Jazz & Blues Weekend
Jazz & Blues Weekend
Chamber announces headline acts; nearly 20 bands scheduled to perform
ELLICOTTVILLE – The Ellicottville Chamber of Commerce is very excited to announce the headliners for the 23rd annual Jazz & Blues Weekend, together with nearly 20 musical performances playing at venues throughout the 4-block footprint of Ellicottville … and it’s all FREE!
The excitement kicks off Saturday, July 30th at 1:00pm when Mick Hayes sings the Blues at the Winery of Ellicottville Main Stage on Monroe Street. Mick Hayes is a published songwriter, accomplished singer and guitarist who’s been on the Grammy ballot more than once and in a number of different categories throughout the course of his career. His interest in music started in the blue-collar town of Lackawanna NY, a suburb of Buffalo which was once the center of steel manufacturing throughout most of the 20th century. A seven-year-old Mick Hayes was given a guitar, some hand-me-down records, and learned the meaning of the Blues very quickly when his parents were divorced that same year.
In his mid-teens, Mick was working by day on cars during summer break and performing in smoke filled bars for the standard musician wage by night. Not too long after that he graduated to regional shows in New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Canada. By the time he was in his early 20’s he had established himself as a full-time musician and took his newly formed band around the country, eventually relocating to Georgia to explore the southeast region. However, after a few years of industry struggles, Mick found himself without a band or a place to live.
After all those years of trying to “make it” in the music industry, releasing ten albums of original material, thousands of shows, a handful of reality TV show appearances and a few misguided management contracts, the Mick Hayes we know today emerges independently. After starting his own record label in 2019, Mick released a brand-new record to glowing reviews that was recorded in only five days at legendary FAME Studio in Muscle Shoals, Alabama and cleverly titled ‘MY CLAIM TO FAME’.
On Sunday, July 31st at 12:30pm on the Winery of Ellicottville Main Stage, listen to the sounds of the amazing Bobby Militello Quartet with special guest Alex MacArthur.
Throughout his career (spanning some 50 years), Bobby has formed various groups of his own ranging from Fusion/Funk to Bebop. His first national recording, ‘Primal Scream’, was with Maynard Ferguson in 1975, and his first solo album was recorded in 1982 on Motown Records, entitled ‘BobbyM Blow’. Enjoying a large range of musical styles, Bobby has merged his love for many types of music into his present style of bop. This, combined with his obvious ability to express emotion in his playing, makes for a unique sound and approach to playing the alto sax, tenor sax, flute and soprano. He is one of those artists that prefers to record live, when possible, in order to truly exhibit the qualities that make jazz so interesting. Bobby has been on over 250 recordings and various television and film scores.
Alex McArthur is a dynamic and versatile singer who has become known as one of the region’s top talents. She has a great love for Blues music which she’ll be showcasing in this performance. Her musical theatre and voice studies at the University at Buffalo opened up a variety of performance opportunities that brought her association with some of the most highly esteemed musicians that have helped her career flourish. Having been awarded the Jazz Buffalo Rising Star Award and Best Female Jazz Vocalist 2018, you can count on her performance with Bobby Militello to be one you won’t forget!
Ellicottville’s downtown will surely be saturated with some of the greatest regional Blues & Jazz musicians for two full days! Plan your overnight stay at any of Ellicottville’s accommodations, park the car, and get ready to take in a Blues’in good time! Bring the family, dine, shop, and enjoy the best of summer. For a full line-up of music, head over to ellicottvilleny.com or call 716-699-5046.