Free Outdoor Music Series Runs June 14th through September 27th with Five Friday Concert Dates in Downtown Point Richmond. Read the official press release here.
Point Richmond Music (PRM) has announced the dates and line-up for its 2013 Summer Concert Season. The grassroots series brings a wide range of top-notch musicians to the East Bay neighborhood of Point Richmond as a free cultural offering to the community. Concerts are held on the second Friday of each month, June through September, from 5:30 pm to 7:45 pm. The 2013 season will include a final concert on Friday, September 27th to close the season. PRM’s outdoor concert venue is located at the corner of Park Place and Washington Avenue in historic downtown Point Richmond.
“Our 2013 season is shaping up to be our best yet,” said Pamela deWitt, Chair of PRM. “Each year we see an increase in the number of bands that apply to be a part of our series. The commitment and energy of our volunteers, sponsors and musicians make this one of best free concert offerings in the Bay Area and we’re very excited to bring music to the Point!”
Local restaurants are open on concert nights, offering a wide array of cuisine. Every concert features raffle, face-painting for children and more.
PRM is an all-volunteer, not-for-profit group that celebrates diversity and promotes the arts and community through the universal language of music. This is the group’s twelfth season of producing free concerts.
PRM’s LINE-UP (full band descriptions follow)
Friday, September 13th
5:30 PM – 6:30 PM – Orquesta Dharma, Latin Jazz
6:45 PM – 7:45 PM – Viento y Marea, Latin/Salsa
Friday, September 27th
5:30 PM – 6:30 PM – Empress Meditations, World
6:45 PM – 7:45 PM – Nicolas Bearde, Jazz
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BAND DESCRIPTIONS:
Orquesta Dharma – Latin Jazz, www.orquestadharma.com
Orquesta Dharma was formed in 2008 by trombonist/composer/arranger Jamie Dubberly, who decided to form an ensemble to reflect his growing interest in writing, arranging, and performing Latin jazz. The ensemble is comprised of some of the very best latin and jazz musicians in and around the bay area of California, and features Karl Perazzo (of Santana fame), Carlos Caro, and numerous other Bay Area luminaries. Its new album fusing the Latin jazz tradition with music from the New Orleans brass band tradition is due out this summer. Dharma achieves a balance of highly infectious dance grooves and modern and innovative jazz arrangements, providing dancers, jazz fans, and music lovers everywhere, in the words of Latin Beat magazine’s Rudy Mangual, “a distinctively refreshing and powerful sound.”
Viento y Marea – Latin/Salsa, www.reverbnation.com/vientoymarea
Oakland-based Viento y Marea plays a wide variety of salsa, Cuban son and Latin jazz tunes, ranging from upbeat danceable to mellow ambient music. The core group is composed of Melinda Stone (Director, Manager & Cuban tres), Jeff McNish (Co-director & guitar), David Pinto (bass) and Dan Falsetto (trumpet). Viento y Marea members have extensive experience playing Latin music and jazz, and cover a wide-ranging repertoire. The ensemble formed in 2009 with founding members Rudy Rull, Ronald Gutierrez and Alejandro Arevalo (who have since moved on to attend to family and career callings) and has been actively gigging since June 2012 in venues such as the Cigar Bar in SF, Cato’s Ale House in Oakland, Lake Chalet in Oakland, and members of Viento y Marea play regularly at the Sunday jazz jam sessions at the Berkeley Yacht Club.
Empress Meditations – World, www.empressmeditations.com
Empress Meditations is an inspirational collaboration by musicians Queen Makedah, Razteria, Irae Divine and Sol Atash, who joined together to highlight the works and message of conscious female artists in reggae, world music and beyond, while raising contributions for charity. The theme of Empress Meditations 2013 Tour is ‘Women for Peace’ and will give voice to female artists who have championed the message of peace, love and unity. Their performances include a diverse selection of songs performed in various languages including Spanish, Hebrew, Farsi, Portuguese, French, English & more.
Nicolas Bearde – Jazz, www.nicolasbearde.com
Internationally acclaimed jazz recording artist, songwriter and educator Nicolas Bearde blends genres of jazz, soul and blues. An original and current member of Bobby McFerrin’s renowned vocal ensemble, “Voicestra” for more than two decades, Nicolas has also carved out a distinctive solo career, making a notable contribution to the music world with his soulful style of jazz, known as the “Nicolas Bearde Jazz Experience.” A seasoned and highly respected showman, Bearde combines his original music with songs from the Great American songbook and hit tunes by an eclectic group of writers such as Burt Bacharach, James Taylor, Duke Ellington and Jon Lucien, bringing a tenderness and delicacy to classic ballads. He was born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee, and now lives in the San Francisco/Bay area.
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About Point Richmond Music:
The all-volunteer PRM committee shares a vision of celebrating diversity and promoting the arts and community through the universal language of music. PRM concerts offer a gathering place for people of all ages, ethnicities, and walks of life, who come together to enjoy musical talent of many genres from Richmond, the Bay Area and beyond. In addition to producing its free summer concert series, the group is proud to help support year-round music in Point Richmond through its sponsorship of the Point Richmond Acoustic series and the Point Richmond Jazz series, which run October through May at the First United Methodist Church, and to foster the development of the next generation of musicians through contributions to Washington Elementary School’s music program. Twelve years of this collaborative effort have been made possible through donations of time and money from local businesses and volunteers. For more information, please visit www.pointrichmondmusic.com and www.facebook.com/ptrichmondmusic.