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| Get your tickets and a weekend on the town in Salem: SPECIAL OFFER FROM THE SALEM INN! This Fabulous Salem Inn Package includes:
book soon! More information |
Our 4th Annual Spring Gala kicks off the 2010
festival season on April 17 at PEM! Place a
message in the evening’s program guide – you’ll
help support our cause while promoting your
organization or business - More information.
festival season on April 17 at PEM! Place a
message in the evening’s program guide – you’ll
help support our cause while promoting your
organization or business - More information.
TICKETS @:
PEM's website
The PEM box office, East India Square, Salem, MA
Via phone 978.745.9500
PEM's website
The PEM box office, East India Square, Salem, MA
Via phone 978.745.9500
ABOUT THE EVENING'S PERFORMERS
DAVID MAXWELL
Website
Grammy Award winner David Maxwell has amassed an enormous resume throughout the
years, playing piano with some of the greatest and best-known musicians in the blues.
David plays many styles of blues, jazz and improvised music, but he is best known for his
soulful virtuosity and unmatched ability to reach the heart of post-war Chicago Blues.
Through his work, he has gained the respect of artists, critics and fans and established a
reputation as one of the finest blues pianists alive.
In the last decade, David received over a half dozen WC Handy and Grammy nominations
and a Grammy Award for recorded work, as well as Handy nominations for instrumental
performance. He’s toured with many of the greats including Freddie King, Bonnie Raitt,
James Cotton, Otis Rush, Buddy Guy, Hubert Sumlin, Jimmy Rodgers, Charley Musselwhite,
Johnny Adams and Ronnie Earl; and gigs with Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, The
Fabulous Thunderbirds, Levon Helm, Jimmy Witherspoon, Lowell Fulsom, Junior Wells and
many others. He has been involved in well over 50 recording sessions and can be found
playing keys on many blues albums that have been released over the last 25 years. Of note,
David backed up Keith Richards and Eric Clapton for Hubert Sumlin's CD, "About Them
Shoes" released in 2005.
David's music was used in the movie "Fried Green Tomatoes" and in the TV series "Touched
By An Angel". He has performed on "Late Night with Conan O' Brien" and is on several videos
playing with Freddie King in the early 70's.
David has performed in major festivals, theaters and clubs in North America, Europe,
Scandinavia, Morocco, Israel, and Japan, and keeps busy today playing, recording, and
teaching (and nurturing his interests in jazz, ethnic and improvised music.).
"I don't think anybody could be tighter playing the blues on the piano than David Maxwell. He
plays the blues like it should be played. He plays the low-down, dirty, funky blues. He's got it
all together." - John Lee Hooker
BENJAMIN ZECKER
Ben has become an invaluable player in the Boston music scene, with musicians too
numerous to count, across multiple genres including jazz, R&B, fusion, gospel, funk, punk
and rock. He’s also worked with international performers including John Blackwell (Prince,
P. Diddy, Justin Timberlake), Jordan Knight (NKOTB), Gary Cherone (Extreme, Van Halen)
and more. With such a broad spectrum of musical styles and gigs, Ben has developed an
incredibly varied repertoire and palate of musical techniques, which he always balances with
the finer points of mechanics imbued in him by the great piano teachers who laid the
foundation of his work.
Ben has toured the U.S., Canada and Japan. In Japan, Ben found a huge fan base where
music lovers raved over the original compositions and arrangements he wrote for the Boston
Horns, a Boston-based funk band. “Pink Polyester”, one of Ben’s songs, has been featured
on numerous Japanese CD compilations, downloaded thousands of times, and aired on
radio stations all over the world since its release on the Boston Horns’ “Bring on the Funk,”
produced by P-Vine Records in 2006.
JEN KEARNEY
Website
Jen Kearney plays, writes and sings with a unique style, blending jazz riffs, latin and afro-
cuban rhythms, Motown grooves and rock n’ roll sensibility. Her soulful vocal stylings are
often compared to those of Stevie Wonder, but are truly her own.
Kearney’s eclectic approach was nurtured in her youth. A self-taught musician, her formal
training included a few piano lessons as a child followed by a stint at the University of
Massachusetts Lowell’s music program. But her best training came through relentlessly
playing live on the club circuit, both as a solo performer and with various bands. It was
during this period that Jen also began honing her writing style, which can be heard on her
three studio-produced CDs with her band, The Lost Onion.
Through Jen’s non-stop schedule of live performances, she has built an extensive resume
in the past few years, having the honors of opening up for Los Lobos, Little Feat and Susan
Tedeschi to name a few, as well as featured artist spots at The Lowell Folk Festival, The
Maine Garden Festival and the Salem Jazz & Soul Festival. In the Fall of 2009, she took over
the much coveted Monday night residency at the legendary Cambridge club, Toad, a spot
held for more than 10 years by Tim Gearan. On any given Monday, a litany of Boston-based
musicians can be spotted in the crowd listening to Jen’s performances, always a reflection
of a musician’s true talent.
FATS HAMMOND, FEATURING KEN CLARK AND MARTY ROWEN
Website (Ken Clark)
Website (Marty Rowen)
Fats Hammond is a North Shore legend featuring two of new England’s greatest Hammond
B-3 organ players – Ken Clark and Marty Rowen. Backed by the ever steady Benny Benson
on drums and Mike Mele on guitar, for the past 12 years, Ken and Marty have never ceased to
amaze audiences with the unique sound of their B-3 organs, sometimes alternating back
and forth with jaw-dropping solos, sometimes melding together to create a wall of sound
found nowhere else. Fats Hammond has two live CDs under their belt, but in true jazz
fashion, every time they play, magic happens as their extensive catalog of original material
and obscure covers changes through improvisation.
Ken Clark, a graduate of Berklee School of Music, has been wowing audiences locally and
internationally for the past 20 years with his fiery Hammond B-3 playing and soulful vocals.
An accomplished keyboardist of all styles, Ken is best known for his organ-based jazz with
The Ken Clark Trio and Fats Hammond, but he loves to play piano as well, digging deep into
the blues, rock and boogie woogie and gospel with equal intensity. Ken’s roots began with
him playing organ in his church as a boy and he is currently the Musical Director for Unity On
The River Church in Amesbury, MA, where he plays and leads the UOTR Choir in their
Sunday performances and special appearances throughout New England. Ken is a much
sought after keyboardist, and has played and toured internationally with the likes of Fathead
Newman, Melvin Sparks, Michelle Willson, and Toni Lynn Washington to name a few, and is
featured on numerous CDs for his own bands and as a guest for others.
Marty Rowen is an accomplished songwriter, vocalist pianist, harmonica and guitar player
with an extensive history of performing professionally with his own bands and in support of
others. Currently, Marty performs weekly playing B-3 organ with Fats Hammond and on
keyboards with his own band, Marty Rowan’s Last Call for Blues. This last is somewhat of a
misnomer as Last Call goes well beyond simple blues melding jazz and soul as well, as
Marty also sings, plays harmonica and on occasion guitar with the band.
MC, HENLEY DOUGLAS JR. Henley, an accomplished musician (Heavy Metal Horns, Boston
Horns, Soul Force V), and co-founder of the Salem Jazz and Soul Festival, once again steps
up to the stage to MC the Spring Gala!
SJSF ALL STARS
Supporting the All Keyed Up artists will be The Salem Jazz and Soul All-Stars comprised of
highly accomplished musicians based in the Boston area. John Aruda (tenor & baritone
sax), Benny Benson (drums), Michael Miksis (bass), Mike Mele (guitar) and Garret Savluk
(trumpet).
JOHN ARUDA has been playing saxophone professionally for more than 20 years. While
found playing on any given night in the Boston area on his own or alongside his trumpet
playing brother, Scott Aruda, John has also played throughout the US and Europe as well as
China in support of other artists. As a freelance saxophone player, John plays frequently in
support of top-bill performers such as Alice Cooper, David Maxwell, Will Lee, Chuck Leavell
and Simon Kirke. John is a regular member of bands with Jesse Dee, Dwight & Nicole, Sea
Monsters, Tim Gearan, The Soul Band, Superhoney and Toni Lynn Washington.
Originally from Ireland, BENNY BENSON has been supporting bands throughout the Boston
and North Shore region for the past 20 years. No genre escapes him as he plays jazz,
blues, rock and latin music with equal skill. Benny’s style is unique, and passionate. Every
beat he plays is based on tone as much as timing. SJSF is thrilled to have Benny on this bill
as it seems he is in demand seven days a week. Currently, he can be found behind the
drums with Headshaft, Fats Hammond, Last Call for Blues, Los Sugar Kings,
Benson/Pike/Miksis, Sea Monsters, Christian McNeill and The Redeemers, and other
showcase bands.
MIKE MIKSIS grew up in the Boston area, teaching himself bass at an early age and
ultimately honing his skills and graduating from Berklee College of Music. As with the rest of
the SJSF All-Stars, Michael is in high demand and plays nearly every night of the week, as
well as teaching bass to kids and adults during the day. He has toured the US with
bluegrass star, Warren Hood and the New Orleans based funk band, Brotherhood of
Groove. Locally, Michael currently plays with Jen Kearney, Last Call for Blues, Sea Monsters,
Headshaft, Benson/Pike/Miksis and Christian McNeill and The Redeemers, to name a few.
MIKE MELE, another graduate Berklee College of Music, is a regular member of The Ken
Clark Trio, Rusty Scott Trio and Fats Hammond. He has also played with many other Boston
area jazz and blues greats, including Michelle Willson, Myanna, Marty Rowan among others.
Mike has toured and recorded internationally as well as having appeared on many live radio
and television broadcasts.
GARRET SAVLUK is one the premier trumpet players on the East Coast. Currently the leader
of The Boston Horns and a featured player with The Gringo Kings and The Boston Horns Big
Band, Garret also owns a reputation as one of the leading sidemen in the region. In High
School, Garret won numerous awards and scholarships which led him to Berklee where he
continued earning accolades until graduation. Soon after, garret hooked up with Henley
Douglas Jr. and the two formed the legendary Heavy Metal Horns, initially a highly demanded
horn section and eventually a full band of the same name. As the Heavy Metal Horns, Garret
toured the world with the band and as part of the band Extreme. In addition to playing, Garret
is an accomplished writer and arranger, authoring much of the material performed by The
Boston Horns and Heavy metal Horns, and arranging the horn sections for various
performers including Grammy award winner, Sean Mullins. Garret’s resume also includes
work with Tower of Power, Rita Moreno, the Del Fuegos, Los Sugar Kings, and Bonerama.
DAVID MAXWELL
Website
Grammy Award winner David Maxwell has amassed an enormous resume throughout the
years, playing piano with some of the greatest and best-known musicians in the blues.
David plays many styles of blues, jazz and improvised music, but he is best known for his
soulful virtuosity and unmatched ability to reach the heart of post-war Chicago Blues.
Through his work, he has gained the respect of artists, critics and fans and established a
reputation as one of the finest blues pianists alive.
In the last decade, David received over a half dozen WC Handy and Grammy nominations
and a Grammy Award for recorded work, as well as Handy nominations for instrumental
performance. He’s toured with many of the greats including Freddie King, Bonnie Raitt,
James Cotton, Otis Rush, Buddy Guy, Hubert Sumlin, Jimmy Rodgers, Charley Musselwhite,
Johnny Adams and Ronnie Earl; and gigs with Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, The
Fabulous Thunderbirds, Levon Helm, Jimmy Witherspoon, Lowell Fulsom, Junior Wells and
many others. He has been involved in well over 50 recording sessions and can be found
playing keys on many blues albums that have been released over the last 25 years. Of note,
David backed up Keith Richards and Eric Clapton for Hubert Sumlin's CD, "About Them
Shoes" released in 2005.
David's music was used in the movie "Fried Green Tomatoes" and in the TV series "Touched
By An Angel". He has performed on "Late Night with Conan O' Brien" and is on several videos
playing with Freddie King in the early 70's.
David has performed in major festivals, theaters and clubs in North America, Europe,
Scandinavia, Morocco, Israel, and Japan, and keeps busy today playing, recording, and
teaching (and nurturing his interests in jazz, ethnic and improvised music.).
"I don't think anybody could be tighter playing the blues on the piano than David Maxwell. He
plays the blues like it should be played. He plays the low-down, dirty, funky blues. He's got it
all together." - John Lee Hooker
BENJAMIN ZECKER
Ben has become an invaluable player in the Boston music scene, with musicians too
numerous to count, across multiple genres including jazz, R&B, fusion, gospel, funk, punk
and rock. He’s also worked with international performers including John Blackwell (Prince,
P. Diddy, Justin Timberlake), Jordan Knight (NKOTB), Gary Cherone (Extreme, Van Halen)
and more. With such a broad spectrum of musical styles and gigs, Ben has developed an
incredibly varied repertoire and palate of musical techniques, which he always balances with
the finer points of mechanics imbued in him by the great piano teachers who laid the
foundation of his work.
Ben has toured the U.S., Canada and Japan. In Japan, Ben found a huge fan base where
music lovers raved over the original compositions and arrangements he wrote for the Boston
Horns, a Boston-based funk band. “Pink Polyester”, one of Ben’s songs, has been featured
on numerous Japanese CD compilations, downloaded thousands of times, and aired on
radio stations all over the world since its release on the Boston Horns’ “Bring on the Funk,”
produced by P-Vine Records in 2006.
JEN KEARNEY
Website
Jen Kearney plays, writes and sings with a unique style, blending jazz riffs, latin and afro-
cuban rhythms, Motown grooves and rock n’ roll sensibility. Her soulful vocal stylings are
often compared to those of Stevie Wonder, but are truly her own.
Kearney’s eclectic approach was nurtured in her youth. A self-taught musician, her formal
training included a few piano lessons as a child followed by a stint at the University of
Massachusetts Lowell’s music program. But her best training came through relentlessly
playing live on the club circuit, both as a solo performer and with various bands. It was
during this period that Jen also began honing her writing style, which can be heard on her
three studio-produced CDs with her band, The Lost Onion.
Through Jen’s non-stop schedule of live performances, she has built an extensive resume
in the past few years, having the honors of opening up for Los Lobos, Little Feat and Susan
Tedeschi to name a few, as well as featured artist spots at The Lowell Folk Festival, The
Maine Garden Festival and the Salem Jazz & Soul Festival. In the Fall of 2009, she took over
the much coveted Monday night residency at the legendary Cambridge club, Toad, a spot
held for more than 10 years by Tim Gearan. On any given Monday, a litany of Boston-based
musicians can be spotted in the crowd listening to Jen’s performances, always a reflection
of a musician’s true talent.
FATS HAMMOND, FEATURING KEN CLARK AND MARTY ROWEN
Website (Ken Clark)
Website (Marty Rowen)
Fats Hammond is a North Shore legend featuring two of new England’s greatest Hammond
B-3 organ players – Ken Clark and Marty Rowen. Backed by the ever steady Benny Benson
on drums and Mike Mele on guitar, for the past 12 years, Ken and Marty have never ceased to
amaze audiences with the unique sound of their B-3 organs, sometimes alternating back
and forth with jaw-dropping solos, sometimes melding together to create a wall of sound
found nowhere else. Fats Hammond has two live CDs under their belt, but in true jazz
fashion, every time they play, magic happens as their extensive catalog of original material
and obscure covers changes through improvisation.
Ken Clark, a graduate of Berklee School of Music, has been wowing audiences locally and
internationally for the past 20 years with his fiery Hammond B-3 playing and soulful vocals.
An accomplished keyboardist of all styles, Ken is best known for his organ-based jazz with
The Ken Clark Trio and Fats Hammond, but he loves to play piano as well, digging deep into
the blues, rock and boogie woogie and gospel with equal intensity. Ken’s roots began with
him playing organ in his church as a boy and he is currently the Musical Director for Unity On
The River Church in Amesbury, MA, where he plays and leads the UOTR Choir in their
Sunday performances and special appearances throughout New England. Ken is a much
sought after keyboardist, and has played and toured internationally with the likes of Fathead
Newman, Melvin Sparks, Michelle Willson, and Toni Lynn Washington to name a few, and is
featured on numerous CDs for his own bands and as a guest for others.
Marty Rowen is an accomplished songwriter, vocalist pianist, harmonica and guitar player
with an extensive history of performing professionally with his own bands and in support of
others. Currently, Marty performs weekly playing B-3 organ with Fats Hammond and on
keyboards with his own band, Marty Rowan’s Last Call for Blues. This last is somewhat of a
misnomer as Last Call goes well beyond simple blues melding jazz and soul as well, as
Marty also sings, plays harmonica and on occasion guitar with the band.
MC, HENLEY DOUGLAS JR. Henley, an accomplished musician (Heavy Metal Horns, Boston
Horns, Soul Force V), and co-founder of the Salem Jazz and Soul Festival, once again steps
up to the stage to MC the Spring Gala!
SJSF ALL STARS
Supporting the All Keyed Up artists will be The Salem Jazz and Soul All-Stars comprised of
highly accomplished musicians based in the Boston area. John Aruda (tenor & baritone
sax), Benny Benson (drums), Michael Miksis (bass), Mike Mele (guitar) and Garret Savluk
(trumpet).
JOHN ARUDA has been playing saxophone professionally for more than 20 years. While
found playing on any given night in the Boston area on his own or alongside his trumpet
playing brother, Scott Aruda, John has also played throughout the US and Europe as well as
China in support of other artists. As a freelance saxophone player, John plays frequently in
support of top-bill performers such as Alice Cooper, David Maxwell, Will Lee, Chuck Leavell
and Simon Kirke. John is a regular member of bands with Jesse Dee, Dwight & Nicole, Sea
Monsters, Tim Gearan, The Soul Band, Superhoney and Toni Lynn Washington.
Originally from Ireland, BENNY BENSON has been supporting bands throughout the Boston
and North Shore region for the past 20 years. No genre escapes him as he plays jazz,
blues, rock and latin music with equal skill. Benny’s style is unique, and passionate. Every
beat he plays is based on tone as much as timing. SJSF is thrilled to have Benny on this bill
as it seems he is in demand seven days a week. Currently, he can be found behind the
drums with Headshaft, Fats Hammond, Last Call for Blues, Los Sugar Kings,
Benson/Pike/Miksis, Sea Monsters, Christian McNeill and The Redeemers, and other
showcase bands.
MIKE MIKSIS grew up in the Boston area, teaching himself bass at an early age and
ultimately honing his skills and graduating from Berklee College of Music. As with the rest of
the SJSF All-Stars, Michael is in high demand and plays nearly every night of the week, as
well as teaching bass to kids and adults during the day. He has toured the US with
bluegrass star, Warren Hood and the New Orleans based funk band, Brotherhood of
Groove. Locally, Michael currently plays with Jen Kearney, Last Call for Blues, Sea Monsters,
Headshaft, Benson/Pike/Miksis and Christian McNeill and The Redeemers, to name a few.
MIKE MELE, another graduate Berklee College of Music, is a regular member of The Ken
Clark Trio, Rusty Scott Trio and Fats Hammond. He has also played with many other Boston
area jazz and blues greats, including Michelle Willson, Myanna, Marty Rowan among others.
Mike has toured and recorded internationally as well as having appeared on many live radio
and television broadcasts.
GARRET SAVLUK is one the premier trumpet players on the East Coast. Currently the leader
of The Boston Horns and a featured player with The Gringo Kings and The Boston Horns Big
Band, Garret also owns a reputation as one of the leading sidemen in the region. In High
School, Garret won numerous awards and scholarships which led him to Berklee where he
continued earning accolades until graduation. Soon after, garret hooked up with Henley
Douglas Jr. and the two formed the legendary Heavy Metal Horns, initially a highly demanded
horn section and eventually a full band of the same name. As the Heavy Metal Horns, Garret
toured the world with the band and as part of the band Extreme. In addition to playing, Garret
is an accomplished writer and arranger, authoring much of the material performed by The
Boston Horns and Heavy metal Horns, and arranging the horn sections for various
performers including Grammy award winner, Sean Mullins. Garret’s resume also includes
work with Tower of Power, Rita Moreno, the Del Fuegos, Los Sugar Kings, and Bonerama.
