GARY BARTZ

NEA Jazz Master Gary Bartz has been one of the best purveyors of what he calls “informal composition” (as opposed to improvisation) on alto saxophone since the 1960s, working with such luminaries as Max Roach, Charles Mingus, Art Blakey, and Miles Davis. He has released more than 45 solo albums and appears on more than 200 as a guest artist, as well as working with some of the up-and-coming artists in jazz today, such as Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Adrian Younge for their Jazz Is Dead series and the jazz-funk band Maisha.

Bartz was born in Baltimore, Maryland, to nightclub-owning parents and was exposed to many great jazz artists who played at their club. He was 6 when he was inspired by the sound of Charlie Parker, and received his first alto saxophone at the age of 11. He attended the Juilliard School in New York City in 1958. He joined the Charles Mingus Jazz Workshop from 1962 to 1964, meeting jazz giants Eric Dolphy and Rahsaan Roland Kirk. He also began working with the Max Roach/Abbey Lincoln group in 1964. In 1965, Bartz was recruited into Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers while they played at his parents’ club, taking John Gilmore’s position in the band. He made his recording debut with Blakey on Soulfingerthat same year.

In 1970, Miles Davis asked Bartz to join his band and perform at the historic Isle of Wight Festival and his subsequent tour. Bartz is featured on Davis’ Live/Evil recording. Bartz also formed his own group, NTU Troop, named for the Bantu word for “essence.” The group blended soul, funk, African folk music, hard bop, and avant-garde jazz and recorded one of Bartz’s first classics, I’ve Known Rivers and Other Bodies, based on the poetry of Langston Hughes. His NTU Troop recordings are often sampled by hip-hop artists.

In 1997, he was awarded a Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz Performance for his work on Roy Hargrove’s Habana album, and, in 2005, he received a Grammy Award for his work as a sideman on McCoy Tyner’s recording Illuminations. In 2015, Bartz received the BNY Mellon Jazz Living Legacy Award that honors jazz musicians from the mid-Atlantic region who have achieved distinction in performance and education.

Since 2001, Bartz has been a professor of saxophone and jazz performance at Oberlin Conservatory in Ohio. Bartz focuses his teaching on finding new ways for his students to “open their ears” and presses his Oberlin students to truly hear the music they think they know so well.

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GHOST NOTE

Headed by Snarky Puppy’s multi-Grammy–winning percussion duo of Robert “Sput” Searight and Nate Werth, Ghost-Note is an explosion of sound. With an expansive roster of next-level musicians—representing members of Prince, Snoop Dogg, Erykah Badu, Herbie Hancock, Kendrick Lamar, Marcus Miller, Toto, Justin Timberlake, and more—the band is pushing funk music into the future, building on the uplifting, pioneering foundations laid out by the likes of James Brown and Sly & The Family Stone and infusing their fresh take with tastes of afrobeat, hip-hop, psychedelia, world folklore, and more.

With the release of 2018’s Swagism, Ghost-Note has made their mission clear. The album puts rhythm at the forefront, with irresistible, heavy-hitting beats underlying the group’s wild, rich music. Featuring numerous guest collaborators, including Kamasi Washington, Karl Denson, Bobby Sparks, Nigel Hall, Taz, and others, Swagism showcases the band’s stunning ability to meld and amplify sounds, ultimately adding to Ghost-Note’s sharp, complex collaborations.


Fearless, both in Swagism’s sonic depth and conscious social commentary, the band easily translates this adventurousness in a live setting. Ghost-Note’s live performances are bold and in your face, with the group offering up none of the tight-laced pretenses frequently associated with the band’s jazz roots. Focused on creating seductive danceable grooves and a contagious feel-good energy, each show is an opportunity to let loose and connect, for both fans and the musicians alike.


After forming in 2015, Ghost-Note has already begun to take the world by storm. The group’s two studio albums—2018’s Swagism and 2015’s Fortified—have earned critical acclaim and popular success around the globe, with both albums hitting the #1 spot on the iTunes Jazz Charts. Furthermore, the ever-growing family of musicians has mounted successful headlining tours in the United States, Canada, and Japan and performed at high-profile international music festivals and events.

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OKAN

Fusing Afro-Cuban roots with jazz, folk and global rhythms in songs about immigration, resistance and love, OKAN takes their name from the word for heart in their Afro-Cuban religion of Santeria. With vocals in Spanish, Yoruba and Spanglish, OKAN is led by the Cuban-born violinist and vocalist Elizabeth Rodriguez and percussionist and vocalist Magdelys Savigne, both Grammy and Latin-Grammy nominees.

Having performed and recorded with Bomba Estereo, Lido Pimienta, The Halifax Symphony Orchestra, Hilario Duran and Dayme Arocena, OKAN’s recent release Okantomi was awarded the 2024 Juno Award (the band’s second Juno recognition) and included in NPR Alt Latino, Le Monde, and CBC Music’s “Best of 2023” lists, garnering critical praise from Songlines UK, Billboard, Pop Matters and JAZZIZ.

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BILL CHARLAP TRIO

Grammy Award-winning pianist Bill Charlap has performed with many of the leading artists of our time, from Phil Woods and Benny Carter to Gerry Mulligan and Wynton Marsalis. He is acclaimed for his interpretations of the American popular songbook, and has recorded albums featuring the music of Hoagy Carmichael, Leonard Bernstein, George Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, Richard Rodgers and Duke Ellington.
The Bill Charlap Trio, with bassist Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington, marks its 23rd year together this season, and is recognized as one of the leading ensembles in jazz.

Bill Charlap, piano
Peter Washington, bass
Kenny Washington, drums

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The Jazz Voyager

Leaving the Bay and wanting to drive down the PCH to Los Angeles but not sure I want to take that twelve hour drive over an hour and a half flight. What to do, what to do. I do have four days to enjoy the sights along the way like Big Sur, Japantown, Winchester Mystery House or catch some whale watching. So with beautiful weather ahead, it’s off to pick up the rental car. A drop top I believe is in the order.

Twelve hours and three days later I am pulling up to the front door of The Baked Potato, a very low key spot, intimate and cozy by design, So don’t be put off by the waitress staff dressed in yoga pants and running sneakers. They say for the best sound it’s best to sit in the center of the room. As the name states, the menu is complete with numerous combinations to put on their specialty potatoes.

This week’s entertainment is Danny Janklow + Elevation Band ft. Katherine Ella Wood and Dennis Hamm. Danny at 20 was the youngest 1st place winner of the North American Saxophone Alliance Competition and subbed for Dick Oates regularly at the Village Vanguard. He has won or placed in several competitions and now this jazz voyager will be introduced to him live.

The venue is located at 3787 Cahuenga Boulevard, Studio City, 91604. For more information visit https://www.thebakedpotato.com.

CALIFORNIA JAZZ FOUNDATION

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