It's hard to believe, but the 20th annual VF Outlet Berks Jazz Fest starts in 27 days.

Before heading off to a Sunday morning production meeting, here are some comments, thoughts, updates, etc.

1) Looking forward to Thursday night's "Art of Strings" show at Gerald Veasley's Jazz Base featuring electric bassist Gerald Veasley, violinist John Blake and guitarist Jimmy Bruno.
It's the second time this dynamic trio will present this must-see show. Show starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are $15 at the door.

2) Please check out all the "Countdown to the 20th" concerts and events that are scheduled before the start of the fest.

3) Look for an announcement regarding to a special series of four "Berks Jazz Fest Backstage" radio programs to be aired on WEEU 830AM starting Monday, March 1. The one-hour programs will be hosted by Gerald Veasley and Diane Dayton and will feature interviews with BJF artists.

4) Speaking of WEEU 830AM, it has partnered with the Reading Eagle on a special "Front-Row Friday" promotion. The daily newspaper publishes weekly "Front-Row Friday" entry forms every Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. A winner is selected during a random drawing of all entries Friday and announced at 4:30 p.m. on WEEU's Jo Painter show. The winner has 15 minutes to claim the front-row tickets. If tickets are not claimed, they are added to the next grand prize. Last Friday, the winner received two front-row tickets to the Chris Botti and Wynton Marsalis concerts, plus two $50 gift cards from VF Outlet.

The news that Chuck Loeb was joining jazz supergroup Fourplay was music to the hears of his many Berks Jazz Fest friends.

Last week, Fourplay management announced that guitarist Larry Carlton was ending a 12-year stint with the band to pursue other musical challenges. The band quickly announced that Loeb was joining Bob James, Nathan East and Harvey Mason.

It always a great feeling when you see good things happenging to good people. Chuck Loeb is one of the good guys in the business.

When you see Chuck at the Berks Jazz Fest, please take the time to congratulate him and wish him well!

You can see the first Chuck Loeb-version of Fourplay live at the Seabreeze Jazz Festival in Destin, Florida, on April 18.

It's official. Drummer Will Kennedy is back with the Yellowjackets.

On its web site, the band confirmed that Kennedy has replaced Marcus Baylor, who took over the Jackets drum chair 10 years ago when Kennedy decided to leave the band to explore other musical opportunities.

During his first 10-year stint, Kennedy recorded 10 records with the Jackets -- Russell Ferrante, Jimmy Haslip and Bob Mintzer -- who received 14 Grammy nominations during that time. Will also won Modern Drummer magazine's reader's poll for best drummer (electric jazz category) three years in a row.

Kennedy will be performing both weekends of the festival. On Saturday, March 20, he will be the drummer for the Brian Bromberg & Friends show at the Crowne Plaza Reading Ballroom, 10 p.m.

Kennedy returns the following weekend with the Yellowjackets for two shows at Gerald Veasley's Jazz Base on Saturday, March 27, 7 and 10 p.m.

While attending a music conference in New York recently, I had the chance to see Frank Vignola's Hot Club perform live.

All I can say is WOW! What an amazing performance by five master musicians.

The Frank Vignola Hot Club will be performing during the Berks Jazz Fest on Tuesday, March 23, 7:30 p.m., at the Miller Center for the Arts located on the campus of Reading Area Community College.

Guitar virtuoso Vignola and his ensemble will be celebrating the music of Django Reinhardt, who would have been 100 in 2010.

In addition to Vignola, the Hot Club includes monster bassist Gary Mazzaroppi, young guitarist extraordinaire Vinny Raniolo, violinist Zach Prock, and French-born accordionist Julien Labro.
 
You do not want to miss this show!

Check out these YouTube videos of Frank Vignola's Hot Club performing live at The Wagon Shed:

 Gypsy Mania
                                    
 Rimsky Korsakov 
                 
 Belleville

 Diminishing Blackness

 Carmen Medley

I apologize for not posting any Berks Jazz Fest news/updates since the end of 2009.

Well, there is plenty of exciting things happening with the 20th annual fest.

A special "Countdown to 20th" series of concerts and events has been finalized, which will turn Reading into "Jazztown USA" now through the end of the festival on Sunday, March 28.

The "Countdown" events include the following:

1) All Thursday night concerts scheduled at Gerald Veasley's Jazz Base.

2) The Manhattan Transfer concert at the Sovereign Performing Arts Center on Saturday, Feb. 20.

3) A free community concert at the VF Outlet complex on Saturday, March 6.

4) A "Tribute to Tower of Power" concert featuring the Dance Hall Docs and special guest vocalist Brent Carter, former lead singer with TOP, set for Friday, March 12, at the Inn at Reading, 8 p.m.

5) And much more! CLICK HERE for complete schedule.

More events will be added as they are finalized.

We are making every effort to make this milestone fest the best ever.

Thanksgiving is a great time of the year.

Dinner with family and friends.

College and pro football on TV.

Black Friday holiday shopping, including the incredible "Midnight Madness" event at VF Outlet in Reading.

But for those of us involved with the annual Berks Jazz Fest, it also marks the beginning of the four-month countdown to the festival launch on Friday, March 19, 2010.

The clock starts ticking two days after Thanksgiving -- Saturday, Nov. 28 -- when tickets for "Jazz Circle" members go on sale at 10 a.m.

The following day, the lineup/schedule is officially announced in the Sunday Reading Eagle and at www.berksjazzfest.com

Tickets for general public go on sale Saturday, Dec. 5, at 10 a.m.

When you announce the lineup and start selling tickets, there is no turning back. The show is on.

The BJF committee is very excited about the 2010 lineup -- and the yet-to-be-announced special events being planned for the milestone 20th annual festival.

In addition to the 10-day fest, a full schedule of "preview" events are being planned.

That schedule will be announced during the "Remembering Grover Washington Jr." holiday concert set for Friday, Dec. 11, 7:30 p.m., at the Miller Center for the Arts, featuring Gerald Veasley and Eric Darius.

You do not want to miss the holiday concert. It's going to be a great night of music honoring a legendary musician on the 10th anniversary of his passing.

So, enjoy the holiday weekend and start making your plans for the 20th annual VF Outlet Berks Jazz Fest.

When Gerald Veasley's Jazz Base opened five years ago, there were many skeptics who said the weekly jazz series would not last.

Those skeptics believed the local jazz community would not support the Jazz Base.

Well, those skeptics were wrong. The Jazz Base will celebrate it's "5th Anniversary" on Thursday, Oct. 1, 7 p.m., at the Crowne Plaza Reading.

Appropriately, Gerald Veasley and his band, along with special guests vocalist Carol Riddick and the Berks Jazz Fest Horns, will headline the musical celebration.

It's going to be a great night for the "loyal" Jazz Base fans who HAVE supported the club the past five years.

There will be special ticket giveways, free cake and other surprises.

Hope to see you at the Jazz Base Thursday night!
 

There have been numerous inquiries the last few weeks regarding the opening act of the 20th annual VF Outlet Berks Jazz Fest.

The questions are the result of the upcoming tour schedule on Chris Botti's web site that lists Botti performing in Reading on Friday, March 19, 2010.

Well, the answer to those questions is the listing is correct. Yes, the popular trumpeter will headline the opening-night concert.

Botti will kick off the 10-day festival with a performance at the Reading Eagle Theater at the Sovereign Center on Friday, March 19, at 7:30 p.m.  It promises to be a special night for this milestone festival.

In addition to Botti, many new and never-seen-before shows are scheduled, along with some legendary names and acts. The festival lineup is nearing completion and the committee feels that the overall star-studded lineup will make the 20th annual fest something very special and maybe the best ever.

After taking an extended hiatus after the Berks Jazz Fest, it's time to restart this blog space to keep everyone up to date on what's happening with the 20th annual VF Outlet Berks Jazz Fest.

The lineup for the milestone festival is taking shape. Many artists have been confirmed, including several who performed at the inauagural festival. After the Labor Day holiday, we will begin announcing artists who will be part of the all-star lineup.

Here's a hint -- the trumpet will be a recurring theme to the lineup for the 10-day fest.

While waiting for the spring festival, you can enjoy great music in Berks County all year -- especially at Gerald Veasley's Jazz Base at the Crowne Plaza Reading every Thursday night.

Last week a packed house enjoyed a great performance by Marc Antoine and Brian Simpson, which featured Gerald Veasley sitting in for a song during each set. The Jazz Base offers fans a chance to see these artists in an intimate venue.

The Antoine-Simpson show was part of the Smooth Jazz 92.7 Series at the Jazz Base.

The series continues on Thursday, Sept. 24, with Candy Dulfer performing two shows -- 7 and 10 p.m. Tickets are on sale now and going fast.

On Thursday, Oct. 1, 7 p.m., the Jazz Base's 5th Anniversary Concert features Gerald Veasley and his band  -- and a few surprise guests.

Another show was added to the series last week and it features Joe McBride on Thursday, Oct. 22, 7 p.m. Joe just released his latest CD -- Lookin' for a Change -- which is getting great reviews and climbing quickly on the radio and internet jazz charts.

Lookin’ For A Change is a collection of songs originally written and recorded by a range of pop luminaries, including Gnarls Barkley, Coldplay, John Mayer, Seal and several others. Joe's interpretation of Barkley's "Crazy" is killer.