On Sept. 10, Poncho Sanchez will grace the stage at the Warner Grand Theatre, headlining the third annual San Pedro Music Festival.
The living Latin jazz legend has been tearing up the music circuit on the West Coast with August performances in Montclair at the Canyon, and the Leimert Park Jazz Festival. He was at the Hollywood Bowl this past June.
For nearly five decades as both a leader and a sideman, Sanchez has been cooking a fiery stew of straight-ahead jazz, gritty soul music, and infectious melodies and rhythms from a variety of Latin American and South American sources.
For all the music lovers and jazz aficionados around, we suggest you go get some.
It’s rare for 1990s R&B to get the recognition it deserves on the Mount Rushmore of R&B. That’s why it’s exciting to hear that festival’s second headliner is 1990s R&B vocalist Tony Terry, known for his hit, “With You.”
His self-titled second album included the hit single was released in 1990 when it reached the top 20 of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, as well as the top 10 on the R&B chart. “Everlasting Love,” was a number-six R&B hit.
For anyone wondering what he’s been doing since then, Terry released a project in 2017, I Tony 6, on Spectra’s Monarchy Records. In 2020, he was on the national tour of Tall Dark and Handsome and undertook The Wiz National Tour as the Tin Man.
Also on the ticket is The Scorch Sisters featuring Francesca Capasso (vocalist, percussion), Alicia Morgan (vocalist on keys), Kimberly Allison (guitar), Elizabeth Hangan (vocalist on bass), and Trish Lash (vocalist on drums). They bring rock ’n’ roll and the blues into the mix of their jaw-dropping virtuosity and down-home soul.
Windy Barnes Farrell, the festival founder will be performing with her daughters as the band, The Law. They haven’t performed as a group since they went on tour with Julio Iglesias 20 years ago.
Jazz enthusiasts who are into the tried and true will be pleased to know that Jazz in Pink will be at the festival. The all-female ensemble consists of musicians Gail Jhonson (keyboards), Althea Rene (flute), Karen Briggs (violin), and others, including a full rhythm section, harp, and horns. A trained arranger and pianist, Jhonson serves as the music director for the popular group.
Formed in 2008, the acclaimed ensemble has performed across the country and abroad with more than 50 musicians and vocalists who compose, arrange, and produce music in the genre of smooth jazz. Their stage performances combine a variety of musical styles, including classical, funk, gospel, Latin, world, and jazz.
Don’t sleep on the Foundation. The O’Jays tribute band are premiere performers belting out the O’Jays’ greatest hits with the moves to boot. They’ve been called to perform at festivals and events across Southern California.
Lastly is John Stanley King, who is an artist well-versed in multiple genres of music. Mostly known in the valley, King is quoted as saying for 50 years he’s had to figure out how to make a living playing music, without getting bored or burned out with it.
“What I figured out, because I love so many genres of music is that by putting a blues band together and playing blues tunes, I have enough blues in me to be considered a blues guy,” King is quoted as saying. “So I’ve gotten awards for being a blues artist.”
Motivational speaker Stacey Bullock will be the festival’s host and shepherd of the day’s acts, with 10 to 15-minute breaks between sets and a 25-minute intermission.
The San Pedro Music Festival is a long day of music from a variety of genres giving music lovers a little taste of everything.
However, Windy’s main goal is to help families that have been impacted by gun and gang violence — and their loss, in particular — with funeral costs, food, and grief counseling.
This year, Barnes Farrell hopes to introduce the family of Quincy Reese Jr. during the festival. Reese, a 16-year-old Crenshaw High School student and basketball standout, was shot and killed this past June. The shooting took place at a party at which there was an altercation. He was an innocent bystander.
The family have set up a Gofundme page with a goal of $50,000 to offset funeral cost. A little more than $30,000 has been raised so far.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/quincy-reese-jr-funeral-memorial
San Pedro Music Festival
Time: 4 to 10 p.m., Sept. 10
Cost: $25-$35 for open seating, $100 for Balcony seating and VIP party
Details: sanpedromusicfestival.com
Venue: Warner Grand Theatre, 478 W. 6th St., San Pedro