Fourth Annual Black Music Month Festival

410 14th St Oakland, CA 94612

The fourth annual Black Music Month Festival will feature the premiere of the commsioned work Black Artists of The Bay: Icons & Unsung, a musical celebration of the Bay Area's Black artists, including departed icons, unsung heroes, and living legends. Faye Carol & the featured festival artists will share an afternoon of unique and original renditions of both hit songs and deep cuts alike by artists such as The Pointer Sisters, Sylvester, Freddie Hughes, Sly & the Family Stone, Walter Hawkins, Sugar Pie DeSanto, and many more. The evening will also include an oral history of Black music in the Bay Area and a roll call tribute to departed artists from our community. Join us for a powerful, soulful celebration of our muisc, history, legacy, and culture. Geoffrey's offers a full bar and delectable soul food plates.

Supported by California Arts Council, East Bay Community Foundation, Zellerabach Family Foundation, and InterMusic SF

The Dynamic Miss Faye Carol is known as an icon in the Bay Area and beyond, highly regarded for her powerful voice, astonishing versatility, and gift of connecting with her audience. Equally at home in jazz, blues, R&B, gospel, funk, latin, and hip-hop, she has developed her own authentic sound and unique delivery, delighting audiences young and old across the globe. After beginning her career with gospel music, Faye Carol made her name singing with Oakland blues and funk legend Johnny Talbot & De Thangs before forming her own trio and gaining fame in San Francisco's jazz, blues, and cabaret clubs of the 1970s and 80s. Over a 60-year career in music, this living legend has developed her own unique acoustic sound and style in Black Music - drawing from funk, blues, gospel, and straight ahead swingin' - and cultivated an audience that remains as diverse as her uplifting music. She has maintained a high level of musicianship in her groups, mentoring some of the Bay Area's brightest young talent including pianist Benny Green, bassist/composer Marcus Shelby, and her daughter, pianist/compser Kito Kamili. Her vocal proteges include international superstars Kehlani and Ledisi.

Miss Faye has shared the stage with Marvin Gaye, Ray Charles, Pharaoh Sanders, Joan Baez, Billy Higgins, Albert King, Bobby Hutcherson, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Buster Williams, Azar Lawrence, Steve Turre, Otis Redding, Dennis Chambers, Bernard Purdie, Lenny White, Robert Randolph, Mistah F.A.B., Henry Butler, Gary Bartz, Cedar Walton, Ledisi, Philly Joe Jones, Dorothy Donegan, Pete Escovedo, David Murray, Roy McCurdy, Jeff 'Tain' Watts, Billy Hart, Chester Thompson, Charles Brown, and Eddie 'Cleanhead' Vinson, among others. Miss Faye is also a dedicated educator and founder of School of The Getdown. She has been honored with the proclamation of a city-wide “Faye Carol Day” in the City of Berkeley and CIty of Oakland and inducted into the Oakland Walk of Fame, the Meridian Mississippi Walk of Fame, and the Pittsburg Entertainment and Arts Hall of Fame, and has received countless awards including the 2014 Bay Area Jazz Journalists Association Jazz Hero Award, Jefferson Award for Public Service, four Cabaret Gold Awards, Top Star Awards Entertainer of the Year, and a prestigious 2021 Hewlett 50 Arts Commission.

www.fayecarol.com

@thedynamicmiss

At a young age, Juan Escovedo began teaching himself how to play bongos, congas, trap drums, timbales, percussion, and other instruments. When he turned 14, he began playing with his father, Pete Escovedo.

Since then, Juan has been undeniably a musician of complexity, style, and originality. His artistic achievements flow from his rich musical heritage and compassion for his art form.

Juan Escovedo tours, write, and records as a solo artist and with his family – father, Pete Escovedo, brother Peter Michael and sister Sheila E. Currently, they have a new CD titled “The E-Family,” which is quickly rising the charts. Juan co-wrote and produced three of their new songs. The CD features Josh Stone, Gloria Estefan, Earth, Wind & Fire.

Juan Escovedo dropped his first CD on November 8, 2021. He collaborated with several notable musician’s such as El DeBarge, Raphael Saadiq, Martin Kember, sister Sheila E., father Pete Escovedo, and brother Peter Michael Escovedo. Juan Escovedo wrote and arranged all songs on his CD in collaboration with musician Michael Angel Alvarado. His upcoming music video will feature the Curtis Family C-Notes and vocalist Leah Tysse. He’s made notable appearances in videos and film, recording and performing with many of the most notable artists of our time.

Juan has toured, performed, and recorded with many artists, including Prince, Tony Toni Tone, Miguel, El Chicano, Con Funk Shun, Patti LaBelle, Amerie, Chingy, Jody Watley, Lou Bega, MC Hammer, Lionel Richie, En Vogue, El DeBarge, Freddie Hubbard, Barry White, Herbie Hancock, Cyndi Lauper, Teri Lynn Carrington, Bobby McFerrin, Tito Puente, Cheryl Lynn, Raphael Saadiq, Bobby Womack, his sister Sheila E., and, still, his father, Pete Escovedo.

Juan tours, writes, and records as a solo artist with his father's Latin Jazz Orchestra and The E Family: his father, his brother, Peter Michael Escovedo, and his sister Sheila E. Produced and arranged by Peter Michael Escovedo, The E Family's latest CD, Rhythm of the Night, is a collection of nine “Old School” _Soul & R&B hits, re-arranged and transformed into an explosion of Latin Jazz articulated through a fourteen-piece Latin Jazz Orchestra. The album features guest vocalists Peter Michael, Simon Russel, Sy Smith, Sheila E., Peter Michael, and Debi, as well as Escovedo's great grandchildren.

Lady Bianca is a Gospel and R&B vocalist, classically trained pianist, recording artist, producer and band leader.

Performing original songs from the catalog of Magic-O Records and StayFree Publishing/BMI, the record label and publishing company she founded with Stanley Lippitt, her mission is to maintain the Mighty Oakland Sound of music and share it around the world.

She has performed, recorded and toured the world with Frank Zappa, Sly Stone, Van Morrison, John Lee Hooker and Hall of Fame legends Bobby Bland, Willie Dixon, Etta James, Curtis Mayfield, Koko Taylor, Joe Louis Walker and dozens more as a featured opening act, vocal arranger and record producer .

Lady Bianca regularly tours the country with her trio and continues to record, produce and release amazing music. Her records can be heard on Spotify, Pandora and iHeartRadio, as well as on local radio stations such as KPFA, KPOO and KCSM.

www.ladybiancabandzoogle.com

Eddie M. is one of the top saxophonists to emerge from the Bay Area, known for his authentic funk roots, dynamic stage presence, and soulful delivery. He has recorded and performed with Prince & The Revolution, Sheila E., Jill Jones, Beyonce, Paula Abdul, and Stevie Nicks, Yolanda Adams, Wayman Tisdale, and Acoustic Alchemy. He was a member of the house band on The Magic Hour. Eddie’s solo releases include Hold Me (1997), Ward Street (1998), and Eddie M. (2001), which features Eric Benet and Karyn White.

Derick Hughes combines a rich, five octave voice that comes with captivating stage presence. His development started as a performer in the Young Musician’s Program at the University of California in Berkeley CA. Derick Hughes is Blue Soul and comes from a legacy, highly talented Bay Area vocal performer, Freddie Hughes, his father.

Derick’s velvet -like background vocals have been heard in performances with other artists on tour and in recording projects with musicians such as Roberta Flack, Norman Connors, Prince, The Spinners, Tower of Power, and Michael Bolton, Todd Rudgren, Narda Michael Walden, Ann Nesby, Michael McDonald, Rev. Issac Douglas, Saundra Crouch, and The Gospel Hummingbirds.

Derick's musical abilities are only a stepping stone to his other talent, acting, he has been seen in stage plays such as “ Is My Living In Vain“, produced by Benny Rodgers. “God’s Trying To Tell You Something” and “Somebody Ought To Tell God Thank You” both written and produced by Delilah Williams. “When A Woman Is Fed Up” written and produced by David Toliver and "Brother Dap” written and produced by the late Fred Jackson.

David Jackson began playing music in church. Over 20 years of professional experience in Gospel, R&B and Pop music.

Born and raised in Oakland, CA, David started off playing drums and keyboards at church where his father is pastor. From there, he learned and grew in his God given gifts and talents, writing and recording his own music.

Just before graduating high school, he began a professional career playing keyboards with Grammy Award Winning gospel duo “Mary Mary” along with production credit for many other artists including Judith McAllister, Jonathan McReynolds, Lalah Hathaway, Tye Tribbett, Lena Byrd-Miles, Goapele, Rickey Minor and Jennifer Hudson.

He was also recognized with a winner certificate from the Recording Academy for Engineering credit on PJ Morton’s GRAMMY winning Gospel album.

An accomplished guitarist and vocalist, Vernon 'Ice' Black spent most of the past 20 years touring, recording and film tracking with music legends like Stevie Wonder, Herbie Hancock, Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Chakka Kahn and Lionel Richie. More recently, he’s performed and recorded with contemporary artists including Ashanti, Mariah Carey, India Aire, Busta Rhymes and Celine Dion. His work can be heard in films like “The Bodyguard,” “License to K*ll,” and “Beverly Hills Cop II;” in advertising jingles for Jaguar, Chevrolet, Toyota, Nissan, Mattel and Levi’s; and in songs and sound effects on video games for Sony Play Station, Nintendo, Sega and EA Sports (Electronic Arts). And at the Jimi Hendrix Festival at Bumbershoot Stadium in Seattle Washington he was the co-music director and opened the show with the legendary "Experience" (Jimi Hendrix’s original band) - Mitch Mitchell (drums) and Noel Redding (bass).
Vernon is also a producer, composer and music director. Credits include; The Spice Girls (music director), Regina Belle (composer), Phillip Bailey (composer), Lenny Williams (composer, producer) and his 1st solo record “Sneak Previews” (composer, producer) {guest artists including Herbie Hancock, Steve Smith, Tom Coster, Phillip Bailey} and for multiple artists on his “Ice Black Productions” production company / independent record label.
Also an innovator of musical instrument design, Vernon designs his own electric guitars. He is the co-designer of the MP2 digital guitar preamp, which won the award for best guitar processor of 1993. He also received an award from the DVD Association for co-designing the DVD on CD (multi layered enhanced cd) in 2000.
In the year 2004, Vernon took a break from the "guitarist for hire" market to create a situation that would allow him to pursue and develop his own producing and writing career as well as being a solo artist. Equally so, he was motivated to create a place that gave artists a more fair and friendly (artist based business) environment. This led to the creation of his production company / independent record label "Ice Black Productions".

CMG is a renowned Oakland rapper from the famed hip-hop duo The Conscious Daughters, featuring CMG and The Special One. The Conscious Daughters didn’t set out to break every limitation on women in rap music - they did it by simply being them selves. On their 1993 debut Ear to the Street, the tough-talking East Bay duo lyrically stomped on sexist dudes Instead of riding shotgun, they drove their own Mustangs and had a trunk-rattling hit single, “Something to Ride to (Fonky Expedition)”. And decades before the music industry grew to champion a multiplicity of female rap stars - instead of crowning a single queen - the Conscious Daughters were building a West Coast hip-hop sisterhood. The Conscious Daughters went mainstream with pro-woman lyrics that defied the status quo and paved the way for other women in the industry to be bolder and more outspoken

Miss Faye's Babies are young students of renowned vocalsit and educator Faye Carol, participating in her School of The Getdown summer camps and after school music programs. These beautiful young singers study the art and history of Black music and performacne, and represent our future with stength and purpose. For more information on Miss Faye's educational programs, visit www.fayecarol.com/schoolofthegetdown.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Geoffreys Inner Circle, 410 14th Street, Oakland, United States