You've just missed the premier Smooth Jazz event of the summer as the Star Ledger proudly announced the 2007 CD101.9 Liberty Jazz Festival.
Saturday, September 8th
George Benson
From jazz guitar legend to soul-pop vocalist extraordinaire, 8-time Grammy ® winner George Benson has cultivated an international fan base as well as tremendous critical acclaim for three things: incomparable versatility, first-class execution in all he does and, perhaps most importantly, for never being predictable. These are the qualities that have made the man a one-of-a-kind giant in the universe of music.
Lao Tizer
Contemporary jazz keyboardist and recording artist Lao Tizer captivates audiences of all ages and musical tastes. Tizer has been proclaimed "an independent artist with all the right moves" and "a torchbearer for the new generation of contemporary jazz."
A Christian McBride Situation
Grammy Award winner Christian McBride, chameleonic virtuoso of the acoustic and electric bass, stands tall at the top of this clique. Beginning in 1989 – the beginning of an amazing career in which he still has wider-reaching goals to attain - the Philadelphian has thus far been first-call-requested to accompany literally hundreds of fine artists, ranging in an impressive array from McCoy Tyner and Sting to Kathleen Battle and Diana Krall .
Chuck Mangione
For more than five decades, Chuck Mangione's love affair with music has been characterized by his boundless energy, unabashed enthusiasm, and pure joy that radiates from the stage. Mangione first attracted attention with his brother, Gap, in a mainstream jazz band, The Jazz Brothers, in which he played trumpet much like that of the man who he refers to as his musical father-Dizzy Gillespie. In fact Dizzy gave Chuck an 'updo' horn just like his own.
Euge Groove
Euge Groove -- a pseudonym for saxophone journeyman Steve Grove -- began playing piano in the second grade and turned to the saxophone at the age of nine or ten. His teacher gave him a classical education on the instrument, which he followed at the University of Miami's School of Music, where he became interested in jazz.
Gerald Albright
Albright's contemporary and straight-ahead collections have established the Los Angeles-based musician as one of the most prominent artists. Indeed, Albright was one of the ten featured saxophonists who performed at President Clinton's inauguration. He was also featured at the Presidential Summit, as well as several private functions for the President.
Albright had sold over 1,000,000 albums in the U.S. alone. His self-produced music features him on bass guitar, keyboards, flutes, drum programming, and background vocals. Gerald has definitely earned the reputation as the “musician's musician.”
Kirk Whalum
From his beginnings in Memphis, where he played in his father's church choir, Kirk Whalum drew inspiration from the rich musical traditions of that city, including gospel, R&B, blues, and eventually jazz. He received a scholarship to attend music school at Texas Southern University, where he formed a band in 1979 and began playing on the local club circuit.
Tim Bowman
Bowman's early exposure to music came through his family's involvement in their church. He was only 11 when he was totally floored by someone playing guitar and that infused him with the desire to master the instrument. He played for his congregation for eight years and won a two-year scholarship to the Detroit School of Music. After high school, Tim went on to work at an automobile assembly line but was laid off after only a few months. This proved to be a pivotal point in his life as from then on, playing became his primary focus.
Jeff Golub
Golub has a natural flare for delivering raw and honest recordings. Grand Central was primarily recorded with a live band in a New York studio by musicians Golub jams and improvises with at small, informal club gigs around the city that they do for the love of playing when they're off the road. Golub deftly deployed a clean blues sound to his guitar that took on more of a lyrical, vocal-like quality.
Sunday, September 9th
Earl Klugh
Earl Klugh is an American smooth jazz/jazz fusion guitarist and composer. Klugh normally finger picks a nylon string classical guitar. Earl's sound is a blend of these jazz, pop and rhythm and blues influences, forming a potpourri of sweet contemporary music original to only him.
Bob James
The career of Bob James is long, varied and continues to evolve at every turn. From his first days of piano recital in Marshall, Missouri to his own trio while at the University of Michigan to New York City and beyond, the music of Bob James has captivated audiences throughout the world.
Branford Marsalis
World-renowned saxophonist Branford Marsalis, born in 1960, has always been a man of numerous musical interests. The three-time Grammy winner has continued to exercise and expand his skills as an instrumentalist, a composer, and the head of Marsalis Music, the label he founded in 2002 that has allowed him to produce both his own projects.
Kyle Eastwood
Kyle Eastwood is a jazz musician and the son of actor-director Clint Eastwood and Maggie Johnson. He was born on May 19 , 1968 in Los Angeles , California , and grew up in Carmel, California. He studied film at the University of Southern California for two years before embarking on a music career. After becoming a session player in the early '90s and leading his own quartet, he released his first solo CD , From There to Here , in 1998 . His most recent CD , Now , was released in 2006 by Rendezvous. Eastwood plays the upright, acoustic, and double bass guitar.
Gil Parris
Top guitarist Gil Parris is known for his touring & recording work with Blood, Sweat & Tears, Dr.John ,Syndicate of Soul, Bill Doggett, David Mann, as well as his own critically acclaimed major label solo records (RCA/BMG) & indie releases (Shanachie, Okra-tone/Koch) .He was nominated for a Grammy in 2001 & appears on the video "Masters of the Stratocaster ".
The Joshua Redman Trio
With Reuben Rogers Bass and Eric Harland Drums
Redman won the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Saxophone Competition, also in 1991, and began focusing on his musical career. Redman continued to develop his style throughout the 1990s, beginning with a sideman appearance on his father's 1992 record Choices. On his sophomore effort as a leader, Wish, he was joined by a notable lineup consisting of guitarist Pat Metheny, bassist Charlie Haden, and drummer Billy Higgins; he would later tour this album as The Joshua Redman Quartet, featuring Christian McBride in place of Charlie Haden.
George Benson
Lao Tizer
A Christian McBride Situation 
Chuck Mangione
Euge Groove
Gerald Albright 
Kirk Whalum
Tim Bowman 
Jeff Golub
Earl Klugh 
Bob James 
Branford Marsalis
Kyle Eastwood
Gil Parris
The Joshua Redman Trio 
