The Institute’s 30th anniversary Jazz Festival is scheduled for Sunday, August 29, from 5 to 7 p.m. at The Wharf, a rural, park-like property at 10141 Wharf Road in Waynesboro, Pa.
The concert is offered free to the public. In case of rain, the concert will take place at an indoor area at the same location.
This year’s concert features one of the jazz world’s hottest rising stars, Benny Benack III (vocals and trumpet), with Paul Bollenback (guitar), Alexander Claffy (bass), and Byron Landham (drums).
Conceived in 1992 and presented every year since, the Institute’s Jazz Festival was previously held at Renfrew Park and has featured a long list of jazz legends, including David “Fathead” Newman, Randy Brecker, Bud Shank, Houston Person, Gary Bartz, Karrin Allison, Lew Tabackin, Joey DeFranceso, Frank Morgan, Jeff “Tain”Watts, Rene Marie, Vincent Herring, Ingrid Jensen, Eric Alexander, Joe Locke, and Steve Wilson.
In 2020, when audience capacity needed to be limited, the Jazz Fest concert was live-streamed around the world.
“After last year, we really wanted to do something special to mark the auspicious milestone of our 30th anniversary, while also looking to the future with great anticipation and excitement,” noted event founder Andrew Sussman.
“Thus, we are moving to a NEW location, a NEW time, and featuring some of the hottest young musicians in jazz,” Sussman said. “I believe Benny Benack and Alexander Claffy are both major talents and are going to be big stars in the jazz world. And we are thrilled to have jazz masters Paul Bollenback and Byron Landham back to round out this incredible quartet!”
To add to the celebration this year, the Pretzel Spot Café food truck will be on site and BYOB will be permitted.
Benny Benack III has proven to be a rare talent: not only a fiery trumpet player with a stirring command of the postbop trumpet vernacular, but also a singer with a sly, mature, naturally expressive delivery in the post-Sinatra mold, performing standards and his own astute songs with a thrilling sense of showmanship. His superb intonation and bracing virtuosity enable him to handle astounding feats of vocalese (complex solos with written lyrics). And he’s a highly capable pianist as well.
Benack has performed widely as a front man for Postmodern Jukebox and played and recorded with Christian McBride, Josh Groban, Diplo/Major Lazer, Emmet Cohen, Ben Folds, Ann Hampton Callaway, Melissa Errico, and many more. He’s been featured at jazz festivals and clubs around the world, won or was a finalist in several prestigious competitions (including the Thelonious Monk and Carmine Caruso Trumpet Competitions) and is highly sought after as a clinician and educator, leading workshops and panels for jazz at Lincoln Center’s Jazz for Young People program and the New York Youth Symphony’s Education department.
Third in a generational line of Pittsburgh jazz notables, Benack follows in the footsteps of his trumpeter/bandleader grandfather, Benny Benack, Sr., and his father Benny Benack, Jr., a saxophonist/clarinetist who gave the young Benny his first professional experience. (Benny, Sr. recorded the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 1960 theme song, “Beat ’Em Bucs” and toured with Tommy Dorsey and Raymond Scott, among others.)
Benack’s latest album, “A Lot of Livin’ to Do,” was released in 2020 and features bassist extraordinaire Christian McBride, drummer/producer Ulysses Owens, Jr., and Takeshi Ohbayashi on piano and Rhodes.
Paul Bollenback started his music career in 1981, and has performed with a wide range of jazz luminaries, including artists as diverse as Stanley Turrentine, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Steve Gadd, Gary Bartz, David “Fathead” Newman, Terri-Lyne Carrington, Joe Locke, Jack McDuff, James Moody, Jim Snidero, Charlie Byrd, Herb Ellis, Paul Bley, Geoffrey Keezer, Mike LeDonne, Carol Sloane, Gary Thomas, Grady Tate, and in the group East Meets Jazz with the renowned tabla virtuoso Sandip Burman, to name just a few. He is known for his versatility, and also for an influential 20-year stint with jazz organist Joey DeFrancesco. Bollenback performed on over 80 recordings as a sideman, and has released eight CDs as a leader. A busy performance schedule has been augmented since the late ’90s by steady jazz education duties at Columbia University, Queens College, and The New School. Bollenback is also a composer, whose pieces have appeared on Joey DeFrancesco’s “Reboppin’” and on the “Jazz Times Superband” CD. His most recent recording is “Portraits in Space and Time.”
Alexander Claffy is currently one of the most in-demand bass players in New York. Since moving there from Philadelphia in 2011, he has worked with a long list of musicians including Wallace Roney, Christian Scott, Louis Hayes, Harold Mabern, Russell Malone, Jimmy Cobb, Louis Hayes, Joey Alexander, and Johnny O’Neal. He’s recorded three albums as a leader including his most recent, “Claffy II.” His father, Joseph Claffy is a notable society bandleader in the Philadelphia area. Claffy also appeared on the first three seasons of the Nickelodeon show, “Blue’s Clues.”
Drummer Byron Landham is best known for his 18-year association with organist Joey DeFrancesco, with whom he recorded 16 albums and toured the world. In addition, he leads his own highly regarded band, The Landham Brothers, and has performed with a wide range of jazz greats including David Sanborn, Betty Carter, Benny Golson, James Moody, Grover Washington, Jr., David “Fathead” Newman, Branford Marsalis, Chick Corea, Bobby Watson, Jimmy Smith, Etta James, Stanley Turrentine, Illinois Jacquet, George Benson, Gary Bartz, Pat Martino, and Tom Harrell.
Support for this event was provided by a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. Further sponsors include The Hamilton Family Foundation on behalf of Hamilton Nissan and Hamilton Hyundai, Andrew and Sally Sussman, the Franklin County Visitors Bureau, Stephen D. Fisher, and The Institute’s Today’s Horizon Fund contributors: The Nora Roberts Foundation; the John R. Hershey Jr. and Anna L. Hershey Family Foundation; APX Enclosures, Inc.; The Carolyn Terry Eddy Family: Carolyn, with daughters Connie Fleagle & Kim Larkin. Facility support provided courtesy of Jeff and Nancy Mace.
Parking is available on the property. Those attending are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets, and picnics are welcome. As in the past, cold water will be available free to all attendees.
30th Anniversary Institute Jazz Festival features a NEW location, NEW time, and a band featuring some of the hottest young talent in jazz!
With a fabulous new location, the jazz festival continues to spotlight top professional artists each year that light up the outdoor stage with hot summer jazz.
This year’s headliner is trumpet player and singer, Benny Benack III, rising star on the jazz scene. Plus, guitarist Paul Bollenback returns—Paul has missed only a handful of our 30 years of jazz! The band also includes Alexander Claffy (bass), and Byron Landham (drums). See the full lineup with musician bios here.
The Jazz Festival will be at The Wharf, a beautiful, park-like property at 10141 Wharf Road, just 2.5 miles from downtown Waynesboro, Pa.
As always, the concert is offered free to the public. In case of rain, the concert will take place at an indoor area at the same location.
We are moving to a NEW location, a NEW time, and featuring some of the hottest young musicians in jazz. Benny Benack and Alexander Claffy are both major talents and are going to be big stars in the jazz world. We are thrilled to have jazz masters Paul Bollenback and Byron Landham back to round out this incredible quartet!”
To add to the celebration this year, the Pretzel Spot Café food truck will be on site and BYOB will be permitted.
Parking is available on the property. Those attending are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets, and picnics are welcome. As in the past, cold water will be available free to all attendees.
The Institute at Renfrew’s 29th annual jazz festival spotlights stellar performing artists that light up the outdoor stage with hot summer jazz. An informal question and answer period follows the show. Free and open to the public. In order to ensure the safety of attendees, band members and our staff, safety protocols will be implemented in accordance with the Green Phase of Pennsylvania’s reopening plan, and that of the venue, Renfrew Museum and Park. Appropriate distancing (6 feet) is required between household/family groups. Mask use is required when appropriate distancing is not possible.
On the lawn behind the Renfrew Museum house. In case of rain, the concert will be privately recorded and filmed for later viewing. This year’s concert features an all-star quintet with Eric Alexander (tenor sax), Jeremy Pelt (trumpet), Pat Bianchi (organ), Paul Bollenback (guitar), and Byron Landham (drums).
“Each of these artists is an internationally renowned jazz musician,” said event organizer, Andrew Sussman. “This concert is an opportunity to hear these stellar jazz artists for free in beautiful Renfrew Park!”
Due to COVID-19, JazzFest 2020 is limited attendance with pre-registration.
** New for 2020-The jazz Festival will be livestreamed! You can enjoy the Jazz Fest at Main Street Park, you can also watch the Jazz Fest from home, or anywhere with WiFi. (In case of rain, outdoor events will be cancelled but concert will still be livestreamed!). Livestream link available at 2:00 PM: On Facebook – or instituteatrenfrew.org
Renfrew Institute’s 28th annual Jazz Festival is scheduled for Sunday, August 25, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. on the lawn behind the Renfrew Museum house in Waynesboro, Pa. The concert features world-renowned musicians and is offered free to the public.
This year’s concert will feature the highly acclaimed Jeff “Tain” Watts Travel Band, featuring Jeff Watts on drums, Paul Bollenback on guitar, Orlando la Fleming on bass, plus special guest Grégoire Maret on harmonica.
“Each of these artists is an internationally renowned jazz musician,” said event organizer, Andrew Sussman. “This concert is an opportunity to hear these stellar jazz artists for free in beautiful Renfrew Park!”
Lead sponsor, FirstEnergy Foundation on behalf of West Penn Power, is returning this year to support the event. “We are proud to help sponsor this marvelous concert that brings extraordinarily talented jazz musicians and vocalists to our backyard for our customers and others to enjoy,” said John Rea, Regional President of West Penn Power.
Jeff “Tain” Watts spent his formative years with Wynton and Branford Marsalis, and his compositional skills now command equal attention, earning Watts a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2017. Watts initially majored in classical percussion at Pittsburgh’s Duquesne University, where he was primarily a timpanist, followed by enrollment at the Berklee School of Music. He joined the Wynton Marsalis Quartet in 1981 and proceeded to win three Grammy Awards with the ensemble: Black Codes From The Underground, J Mood and Marsalis Standard Time.
Watts left Wynton Marsalis in 1988. After working with George Benson, Harry Connick, Jr. and McCoy Tyner, he joined the Branford Marsalis Quartet in 1989, winning Grammys for “I Heard You Twice the First Time” and “Contemporary Jazz.” In the film and television industry Watts has appeared as both a musician on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno and as an actor, Rhythm Jones in Spike Lee’s “Mo Better Blues.” He joined Kenny Garrett’s band after returning to New York in 1995 and continued to record and tour with Branford Marsalis as well as Danilo Perez, Michael Brecker, Betty Carter, Kenny Kirkland, Courtney Pine, Geri Allen, Alice Coltrane, Greg Osby, McCoy Tyner, Steve Coleman, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Harry Connick, Jr., and Ravi Coltrane. http://www.tainish.com/
Grégoire Maret (harmonica) is one of the most sought after harmonica players in the world. Often compared to legends Toots Thielemans and Stevie Wonder, he has been asked to play with an incredible number of famous musicians including Youss N’Dour, Meshell Ndegeocello, Pete Seeger, David Sanborn, George Benson, and Cassandra Wilson, to name a few. In 2003 he was the subject of Swiss filmmaker Frédéric Baillif’s documentary, Sideman, which won several awards. In 2005, Grégoire toured with the Pat Metheny Group, receiving a Grammy for Best Contemporary Jazz Album for their album “The Way Up.” He also won the Jazz Journalists Association ‘Player of the Year Award.’
After his Grammy win, Maret embarked on a two-year tour with the world class bassist Marcus Miller and subsequently joined Herbie Hancock’s band. Following his time with Hancock, he co-led the jazz trio Gaïa with pianist Federico Gonzales Peña and drummer Gene Lake. In 2010, Maret played at The Concert for the Rainforest with Elton John and Sting. In addition to those already mentioned, Maret has played and/or recorded with Prince, Little Jimmy Scott, Diane Reeves, Toots Thielemans, Terri Lynne Carrington, Tito Puente, Kurt Elling, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Mike Stern, Charlie Hunter, Béla Fleck, Kenny Werner, and many others.
Paul Bollenback (guitar) started his music career in 1981, and has performed as a sideman with a wide range of jazz luminaries, including artists as diverse as Stanley Turrentine, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Steve Gadd, Gary Bartz, David “Fathead” Newman, Terri-Lyne Carrington, Joe Locke, Jack McDuff, James Moody, Jim Snidero, Charlie Byrd, Herb Ellis, Paul Bley, Geoffrey Keezer, Mike LeDonne, Carol Sloane, Chris McNulty, Gary Thomas, Grady Tate, and in the group, East Meets Jazz with the renowned tabla virtuoso Sandip Burman, to name a few. He is known for his versatility, and also for an influential 20-year stint with jazz organist Joey DeFrancesco.
Bollenback performed on over 80 recordings as a sideman, and has released eight CDs as a leader. A busy performance schedule has been augmented since the late ’90s by steady jazz education duties at Columbia University, Queens College, and The New School. Bollenback is also a composer whose pieces have appeared on Joey DeFrancesco’s Reboppin’ and on the Jazz Times Superband CD. His most recent recording, Portraits in Space and Time (Mayimba Music), with his trio, was released in 2014. Bollenback resides in the New York City area.
Orlando le Fleming (bass) is counted among the most proficient and accomplished bassists in the field of contemporary jazz. His facility as an improviser and capacity as a team player were first honed not on the bandstand, nor in the practice room, but on the cricket pitch. Originally from the UK, Orlando seemed destined for an athletic career, and was briefly a professional cricketer, until he was granted a place at London’s Royal Academy of Music, and his lifelong passion for music won out. Le Fleming’s 2003 move to New York City was a timely one. Soon after arriving stateside, Le Fleming joined Jane Monheit’s band, consequently sharing the bass duties on her 2004 release Taking a Chance on Love with Ron Carter and Christian McBride; the year following, he recorded with jazz legend Jimmy Cobb on his Marsalis Music Honors release. Greatly in demand, he has worked with Branford Marsalis, Leslie Odom, Jr., Wayne Krantz, Joey Calderazzo, Bill Charlap, Billy Cobham, Jeff “Tain” Watts, and David Sanchez among others. His latest endeavor as a leader, Romantic Funk, presents a pastiche of classic fusion sounds and ideas, updated by Le Fleming’s signature palette of polyrhythm and abstract exploration.
Support for this event was provided by lead sponsor, FirstEnergy Foundation on behalf of West Penn Power. In addition, Renfrew Institute receives state arts funding support through a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. Further sponsors include The Hamilton Family Foundation on behalf of Hamilton Nissan and Hamilton Hyundai, Franklin County Visitors Bureau, Stephen D. Fisher, and Renfrew Institute’s Today’s Horizon Fund contributors: The Nora Roberts Foundation; the John R. Hershey Jr. and Anna L. Hershey Family Foundation; APX Enclosures, Inc.; The Carolyn Terry Eddy Family: Carolyn, with daughters Connie Fleagle & Kim Larkin. Facility support is provided courtesy of Renfrew Museum and Park.
Parking is available behind the visitors center, with additional parking in the lower lot off Welty Road. Those attending are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets, and picnics are welcome. Rain site: Waynesboro Area Middle School auditorium.
Franklin County Visitors Bureau invites the public to Renfrew Institute’s 26th annual Jazz Festival, scheduled for Sunday, August 27, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. on the lawn behind the Renfrew Museum house in Waynesboro, Pa. The concert features jazz greats, including Vincent Herring (alto saxophone), Conrad Herwig (trombone), Jared Gold (organ), Paul Bollenback (guitar), and Jeff “Tain” Watts (drums). The concert is free and open to free the public; donations are accepted. (more…)
