KCC Productions and the Van Dyke Cafe present LeNard Rutledge
Thursday, August 11, at 9 PM
The Van Dyke
846 Lincoln Road
South Beach
For more information, call 305-534-3600 or visit thevandykecafe.com.

Captivating, soul stirring, earthy and funky. These are just some of the words used to describe the song stylings of LeNard Rutledge. Growing up in Miami, Florida, LeNard was always surrounded by many different musical styles. His parents had an extensive music collection ranging from Classical, Jazz, Hymns and the funk of James Brown.

In the fall of 1984, LeNard went to St. Augustine’s College in Raleigh, NC. LeNard was awarded a Band Scholarship by Dr. Harold Jeffries (Director of Bands). It was in Raleigh when LeNard’s musical journey took flight. In the fall of 1984, he recorded two jingles for WLLE, a local AM radio station. He played drums, co-wrote and sang background vocals. He played timpani and general percussion in the Concert band and was the back–up drummer for the Jazz Ensemble. After a year of hinting and periodic begging, LeNard got his first big break. In the fall of 1986, LeNard sang the ballad “Teach Me Tonight” at the Annual Spring Concert. His confidence grew as he sang more songs, which led to other projects such as studio work and voice-over jobs. For fear of letting his drumming chops falter, LeNard played at area clubs to keep the rust away. A musical friend (Rick Best) introduced him to song writing.

In 1992, Stanley Baird, an area saxophonist, asked LeNard to submit songs for his upcoming CD, Stop, Look & Listen. Stan recorded three of his songs and released them on his label, Saxony Records. In 1995, LeNard submitted two of those songs to the Billboard Songwriting Contest. One of the songs, “So In Love (with you)” placed in the top 1% of 50,000 R&B entries. In the fall of 1995, he returned for a while to Miami. Needing extra cash to return to school, a childhood friend, Alan Morley told him he could earn extra money producing Rap and Hip-Hop Music. He introduced him to Gary Bradshaw (a Miami Rapper). From October 1995 to January 1996, LeNard “ghost wrote” and produced 9 original tracks for Gary. After returning to school in January of 1996, LeNard made the Dean’s List and Graduated in May 1997 with a B.S. Degree in Industrial Hygiene and Safety.

In May 1997, LeNard moved back to Miami. In October 1997, LeNard auditioned as a vocalist for the Melton Mustafa Orchestra. He got the gig and was the featured vocalist until 2003. LeNard has been a featured vocalist at area jazz spots in South Florida. The Museum of Contemporary Art, the Van Dyke Café and O’Hara’s Jazz Pub are the most notable. LeNard has shared the stage with a number of highly respectable jazz artists such as: Nnenna Freelon, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Kenny Drew Jr., and Harry Allen. In May of 2006, LeNard was named BEST JAZZ ARTIST, by the Miami New Times magazine. His first CD, Hello World, was released in November.

August at Upstairs at Van Dyke

Some very worthy highlights this month include one of the most recorded saxophonist in history: Ed Calle on August 8th, Miami’s best jazz baritone August 11th, double Grammy nominee Sammy Figueroa August 12th and Deskarga Jam Band on August 20th.

8/1; Cristina Perez; Traditional And Gypsy Jazz
8/2; Freddy Cleo; The Quintessential Piano Man &; Vocalist Entertainer, Knows Your; Favorite Songs By Heart.
8/3; Troy Anderson; Louis Armstrong Tribute
8/4; Kcc Productions Jazz Night Series; Artist Of The Month; Big Poppa E And The E Band; Best Of The Blues
8/5; Chris Alvy & Fernando Perdomo; Classic Rock Era Is Back!!; Evening Of Classic Rock Music
8/6; Rhythm & Blues Series; Ike And Val; Soul & Blues Revue
8/7; La Nueva Onda Latina Series; Hosted By Adrian Guerra; Showcasing The Finest In Latin; Rock And Pop; One Year Anniversary Party
8/8; Ed Calle; One Of The Most Recorded; Saxophonists In History,; Two-Time Latin Grammy Nominee.
8/9; Rockst*R & Da Fundamentals; Present A Night Of Rhythm, Funk & Soul (Brought To You By Godsrockstar Music; In A Collaborative Effort With Novell Nu-Soul)
8/10; The Phil Jacobson Band; An Eclectic Mix Of Pop, Rock; And Blues
8/11; Kcc Productions Jazz Night Series; Lenard Rutledge; Miami’s Best Jazz Baritone
8/12; Latin Jazz & Percussion Series; Sammy Figueroa &; His Latin Jazz Explosion; Double Grammy Nominees; With Legendary Percussionist
8/13; Iko Iko; Blues & Acoustic Funk
8/14; Latin Jazz Series; Oriente; Afro-Cuban Fusion
8/15; Jacob Jeffries; Vocals, Piano-Popster
8/16; The Elements Of Jazz; Jazz/Fusion
8/17; Fernando Perdomo; Fernando Perdomo Birthday Show; Featuring Dreaming In Stereo And; Many Special Guests From His; Forward Motion Records Label.
8/18; Kcc Productions Jazz Night Seriesmartin Bejerano Quartet; “Add Martin Bejerano To The; Expanding Roster Of Hot Young; Pianists…
8/19; Laurence Elder Band; Inspired Blend Of Jazz, Rock, Blues; & Pop. Singer-Songwriter-Pianist
8/20; Kcc Productions Hot Havana Nights; Deskarga Jam Band; Timba Meets Latin Jazz
8/21; Cuban Music Series; Conjunto Progreso; Grammy Nominated Cuban Son; & Descargas Cubanas
8/22; Joshua Stedman; Original Compositions Influences Of; Sting, Stevie Wonder, Jamiroquai; & Seal.
8/23; Randy Singer’s “Airplay”; New Visions In Jazz & Pop; &; Tiê; Florida Debut Of The Brazilian Singer; / A Warner Music Recording Artist
8/24; Guitar Legend Night; Aaron Lebos Quartet; Jazz, Funk/Fusion Rock/Pop
8/25; Kcc Productions Jazz Night Series; Artist Of The Month; Troy Roberts’ Nu-Jive; Hard Swinging Straight-Ahead Jazz
8/26; Eversoklever; The Sounds Of Big Band Swing,; Rockabilly, Ska, Jazz, Latin & Blues
8/27; The Van Dyke Voices; Soflo’s Hottest Jazz Vocalists; Hosted By Bebob And Gecko.; Featuring Juanita Dixon
8/28; Songwriter Nights Series; Songwriters In The Round; Hosted By Randy Singer Featuring; The Best Acoustic Singers & Songwriters; In South Florida Where The Concert; Turns Into A Party!
8/29; Sj Acoustic Songman
8/30; Brian Hanlon; Hailed By Time Out London As; “Sounding Like A Young Sting/Van; Morrison With Huge Crossover Appeal”
8/31; Um Faculty Quintet; Featuring Brian Lynch;

Espirito Santo Bank presents Maria Bethania in concert
Friday November 11th, 8PM
Fillmore Miami Beach at the Jackie Gleason Theater

Tickets on sale August 5th at 10AM through Ticketmaster outlets or the Fillmore box office.
$100 – $80 – $60 – $40

Exclusive US concert date – first appearance in Florida since 1988!

“With her low, throaty voice, Miss Bethania caresses her ballads, letting the melodies stretch out, warm and languorous. She sings love songs with breathy intimacy; other ballads pour out phrase by tender phrase as if she were thinking them up on the spot. For all the rich melancholy of her ballads, Miss Bethania can also breeze through uptempo songs, riding the propulsive rhythms of her home state, Bahia, and tossing off lyrics in easy syncopations.” — The New York Times

Singer and icon, Maria Bethânia became a major star in Brazil as one of the founders of tropicalia in the late 1960s. Along with her brother, Caetano Veloso, and musical partners Gilberto Gil and Gal Costa, the four young musicians created a cultural wave still rolling today. Shirking the repression of Brazil’s military dictatorship, Bethania and company married the electricity of the psychedelic era and youth culture with the traditional beauty of Brazilian music and culture. She quickly earned her nickname “abelha rainha” (queen bee) of MPB (Brazilian Popular Music). In five decades, Maria Bethania has released more that 30 albums, having shared the spotlight with legends like Edu Lobo, Chico Buarque and her colleagues from Bahia, Gil, Gal and brother Caetano. Since the very beginning of her career, her work is synonymous with professionalism, integrity and a deep respect for the craft of songwriters, poets and musicians.

The White Panda At The Florida Room “Print Your Complimentary Tickets”
August 05/2011, 11:30pm – 5:00am
The Florida Room At The Delano
17th and Collins
Delano Hotel
www.QueCoCo.com/weekly.html

Join us at Florida Room at the Delano Hotel Doors Open at 11pm

Complimentary Admission All Night

Sounds by DJ The White Panda

Don’t forget to use that side entrance on 17th street

Go Here To Get Your Free Tickets
http://fr0722.eventbrite.com/
To Print Your Complimentary Tickets

For Table/Birthday Reservations contact me… J.Fabian, 786.942.2097

KCC Productions and the Van Dyke Cafe present Big Poppa E and the E Band
Thursday, August 4, at 9 PM
The Van Dyke
846 Lincoln Road
South Beach

For more information, call 305-534-3600 or visit thevandykecafe.com.

Composer, multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Big Poppa E is a prominent and influential figure in the late 20th century blues and roots music. Though his career began more than four decades ago with American jazz, he has broadened his artistic scope over the years to include music representing many varied genres. Born Mutasim Ra’id Faisal in New York in 1948, his father was a jazz pianist, composer and arranger of Caribbean descent, and his mother was a gospel singing schoolteacher from Louisiana. Early in his childhood, the young musician learned to play the tenor and alto sax, trombone and harmonica, and he loved to sing. He discovered his father’s guitar and became serious about it in his early teens when a guitarist from Mississippi moved in next door and taught him the various styles of Muddy Waters, Lightnin’ Hopkins, John Lee Hooker and Jimmy Reed and other titans of Delta and Chicago blues.

Musi, as he was affectionately called, studied economics at Syracuse University in the late 1960s and later law at the University of Chicago. Inspired by a dream, he adopted the musical alias of E and later was crowned “Big Poppa E” by one of Miami’s top promoters, DJ Oski. After graduating, he headed west in to Los Angeles, where he worked as a studio musician for the next 15 years. Around this same time, Poppa E also mingled with various blues legends, including Koko Taylor, Muddy Waters, Junior Wells, and Sleepy John Estes. This diversity of musical experience served as the bedrock for Poppa E’s first three recordings: Southern Style: Blues Sessions (2006), Mississippi Reminiscence (2007) and Five Long Years, A Tribute to Carey Bell (2008). Drawing on all the sounds and styles he’d absorbed as a child and a young adult, these early albums showed signs of the musical exploration that would be Poppa E’s hallmark over the next few years.
In 2008, Poppa E carved out a unique musical niche with a string of adventurous recordings, including “Blues A Healer”, “Crossroads” and “Anthology du Blues”.

In 2008, Poppa E’s version of “Terraplane Blues” was nominated by the International Academy of Independent Artist for Best Blues Song of the Year and his album, “Blues A Healer” was nominated for Best Blues Album of the Year by Cash Box Magazine. Poppa E’s recorded output slowed somewhat during 2010 as he toured relentlessly and immersed himself in the music and culture of his new home in Miami. Still, 2010 saw the well-received release of “Big Poppa E Live” in 2010, as well as his celebrated children’s album, “Children’s Classics” on the Black Owl Music label.

Poppa E is headed back into the studio in early 2011 to work on a new projected aptly entitled, “Bootleggers Blues”. As the title suggests, this twelve-track set marks the fortieth anniversary of Poppa E’s rich and varied recording career by mixing original material, chestnuts borrowed from classic sources, and songs written by a cadre of highly talented guest artists from around the globe. “The one thing I’ve always demanded of the records I’ve made is that they be listenable and danceable,” he says. “If the record is danceable, it’s listenable, it has lots of different rhythms, it’s accessible, it’s all right in front of you. It’s a lot of fun, and it represents where I am at this particular moment in my life. This record is just the beginning of another chapter, one that’s going to be open to more music and more ideas. Even at the end of forty years, in many ways my music is just getting started.”

The Betsy Hotel Presents Its August 2011 Thursday Night Live Jazz Line-Up
The Betsy South Beach
1440 Ocean Drive
Miami Beach, FL 33139
For more information call 305-760-8288
www.thebetsyhotel.com
Schedule changes monthly.
No cover or minimum.

The wildly weekly jazz series continues Thursday evenings at The Betsy through August with the smooth vocals of artists Hilary Mcrae, Maria Zouroudis, Big Brooklyn Red, and Leesa Richards. Performances take place in the hotel’s bustling Lobby Bar, which offers the perfect gathering spot for experiencing these stellar performers. Attendees can also enjoy delicious signature cocktails and a bar menu provided by BLT Steak, the Betsy’s acclaimed in-house dining destination.

Jazz performances begin at 9 p.m. in the Lobby Bar every Thursday evening; enjoy the smooth sounds of touted vocalists including:

August 4th: Hilary Mcrae
“A singer and songwriter who knew her calling by the age of 15, her retro-soul style compares to ’70s soul and pop”

August 11th: Maria Zouroudis
“Known for her powerful, yet heart-felt voice, delivering a fusion of pop, R&B and acoustic soul”

August 18th: Big Brooklyn Red
“A deeply spiritual and transcendent experience – an expression of the freedom and the power of letting the creative spirit flow”

August 25th: Leesa Richards
“She is the ultimate mix of raw energy and elegant sophistication. Whether it is love or pain or both, the stories and the music that pour out of this wonderful new artist will move you and leave you wanting more”

Don and Jadene Boot singing good ole’ gospel music
Saturday August 6, 7pm
St Johns on the Lake
4760 Pine Tree Drive
Miami Beach, FL 33140
INFO: 305-613-2325

donjadeneboot.com

$10 at the door – students $5 with I.D.

Don Boot talks about their music:
We have been singing good Ole’ gospel music and playing lively, camp-meeting style gospel piano as a husband and wife team since 1983.

I started playing keyboards with a traveling gospel quartet while in college as early as 1969. Some of my fondest memories are of climbing on that old “Blue Whale” (a converted school bus painted bright blue!) along with other members of the “Revelators” and heading on down the road. A short time later, I began singing in the quartet and I have been playing piano and singing with gospel quartets and trios ever since.

One day I heard a recording of a young woman singing and playing a guitar and I was immediately taken by what I heard. Her voice had a special rare quality that really made an impression on me. I had to meet the girl behind that voice. When I did, I found Jadene to be a beautiful person inside and out…to match her singing! We married in 1983 and have teamed up together in gospel music ever since.