KATIE HENRY
JULY 14
BALLROOM BLUESFEST
SPACE COAST
CONVENTION CENTER
COCOA
This New Jersey songwriter might have started out banging on doors, braving New York’s blues clubs, playing piano until her fingers bled, and winning over the city one show at a time. But lately, multiinstrumentalist Katie Henry has raced through career milestones at a rocket pace. A dynamic and spirited artist, Henry has been captivating audiences with her musical prowess since she was a child. Fingering her first piano chords at age six, and scrawling early songs in the back of her school notebooks, Henry was the heart of singalongs at her family home in New Jersey. While her debut public performance was of “Me and Bobby McGee,” Henry didn’t become interested in the blues until her teen years, relishing recordings of Elmore James, Freddie King and John Lee Hooker. She attended
Manhattan College, playing on evenings and weekends, at open mic events and later with a Bronx-based blues band, before going solo and performing in New York blues clubs. With fiery guitar chops and natural charisma, she was soon a New York City jam scene favorite, covering just about every genre with a stage presence that some have compared to Raitt and Janis Joplin at their most magnetic.
Described by The Guardian as “a runaway talent you need to keep up with,” Henry’s journey has been marked by her unique ability to blend a rich array of genres including blues, rock, R&B, funk, pop, soul, and country. Her music not only reflects her technical skill and creative vision but also her deep-rooted passion and charisma, making her a standout figure in the evolving blues landscape, intertwining musical elements with finesse and innovation.
High Road, produced by
She first caught the public’s eye with her debut album, which garnered nominations from Blues Blast magazine and the International Bluegrass Music Awards. Her follow-up On My Way, Ben Rice on Ruf Records, reached No. 6 on the Billboard blues chart and was lauded as one of the Top 20 Albums of 2022 by Blues Rock Review.
“We record-
ed the album live during the pandemic, and it was so fun to be able to record in a room with people after feeling isolated for such a long time,” Henry
says. “The majority of the album was laid down live, and I love that feeling. It’s like capturing lightning in a bottle”
Whether slinging her trusty Gibson SG, hammering the up a storm, the ten original songs, co-written
Goodwin, creates
announced her as an alchemist who Ameri
gemstones from the base metals of American roots. Henry then hit the road on Ruf’s annual Blues Caravan tour. The subsequent Blues Caravan 2022 featured her jamming with tourmates Ghalia Volt and Will Jacobs – two young artists who, like Henry, boundaries and shake up
live CD are not afraid to cross the scene.
Henry’s latest venture Get Goin’, produced by renowned blues rocker
Bernard Allison, showcases her expanding talent and her finest performances to date.
“Working with Bernard Allison and his band was a blessing,” recalls Henry. “Not only are they amazing top notch players, they
are also good people with big hearts.”
The result is a polished yet impassioned album
listeners on a visceral level.
With its compelling narratives, dynamic instrumentation, and soul-stirring performances,
this album solidifies Henry’s status as a force to be reckoned with in the modern music landscape. Iconic producer Jim Gaines (John Lee Hooker, Santana and Stevie Ray Vaughan), a mentor to Allison and many other artists during his storied career, has listened to Get Goin’ and gives the album an unequivocal thumbs up.
At one early show, a fan astutely observed: “It’s like she’s got John Lee Hooker in her pocket!” Scratch this young artist, and you’ll find an old soul. Henry continues to carve her niche with a captivating blend of soulful melodies and raw authenticity. She’s still got a long stretch of road in front of her. Many more shows to play, many more songs to write. Get Goin’ is, as she points out, the next step on that journey. Now that it’s done, it’s time to take the album on the road. More at katiehenrymusic.com
Nathan Skinner
After hearing Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue, young Nathan Skinner knew jazz was his calling. Lionel Hampton’s “’A’ Train” cemented vibraphone as Skinner’s instrument of choice. His major influences are Burton, Milt Jackson, John Coltrane, and Herbie Hancock. Skinner attended the University of Miami and studied with Terence Blanchard, Shelly Berg, Martin Bejerano and Gary Burton. Skinner has performed at the Amelia Island Jazz Festival, Monetary Jazz Festival, UCF Jazz Festival, and New Orleans Jazz Festival. He has also performed with the Florida Wind Symphony and the Carolina Crown Drum and Bugle Corps. 2017 saw Skinner’s debut project VIBEATAPEVOL.1, with his ever-evolving, award-winning jazz fusion band VIBEAT. Following 2019’s VIBEATEP, the group is readying their next release, Ready to Die inspired by the legendary Biggie Smalls. While the band is rooted in traditional jazz, they continually try to break the barriers between jazz music and hip hop, “bringing audiences something they can groove to, while still enjoying the improvisatory approach we take to our music.” In 2023 VIBEAT was selected as a winner of the coveted South Arts Jazz Roads grant which funded their 2023 tour. Skinner has recorded with Shelly Berg, Brian Lynch, Chuck Bergeron, and Kevin Mahogany, and appears on Jeremy Fox’s 2014 Grammy-nominated album With Love. In addition to performing, Skinner also composes and produces music for big bands, marching bands, video/arcade games, and electronic/ dance/hip-hop projects. This performance is part of the Sunshine Jazz Organization’s First Fridays Live at the Lyric concert series. More at nathan skinner music.com
King Solomon Hicks
Growing up in Harlem, NY and surrounded by music, ‘King’ Solomon Hicks witnessed performances that made a significant impact on his ambitions as a musician: “When you’re around good musicians, it gives you that spark.…Being around those types of musicians also taught me to not be the fastest guitar player.” He explains, “I wanted to be the one who knew the most riffs and drew on a lot of knowledge so I could play anything and with anyone.” At age 13 he was lead guitarist in the 17-piece Cotton Club All-Star Band, with whom he made his debut recording, Embryonic. Hicks won the 2021 Blues Music Award for Best Emerging Artist for his 2020 release Harlem. His original song “421 South Main” made the Top 20 Blues Songs of 2020 on Spotify, and the song “What the Devil Loves” still gets spins on Sirius XM radio’s Bluesville. He has shared stages with Buddy Guy, Samantha Fish, Tony Bennett, Jeff Beck, Ringo Starr, Jimmie Vaughn, Beth Hart, Mavis Staples, Robert Cray, Eric Gales, and many others. A member of the Blues Foundation in Memphis, Hicks has been a judge at the IBC. He pays his own success forward by teaching music for the Children’s Aid Society and working with the Harlem Arts Alliance and the New York City Jazzmobile. He is currently working on a new CD scheduled for release later this year. More at kingsolomon hicks.com
Peter & Will Anderson
Identical twins Peter and Will Anderson are two of the most extraordinary jazz woodwind players today. Born and raised in the Washington D.C. area, the Andersons moved to New York City to attend The Juilliard School. During their undergraduate studies, they were both selected for the Betty Carter’s Jazz Ahead program, which included a residency of performances at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. They’ve performed with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Wycliffe Gordon, Cecile McLorin Salvant, Paquito D’Rivera, Wynton Marsalis, and can be heard on the 2014 Grammy-winning soundtrack of HBO’s Boardwalk Empire with Vince Giordano’s Nighthawks. Both equally adept on clarinet and saxophone, their headlining highlights include Carnegie Hall, The Blue Note, and the New Orleans Jazz Festival. The brothers worked together to create, produce, and star in five off-Broadway show runs at 59E59 Theaters in Manhattan, including Le Jazz Hot, which received a 2014 Drama Desk nomination. After the 2016 death of their saxophone mentor Joe Temperley, the Andersons raised $25,000 to establish a scholarship fund and tr album in his honor. The twins teach artists through Juilliard’s NordAnglia program and conduct school workshops in multiple U.S. cities. The Andersons have also appeared in Revolutionary Road, Killers of the Flower Moon, and The Marvelous Ms. Maisel. Their eleventh and latest CD as leaders is 2022’s independently released Songbook Summit. This performance is part of the Community Arts Program Summer Concert Series. More at peterandwillanderson.com
Pat Travers
Soon after picking up the guitar at age 12, Pat Travers saw Jimi Hendrix perform, and that was that. Travers, who was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, began playing in bands early in his teens, and was invited to perform with rocker Ronnie Hawkins. In his early twenties Travers moved to London and released his self-titled debut in 1976. By the time Heat in the Street was released in 1978, he had assembled the Pat Travers Band (PTB). Live! Go for charted in the U.S. Top 40 and included “Boom Boom (Out Go The Lights)” originally recorded by Little Walter, credited to Stan Lewis) which hit the Top 20. “Snortin’ Whiskey” was a major American radio hit from 1980’s Crash and Burn.Radio
What You Know
Active was followed by 1982’s
2022’s The Art of Time Travel
recent being 2016’s The Balls Album
Black Pearl, which included “I La La La Love You.” Considered to be more on the rock edge of the spectrum than blues, his 1992 European release Blues Tracks bridged the gap. With more than 40 CDS to his credit, Travers’ latest release is , and he continues to tour regularly. Since 2004 Travers & (Carmine) Appice have released four CDs, the most . Travers has lived in central Florida for several years and is a Black Belt in the style of Isshin
Ryu Karate.
The current PTB lineup includes long-time drummer g and bassist/vocalist David Pastorius (Jaco’s nephew) who currently resides in Melbourne, FL. More at pattravers.com
Gary Starling
Synonymous with jazz on the Florida First Coast, Gary Starling has inspired and broadened the horizons of hundreds of aspiring musicians. Along with the likes of Bob Hope, Diahann Carroll and Rita Moreno, Starling has also performed with Skitch Henderson, the Jacksonville Symphony Pops Orchestra, Nat Adderley, and many others. Starling’s professional jazz career began at 16, playing with Doug Carn. After spending the late ’60s and ’70s on the road honing his craft, Starling was hired to teach jazz and jazz guitar at Jacksonville University, becoming an Artist in Residence. He was inducted into the Jacksonville Jazz Festival Hall of Fame in 2012. Starling performs with multiple configurations, utilizing the Jacksonville area’s top musicians. Guitar, upright bass and drums form his core jazz trio. A quartet or larger may add horns, keyboard, a vocalist, violinist, or even a Hammond B3. Starling’s repertoire spans jazz and pop standards, swing, bossa nova, samba, and funky jazz. In addition to multiple appearances at the Jacksonville Jazz Festival, other past engagements include Hilton Head Jazz Society, Pleasure Island at Disney World,
Ritz-Carlton Hotel, San Sebastian Winery, and a live appearance on Public Radio’s Whad’ya Know. Starling’s regular Thursday appearance in Jacksonville beach features the trio. More at garystarling.com
Jackson
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Eden Brent
Born into a family of riverboat captains and guitar pickers in the river port of Greenville, MS, Eden Brent’s household overflowed with music. She studied jazz and was classically trained in piano and voice at the University of North Texas, earning her degree in music theory. After spending the first two decades of her career under the tutelage of Abie “Boogaloo” Ames (until his death in 2002), Brent launched her solo career with 2003’s Something Cool before winning The Blues Foundation’s International Challenge in 2006 and bouncing onto the international scene. She followed that with 2008’s Mississippi Number One, 2010’s Ain’t Got No Troubles, 2014’s Jigsaw Heart, and 2018’s An Eden Brent Christmas with Bob Dowell. Her new album Getaway Blues presents nine original songs recorded in London with a four-piece band. As a 6X nominee and one-time winner of the Blues Music Awards’ Pinetop Perkins Award for piano player of the year, Brent lands steady honors, three BMAs among them. She has been featured in three documentaries, and on national radio broadcasts including NPR’s Weekend Edition and American Routes. She is among Mississippi’s living blues legends in H.C. Porter’s touring exhibit and companion book Blues@ Home. From the Daytona Blues Festival and the Juke Joint Festival in Clarksdale to Blues in Hell, Norway and from the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festiva to the Sighisoara Blues Festival in Romania, Brent frequently hosts the Piano Bar aboard the Legendary
edenbrent.com