Thursday, February 11 / 7:00 p.m.

West Chester University Faculty Septet
featuring
David Cullen, guitar
Terry Klinefelter, piano
Chris Hanning, drums
Greg Riley, saxophone (photo)
John Swana, trumpet
Marc Jacoby, vibes
Peter Paulsen, bass

Tickets $10 at door

The Jazz Base is happy to welcome back the West Chester University Faculty Septet for what promises to be another great night of music.

The Peter Paulsen-led septet features musicians who are not only members of the West Chester University faculty, but who also have outstanding individual music careers.

Trumpeter John Swana has performed and toured with some of the biggest names in jazz, including the Mingus Big Band, Dave Holland Big Band, Shirley Scott, Stanley Turrentine, Charles Fambrough, Bobby Watson, Chris Potter, Tim Warfield, Eric Alexander, Brad Mehldau, Ravi Coltrane, Phil Woods.

Chris Hanning has been playing drum set for over 30 years. He has been an active freelance artist in several cities across the United States, recording in studios in Cleveland, Denver, Dallas, and Philadelphia. His recent drum set educational DVD -- "Island Grooves" -- has won praise from Modern Drummer magazine. He has been directing the percussion program at WCU since 1995.

Saxophonist Greg Riley is currently touring with Cook, Dixon, & Young, formally the “Three Mo’ Tenors.” He is one of five musicians that tour exclusively with the group, which has performed in venues throughout the United States such as the Lyric Opera House in Chicago, The Kimmel Center in Philadelphia and the Detroit Opera House. Greg has also performed with Peter Nero and the Philly Pops and with the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, The Lyric Opera Orchestra of Chicago, and The Hollywood Bowl Orchestra with Placido Domingo as the director.

Described as "on the cosmic cusp where Mozart might meet Mingus," pianist Terry Klinefelter is equally at home in the classical and jazz genres. Her debut jazz trio CD -- Simple Gifts -- was praised by the Philadelphia Inquirer for its "impressive sonority." She has performed in area clubs and on recordings with many of Philadelphia's finest jazz musicians. She is currently an assistant professor at WCU, and the principal keyboardist with the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra.

Peter Paulsen is currently instructor of Double Bass/Coordinator of Jazz Studies at West Chester University and is an active member of the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra, principal bass of the Allentown Symphony Orchestra and has been principal bass with the Spoleto Festival Orchestra in Spoleto, Italy. He is also busy as a freelance jazz bassist in the tri-state area and performs regularly with his own quintet and trio as well as many of Philadelphia’s top jazz performers.

David Cullen has performed in a dazzling wide range of styles including jazz, classical and world music. He has performed with Will Ackerman, Samite of Uganda, Michael Manring, Victor Wooten, The Jaco Big Band and with the Philly Pops Orchestra. He currently teaches jazz and classical guitar at Kutztown University and West Chester University.
 

Thursday, February 18 / 7:00 p.m.

Steve Smith's Vital Legacy
featuring
Steve Smith, drums
Vinny Valentino, guitar
Baron Browne, bass
Andy Fusco, saxophone
Mark Soskin, piano

Tickets $23 at door or in advance.
CLICK HERE to order online.

In a musical world where keeping a working band has proven difficult for many bandleaders, drummer Steve Smith has managed to keep two bands working for the past decade.

Smith’s jazz-rock band Vital Information, has been working and recording for 27 years, while his straight-ahead group Jazz Legacy (which began as a Buddy Rich alumni group called Buddy’s Buddies) has been touring and recording since 1999.

Therefore, it makes perfect sense for this prolific bandleader, who has made a career out of amalgamating the many twists of his musical calling, to create a new band, Vital Legacy, which Smith refers to as, “The best of both worlds!”

The lineup of Vital Legacy brings together members of both bands -- saxophonist Andy Fusco (from Jazz Legacy) guitarist Vinny Valentino (from Vital Information), pianist Mark Soskin (from Jazz Legacy), bassist Baron Browne (from Jazz Legacy and Vital Information), and Steve Smith manning the drums.

“We used to have a sax player in Vital Information, in fact, Bill Evans played on our most recent recording (Vitalization)," said Smith. "So to have saxophonist Andy Fusco playing melodies and solos on the Vital Information tunes simultaneously adds another dimension, while also bringing back a sound from our formative years."

The “best of both worlds” is a theme for Steve Smith’s career that has taken him from rock stardom with the band Journey to the legendary fusion band Steps Ahead, to supporting musical icons Ahmad Jamal, Zakir Hussain, and Jean-Luc Ponty.

Smith’s constantly evolving drumming career has earned him Modern Drummer Magazine's All-Around Drummer Award five years in a row, which led to him being voted one of the Top-25 drummers of all time. In 2002, Smith was also voted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame.

Check out the following videos of Steve Smith's performance during 2009 Berks Jazz Fest:
Time Tunnel
Seven and a Half
JBen Jazz (with Andy Fusco)
The Trouble With (with Andy Fusco)

Thursday, February 25 / 7:00 p.m.

The Art of Strings
featuring
John Blake, violin
Jimmy Bruno, guitar
Gerald Veasley, bass

Tickets $15 at door

It's finally going to happen again.

The Jazz Base is pleased to welcome back The Art of Strings for an encore performance featuring three legendary Philadelphia musicians -- John Blake on violin, Jimmy Bruno on guitar and Gerald Veasley on electric bass.

The dynamic trio got together for the first --  and last time -- two years for a special performance at the Jazz Base. It was an amazing show that showcased the virtuoso talents of all three musicians. Jazz Base fans have been asking when the Gerald, John and Jimmy -- all very busy with their individual projects -- would get together again.

Well, the wait is over.

"I'm glad our individual schedules worked out so we could get together again to perform as a trio," said Veasley. "It's a real pleasure to work with John and Jimmy. When we did the show two years ago, it was a wonderful collaboration. All three of us are looking forward to the show."

Over the last 30 years, Blake has attained a unique position as the premier mainstream jazz violinist in the world. His resume resembles that of no other string player. Blake presents what critic David Hollenberg calls “a state-of-the-art display of current level of jazz violin.”

Blake has augmented his work as an instrumentalist, composer, and producer by becoming an author, teacher, and lecturer, passing on his unique and hard-won knowledge. He presents hundreds of workshops annually to musicians on all levels.

Bruno is a master jazz guitarist and jazz educator. One of the most critically acclaimed jazz guitarists performing today, Bruno came to prominence as a jazz musician in the 1990s, after a successful 20-year career as a sought-after commercial guitarist and session musician.

Thursday, March 4 / 7:00 p.m.

WEEU Big Band Night
The Last Big Band
directed by
Lee Southall, trombone
Roger Morgan, trumpet
Jimmy Zoller, trombone

Tickets $12 at door

The Last Big Band is back at the Jazz Base.

The popular big band headed by Lee Southall, Roger Morgan and Jimmy Zoller is comprised of 17 of the area's top musicians -- many with strong roots in the West Chester University jazz program – and they always deliver a high-energy show for the big band fans at the Jazz Base.

For this prelude to Jazz Fest, The Last Big Band has pulled out a few of their favorite charts from the pens of Dave Heck, Doc Mulligan, Bob Curnow and Chris Heslop.

In addition to the usual superb line-up of soloist, this show features "The Young Turks of Berks."

Andy Mohler from Kutztown High and Seth Ebersole and Nate Bellott from Governor Mifflin are three incredibly gifted saxophonists. If you've never heard these amazing young jazzers, you won't believe your ears.

"Bird lives!"

Thursday, March 11 / 7:00 p.m.

Dave Posmontier Quintet
featuring
David Cullen, guitar
Bob Howell, saxophone
Erick Johnson, drums
Chico Huff, bass
Dave Posmontier, keyboards

Tickets $10 at door

Dave Posmontier is an acclaimed jazz pianist who has been playing professionally for 35 years.

Ever since he started playing the piano and keyboards at age 7, jazz has always had a special appeal for Posmontier.

“A large part of jazz is improvising, making it up as you go along, as opposed to reading the written music,” he said. “From the very beginning, I started sitting down and playing by ear and making up music even before I could read music.”

Posmontier will perform with saxophonist Bob Howell, bassist Chico Huff, drummer Erik Johnson, and Berks County guitarist David Cullen.

Currently, Dave is playing, composing, arranging, teaching, and participating in educational jazz concerts and clinics with noted jazz violinist, John Blake, in schools throughout the area.

Dave can be heard on several CD’s of Philadelphia area jazz artists and is currently working on a CD of his original compositions.

Thursday, March 18 / 7:00 p.m.

Guitar Summit: Remembering Les Paul
Bucky Pizzarelli
Howard Alden
Frank DiBussolo

Tickets $15 at door

The Jazz Base is thrilled to present this special kickoff concert for the 20th annual VF Outlet Berks Jazz Fest featuring three amazing guitarists.

For more than six decades, the legendary Bucky Pizzarelli has had a stellar career.

“The complete jazz musician," Bucky was a fixture in jazz and the studios since the early 1950s. The list of big bands and vocalists with whom Bucky has performed and recorded reads like a veritable Who's Who of Jazz.

One of the era's most solid rhythm players, Pizzarelli was in high demand, playing and touring with Benny Goodman, Zoot Sims, Bud Freeman, and Stephane Grappelli, and, later, recording with George Van Eps, Carl Kress and George Barnes. His superior mastery of the seven-string guitar is unparalleled. The beloved guitarist has developed a very personal style that sets him apart.

Howard Alden is one of a handful of guitarists bringing the seven-string archtop to the forefront of jazz. His prowess as a single-string improviser is daunting and his insight into fretboard harmony and chord construction is second to none.

Alden's early influences were Louis Armstrong, Barney Kessel, and Charlie Christian. He later developed a passion for the harmonies and textures in the music of Bill Evans and Thelonious Monk. He continues to challenge his creativity by performing in different instrumental combinations and settings.

Robert Benedetto said: "No doubt, if you looked up Howard Alden in Webster's dictionary, he would be defined as "The Consummate Guitarist." Howard doesn't hold the guitar as he plays -- he caresses it. I'm at a loss for words when trying to describe Howard's playing style. He does everything with impeccable taste and truly plays as if the guitar were just another appendage."

Frank DiBussolo is a virtuoso jazz guitarist and vocalist who can perform solo or with any size ensemble. He has recorded extensively and has been nominated for a Grammy eight times. He has performed with such notables as Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Al Martino, Regis Philbin & Cathy Lee, Buddy Rich, Dizzy Gillespie, Doc Severenson and Art Blakey, Bucky Pizzarelli, Jack Wilkins among others.

Jimmy Bruno has said of Frank: “It would be hard to imagine anyone playing the guitar better than this.”

Friday, March 19 / Two shows: 7 p.m. & 10 p.m.

Night of Straightahead Jazz
Denis DiBlasio Quartet
with special guest
Randy Brecker
plus
Steve Varner, bass
Jim Ridl, piano
Jim Miller, drums

Tickets $20 at door or in advance
Berks Jazz Fest Ticket Information

Gerald Veasley’s Jazz Base welcomes the Denis DiBlasio Quartet with special guest, trumpet and flugelhorn legend Randy Brecker, for a pair of Berks Jazz Fest concerts.

Baritone saxophone and flute artist Denis DiBlasio directs the jazz program at Rowan University in New Jersey and is the executive director of The Maynard Ferguson Institute of Jazz at Rowan. He is known throughout the world for his nine recordings, published texts, arrangements and compositions.

After five years as music director with Maynard Ferguson and touring on his own, DiBlasio continues to travel around the world performing and teaching. His approach of keeping things simple, informative and positive keeps his schedule extremely busy, booking dates sometimes three years in advance.

His inspirational connection with young musicians is what makes a DiBlasio clinic so special. Keeping things attainable and fun make up the foundation of his friendly approach. It's what some people have termed “edutainment.”

The Denis DiBlasio Quartet features Jim Ridl (piano), Jim Miller (drums) and Steve Varner (bass).

Over the course of his four decade-plus career, Randy Brecker has been a highly sought-after artist and performer in jazz, rock and R&B, and has performed or recorded with Stanley Turrentine, Billy Cobham, Bruce Springsteen, Lou Reed, Sandip Burman, Charles Mingus, Blood Sweat & Tears (playing on their first album Child Is Father To The Man), Horace Silver, Frank Zappa, Parliament-Funkadelic, Chris Parker, Jaco Pastorius, Dire Straits, Todd Rundgren, Blue Öyster Cult, Spyro Gyra and many others.

Randy was the older brother of the late jazz saxophonist Michael Brecker (1949-2007). Together they led Dreams and the Brecker Brothers, a popular funk and fusion band which recorded several albums from the 1970s through the 1990s.

Saturday, March 20/ Two shows: 7 p.m. & 10 p.m.

Tribute to Virtuoso Bassist
Electric Mingus Project
featuring
Gerald Veasley, bass
Doc Gibbs, percussion
Butch Reed, drums
Chris Farr, saxophone
John Swana, trumpet
Tony Miceli, vibes

Tickets $25 at door or in advance
Berks Jazz Fest Ticket Information

Irascible, demanding, bullying and long considered a genius, Charles Mingus cut himself a uniquely iconoclastic path through jazz in the middle of the 20th century as an artist committed to the spirit, spontaneity, and expressive power of jazz.

Most of his music retained the hot and soulful feel of hard bop and drew heavily from black gospel music while sometimes drawing on elements of Third Stream Jazz and free jazz.

Gerald Veasley, one of the most inventive bassists of the current generation and founder of the Jazz Base at the Crowne Plaza Reading, will present his Electric Mingus Project at the club during the fest. He debuted this project live at the 2007 Berks Jazz Fest with special guest, violinist John Blake.

“For quite a long time,” Veasley says, “I had this idea of interpreting Mingus’ music, and I finally put together a band that could approach this project with the utmost integrity and bold creativity. Because Mingus was such a force of nature, I felt it was important to make our live presentation multidimensional. We utilize not only electric and acoustic instruments but sound effects and narration of various topics in Mingus’ own words. There is so much to take away from Mingus' music and struggle.”

The Philadelphia-born Veasley joined Grover Washington Jr.’s band in 1986 and two years later moved on to the Zawinul Syndicate, led by fusion pioneer Joe Zawinul, co-founder of Weather Report.

Veasley’s résumé also includes sessions and/or tour gigs with Special EFX, Pieces of a Dream, McCoy Tyner, Gerald Levert, Teddy Pendergrass, Nnenna Freelon, Philip Bailey, the Dixie Hummingbirds, Phil Perry, labelmate Joe McBride and John Blake.

The bassist launched his solo career on Heads Up Records in 1992 with Look Ahead, which was followed by some of the most critically acclaimed releases of 1990s and 2000s.

In 2005, Veasley responded to the clamor among his fans for a live recording with At The Jazz Base!, which was recorded at the club in November 2004. His latest album is Your Move (2008).

Wednesday, March 24 / 7 p.m.

Fusion and Funk
Dean Brown Band
featuring special guest
Dennis Chambers
with
Schuyler Deale, bass
Bobby Sparks, keyboards    

Tickets $25 at door or in advance
Berks Jazz Fest Ticket Information

For DBIII: Live In Tokyo, his third outing as a leader, veteran jazz guitarist Dean Brown called on two longtime friends, bassist Will Lee and drummer Dennis Chambers, to complete a potent power trio.

Laying down some seriously funky grooves while interacting in the moment with jazzy abandon, the three infuse this date — recorded in the heart of the Japanese metropolis at The Cotton Club — with the earth-shaking energy and fiery licks that were streaming off the bandstand on three consecutive nights.

From finely-crafted Brown originals like the edgy “Take This,” the slamming “Solid” and the epic “The Battle’s Over (For Jaco)” to faithful covers of Jimi Hendrix’s “Up from the Skies” and The Beatles’ “All You Need Is Love,” DBIII: Live in Tokyo easily straddles genres while remaining organically in the moment.

Brown, a bona fide road warrior who has toured with the likes of David Sanborn, Billy Cobham, Marcus Miller and the Brecker Brothers, delivers some jaw-dropping fretboard fireworks from track to track.

Since 1982, the versatile guitarist has also recorded and/or toured worldwide with Roberta Flack, Bob James, Joe Zawinul, George Duke, Victor Bailey, Bill Evans and Steve Smith's Vital Information. Brown’s guitar work can be heard on over 100 albums including four Grammy Award winners.

His live performances include DVDs with Marcus Miller, Billy Cobham, Gil Evans, David Sanborn and Friends, Louie Belson, Bob James, and Steve Smith’s Vital Information. His previous solo recordings include Here (2001) and Groove Warrior (2004).

Dennis Chambers has recorded and performed with John Scofield, Carl Filipiak, Steely Dan, Santana, Parliament/Funkadelic, John McLaughlin, Niacin, Mike Stern and many others. Despite a complete lack of formal training, Chambers has become well-known among drummers for his impressive technique and speed.

Chambers exhibits a powerful style that is technically proficient, yet highly musical and groove-oriented. He can play in a wide variety of musical genres and is well known for his fast hands and triplets on the bass drum.

Chambers began drumming at the age of 4 years old, and was gigging in Baltimore-area nightclubs by the age of six. In 1978 (at 18 years old) he joined Parliament/Funkadelic, and stayed with them until 1985. In the early 1990s he joined the John Scofield Band.

Recently, he has been part of the Maceo Parker live band and has toured with Carlos Santana.

Thursday, March 25 / 7 p.m.

From Trane to Cannonball
Mike Eben's From the Hip
featuring
Roger Morgan, trumpet
Tony Vattimo, keyboards
Pete Rogosky, guitar
Terry Bortman, bass
Bob Eben, drums
Mike Eben, saxophones

Tickets $10 at door or in advance
Berks Jazz Fest Ticket Information

From the HIP began when saxophonist Mike Eben was looking for a way to put together a band to play the music he loved best. His, brother, Bob, was looking for a challenge after years of playing rock.

A band was born!

From the HIP plays classic soul jazz and hard bop, along with funk and fusion. Their inspiration comes, well, from the "Hip" -- the great jazz artists of the past, like Trane, Miles, Cannonball, Horace Silver, Freddie Hubbard, Hank Mobley and Lee Morgan.

From the Hip also will be debuting music composed/arranged by its outstanding keyboardist, Tony Vattimo, who recently released a new CD, Can't Let Go. The CD features 11 original contemporary jazz tracks.

From the HIP is comprised of Mike Eben, saxes; Roger Morgan, trumpet, flugelhorn; Tony Vattimo, keyboards; Mike Byrne, guitar, trombone; Terry Bortman, bass; and Bob Eben, drums.

The band is a favorite at Gerald Veasley's Jazz Base, performing at the popular club several times a year. Eben also is involved with the numerous educational activities during the Berks Jazz Fest.

If you like your jazz funky, groovy, and tuneful, don't miss From the HIP!

Friday, March 26 / Two Shows: 7 & 10 p.m.

Legendary Guitarist
Pat Martino Quartet
featuring
Eric Alexander, saxophones
Tony Monaco, B3 Hammond
Jason Brown, drums

Tickets $32 at door or in advance
Berks Jazz Fest Ticket Information

Berks Jazz Fest will host a special evening of traditional jazz with the Pat Martino Quartet, featuring saxophonist Eric Alexander, Hammond B-3 wizard Tony Monaco and drummer Jason Brown.

Although more recent fans may know Pat Martino best for his incredible recovery from a life-threatening brain aneurysm, his resume as a rock and jazz sideman dates all the way back to the early rock scene in Philly, when he performed with Bobby Rydell, Chubby Checker and Bobby Darin.

The organ trio concept had a profound influence on his rhythmic and harmonic approach, and he later joined the bands of Jack McDuff and Don Patterson.

In 1976, Martino began experiencing the excruciating headaches that were eventually diagnosed as symptoms of his aneurysms. After his surgery and recovery, he resumed his career when he appeared in1987 in New York, a gig that was released on a CD with an appropriate name, The Return. He then took another hiatus when both of his parents became ill, and he didn't record again until 1994, when he recorded Interchange and then The Maker.

Over the years, he has been a recording artist for Vanguard, Prestige, Warner Brothers, Muse, Columbia, King, Paddlewheel, Evidence, Sony, 32 Jazz, High Note, Milestone, Polydor, Concord, Fantasy, House of Blues, Mythos, Mainstream, Cobblestone, Atlantic and, most currently, Blue Note Records.

Since 2000, he has released Live at Yoshi’s, Think Tank (both Grammy nominees for Best Jazz Instrumental Album) and 2006’s Remember: A Tribute To Wes Montgomery.

After placing second behind Joshua Redman in the 1991 Thelonious Monk International Saxophone Competition, Eric Alexander began playing with organ trios on the South Side of Chicago, made his recording debut in 1991 with Charles Earland on Muse Records, and cut his first album as a leader, Straight Up, in 1992.

In addition to his staggering discography of almost 25 recordings, Alexander has been a prolific sideman, composer and producer as well. In 2004, he signed an exclusive contract with the New York-based independent jazz label HighNote Records. His most recent dates are It’s All In The Game (2006), Temple of Olympic Zeus (2007) and Prime Time (2008).

One of the world’s most renowned Hammond B-3 players and innovators, Tony Monaco has played around the world with some of greatest musicians in jazz, including Mel Lewis, Lewis Nash, Red Holloway, Plas Johnson, Sonny Fortune, Jon Faddis, Adam Nussbaum, Bruce Forman, Harvey Mason, Chester Thompson, Jeff Clayton, Terrell Stafford, Eric Alexander, Bobby Durham, Russell Malone, Peter Bernstein, Kevin Mahogany and Victor Lewis.

In 2007, he celebrated 40 years as a musician and appeared on the cover of Keyboard Magazine.

Saturday, March 27
Two Shows: 7 & 10 p.m.

An Evening With
Yellowjackets
featuring
Bob Mintzer, saxophones
Russell Ferrante, piano
Marcus Baylor, drums
Jimmy Haslip, bass

Tickets $36 at door or in advance
Berks Jazz Fest Ticket Information

The fascinating history of one of jazz fusion’s most celebrated quartets, which includes a whopping total of 14 Grammy nominations and two Grammy wins, extends back to 1977, when guitarist Robben Ford assembled a group of veteran session musicians to record his album The Inside Story.

The trio of musicians, which included keyboardist Russell Ferrante, bassist Jimmy Haslip and drummer Ricky Lawson, soon discovered a certain chemistry that led to their formation of Yellowjackets.

Officially launched in 1981 as an R&B-oriented band starring Ford, the group took a giant step forward when, after Ford’s departure, altoist Marc Russo took his place.

With Will Kennedy replacing Ricky Lawson (who left to tour with Lionel Richie), the band began playing original compositions on par with those of Joe Zawinal and Weather Report.

Starting their recording career on Warner Bros. in the early 1980s, they signed with MCA/GRP in 1986 and enjoyed a string of well-received albums, including Shades (1986), which won a “Best R&B Instrumental” Grammy for And You Know That, and Politics (1988), which won for “Best Jazz Fusion Performance.”

In the 1990s, Russo left the fold and his replacement, Bob Mintzer (on tenor sax and bass clarinet), added more jazz credibility to the group’s music. They moved back to Warner Brothers in 1995 for several albums before signing with Heads Up for the Grammy nominated live two-CD set Mint Jam in 2002, which marked Marcus Baylor’s official recording debut as the band’s permanent drummer.

The year 2003 saw the release of Time Squared, their first studio album in five years; three years later, the band celebrated its 25th anniversary as an ensemble with the release of the live album Twenty Five.

In May 2008, the Yellowjackets released their 20th release, Lifecycle, which featured guitarist and labelmate Mike Stern, making it the first Yellowjackets record in 15 years to feature guitar. The album received two Grammy nominations, “Best Contemporary Jazz Album” and one for Russell Ferrante for “Best Instrumental Composer” for the track “Claire's Closet.”

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Thursday, April 1

Jazz Base closed / Post Jazz Fest Break

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Thursday, April 8 / 7:00 p.m.

TBA

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Thursday, April 15 / 7:00 p.m.

TBA

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Thursday, April 22 / 7:00 p.m.

Blues Night
Walter Trout
featuring
Michael Leasure, drums
Sammy Avila, B3 Hammond
Rick Knapp, guitar

Tickets $20 at door or in advance
CLICK HERE to order online

Walter Trout's music is hard to label.

Is Trout's music too blues for rock -- or too rock for blues?

To label Walter Trout's music is to limit it. With more than 35 years of touring and recording under his belt, this New Jersey native has been "loved and hated, accused and vindicated, packaged and presented for everyone to see."

Being at a live performance with Trout approaches temporary insanity -- the excitement, the unknown, the experimentation. Truly tantalizing sounds on par with those infamous Eric Clapton licks and Stevie Ray Vaughan riffs, are testament to Trout's talent. His music speaks to your soul, warms your heart and has your foot tapping. Trout brings the blues to life and invigorates rock in a manner all too rare these days.

Whether an improvisational jam or a carefully arranged song, Walter Trout's thirst for musical satisfaction is seemingly unquenchable. Equally capable of spontaneous serendipity as well as pre-planned perfection, this guitarist is truly in the midst of an all-encompassing love affair with the music he creates.

CLICK HERE to view video.

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