13th Annual
Blues & Jazz Festival
OCTOBER 5 - 6, 2017
Produced by Bobby Plair, Jr.
Image by Mike Baker of MBakerPhotographic
Thursday, October 5
BAXTER VILLAGE | FORT MILL, SC
SPRINGMAID PARK | 990 MARKET STREET
7 - 10 PM | FREE
LESLIE AND FRIENDS
Friday, October 6
RESTAURANT CRAWL | ROCK HILL, SC
OLD TOWN ROCK HILL | EAST MAIN STREET & CALDWELL STREET
7 - 11 PM | $10*
McHale's Irish Pub | Mac Arnold & Plate Full O' Blues
Five & Dine | Frost-Meccia Duo
Jimmy John's | Letron Brantley Duo
Amélie's | Amos Hoffman Duo
Millstone Pizza + Taphouse | Abe Reid Trio
Gettys Art Center Courtroom | Plair
with opening act | Reggie Sullivan
Thi's Place on Main | J'Michael Peeples
The Flipside Restaurant | Dante Lewis
122 E. MAIN STREET | ROCK HILL, SC
CONTRIBUTOR
BrandPro, Inc. • College of Visual & Performing Arts at Winthrop University
Peoples First Insurance • Rock Hill Coca-Cola Bottling Company • York County Natural Gas Authority • York Technical College
SILVER
City of Rock Hill • Comporium/CN2 • Founders Federal Credit Union • Old Town Association
The Pump House • Williams and Fudge, Inc.
Special Thanks to Our Sponsors
135 E. MAIN STREET | ROCK HILL, SC
147 E. MAIN STREET | ROCK HILL, SC
Black & White Alley, behind Jimmy John's
157 E. MAIN STREET | ROCK HILL, SC
Sponsored by Williams & Fudge
121 CALDWELL STREET | SUITE 103 | ROCK HILL, SC
129 CALDWELL STREET | ROCK HILL, SC
Sponsored by Founders Federal Credit Union
201 E. MAIN STREET | ROCK HILL, SC
2nd Floor
Sponsored by City of Rock Hill
210 E. MAIN STREET | ROCK HILL, SC
Sponsored by The Pump House
The Arts Council welcomes Mac Arnold & Plate Full O' Blues to McHale's Irish Pub. Mac Arnold is a South Carolina bluesman who has always been in the right place at the right time - playing with Muddy Waters, Otis Redding, and BB King. He produced Soul Train with Don Cornelius, and he even played bass on Sanford and Son with Redd Foxx.
Returning favorites include the Frost Meccia Duo, who brought their smooth tones to Amélie's in 2016, and the Letron Brantley Duo who captivated audiences at The Flipside Restaurant. Dante Lewis and J'Michael Peeples are also bringing their dulcet tones to the Festival again in 2017. Last, but definitely not least, the Arts Council is excited to announce the return of Plair to the Festival!
New to the Festival in 2017, the Abe Reid Trio brings savory old school blues whipped into sweaty, gritty, steady-rockin', musical dynamite at Millstone Pizza + Taphouse. At Amélie's, see the Amos Hoffman Duo - pioneers in fusing the rhythms and melodic themes of the Middle East with modern jazz!
Be sure to trade in your ticket at the info booth or at the door of each venue for an event wristband.
ADVANCE TICKETS | BUY NOW
ONLINE | yorkcountyarts.org
BY PHONE | (803)328-2787
IN PERSON | Center for the Arts | 121 E. Main St. | Rock Hill, SC 29730
TICKET & INFORMATION BOOTH | FRIDAY, OCTOBER 6 | 6:30 PM - 10 PM
Center for the Arts | 121 E. Main St. | Rock Hill, SC
Tickets will also be available for purchase at the door of each venue on the night of the crawl. Cash preferred.
*Tickets are available online, by calling our box office at 803-328-2787 or in person at the Center for the Arts, 121 E. Main St., Rock Hill, SC.
Trade tickets in for an event wristband at the ticket & information booth or at the door of any participating venue during the Friday night Restaurant Crawl.
Sponsored by
Andy Bovender Team of Allen Tate Realtors || Coffee News || Comporium/CN2 || Fish Market || grapevine Wine Shop | Wine Bar
WRHI 100.1, Interstate 107, & 104.1 - The Bridge
RESTAURANT CRAWL
Friday | October 6
Old Town Rock Hill | $10
BUY TICKETS
KICKOFF
Thursday | October 5
Baxter Village | Springmaid Park | FREE
The Frost-Meccia Duo has become a jazz staple in the Carolinas and beyond, regularly appearing on stage in California and in Frost’s native New York. Frost teamed with singer-saxophonist Lauren Meccia in 2011. Frost was drawn to the rare timber of the saxophone and warm sound Meccia put forth on the it. When it was revealed that she also sang, the direction of the Mike Frost’s projects evolved to incorporate her smooth, sultry, and pitch perfect style.
Mike Frost has recorded and performed with an extensive collection of noteworthy musicians including Donald Vega, Wycliffe Gordon, Jorma Kaukonen, Jesse Colin Young, Esteban, Jimmy Bruno, New York Voices, The Gypsy Kings, David Mann (of Tower of Power), Manolo Badrena (Weather Report), Todd Turkisher (David Byrne, Ute Lemper), John Scarpulla (Tower of Power, Bruce Springsteen), John Miceli (Meatloaf) and George Cintron (Blue Oyster Cult). Frost is highly noted for the unique quality of sound he produces on his custom Clifford Roi fretless and fretted basses.
Meccia has appeared with the Temptations, Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs, Jesse Colin Young, and Donald Vega.
Lauren Meccia comes across like a real musician who happens to sing. As a vocalist she has a crystal clear sound that rings like a bell, and can effortlessly go for drawing out a lyric… and yet she can also clip out a series of words like she’s jumping through an obstacle course… Her voice resonates like a glass organ. -George Harris, JazzWeekly.com | more info
Leslie and Friends kicks off the Festival in Baxter Village's Springmaid Park. Their name may sound familiar - they've brought down the house at the Arts Council's Annual Gala and they tore it up at the City Club and had people dancing in the streets a few years ago. Leslie's signature clear and sultry tones, expansive range and expressive delivery defy categorization, expertly lending themselves to a diverse repertoire befitting any performance atmosphere. Leslie exudes joy and happiness when she is performing, and anyone who has the pleasure of hearing her will feel the same.
Honed through formal classical training at Howard University-College of Fine Arts, Leslie's gift has taken center stage in historic U.S. platforms such as Cleveland's Severance Hall, Harlem's famed Apollo Theater, and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC. She has also performed in historic venues in Toyko, Japan, St. Thomas Virgin, Islands and Barcelona, Spain. | more info
Mac Arnold serves up a mess of Chicago Blues with his band, “Mac Arnold & Plate Full O’ Blues” with Austin Brashier on guitar and vocals, Max Hightower on keyboards, harmonica, guitar, bass and vocals, and Mac Arnold on vocals, bass and Gas Can Guitars.
Arnold’s career has included a Who’s Who of Blues and R&B Legends - performing with James Brown, A.C. Reed, The Temptations, Bill Withers, and B.B. King. He spent more than a year with the Muddy Waters Band, helping shape the electric blues sound that inspired the rock and roll movement of the late 60s and early 70s. Mac now resides in Pelzer, SC, where at the age of ten he got his first taste of the blues when he learned to play his brother Leroy’s home-made guitar. | more info
Letron “LTrain” Brantley is a native of South Carolina who has been playing the saxophone since he was 12 years old. In his younger years, he was heavily influenced by Jazz, Gospel, and R&B music. Studying music in college allowed him to hone his craft as well as perform with various Jazz, Soul, and Funk groups. Letron has the performed with many great musicians such as Jazz recording artist Bob Mintzer, saxophonist Lenny Picket of the Saturday Night Live band, and Gospel recording artist Donnie McClurkin - to name a few. Currently Letron serves as the musical director for a local jazz orchestra as well as band leader for the regional Jazz and Dance band Jazz Revolution. Letron is an active music community supporter and clinician dedicated to the mission of embracing and encouraging musicians like himself to be persistent in their craft and always strive for excellence. | more info
AMOS HOFFMAN (pronounced AH-mus) is an Israeli Jazz Guitarist & Oudist known worldwide as a pioneer in fusing the rhythms and melodic themes of the Middle East with Modern Jazz.
Hoffman started playing guitar at the age of 6, and the oud a few years later. He studied guitar privately, and later attended the prestigious Rubin Academy of Music in Jerusalem. His search for new musical experiences led him first to Amsterdam, and then to New York City, where he played jazz with both established musicians and up-and-coming talents like Jason Lindler, bassist Avishai Cohen, and Claudia Acuna. | more info
The Abe Reid Trio is savory old-school blues whipped into sweaty, gritty, steady-rockin, party-down, musical dynamite! From Statesville, NC, Abe Reid is a past winner of the International Blues Competition in Memphis. He learned straight from the old-timey greats, and pays them tribute by keepin the blues alive and full of grit. | more info
It’s rare to find a jazz artist who so successfully merges his love of soul and groove with such a rich spirituality—but Dante Lewis knows where his inspiration and blessings come from. He’s not shy about finding ways to share both the jazz and the gospel in his infectious and super soulful performances. | more info
Ain't no party like a Plair band party! Led by B.S. Plair, a former public school music instructor who spent more than 30 years in teaching and performing, Plair is a family affair. Bobby Jr. began performing with his dad at the age of 10 playing trumpet, and son Victor joined the group at about age 9 playing trombone. Vocalist Wade Witherspoon completes the group. Plair has performed all over the southeast playing clubs and colleges, opening for such artists as Lionel Richie/Commodores, Mother's Finest, Kool and the Gang, and The Ellington Orchestra. | more info
Often times when a new musician comes on the scene, common adjectives like fresh and hot, are thrown about frivolously and usually there is more hype than truth. But that’s definitely not the case when it comes to J’Michael Peeples. The mantra he lives by is “Live to create and keep the music honest.”
Peeples is a contemporary jazz artist from Columbia, SC who grew up in a house filled with creative outlets. As an artist, he is passionate about creative expression and providing inspiration to others. | more info
GOLD
Coffee News
WRHI 100.1 • Interstate 107 • 104.1 - The Bridge
BRONZE
Harry M. Dalton
FRIEND
Andy Bovender Team of Allen Tate Realtors • Duke Energy • Family Trust Federal Credit Union
Fish Market • grapevine Wine Shop | Wine Bar
Celebrate the roots of modern music with infectious rhythms, soulful sounds, and high energy performances at the Arts Council of York County’s 13th Annual Blues & Jazz Festival. Events kick off with a free event at Springmaid Park in Baxter Village on Thursday, October 5, 2017 from 7-10 PM with Leslie and Friends. On Friday, October 6, the Blues & Jazz Festival returns to Old Town Rock Hill where festival-goers can enjoy live music at eight of Old Town's restaurants & venues throughout the night