*“35 years,” said the host of the 2024 Long Beach Jazz Festival repeatedly. I was invited to cover the Long Beach Jazz Festival for my column, and I jumped at the chance to see some of the awesome talent showcased this past weekend.
On Friday, it was Jeanette Harris and Tom Browne; Darryl Walker, Rebecca Jade and Brian Simpson, and Michael Lington and Nathan Mitchell. Saturday featured Justin Klunk, Nicholas Cole, Jeff Lorber and Everette Harp, Jonathan Butler, October London, and Gerald Albright. The Long Beach Jazz Festival ended Sunday with performances by Richard “88 Fingers” Turner, Braxton Brothers, Keiko Matsui, Kirk Whalum, and Jeffrey Osborne performed until the end.
I had the pleasure of seeing the outstanding performances of Nicholas Cole on keyboard exuberant skills; Richard “88 Fingers” Turner, Jr. on keyboard with 88 fingers; the Braxton Brothers sweet sax and bass harmony; Keiko Matsui’s mastery of the piano, and Kirk Whalum with his legendary sax. I will have a review of Kirk’s show coming soon, so watch out for it!
All the performances that I saw were outstanding. I was thinking that whoever decided on who to perform at the 35th Long Beach Jazz Festival was on point. Every time I’ve covered the Long Beach Jazz Festival the crowd has been an incredible sight to see, and this year was no exception.
The crowd went back from the stage so far, the only thing they were able to see was the many vendors at the event. However, they were all so happy to be there amongst other Jazz music lovers. There was so much love there. In fact, “love” seemed to be the theme for all the performances I saw.
Presented by Rainbow Promotions, the 35th Long Beach Jazz Festival is known for also showcasing R&B and Latin acts. The Long Beach Jazz Festival was founded in 1989 by Jazz drummer Al Williams. It is the only Southern California Jazz Festival. It offers VIP seating and from what I saw, they were all spoiled with positioning, an area to dance, food, and drinks. The festival, aside from the many food and retail vendors, had a health and wellness pavilion for physical, mental, and financial literacy with guest speakers such as Kiki Shephard, heavyweight boxing champion Joe Hanks, and celebrity chef Tae Enay. www.LongBeachJazzFestival.com
View this post on Instagram
SYNDICATED COLUMN: Dr. Eunice Moseley has an estimated weekly readership of over one million with The Pulse of Entertainment. She is also a Business Management/Public Relations Strategist and Consultant at Freelance Associates and is Promotions Director (at-large) for The Baltimore Times. www.ThePulseofEntertainment.com. EVENTS: “Uplifting Minds II” Entertainment Conference (ULMII), founded by Eunice in 1999, is into its 25th year. Next events are coming to Baltimore via Zoom Saturday April 20, 2024, presented by Security Square Mall and The Baltimore Times, and Los Angeles via Zoom Saturday, November 9, 2024. The ULMII event is a free entertainment conference offering a Professional Panel Q&A Session, a Professional Talent Showcase and National Talent Competition (vocal, songwriting, dance and acting) where aspiring artists have a chance to receive over $19,000 valued in prizes/product/services. Log onto www.UpliftingMinds2.com RSVP for Zoom Access at EventBrite.com or email info@thepulseofentertainment.com.
MORE NEWS ON EURWEB.COM: Weeklong Global Black Pride Atlanta Features Keke Palmer, Niecy Nash-Betts & Billy Porter
The post The Pulse of Entertainment: Incredible Performances at the 35th Long Beach Jazz Festival – All About Love appeared first on EURweb.
