that it was me.”

After earning a powerful online fan base for his video covers of blues and pop songs, Flournoy had his first official performance in 2020, backing several Florida groups. In 2021, performances by his five-part blues-rock band Truly Blues further polished his skills and reputation. Flournoy has a fully-equipped practice studio at home, which allows him to practice four to six hours seven days a week, including once or twice with his trio.

The buzz around Flournoy’s songwriting and playing is getting louder and louder in and around northern Florida, Georgia, and Alabama. Last year, Flournoy began playing festivals, including the Blues On The Reid Festival, Tallahassee Beer Society Festival, Quincy Blues Festival, Florida Scallop Music & Arts Festival, Bainbridge

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Jazz & Blues Festival, Tallahassee Winter Festival, and the 52nd Kolomoki Festival.

Thanks in large part to the support of his parents, Terri and Drake, Flournoy’s performances gained him thousands of new fans appreciative of his heartfelt originals and his blistering guitar licks. Audiences also enjoy his acrobatic performances, including playing with his teeth, behind his back, or with the guitar on the ground. Last winter, Flournoy started recording his debut at The Sound Emporium Studio

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in Nashville, completing five of his original songs. Three more songs will be recorded at a different studio in the coming months.

Flournoy’s songs of young heartbreak, isolation and seeking his place in life have a candor that make them as relatable as they are beautiful. He hopes his music will make the world better for his generation, and the generations to come.

“Above all else, making music is fun” says Flournoy. “I do this because I love to do it. That’s the most important thing.” More at benflournoy.com.

“The blues is in good hands as long as we have ‘old souls’ like Ben Flournoy”

– Gil Anthony

5 String Swing

Dr. Steffen Zeichner is a creative violinist performing jazz, classical, klezmer and assorted other musical genres. A Gainesville native, Steffen plays with several ensembles and orchestras. Zeichner is the leader of 5 String Swing, a lively jazz violin-driven band that regularly presents jazz, swing, and American standards throughout South Florida. The band performs in numerous permutations, including a Gypsy Jazz Trio/Quartet, a Swing Dance Band (dancers optional!), or a solo or duo. A passionate educator, Zeichner enjoys introducing students to musical genres outside of the classical world, and helps students develop improvisational and real-world performance skills. He has an international studio of private violin students, and is the adjunct Lecturer of Jazz Violin at Florida International University. He holds a Masters and Doctorate of Musical Arts from the University of Miami. Throughout his career Zeichner has shared the stage with top artists including Chick Corea, Gloria Estefan, Cyrille Aimee, Terence Blanchard and George Benson, with whom he was featured as the violin soloist and concertmaster for Benson’s 2013 album, Inspiration. Zeichner is also an experienced studio musician, credited on a Grammy-winning CD and on multiple highlyacclaimed recordings in a myriad of genres. For this Community Arts Program summer series performance, Zeichner will be joined

David Goldflies

Hailing from Oxford, Ohio, David “Rook” Goldflies launched his career in a group called Starstruck, and later Ram Jam, in the 1970s. But his name became more widely known when he stepped into the reformed Allman Brothers Band in 1978, replacing Lamar Williams. Having played on Dicky Betts’s 1978 solo CD Atlanta’s Burning Down, Goldflies then performed on three Allman Brothers CDs: 1979’s Enlightened Rogues (on which he shares a co-writing credit with Betts for “Try It One More Time”), 1980’s Reach for the Sky and 1981’s Brothers of the Road. The group disbanded once again in 1982. Betts, Chuck Leavell, Jimmy Hall, Butch Trucks and Goldflies formed the band Betts Hall Leavell Trucks (BHLT), but it too would dissolve just two years later. Goldflies then tried his hand at a jazz duo with Larry Clyman, and worked with saxophonist Matt Eve. Then came four years in The David Goldflies Gr Miles Osland, with whom he released the CD One Tan Arm. Goldflies also appears on Osland’s 1992 release Saxercise. After some time with blues groups including The Filter Kings and The Healers, Goldflies formed the band On Call with Dr. Hulon Crayton in 2007 before turning his focus to honing his double bass chops and performing with the Panama City POPS Orchestra. Goldflies’ latest project is A Brothers Revival, going strong since 2019, which brings new energy to Southern music with a celebration of classic Allman Brothers songs, original material and a selection of standard Southern rock anthems. More at abrothersrevival.com.

FROM A PHOTO BY KIRK WEST PHOTOGRAPHY

Rob Rio

Known as the “Boss of the Boogie,” pianoman/vocalist Rob Rio plays the boogie-woogie and jump blues of the 1940s and ’50s with a virtuosity and elan that has excited audiences around the world for more than 35 years. His influences include Memphis Slim, Oscar Peterson and Ray Charles. Rio was inducted into the Boogie Woogie Hall Of Fame in 2008. He has appeared with many of the original blues greats, including Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, James Cotton, Joe Cocker and Paul Butterfield. He has recorded with Mick Jagger, Canned Heat, Coco Montoya, Walter Trout and Mud Morganfield, among others. Born and raised in the Bronx, NY, Rio now calls Los Angeles home as he performs nationally and internationally. As Covid got underway, Rio released the viral hit “Rona Virus Blues” in March, 2020. Among his albums, starting with 1992’s Bankin’ on the Boogie through 2017’s Live in Anaheim, Rio has a number of truly niche releases. 2014’s Harry Tonic Sr. features an alter ego who croons American Standards with a uniquely wry wit and unique piano stylings, while 2008’s Thank You, Joe Turner is a swinging tribute to the roots icon. The annual Boogie Woogie Piano Stomp at features two grand pianos, and four great boogie woogie and blues pianists. This year’s event features Rio, Rev. Billy C. Wirtz, Tony Castellano Jr., and Liz Pennock & Dr. Blues. Whether as a solo performer or with his band The Revolvers, Rio puts on an electrifying show that leaves no doubt why he is an inductee of the Boogie Woogie Hall of Fame. More at robrio.com.

FROM A PHOTO BY JOHN JONES

Billy Gibbons

One of the finest and hardest-rockin’ blues guitarists to ever emerge from Texas, ZZTop guitarist Bill Gibbons formed his first band after receiving a guitar and amp for Christmas as a young teen. After stints with a few local outfits, Gibbons sought to form a more straight-ahead, boogie/blues-rock-based band, and with fellow Texans, bassist Dusty Hill and drummer Frank Beard, ZZTop were born. Their debut, 1971’s ZZTop’s First Album, started a slow but steady build to a solid following, largely due to Gibbons’ tasty guitar playing and muscular riffs (especially evidenced on such renowned tracks as “La Grange” and “Tush”). Over the course of five classic albums over a six-year span, Z Top became one of the country’s top rock bands before taking a three-year break. When they returned, ZZTop opted to change with the times as a more modern, electronic sound was merged with their blues-rock roots. With the release of 1983’s Eliminator, the new approach came together for the group, who were responsible for some of MTV’s most popular video clips of all time, “Give Me All Your Loving,” “Sharp Dressed Man” and “Legs.” Following 2003’s Mescalero, ZZTop did not release an album (their last studio CD) until La Futura in 2012. Gibbons quickly followed that with his first-ever solo project, 2015’s Cuban-inflected Perfectamundo. His 2021 release Hardware bons’s third solo studio album. The soundtrack to their documentary RAW: That Little Ol’ Band from Texas was released last year. Just off a solo European tour, these dates are with ZZTop. More at billy gibbons.com

Shannon Powell

Growing up in New Orleans’ storied Faubourg Tremé, Shannon Powell was surrounded by music. By age six he was playing drums regularly for his church. While in elementary school, Powell met Danny Barker (Cab Calloway, Lucky Millinder, Benny Carter), who chose Powell for his legendary Fairview Baptist Brass Band. Within a few years, Powell was playing professionally with Danny Barker & His Original Jazz Hounds. Powell spent his teenage years in the acclaimed concert band at Joseph S. Clark High School. He also studied at the Black Academy of Arts, along with fellow academy students Wynton and Branford Marsalis. He further honed his skills and broadened his stylistic palette with bandleader and tenor saxophon ist David Lastie, as well as the Original Taste of New Orleans. From 1987 to 1992, Powell toured extensively with Harry Connick, Jr. and released two platinum albums with Connick. Powell has since toured with Wynton Marsalis and Jazz at Lincoln Center, Marcus Roberts, Diana Krall, Dr. John, Earl King, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and John Scofield. Powell has also recorded with a long list of noteworthy artists, includ ing Donald Harrison, Blind Boys of Alabama, George Porter, Jr. and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. His 2010 solo CD Powell’s Place a mix of traditional and original jazz songs and also features Powell on vocals. For this Community Arts Program summer series performance, Powell will be joined by fellow Big Easy musicians Kyle Roussel on piano and Grayson Brockamp on bass. More at shannonpowell.com

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Michael Bakan

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Professor Michael Bakan Currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Society for Ethnomusicology, the Central Fellowships Committee of the American Council of Learned Societies, the International Advisory Board of Ethnomusicology Forum (journal of the British Forum for Ethnomusicology), and as series editor for the Routledge Focus on World Music book series. He has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including two Florida State University Undergraduate Teaching Awards, a three-year grant from the National Endowment for the Arts for his work on music and autism, and selection to the Choice Outstanding Academic Titles List for Music of Death and New Creation. As a percussionist, Bakan has performed with luminaries including George Clinton, Tito Puente and John Cage, as well as with musical organizations ranging from the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and Los Angeles Philharmonic Green Umbrella Players to the legendary funk band Parliament and several championshipwinning gamelan groups in Bali, Indonesia. He appears on the 2018 Parliament album Medicaid Fraud Dog, and also on the Omnimusica album Ashrei, which featured six of his original compositions. Professor Bakan maintains an active schedule as a lecturer, clinician, and visiting professor, having taught or spoken at dozens of institutions including Harvard, Yale, Columbia, and Indiana universities, the universities of Chicago and Toronto, and the Berklee College of Music, State University of Rio de Janeiro, and University of Music and the Arts in Graz, Austria. More at michaelbakan.com.