B.K. Jackson
Friday March 19th 6-7pm

B.K. Jackson is an 18-year-old saxophone sensation from Tampa, Florida. B.K. is an exceptional musician and has been electrifying audiences in the Tampa Bay area for several years. B.K. first performed at the age of 11, and has received numerous awards for his talents. He was voted as the 2007 Tampa Bay Entertainer of the Year (First Annual Black Diamond Award) and was the 2007 NAACP ACT-SO (Afro Academic Technological Scientific Olympics) Gold Medal Winner in the Music Instrumental/Contemporary Category. Most recently, on June 6, 2008, B.K. (the youngest person ever selected as a finalist) won the fifth annual 2008 Capital Jazz Festival Challenge in Columbia, Maryland.
B.K. has opened for numerous nationally renowned artists, such as Brian McKnight, Fantasia, Kirk Whalum, Pieces of a Dream, Wayman Tisdale, Paul Brown, Ken Navarro, Gerald Albright, Eric Darius, 480 East, Arturo Sandoval, and Roy Ayers. In May 2008, B.K. had the privilege of opening for the renowned blues artist B.B. King at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater, Florida, and received three standing ovations during his 30-min. set. On October 16, 2008, B.K. opened the Clearwater Jazz Holiday Festival for the legendary Tony Bennett. In addition, B.K. performs regularly throughout the Tampa/Clearwater/St. Petersburg area. B.K. wows the crowds with his extraordinary talent, stage presence, and ability to command an audience.
In August 2008, B.K. released his debut CD “On the Move.” The first two releases from the CD are track 1 “On the Move” and track 7 “That Time of Night.” This CD is very impressive, especially given that most of the original tunes were co-written by B.K. at age 16, with the exception of “Feelin’ Saxy” which was written by him when he was in the seventh grade. He is truly a talent well beyond his years!
B.K. Jackson is a graduate of Howard W. Blake High School for the Performing Arts. B.K. is a Freshman at Florida A&M University in the Jazz Studies program.

Saturday March 20th 4:15-5:45pm
 

This unparalleled artist, born December 25th in Detroit, Michigan, began her musical career at age four as a classical flautist. She studied classical music while attending Howard University in Washington D.C. and later she gained further musical inspiration from the accomplishments of Yusef Lateef, Ian Anderson, and Dave Valentine. She has since developed her own creative style. Althea René has worked more than 10 years as a Wayne County Deputy Sheriff (Detroit, Michigan). Today, Ms. René is a full-time performing/recording artist and is regarded among many as one of the nation's most exciting solo improvisational flautists. She is currently one of the headliners on Norman Brown's 2009 Smooth Music Cruise. Althea René's latest CD release "No Restrictions" has a unique urban contemporary flavor with a jazzy/R&B twist. She surrounds herself with some of today's most influential music producers to create an unsurpassed collection of jams. Grammy winning producer Michael Broenig (Paul McCartney & Marion Meadows) leads the charge with the piping hot title track "No Restrictions". Grammy nominated producer Rex Rideout (Luther Vandross & Lalah Hathaway) delivers scorching remakes of the urban classics "Wishing on a Star" and "I Love Your Smile". Chance Howard (Prince & The Time) takes it to another level with his sizzling Minneapolis groove "Do Ya Like Dat?" Producer Kendall Duffie (Mary Mary & Marvin Winans) puts his silky smooth touch on "Ladies Nite Out" which features guest appearances from recording artists, saxophonist Candy Dulfer and bassist Rhonda Smith. This collaboration of extraordinary talent can be called a "Red Hot" tour de force of musicianship and groovability.

Tim Bowman

Sunday March 21st 3:30-5pm

 

It’s been four years since smooth jazz guitarist Tim Bowman’s last CD, “This Is What I Hear” was winning rave magazine reviews and garnering ubiquitous smooth jazz radio airplay. Now, The release of Bowman’s fifth album has topped the charts. The self-titled collection features hit songs like Sweet Sundays which held the #1 spot for over 12 weeks, High Def, and Rapture featuring saxophonist Najee. Heavy
hitters Kirk Whalum, Jeff Lorber, Randy Scott, and Darren Rahn all show up on the record. "I am so blessed to have some of the best musicians in the world on this record", Bowman says of the collaborations. Bowman’s son, Tim Bowman Jr., is also featured on the R&B song, All I Need Is You. Mellow, pulsating tunes like For
You, My Love, Sunset, and Soul Dream leave room for no other title except, “Tim Bowman”. Bowman is back on the scene with a new CD that demonstrates that he still has his ear pressed firmly to the radio. The new self-titled project, Bowman’s first for Trippin’ N Rhythm is full of the cool and funky hooks that have defined his
personal jazz style over the last decade and kept him at the top of the charts. When asked what he thought about the new collection, Bowman says, "I feel good about this one. It’s the feeling I get every time I know I’ve had fun making an album".