The first festival in 1994 featured three bands at one venue. Over the past eleven years, the festivals have presented acoustic jazz, mostly in small club settings, featuring nationally acclaimed straight-ahead artists along with prominent jazz musicians from the mid-Atlantic region and particularly New Jersey. Previous festivals have featured Clark Terry, Houston Person with Etta Jones, Slide Hampton, Paquito D'Rivera, Randy Brecker, Herbie Mann, Chuck Mangione, the Duke Ellington Orchestra, a Louis Armstrong Tribute with Roy Hargrove and John Faddis, Hugh Masekela, James Moody, Papa and Joey DeFrancesco, and McCoy Tyner. Tributes to major artists have been frequent themes, including salutes to Miles Davis in April 2002, Dizzy Gillespie the following November, “Exceptional Pianists” in April 2004, and Count Basie this past November. This tradition continues this spring with David “Fathead” Newman paying tribute to his old boss, Ray Charles.

One of the leading “Texas Tenors,” David “Fathead” Newman was born in Corsicana, Texas and spent his childhood in Dallas. His parents introduced him to jazz through the music of the big bands, “and of course, there was the blues background,” said Newman. “T-Bone Walker and Lowell Fulson were from the Dallas, Tex. area, and you were just surrounded by the blues." While playing in the band at Lincoln High School in Dallas, Newman acquired his nickname when his band teacher noticed he had his music upside-down and called him “Fathead.” The name stuck. Ultimately Newman learned to play not only baritone and tenor, but also alto and soprano sax and flute. After working a while with Buster Smith (Charlie Parker's mentor) he met Ray Charles, with whom he played from 1950-1959, at first as a baritone saxman and later as the star tenor soloist. Taking off on his own, he moved to New York, where he worked with Lee Morgan, Kenny Drew Sr., Billy Higgins, and Kenny Dorham, and became a busy studio musician. Now 70, Newman continues to perform and record. Wrote critic John Murph, “…Newman still hones a brawny, robust tone that's splendidly enlivened by his nimble, dance-like phrasing. When he plays, he never loses sight of the melody even during a song's most prickly sequences, making every phrase utterly singable…” In tribute to Ray Charles on Friday, April 15^th (at Convention Hall, 7:30 and 9:30 pm), Newman will perform “I Remember Brother Ray” with trumpeter Marcus Belgrave, trombonist Howard Johnson, and vocalist Cynthia Scott.

If you move quickly you can see Newman and then head for the Grand Hotel to hear the keyboard whiz of the Caribbean, Monty Alexander (9 and 11 pm). In his four-decade career, Alexander has fused American traditions with his native Jamaican roots. From his first piano lessons as a six-year-old in Kingston, he was recognized as a prodigy, and invited to sit in with the bands of prominent local musicians. As a teen, he was influenced by performances of Louis Armstrong and Nat “King” Cole, picking up their gospel shadings. Relocating to the US in 1961, Alexander started off in Las Vegas, but was soon “discovered” by a New York club owner who introduced him to Frank Sinatra and Milt Jackson, leading to work with Sonny Rollins, Dizzy Gillespie and Clark Terry. Now, 40 years later, Alexander is one of the most prolific recording artists working today with over 60 recordings as leader; he has performed at leading festivals all over the world, and with artists from every genre. His current series of CDs with Telarc includes a salute to the best of American jazz and performances with the best of Jamaica’s musicians, reflecting his roots in reggae and ska.

It might not be possible to hear it all on Friday night! Appearing at the Star of the Sea Auditorium (8 and 10 pm) will be one of the most acclaimed new groups in jazz, Stefon Harris and Blackout. Dubbed as “one of the most important young artists in jazz” by the Los Angeles Times, 31-year-old vibist/marimbist Stefon Harris has received wide recognition through 3 Grammy nominations (in 2003 for his recording, Grand Unification Theory), scored a Down Beat Top 50 CD in 2004 with Blackout’s first recording, Evolution, and has captured various awards from Jazz Times, Downbeat, Jazziz, the Jazz Journalists Association, and Newsweek.

Two headliners are on the schedule for Saturday, April 16^th: Taking the stage at Convention Hall (7:30 and 9:30 pm) will be hot young trumpeter Nicholas Payton and Sonic Trance. Thirty-one year-old Payton has followed a path from acoustic mainstream to electrified hip-hop, garnering Grammy and other recognition along the way. The New Orleans native was surrounded by musicians growing up (his mom sang opera, his dad was a respected jazz and classical bassist) and began playing trumpet at age 4. “Discovered” by Wynton Marsalis, young Payton played with Marcus Roberts and later Marsalis’ bands; attended the New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts and University of New Orleans, and in 1991, played with Jazz Futures II along with Roy Hargrove. A year later he joined Elvin Jones, eventually working with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra and Carnegie Hall Jazz Band. Revitalizing the jazz traditions of his native New Orleans, Payton has been acclaimed throughout the past decade for his “crackling spirit and the fiery chops of one of this generation’s most gifted trumpet players” (Isaac Josephson, Jazz Times), issuing six acclaimed recordings. Feeling that he had exhausted the potential of his working quintet, Payton shifted gears with Sonic Trance, a new ensemble fusing hip-hop, rock, African rhythms, funk grooves, and R&B. “I wanted to draw on my own experiences as opposed to playing jazz in the form it was 30, 40, 50 years ago.” The resulting open-ended compositions have been compared to the effects attained by Miles Davis on Bitches Brew.

Also performing Saturday evening in the new Lower Township Performing Arts Center (7:30 and 9:30 pm) will be Pieces of a Dream. Taking their name from a Stanley Turrentine cover tune, Pieces of a Dream was founded by then-teenagers keyboardist James Lloyd, drummer Curtis Harmon, and (former) bassist Cedric Napoleon in Philadelphia in the mid-70s. Discovered on a local television show by Grover Washington, Jr., the young band soon became the first act of Washington’s new production company. A contract with Elektra led to their international acclaim as smooth jazz artists. Since then the band has recorded for EMI and now with Heads Up as they celebrate 25 years atop the Billboard Contemporary Jazz charts. Their latest release, No Assembly Required, featuring vocals and sax along with the core trio, moves from quiet grooves to classic covers to Euro-beat. Says Lloyd, "We wanted to try to gather some new listeners and expand our audience a little bit. That was basically the vibe - just get as creative as possible, follow some of the rules, and break a few of them as well."

Other stages feature top artists: At the Star of the Sea Auditorium ( 8 and 10 pm), catch the Latin wave with Ray Mantilla and the New Space Station Band. At 70, Mantilla—known as the “complete percussionist”—has had an illustrious career, from his Afro-Cuban roots in the South Bronx to his early days as conguero with Eddie Palmieri and Ray Baretto, to his stint with Herbie Mann and appearance on Max Roach’s Freedom Now Suite recording. Ultimately he played with the best of American and Latin jazz, including Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, Charles Mingus, Gato Barbieri, Sonny Stitt, Bobby Watson, Tito Puente, Cedar Walton, and Freddie Hubbard, and has appeared on more than 200 recordings. Mantilla describes his music as "Latin Jazz with authentic Latino rhythm -- the Latin thing with the Jazz feel." His goal "is to keep playing good music, have people come to see us, and to preserve the tradition."

Back at the Grand Hotel (9 pm – 1am), the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra’s new lead trumpeter Sean Jones will hold court. Still in his twenties, Ohio native Jones was hooked on jazz in fifth grade when he first heard the music of Miles Davis. “To put it simply, I was captured by the swing. It was swinging so hard. I didn’t know what it was, but it was so different and it was so strong that I was drawn into it.” Jones recently completed a second recording and joined the faculty of Duquesne University, in addition to accepting the trumpet chair of LCJO after six months of performing with the orchestra under the leadership of Wynton Marsalis.

If that isn’t enough to leave your head spinning, drummer Lucky Thompson will be beating the skins at Carney’s Main Room, 9:30 pm-1 am. A native of South Philadelphia, Thompson has been keeping time since age 8, toured with the group The Current Survivors in the 70s, and has since worked with Patti LaBelle, Billy Paul, Nina Simone, Sonny Stitt, Val Ray, and Big Momma Thorten. In 1997, Thompson became the Musical Director of Natalie’s Lounge in his hometown. When not performing and handling his duties at Natalie’s, Thompson is a visiting resident at the University of Pennsylvania, where he teaches jazz, percussion, and improvisation.

There’s a lot more happening at Cape May! Throughout the weekend, including Sunday, there are multiple venues featuring local and regional artists, student ensembles, clinics, a Sunday brunch, and more. Passes are available for the full weekend or for evening and/or “blues and jam” events. Workshops are free. For the full schedule and ticket orders, visit the festival website at www.capemayjazz.org