The 3rd Annual Oxnard Jazz Festival Recap

The Oxnard Jazz Festival is much more than a one-day concert. Chuck Dennis, the founder and promoter of the festival, had a vision to highlight the city of Oxnard by creating a weekend of events, which included a press party, comedy night, festival, and after party.  It ended with a music themed Sunday brunch.

“What sets the Oxnard Jazz Festival apart from the other jazz festivals is that we like to party. We’re going to make sure everything is upbeat and the activities for the weekend are thoroughly entertaining for our guests, whether they are local or visiting from out of town.” States Chuck Dennis.

Chuck Dennis chose Oxnard as his home base because he saw a need for  a viable musical festival along the central coast and knew he had an audience who would welcome the idea with open arms.

“My vision for creating this festival was based on the Strawberry Festival and the Salsa Festival in Oxnard,” he said. “Since there wasn’t a festival that covered music, I wanted to put together a music festival in this city that featured a celebrity star-studded stage from the music industry.” Continues Chuck Dennis.

On Thursday, September 6th, the Oxnard Jazz Festival held their press party at the elegant Tower Club in Oxnard. Overlooking the city, distinguished guests from the local media outlets, businesses, and government officials enjoyed a cocktail hour with delicious hors d’oeuvres. Daphne King and Chuck Dennis gave a presentation informing the guests about the the festival. The Mayor Pro Tem Carmen Ramirez, Esq. and City Clerk Michelle Ascencion also spoke.

“Without music in our lives, we are really missing something – especially Jazz music . . . America’s classic music which came out of life, suffering, and joy.” – Carmen Ramirez, Mayor Pro Tem 

The festivities continued on Friday, September 7th, with the Jazz and Jokes evening that took place at La Fonda del Rey restaurant, presented by Chuck Dennis Productions & the Oxnard Jazz Festival.

The performances were done by comedians Honest John, Julio Gonzales, Pierre, Scruncho, and Denise Carter.  Comedian Jamal Doman hosted the show and kept the momentum going throughout the evening.  Each comic had the audience in stitches with their unique styles of humorous storytelling. 

The night ended with a solo performance by Jazz in Pink’s saxophonist Tomoka Normura-Jarvis. The artist looked stunning in her gold and black beaded dress as she entertained the crowd. The pinnacle of her performance came when Tomoka went into the audience and people enjoyed dancing with her as she serenaded everyone. 

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Early in the morning on September 8th, the volunteers, staff, and vendors for the 3rd Annual Oxnard Jazz Festival began preparing the grounds at the Oxnard Beach State Park for the thousands of people who would be attending the concert. VIP tables were decorated with emblemed table settings and sparkling white table clothes.  The VIP cabanas were set in the back of this area where guests could have a great view of the stage.  The festival goers began lining up as early as 9:00 AM to find an ideal spot on the lawn.

The Oxnard Jazz Festival was hosted by radio personality Pat Prescott of 94.7 The Wave and former KJLH radio host Geoff Gil. 

Starting the day, the Oxnard Jazz Festival featured two young artists named guitarist Rahul Nedunuri, followed by vocalist Sarah Sinclair. This set the stage for the local blues and rock band Kelly’s Lot, who let loose with their hard driving and pulsating music. Kelly’s Lot weaved a variety of styles of rhythm and blues, rock, folk, and Latin-infused Grooves.

The big band included Kelly Z (vocals), Perry Robertson and Rob Zucca (guitars), Matt McFadden (bass), Sebastian Sheehan (drums), Bill Johnston and Aviva Maloney (sax), Dave Welch (trumpet), and Bobby Orgel (keys). 

Rick Parma and his band took the stage after Kelly’s Lot. They featured vocalist, Keisha who added her sultry voice to the mix. Rick Parma then fired up the crowd with his soulful wailing on the sax. He presented his newest single “Chocolate Cake,” which satisfied everyone’s hunger for some sweet funk. 

Adding to the superb music mix was 2-time Grammy-winner artist Paul Brown.  During the set, Brown shined brilliantly laying down flavorful licks with a rich tone.   Paul Brown and Rick Parma jazzed up the afternoon with their high soaring performance.

Greg Adams and East Bay Soul stormed the stage by blowing strong with their powerful horns and grooving rhythm section. They began the set with the funky tune “Little Black Dress,” performed by Darryl Walker’s soulful vocals.  The crowd also heard a few tunes from East Bay Soul’s newest CD Conversation, which was released March 2018.

East Bay Soul ended their outstanding set with a gut-wrenching performance of Otis Redding’s hit “Try a Little Tenderness.” Greg Adam’s arrangement with Darryl Walker’s scintillating vocals provided the perfect finale for East Bay Soul’s set.

The band included: Greg Adams (trumpet, flugelhorn); Darryl Walker (lead vocals, tenor sax); Lee Thornburg (trumpet, flugelhorn); Johnnie Bamont (alto/tenor/bari saxes); Tomoka Normura-Jarvis (flute); Nick Miloalto (tenor sax); Kay-Ta Matsuno (keys, guitar): Del Atkins (bass); and Herman Matthews (Drums).

Mindi Abair and The Boneshakers shook the stage by their colossal musical aeronautics, filled with bluesy funk and rock n’ roll. Claiming her position in the smooth jazz/blues industry as one of the pioneering female sax players who has reached high acclaim, Abair wrote a tune called “Pretty Good for a Girl.”  Mindi Abair did it all: sang, blew her sax with serious chops, and exuded a charismatic stage presence. Her band floored the audience with intensity and passion as they played together, creating a high spirited, fun set of music.  The audience loved it. The band included: Mindi Abair (sax, vocals), Randy Jacobs (guitar), Rodney Lee (keys), Derek Frank (bass), and Third Richardson (drums, vocals).

Con Funk Shun took the stage with a suave aplomb and enchanted the audience with their classy choreography, soulful vocals, and dashing horns. The bass player also displayed a rigorous funky bass slapping that ignited the crowd’s delight. 

Con Funk Shun was a star-quality attraction delivering a superb, high-energy show with electrifying choreography, glistening six-part vocal harmonies, and a dash of humor.  Everyone at the Oxnard Jazz Festival was feeling the groove from Con Funk Shun throughout the entire set. “I think we converted a new fan base here in Oxnard,” Michael Cooper told me in our interview after the show.

Pete Escovedo and his Latin Big Band were spectacular as they turned up the airwaves with red-hot spicy rhythms and melodies.  Pete and his son Juan soared on the percussion – Juan on the congas and Pete on the timbales. The horn section breathed fire with their horns and the legendary Justo Almario lent his masterful skills on the sax and flute. Throughout the day it was overcast at the beach, but Pete Escovedo’s scorching sounds seemed to cause the sun to finally appear.

Pops, as he is affectionately called, embraced the entire crowd at the Oxnard Jazz Festival with his warmth, humor, and a superb band. 

Tierra closed out the 3rd Annual Oxnard Jazz Festival in their emblematic sultry Latin and R&B style of music. As soon as the first note was played, the crowd stormed the stage to dance and sing along with this very popular group. The sun was setting over the ocean while Tierra performed an exquisite set of their hit songs. They were the perfect way to end the day as everyone grooved to the salsa sounds of the horns, guitar, bass and percussion. The lead singer caressed our listening ears with his sexy vocalizations . . . and the festival ended in a golden glow of beautiful music.

Tierra’s band included: Rudy Salas – Leader (Lead Guitar, Vocals); Rudy Bub Villa (Sax, Vocals); Victor Cisneros (Sax, Vocals); Dale Villavicencio (Percussion); Jeff Lewis (Trumpet); Joey Navarro (Keyboard, Vocals); Tony Banda (Bass Guitar); Chris Trujillo (Drummer); Will Rize Rivera (Lead Vocals)

All Photos by Sheryl Aronson

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