The 7th Annual Peekskill Jazz & Blues Festival will be held in downtown Peekskill Friday, July 26, beginning at 8 p.m. and Saturday, July 27, beginning at noon. In partnership with the New Paramount Hudson Valley, this year’s event promises great music, including “Best of the Valley” Battle of the Bands, to begin at 8 p.m. Friday, July 26. Nine local jazz and blues artists will compete at nine venues around town for a spot to play on festival stages the next day. The winning band will be selected by popular vote on the Festival website.

Enjoy two stages of festival music, beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday, July 27. This year’s lineup includes:

Gary U.S. Bonds & his Roadhouse Rockers

Gary U.S. Bonds
Gary U.S. Bonds is the headliner at the Peekskill Jazz and Blues Festival.

In the ’60s, Gary U.S. Bonds records helped define an era of party music. His breakthrough was at the age of 19 with the release of New Orleans. The follow-up was the now-legendary party record Quarter To Three, a number-one Billboard hit with a spirit and energy that would eventually inspire and influence a generation.

A rare distinction for Bonds is that he managed to transcend the decades with hits. In the ’80s, his new friendship with longtime fans Bruce Springsteen and Miami Steve Van Zandt led to a musical collaboration that resulted in Bonds’ Dedication and On The Line albums.

Like clockwork, twenty years later, Bonds arrived with a new CD of contemporary blues Back In 20 … and the buzz was on again. It earned him “Comeback album of the year” from the Blues Foundation. With the release of his newest CD, Let Them Talk, Bonds continues to bring his never-ending tour to rapturous audiences.

Professor Louie & The Crowmatix

Professor Louie & The Crowmatix came into existence preparing songs for the Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame group The Band. They are also the backing group for solo CDs by Rick Danko, Levon Helm and Garth Hudson.

Professor Louie & The Crowmatix’s CD Whispering Pines was nominated for five Grammys. Professor Louie was inducted into the South Canadian Blues Society Hall Of Fame. Professor Louie & The Crowmatix will perform with John Platania, long-time guitarist for Van Morrison.

Murali Coryell

Son of jazz-rock fusion guitar legend Larry Coryell and author/actress Julie Coryell, contemporary soul blues artist Murali Coryell grew up surrounded by great music – by the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Miles Davis and Carlos Santana. Coryell began playing drums at age eight and continued through junior high school. He started playing guitar after discovering the blues in his early teens.

“I was into the music of Led Zeppelin, particularly a minor blues tune called Since I’ve Been Loving You. My dad told me if I wanted to hear some real blues to get B.B. King’s Live at the Regal, which to this day, I consider one of the greatest recordings ever made. The emotion and sadness in B.B. King’s voice and guitar really spoke to me. That’s when I first picked up a guitar.”

The Livin’ The Blues Band

The Livin’ The Blues Band, which plays Chicago blues, is a 5-piece outfit from the New York/New Jersey area. The band consists of razor-edge vocals and fiery harmonica by front man Nik Rael. Nik is well known for driving the crowd wild with his soaring vocals and presence. Hap Moore is the guitar player, a master of Blues styles and tones. Mark Jacobs is rock solid on bass and the keeper of the clock Rich Rogers on drums rounds out this pulsating blues band.

The Jeremy Baum Trio

Jeremy Baum plays the Hammond Organ and leads his own trio, which is rooted in the blues and funky soul-jazz sounds of the late ’60s. Over the years Baum has been a successful side-man, touring or recording with Shemekia Copeland, Levon Helm, the North Mississippi Allstars, John Hammond Jr., Jim Weider, Murali Coryell, and many more. Baum was also an original member as well as pianist, composer, and arranger for the popular Hudson Valley-based Latin band Soñando.

To learn more about this year’s festival, join the 7th Annual Peekskill Jazz & Blues Festival Event Page on Facebook for all festival updates. Visit downtownpeekskill.com/festivals for schedules and more information.

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