Sonoma Valley Jazz Society

P.O. Box 115
Vineburg, CA 95487
ph: 707-373-0700
SonomaValleyJazzSociety@yahoo.com

Jazz @ The Lodge

THE LODGE AT SONOMA is located at 1325 Broadway, (at Four Corners) in Sonoma. The music is in the hotel's Gallery Lounge where they offer a special Jazz Night bar menu and excellent beverage selections.

All shows are from 7:00 pm until 10:00 p.m. No Cover.

Click on an artist below to go directly to their website.

Friday, August 29th - Frank Jackson Trio Bay Area Legendary Jazz Vocalist & pianist Frank Jackson with bassist Al Obidinski and drummer Akira Tana.

Singing and swingin' the great jazz standards.

Saturday, August 30th - Guitarist David Correa & Cascada Playing beautiful renditions of Latin and World jazz.

Friday, September 5th - Issac Carter & Jason Bodlovich preceeded by local piano man Earl Blue & Bassist Steve Shain 6 - 7 pm.

More on Page 2

Saturday, September 6th - Steve Lucky Quartet

Steve Lucky on piano and vocals; Carmen Getit, guitar and vocals; Nate Brenner, bass; Matt MacGillivray, drums.

Friday, September 12th - Chris Amberger Duo

Saturday, September 13th - Dana Land Trio

Friday, September 19th - The Terry Disley Experience Trio

Contact Us

Any questions or information on booking call 707-373-0700 or email at info@SonomaValleyJazzSociety.org

Friday Evening

August 29th

Sit back, listen to his warm, smooth voice, close your eyes and journey back in time to San Francisco in the 1950's.

The place: 1690 Post Street, Jimbo's Bop City. Between 2 am and ??? you would never know who could walk through the the door. Billie Holiday, Ben Webster, Charlie Parker, Percy Heath, Miles Davis, Dizzy, Dexter Gordon, Milt Jackson, all the great jazz musicians of that era came to Bop City and house pianist Frank Jackson knew them all...

FRANK JACKSON

with Akira Tana, drums

Al Obidinski, bass

Born in Cleburne, Texas, and living in San Francisco since 1942, Frank Jackson one of the “BAY AREA GIANTS OF JAZZ,” has for over six decades been serving up his impeccable, elegant piano style, smooth warm vocals and unique phrasing.

As a traditional jazz musician and one of the most accomplished interpreters of the Great American Songbook, he is a consummate entertainer, able to fulfill practically any request with his astonishing knowledge of the American Songbook, ranging from the Tin Pan Alley to the theme songs from “Star Trek,” “Being Green,” the theme song of Kermit the Frog, to “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life,” Eric Idle's more than famous song themed in Broadway's “Spamalot,” to “It's a Jungle Out There,” Randy Newman's theme for made for TV, “Monk.” Looking for obscure standards, you'll find them amongst Frank's impressive repertoire'.

Frank's music is swinging at any tempo. His versatility ranges from uptempo, ballads, blues, latin, and instrumentals. His piano playing recalls the minimalism of Count Basie, the lushness of Duke Ellington, the two-handed melodic sound of Erroll Garner, and sheer virtuosity of Bud Powell. Frank is by no means an imitator. He has formed his own, individual conception of how jazz is to be played. His cheerful personality is contagious, possessing a joy of life that is obvious on the bandstand or off. What has truly earned the respect and admiration of musicians and music lovers alike is Frank's one-of-a-kind interpretations and delicious vocal renderings of the great standards. His vocals -- suave, elegant, formidable, and articulate, his scatting -- note for note pure ease and modern, are among the most respected in jazz. He has the ability to draw the listener in as though he's telling a story, with such soulful feeling, the listener feels and responds like he is singing only to them.

Frank has performed with numerous internationally famous musicians as well as with some of the finest Bay Area talent. His experience includes recordings, radio & TV appearances, concerts, educational jazz clinics and camps, festivals and club appearances.

Frank Jackson has roots deep in the San Francisco music scene dating back to the heyday of the “MO,” as it was called from the war years in the 1940s until the Fillmore District broke up in the mid-1960s. In his teens, Frank always a singer, learned to play the piano and formed a trio to play at teen and community centers. Frank Jackson started his musical career in the late 1940s playing at Slim Jenkins club, piano bars and afterhours clubs in the Bay Area.

In the early 1950s, Frank Jackson was the first musician to open at Slim Gaillord's “Vout City,” which was opened only for two months, then taken over by John “Jimbo” Edwards and became known as the San Francisco's legendary “JIMBO'S BOP CITY,” an afterhours club open from 2-6AM. Frank Jackson worked as the house pianist at the legendary “BOP CITY,” for a duration of seven years, with tenor sax giant, Dexter Gordon, and alto saxophonist, Pony Poindexter. Also during this time, Frank Jackson performed with the jazz ensemble, “The 4 Naturals,” at The International Settlement in North Beach. In the popular Frank Sinatra movie, “Pal Joey,” you can view the huge billboard of “The 4 Naturals,” at the entrance to the famous International Settlement. This picture is also featured in the book, “Harlem of the West.”

Frank's education in jazz flourished during the years he worked as house pianist at San Francisco's legendary “Bop City.” Musicians travelling up and down the West Coast would drop in at “Bop City” to jam after their gigs or just to see who was in town. Being in the house band, Frank got the chance to associate with practically everyone: Charlie (Bird) Parker, Billie Holiday, Frank Foster, Ben Webster, Ella Fitzgerald, Harold Land, Joe Comfort, Erroll Garner, Art (God) Tatum, Nat “King” Cole, who had a major influence on Frank's career, Chet Baker, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Quincy Jones, Dizzy Gillespie, Louis Armstrong, and the list goes on.

Frank has performed with such jazz luminaries as: Lionel Hampton, Gerald Wilson, Dexter Gordon, Teddy Edwards, Cal Tjader, Lester Young, Ben Webster, Slim Gaillord, Brew Moore, Curtis Counce, Teddy Bun, Ruth Brown, Oscar Pettiford, Frank Butler, T-Bone Walker, Jimmy Witherspoon, Ernestine Anderson, Ernie Andrews, Smiley Winters, Chico Hamilton, James Williams, Rufus Reid, Darryl Hall, Mulgrew Miller, Sammy Simpson, Eddie Hammond, Eddie Alley, Vernon Alley, Allen Smith, Frank Fisher, Harold Jones, John Handy, Jules Broussard, Noel Jewkes, Mary Stallings, Denise Perrier, Omar Clay, Jeff Chambers, Bodil Niska, Larry Vuckovich, Kim Nalley, and the list goes on.

Read more about Bop City from the March 1998 issue of Jazz Now.

Click here

P.O. Box 115
Vineburg, CA 95487
ph: 707-373-0700
SonomaValleyJazzSociety@yahoo.com