BIRD & BECKETT CULTURAL LEGACY PROJECT
Rhonda Benin, vocals.
John R. Burr, piano.
Ron Belcher, bass.
Mark Lee, drums.
$20 cover charge (cash at the door, please); byob.
Students $10.
Just catching a tune while waiting for dinner? Drop $5 in the bucket by the register for the musicians!
All ages, wheelchair accessible.
BLUES is jazz’s greatest influence. From the time when jazz evolved from the sounds of the Mississippi Delta a century ago right up to the modern jazz of today, the blues has been a benchmark for jazz musicians. Its influence on jazz from its inception to today cannot be explained by mere words alone; one has to hear their sounds to truly comprehend their meaning.” Vocalist Rhonda Benin has created AIN’T NO JAZZ WITHOUT THE BLUES, a musical experience to do just that!
Rhonda Benin has headlined widely, including SFJazz, Yoshi’s, MOAD, The Healdsburg, Sonoma, Burlingame, Sausalito, Fillmore, and Calistoga Jazz Festivals. In addition to singing, Rhonda is producer and founder of the Women’s History Month’s show “Just Like A Woman” a tribute to Bay Area Women In Music. She is a member of the Grammy nominated vocal ensemble Linda Tillery and The Cultural Heritage. She appears on the CHC’s seven cd’s and has toured 30 countries performing and recording legendary artists, including Taj Mahal, Wilson Pickett, Richie Havens, Odetta. Al Green, Keb Mo, Santana, Patti Austin, Janis Ian, Jackson Brown, Hugh Masekela & Sweet Honey In The Rock.
She is on the teaching staff of Healdsburg Jazz‘s Operation Jazz Band, San Francisco Arts Project, LEAP, Cal Performances, Youth In Arts and The Bay Area Jazz Society, and conducts her own school assemblies and workshops.