In this musical tribute to the legendary band leader, saxophonist, and singer, Louis Jordan, Bay Area harmonica ace Phil Berkowitz and his band present an evening of music from the man who made the blues jump! Louis Jordan was not only a master of the jump blues, but in his heyday, from the late 1930s to the early 1950s, he was one of the top African-American band leaders in the country, along with Duke Ellington and Count Basie, widely popular among black and white audiences alike with such songs as “Caldonia,” “Choo Choo Ch’Boogie,” and “Is You Is Or Is You Ain’t My Baby.” Featuring selections from his album, Phil Berkowitz Plays Louis' Blues, Phil and his hot band are on a mission to reintroduce the world to the incandescent music, high energy, and sly humor of Louis Jordan. A blues harpist and a dynamic vocalist, Phil has been bringing his unique and energetic musical style to Bay Area audiences for more than a decade alongside folks like Danny Caron and Brenda Boykin, as well as with his own band, The Dirty Cats. The website BluesWax calls his latest album, All Night Party, “a superb record,” Living Blues Magazine calls it “consistently imaginative,” “wonderfully surprising,” and “a winner,” and the website BluesByte says “Berkowitz blows inspiring harp!” For his Louis Jordan show, Phil seized the idea of translating the jazzy, blues-soaked saxophone riffs to red-hot diatonic harmonica. Tonight he’ll be joined by William Beatty on piano, Bowen Brown on drums, “Little” David Rose on upright bass, Erv Ervin on saxophone, Robert Dehlinger on trumpet, and Josh Workman on guitar.

Berkeley native William Beatty is a veteran of the Bay Area music scene. He played piano and composed music for the popular jump swing band Indigo Swing from 1995 to 2000 and has served both as sideman and bandleader on a wide variety of projects. The original compositions on his albums Songs of Unconditional Love and Tamalpais showcase his influences from classical music, pop, and rhythm and blues. His Swing Trio features two original members of Indigo Swing, David Rose on bass and Bowen Brown on drums.

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