RIVIERA BEACH – The City of Riviera Beach proudly presents “The 7th Annual Riviera Beach Jazz and Blues Festival” April 13th to 15th, 2007 on Municipal Beach (Singer Island) in Riviera Beach with Michael McDonald, Angie Stone, Ruben Studdard, and Average White Band.
Due to overwhelming support, Jazz on the Beach has been expanded to a 3rd day, Sunday, to include a “gospel experience in the sand” headlined by Yolanda Adams and Jimmy Hicks.
The festival is a much anticipated family event that has become a springtime tradition for Jazz and Blues lovers all over the Southeast Region.
Tickets are on sale at Riviera Beach’s City Hall, 600 W. Blue Heron Boulevard and online at www.jazzonthebeach.com. Adults $22 in advance, $27 at the gate, Students/Seniors $14.00 in advance, $17 at the gate. Sunday Gospel Concert for all $14.00 in advance, $17 at the Gate.
Headlining this year’s event is none other than Michael McDonald; whose sultry, tight R&B feel is a prominent part in the soundtrack to our times. McDonald, as an artist and songwriter, has been awarded an impressive five Grammys.
Joining him is Angie Stone, the Grammy-nominated R&B, hip-hop, and neo soul superstar whose music possesses a clear old school soul music influence and whose vocal ranges recall those of Aretha Franklin.
Fox’s American Idol’s second season winner Ruben Studdard will grace the Jazz on the Beach stage with his smooth “Velvet Teddy Bear” R&B/pop sound. “Coming out to my show is like coming to my house. I’ll play the songs I love. It’s like a party. For me, a party has all different types of music happening.” says Studdard, the first male and first African American to win the phenomenally popular American Idol.
Yolanda Adams, gospel’s most prolific and popular superstar, will headline this year’s inaugural Sunday “Gospel Experience in the Sand”. Adam’s inspirational vision, her wide range of influences to an audience hungry for spiritual fruit and her commitment to the message has caused critics to refer to Yolanda as one of gospel’s “seminal” voices.
The Average White Band rounds out the list of headliners and is one of the few white groups to cross the color line and achieve success and credibility playing the heavy funk/Philadelphia sound, with their tight, fiery sound also belying their Scottish heritage, evoking American authentic R&B hotbeds like Detroit, Memphis, and Philadelphia instead.
Other artists include the incomparable Angela Winbush, mid-’70’s soultress Jean Carne, contemporary jazz guitarist Steve Laury and South Florida’s favorite jazzist Melton Mustafa! Local artists are also scheduled to perform.
An exciting new element has been added this year; A Drumline Showcase will take place on Saturday afternoon, featuring the best middle and high school drum lines in Palm Beach County.
The City of Riviera Beach is in Palm Beach County, Florida, about 1 hour north of Miami and two hours south of Orlando.
Riviera Beach, home to over 35,000 residents, is a growing harbor city located along the shores of the Atlantic Ocean in southeast, Florida. It is home to the Port of Palm Beach-Gateway to the Caribbean and the U.S. Coast Guard Station. The City’s beautiful and sandy municipal beach is one of the finest in the state with an average year-round temperature of 75 degrees.
The pristine sands of Singer Island’s Municipal beach are the perfect setting for this magnificent musical experience. After 6 years, the festival has grown in local, regional and national popularity with attendance levels climbing to 18,000 in recent years.
The Rivera Beach Jazz and Blues festival has quickly become a major tourist attraction, offering something for the whole family with music, arts and food galore! The young and the young at heart will enjoy the beauty of the beach and this year’s “new school/old school” roster of artists.
Attendees can expect to experience a tranquil weekend on the beach, soaking up the sun, enjoying the best beach in Florida and of course treating their eyes and ears to the soulful sounds and sights of the Riviera Beach Jazz and Blues Festival.
