UptownWestChester.org

Thursday, April 29, 2021Thursday, April 29, 2021

Erich Cawalla and his Erich Cawalla and his All-Star QuartetAll-Star Quartet

ABOUT UPTOWN!

Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center - a first-class performing arts venue right in downtown West Chester!

With live entertainment for every taste, Uptown! presents theatre, music, jazz, opera, movies, speakers, education, summer camps— and so much more.

Through classes and community outreach, thousands of young people are experiencing the joy of live performance — first-hand — and often for the first time.

All of this amazing activity takes place in our award-winning theater — the result of the historic preservation and adaptive reuse of the 1916 West Chester Armory.

Through our programming and outreach efforts, the theater has become a special gathering place in the community, reflecting the demographic and cultural diversity of our region.

Host, Sara Michaels

Sara is both a Jazz & Blues vocalist and a Jazz Promoter. Nine years ago she waspart of the grass roots group working to create a home for the performing arts inWest Chester, PA.Sara created and hosts the Jazz Cocktail Hour to present local and international Jazz artists in an intimate concert setting to sold out performances at Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center. As a vocalist, Sara Phelan uses her stage name “Sara Michaels.” She got tiredof being introduced as “Sarah Palin”. With a degree in art/illustration, sheapproaches her music as a storyteller would with color and texture, drawing fromher background of both spiritual and musical theater. With a love of history, she is fascinated with the origin of each song, the creative process of its roots, and how it connects with her own life story. Whether Sara is singing jazz standards from the Great American Songbook, her original tunes, or taking you back to the Blues, Sara will bring you on a personal, intimate journey always finding humor along theway.

Erich Cawalla and his All-Star Quartet performThe Great American Songbook

Erich Cawalla - Vocals/Saxophone Steve Rudolph - Piano

Bennie Sims - Bass Marko Marcinko - Drums

Erich Cawalla and his All-Star Quartet look forward to performing at the Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center. Erich and his producer Bennie Sims have worked tirelessly over the past 5 years on Erich’s solo debut album, “Erich Cawalla - The Great American Songbook” which features a 17-piece big band with strings as well as Special Guests including the legendary Randy Brecker and Leonard “Doc” Gibbs. It was set to be released March 2020 as part of Erich’s hometown festival, The Boscov’s Berks Jazz Fest in Reading, PA. With the onset of Covid-19, all CD Release concert plans have been put on hold as Erich now plans on releasing the album as part of The Boscov’s Berks Jazz Fest in 2022 with a 26-piece band and orchestra backing him. This show will be a vivid sneak preview into some of the selections that will appear on the album as well as some other toe-tapping originals from Cawalla, Sims, and Rudolph. If you like Tony Bennett, Michael Buble, Frank Sinatra, and fabulous standards, this show is for you and not to be missed.

Erich Cawalla - Singer, Saxophonist, Recording Artist, Educator

Pennsylvania native Erich Cawalla makes a very busy living as a full-time musician. An extremely versatile vocalist and instrumentalist, his performing style invokes a jazz swinging yet contemporary R&B sound mixing some of his biggest influences including Smokey Robinson, David Sanborn, Chet Baker, Frankie Valli, Kenny Rankin, and John Pizzarelli, to name a few.

In 2006, Cawalla started The Uptown Band, becoming extremely popular as a featured act headlining hundreds of shows and numerous charitable functions in the Northeast. After achieving success as a cover group, The Uptown Band began recording original music in 2008. The group’s recordings have received critical acclaim throughout the world with the release of 2 full-length albums including Waiting for Her in 2008 and Heart, Soul, Body, & Mind in 2014. Special Guests on the band’s albums have included Will Lee, legendary bassist for the CBS Orchestra on the former Late Show with David Letterman, trumpetist and founding member of Tower of Power Greg Adams, and legendary percussionist Doc Gibbs, former Musical Director on The Food Network’s Emeril LIVE. “Waiting for Her”, the band’s 2008 title track written by Cawalla and Marty Mellinger, received airplay on Music Choice’s Smooth Jazz Channel on National Cable TV. “SJ3”, written by Cawalla and the band’s Producer and The Three Degrees’ Musical Director Bennie Sims, rose as high as #9 in the country on the Groove Jazz Radio Chart.

Erich Cawalla, cont.

Most recently, the band released a cover of the Maxi Priest hit “Close to You” which charted as high as #27 in USA Today’s National Contemporary Jazz Chart. Cawalla and Sims, along with Curtis Harmon (drummer for Contemporary Jazz legends Pieces of a Dream) wrote “BJF25”, a commemorative song celebrating the 25th Anniversary of their hometown Boscov’s Berks Jazz Festival. The recording features Cawalla, Sims, and Harmon performing alongside Contemporary Jazz Heavyweights Rick Braun, Chuck Loeb, and Brian Bromberg.

Erich again teamed with Sims and released his first solo Contemporary Jazz release “222 South” in 2017. The song, written about his hometown highway in Reading PA, charted on the nationally-syndicated Smooth Jazz Network, receiving significant radio airplay throughout the world. He is currently working on his first full-length solo recording performing original arrangements by Dave Depalma of songs in the Great American Songbook, including a 17-piece Big Band with strings that features Erich on lead vocals and saxophone. Special Guests on the album include legendary Trumpeter Randy Brecker, Percussionist Doc Gibbs, and many others! The album is set to release after the Covid-19 Pandemic.

Erich is a BMI-affiliated songwriter and a Grammy Voting Member of the National Recording Academy. Live performance credits include performing in the bands of Marie Osmond, The Skyliners, Bill Haley’s Comets, The Coasters, Marty Haggard, and Larry Chance & The Earls, as well as opening for Jeff Dunham, Martha and the Vandellas, Gene Chandler, Sonny Turner’s Platters, The Happenings, and Harold Melvin’s Blue Notes. He has also been a featured soloist with the Reading POPS Orchestra on three occasions, the Shippensburg Festival Chamber Orchestra, and the Hershey Big Band.

Photo Credit: John McMenamin

Steve RudolphJazz Pianist- Composer - Educator - Yamaha Keyboard ArtistSteve Rudolph has had an inspiring career in his 50+ years of professional music making. Jazz Improv magazine states, “Rudolph is a savvy, swinging, glimmering heavyweight...simply outstanding.” he was awarded two jazz composition fellowships from the Pa Council on the Arts. with fourteen acclaimed cds as a leader, he has served as producer, arranger and performer on many recordings including sessions with Johnny Coles, Bill Goodwin, Ali Ryerson, Matt Wilson, Drew Fress, Cal Collins, Jonathan Raggonese, Phil Haynes, Roger Humphries, Dwayne Dolphin, JD Walter and Vinny Valentino. He is the leader of many ensembles including the River City Big Band. His latest recording features him as pianist in the acoustic trio day dream with Phil Haynes and Drew Gress. currently a Yamaha keyboard artist, he is in demand as a clinician and performer.

Steve was born in Evansville and grew up near Boonville, Indiana. he studied trumpet and composition under scholarship at Butler University in Indianapolis where he discovered an inspiring jazz community in the late 60’s. He switched his main instrumental focus to the piano at age 22 and was hired by buddy morrow to perform with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra in 1977. Since moving to Harrisburg in 1978 to perform with his jazz trio and guest artists six nights a week at the holiday inn town, he has been largely responsible for the growth and development of the thriving jazz scene in central pa. his devotion to the art of jazz inspired him to found the central pa friends of jazz, now in its 40th successful year of monthly concerts, youth band, jazz camp, and annual central pa jazz festival. he served as the executive director of cpfj from 2012 to 2019. Steve was the recipient of the 2002 Harrisburg arts award for dedication to the arts and community service and has received two composition fellowships from the PA Council on the Arts. Steve is well known in central pa for his 22 year long job as house pianist for the jazz programming at the Hilton Harrisburg. His detailed recording and touring information may be found at www.steverudolph.com.

Marko Marcinko, Drums

Marko Marcinko came onto the international music scene in 1994 while touring and recording with trumpet legend Maynard Ferguson. Marko served as drummer and arranger for Ferguson and his Big Bop Nouveau Band for three years. Marko appears on the Concord Recording “One More Trip To Birdland”.Born in Archbald, Pennsylvania, Marcinko studied technique with drumming master Joe Morello and continued his training at the University of Miami where he studied classical, jazz , brazilian and afro-cuban styles under professors Fred Wickstrom. Steve Bagby, Steve Rucker, Harry Hawthorne and Ney Resaro.Over the years Marko has played with jazz greats Joe Henderson, Phil Woods, Clark Terry, Bob Dorough, Red Rodney, Michael Brecker, Randy Brecker, Mulgrew Miller, Mike Stern, Tierney Sutton, Terrell Stafford and Will Lee. Other notables Marcinko has worked with include Jon Secada, Joan Rivers, Connie Francis, Don Rickles, Melba Moore, Juan Gabriel, Clay Aiken, Constantine Maroulis, Bob Newhart and Nicol Williamson.During his years in the music industry, Marcinko has worked as a freelance musician playing drum set, percussion, piano/keyboards, bass guitar and trombone. He has also served as a studio session player, arranger, musical director and producer for numerous commercial jingles, indie-films and off-broadway / club and theater engagements.Currently, Marcinko tours and records with jazz saxophone icon and NEA jazz master Dave Liebman. Discography includes: The Dave Liebman Group, “Conversation” SunnySide Records, “Blues Always”, Omni Tone Records , “Back On The Corner” Tone Center Records, “Beyond The Line”, Omni Tone Records. “TurnAround” the music of Ornette Coleman, Jazzwerkstatt RecordsYou can also hear Marcinko’s drumming and arranging on “Essentials” CD a retrospective of Maynard Ferguson.Marko more recently has been touring and recording with The Organik Vibe Trio featuring multi Grammy award winning jazz great Dave Samuels.Mr. Marcinko is also an adjunct professor of jazz studies at Penn State University, State College, PA. He also serves as the artistic director for the Scranton Jazz Festival, The Pa Jazz Alliance and the Jazz Institute at Keystone College.

Bennie Sims, Bass

Music has been the strongest adhesive in Bennie Sims’ life.

He and his bass, upright or guitar, are tethered to each other. For him, going through life without a bass makes as much sense as going to the hunt without a gun.

“When I first remember hearing music, it wasn’t good enough to just listen to it,” he said. “I had to do it. I was just intrigued

by the feeling that playing music gave me; the joy that it brought. It was funny how the notes would speak to you—whichever musical phrase you played, the emotion it would evoke. It moved me in a way that I wanted to experience as much as I could. It still is that way for me.”

That passion fueled him to become a highly regarded bassist, performer, music director, bandleader, producer, composer, and educator.

Sims, a Wyomissing resident, has worked with countless A-list artists throughout his career, including Al Jarreau, Aretha Franklin, Lou Rawls, Dizzy Gillespie, The Spinners, The Temptations, Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, Tower of Power, Pieces of a Dream, and The Three Degrees.

He has toured the world as a performing artist and was the music director of The Three Degrees for 28 years prior to retiring from them three years ago, when he pulled back on touring. He still writes and produces top-selling jazz albums.

Sims was part of the number-one jazz album by Pieces of a Dream, On Another Note (2019). He co-wrote one of the songs, and co-produced one. He has worked on many albums with them over the years, as a performer, writer and producer. All the records on which he collaborated with them were in the top five or six on the jazz charts.

Support Uptown! Get in on the excitement

We invite you to join other influential community leaders and residents who have further supported Uptown!s mission, to provide and expand our reach with a first-class performing arts center for years to come.

Many ways you can support Uptown! Volunteer (donate your invaluable time) Donate (starting at $10) Membership (levels start at only $100) Lasting recognition-Name engraved on one of our seats Corporate Sponsorships Naming opportunities Advertising

Your Membership helps us engage renown artists and local students expand and provide educational programs for children create or support our scholarship program continue to offer diverse live performances make the arts accessible for community members build and sustain a legacy of performing arts in West Chester

In return, we connect you with other like-minded community leaders who share your passion. All members receive; recognition on Uptown! Membership board 20% discount at Mac’s Foxhole, our Uptown! bar discount at local partner restaurants and businesses advance purchase opportunities so you won’t miss an event.

Bohemian RhapsodySing Along!!

Monday, June 14, 7:30pm

RENTALS

Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center offers a vibrant mix of spaces. We can accommodate social gatherings and meetings or training sessions in our 327 seat main stage theater or two event spaces. To receive more information about cost and availability for rentals of the theater or event spaces, please call 610.356.2787.

State of the Art Sound & LightingArtist’s Green Room

A. Roy Smith Bravo Mainstage Theater: Seats 327/50 x 30 foot stage/film & Projection Capability

Univest Room: Seats 80 at tables and chairs, 124 max capacity

Mac’s Foxhole Bar and Concessions Space: Seats 40-50 at tables and chairs, 124 max capacity

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