Route 66 Summerfest: New Mexico Jazz Festival Stage: Focus on Black Music in NM

At Fan Tang Restaurant (Carlisle & Central)

A Focus on Black Music in NM: Diane Richardson & Soul Shadows; The Rodney Bowe Experience; Andrew Cooper & Smooth Soul w. Cat Powdrell; & Toni Morgan & Soulful Sounds

Free!

The New Mexico Jazz Festival stage is back at Route 66 Summerfest and once again, we put the focus on the great variety of Black Music in our state.  The line-up features vocalist Diane Richardson & Soul Shadows, who take a look back at 20th Century African American music through the lens of the Negro Spiritual, Blues and Jazz; Bassist and vocalist Rodney Bowe with the Rodney Bowe Experience performing his favorite funky chill jazz to soul tunes; Vocalist Andrew Cooper & Smooth Soul, performing timeless classics and today’s top hits in a Top-40, Pop, R&B/Soul & Funk tribute with vocalist Cat Powdrell; and vocalist Toni Morgan and Soulful Sounds performing R&B, Gospel, Neo Soul, and Blues.

The schedule for the evening is as follows:

5pm: Diane Richardson & Soul Shadows: Vocalist Diane Richardson & Soul Shadows takes look back at 20th Century African American music through the lens of the Negro Spiritual, Blues, and Jazz in recognition of celebrated artists Ella Fitzgerald, Roberta Flack, Charles Mingus, Carmen McRae, Bill Withers, all of whom left “Soul Shadows” on our minds. Richardson is joined by Tony Cesarano, guitar; Terry Burns on bass; and Don Bailey, Jr., drums. Richardson served as Associate Professor, Professor, and Assistant Chair, Voice Department at Berklee College of Music through 2015, and her recordings include Portrait: The Music of Charles Mingus with Yoron Israel, John Lockwood, Bill Pierce, Tiger Okoshi, Victor Mendoza and Steve Hunt. She performed with the Berklee Sun Ra Arkestra as a spoken-word artist with the national touring company of the Langston Hughes Project: Twelve Moods for Jazz, and was a member of the Boston-based big band “Makanda Project.”

6pm: The Rodney Bowe Experience: A New Mexico-based professional bassist, vocalist and band leader for over 40 years, Rodney Bowe studied jazz bass at Eastern New Mexico University and the University of New Mexico and has studied with Ray Brown, Abraham Laboriel, and Gary Willis.  Pre-pandemic, he performed in the nationally acclaimed Langston Hughes Project by Ron McCurdy. The Rodney Bowe Experience performs everything from Bowe's favorite funky chill jazz to soul tunes. 

7pm: Andrew Cooper & Smooth Soul featuring Cat Powdrell: Vocalist Andrew Cooper & Smooth Soul takes you back with timeless classics and today's top hits in a high-energy Top-40, Pop, R&B/Soul, and Funk tribute show that commemorates the greatest music of all time! Featuring the smooth vocals of Cooper (songwriter/producer for Sisqo, Future, and Jim Jones) and the angelic voice of Cat Powdrell, you’ll want to grab your boogie shoes, and sing along!

8pm: Toni Morgan & Soulful Sound: Toni Morgan has been a freelance artist since she arrived in NM in 2013.  Because she loves all genres of music, she forms her bands according to request by various venues. She added the name “Soulful Sounds” after realizing all the wonderful talent of so many musicians here in New Mexico and loves the idea of playing with all of them at different events.  Toni performs a variety of music to include R&B, Gospel, Neo Soul, and Blues. Tonight’s Soulful Sounds features Robert Muller on keys, Jordan Adkins on drums, Stephen (Dewave Peace) Williams on guitar and Robert L. Jaramillo aka Milo on bass.