Genoa concert features Red Davidson Trio

The Concert on the Green at 5 p.m. on Aug. 20 at Genoa Community Park will feature the Red Davidson Trio with Monique Haviland. Haviland is a local pop singer who is joining the group for this special event.

Bring a picnic and enjoy this evening of entertainment sponsored by the Genoa Events Committee. The concert is free - paid for with money raised at past fundraisers which sponsored four concerts in Genoa. For information call 782-8696.

The Red Davidson Trio plays a wide variety of jazz styles, from the swingy bounce of Gerry Mulligan's "Bernie's Tune," to the darkly ethereal "Footprints" by Wayne Shorter, hitting such classics as the funky-as-chitlins-and-poke-salad "Back to the Chicken Shack" and the romantic tenderness of Nat King Cole's "That's All" along the way. Add to that some Brazilian samba, a pinch of hot Latin salsa and a dash of unique originals.

Keyboardist Red Davidson has been playing piano for decades in venues from San Francisco to New York. Behind Davidson, drummer/percussionist Herbie Weihskopf delivers a solid, driving, eccentric beat, while Tim Goldsmith, the bassist, punches down the bottom end. To add still more spice to the mix, Goldsmith steps out front as a vocalist every three or four tunes with a voice that has been described as "the aural equivalent of warm, smoky cognac."

The trio has played at venues throughout the Reno/Tahoe area for more than five years. You might have caught their act at any of the following venues: Hyatt Ð Incline Village; Adele's Ð Carson City; Walley's Hot Springs Ð Genoa; EJ's Jazz Café Ð Reno; Carson Valley Inn - Minden; Dixon's Ð South Lake Tahoe; Brewery Arts Center Ð Carson City; Nelson's Take Five Ð Gardnerville; and Harrah's Club Ð Reno.

Catch the Red Davidson Trio on Thursday evenings at DW's Restaurant, 2001 Foothill Ave. in Genoa.

Jeff Jones Band plays Aug. 25 at Minden Park

Bring a picnic dinner and enjoy a free evening of music at Minden Park.

Take some Southern Rock roots, grooves, scorching slide guitar, vintage keyboards, funky beats and lyrics that dig down deep - mix them together in a thick batter, bake 'em to a golden brown and you've got the sound of the Jeff Jones Band.

Food and refreshments will be available, sold by the Sierra Nevada Active 20-30 club. All food and beverage proceeds go back into community youth programs.

For more information, call the Recreation Division at 782-9828. All 2006 Summer Family Concert Series events are free to the public.

Final show in Minden Comma Concert series

Michael Powers, a favorite from the past four years of Minden's Concerts in the Park series, will take the stage for the final "Concert at Minden Village" 7 p.m. on Sept. 1. As with Michael Gulezian's concert at the Village in July, this is a free concert but donations to the artist are encouraged.

Promoter Doug Reynolds said that the July concert was so successful that his plans on bringing a series of ticketed concerts to the Village next summer might be replaced with this free, donations-only format.

"There is no pressure whatsoever - we're not passing a plate around," said Reynolds. "We just have a 'tips bucket' for those that want to contribute. I thought a lot of music fans would appreciate the artist's efforts and would want to support the continuing of this type of event. The generosity at our last show exceeded everyone's expectations and if that continues I would prefer to keep future concerts free."

Michael Powers closed the last few seasons of Minden Park's concert series and it had become the norm for him to appear in town just before Labor Day. Reynolds said that Powers so enjoys the area that he volunteered to fly down for the Minden Village show, and like Gulezian did in July, "Play for his supper." His music and joyous performing style appeals to all ages.

Powers was born in New York City in 1960, but grew up in the San Francisco Bay area. His musical career began as therapy, when at the age of 15 he took up strumming the guitar to strengthen his wrist after a skateboard accident. Following his graduation from Berkeley High School when he was 15, he moved to Seattle and frequented local jam sessions, keeping his fingers on the guitar strings and his mind on making his music reach a wider audience.

Said Powers, "I learned how to play by sitting in at as many places as I could, developing eclectic tastes by playing with all types of bands: Jazz, rock, blues, R&B and Top 40. I wanted to learn how to play any kind of music that featured a guitar as a solo voice."

As Powers' musicianship progressed, his interests broadened to include music theory. He enrolled at Seattle's prestigious Cornish College of the Arts where he graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Composition and Performance in 1982. While at Cornish, Powers studied under composers Gil Evans and Sam Rivers, bassist Gary Peacock, pianist Art Lande and trombonist Julian Priester. His style was also influenced by a diverse group of musicians which includes Jimi Hendrix, Carlos Santana, Charlie Parker, George Benson, Stanley Jordan, Miles Davis and Kevin Eubanks.

On stage, Michael has shared billings with piano giant Herbie Hancock, classic jazz saxophonist Eddie "Clean Head" Vinson, the legendary Ray Charles, afro-pop star King Sunny Ade, Grammy award-winning vocalist Diane Schuur, R&B greats Gladys Knight and the Pips and Atlantic Starr, contemporary Jazz artists Ronny Jordan, Tom Grant, David Benoit, the Yellowjackets, the Rippingtons and the duo of Tuck & Patti.

"It's hard to categorize my music, although it usually ends up in the jazz record bins," said Michael. "If I had to put a label on it, I would call it contemporary instrumental music. It's a sound rooted in the Jazz tradition that keeps pace stylistically with pop, R&B, and blues; with blues being at the core of my inspiration."

His powerful performances have regularly commanded standing ovations.

Reynolds caught the "promoting bug" in 2001 when he was a minority partner at the Upstage Center Theatre in Carson City.

"I did the booking and promoting at the Upstage and developed a love for the feel of small, intimate concerts," Reynolds said. "In 2002, the majority partners at the theater led a gallant attempt to bring a large concert series into Mormon Station in Genoa. They were wonderful shows, but frankly they were on a scale that was beyond my comfort zone."

"I enjoyed the experience but it just wasn't for me, so I left the partnership and began concentrating on shows for audiences of hundreds, not thousands."

Minden Village is located on the corner of Highway 395 and Lucerne Street. For more info visit www.CommaConcerts.com or call Reynolds at 220-0995.

Michael Powers at Minden Village is presented by CarsonTahoeMusic.com, 88 Cups and Sweetie Pies. This is an outdoor concert - please bring chairs.