Jacksonville Jazz Festival 2016 Program

YELLOWJACKETS
Throughout their storied 35-
year history, the Yellowjackets
have recorded 22 albums,
received 17 GRAMMY
nominations – won two –
performed countless sold-out
tours, and enjoyed worldwide
critical acclaim and commercial
success. The Yellowjackets
formed in the late 1970’s as the
backup band for guitarist Robben
Ford. They recorded their first
album together in 1980. Shortly
after that recording, however,
Ford decided to part ways and
go in a different musical direction.
As a result, the modern day
Yellowjackets were formed—a
trio with Russell Ferrante, Jimmy
Haslip and Ricky Lawson. Since
then, and with the addition of
Bob Mintzer, the Yellowjackets
have gained and maintained
prominence as one of jazz’s most
influential and loved groups. Over
the years the band has undergone
numerous lineup changes. Never
failing to rise to the inevitable
challenges of adjustment, the
Yellowjackets —Russell Ferrante,
William Kennedy, Bob Mintzer—
have maintained an extraordinarily
high quality of musicianship that
is the rival of many but a surprise
to no one who knows and
appreciates the band and their
music. The most recent addition
to the band adds Australian bass
player Dane Alderson in to the
mix. With his exceptional
rhythmic sensibility and natural
disposition toward groove, Dane
brings a new energy to the band
and adds a youthful approach
to the music. The Yellowjackets
newest album Coherence will
be released on Mack Avenue
Records in April 2016.
KEN FORD
A wonder to behold on stage,
Ken’s evocative playing and
passion for strings on the electric
violin have enthralled fans of
all ages, as well as peers from
diverse genres, from jazz to
blues, R&B to hip-hop and more.
With a soul-stirring style that
highlights all the voices of the
violin, from sensuous and genteel
to dramatic and muscular, Ken’s
talents have brought him on stage
and into the recording studio
with a range of superstar artists
including Bruno Mars, Jill Scott,
Wyclef Jean, Chaka Khan, Ledisi,
Brian Culbertson, the late Barry
White, Erykah Badu and more.
Additionally, Ken had the pleasure
and honor to play for our beloved
First Lady of the United States of
America, Michelle Obama!
Since his first taste of music
and captivating audiences as a
kid, Ken’s love of music continues
and he is sharing that love
through the Ken Ford Foundation.
Teaching workshops to kids from
ages 4 to 18, Ken opens their
world to music, shows them how
to embrace their unique talents,
and encourages keeping music
education in the schools. “Once
music opens their world, you
cannot close it,” he says. “Living
in the present moment” as a
constant frame of mind, Ken’s
steadfast passion for violin and
popular music has brought him
from childhood to where he is
today, indulging his passion for
violin full-time before worldwide
audiences, firing up everyone
from kids to seniors to change
their state of mind about the
violin, and embrace the power
of music!
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