| | Published September 14th, 2011
| Rhythm and Meaning: Orinda Jazz Festival to Benefit Hurricane Irene Victims
| | Laurie Snyder |  | | Mads Tolling Photo provided
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Violinist Mads Tolling will show off his Grammy Award-winning talents at the Orinda Theatre on September 18, 2011 during Orinda's first annual Jazz Festival. That is very good news for East Coast residents, as well as for anyone in the Bay Area who loves great music, according to Beau Behan, one of the festival's co-founders.
The festival, planned by Behan and Carol Alban to be Orinda's version of a similar jazz event they produced for Moraga residents, will serve as a benefit for those whose lives were upended by Hurricane Irene.
"All of the performers are donating their time and energy," said Behan as he announced the latest list of performers. The majority of proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to organizations providing disaster relief for those hit hardest by Irene with small portions also given to the Orinda Arts Council and the Theatre for use in improving its sound and digital system.
And what a lineup it will be. Tolling, a member of the Turtle Island Quartet, has been featured on NPR's Morning Edition. His music, "an eclectic range of jazz with improvisation," said Behan, will likely appeal to wide range of listeners.
Tolling will be joined by Mary Jenson who recently celebrated the release of her CD, Beyond, at Yoshi's, and Frank Martin who has displayed his keyboard artistry in performance with jazz legend Al Jarreau and other internationally renowned musicians.
"Carol is really well connected with the jazz community," explained Behan when discussing the planning committee's major coup in securing Mads Tolling to headline the program. Alban, who will also be taking the stage on the 18th, has hefty artistic credentials herself. She currently serves as the principal flutist with the Bay Area Chamber Symphony, and has performed at New York's Lincoln Center, in Carnegie Hall, and at Yoshi's Jazz Club in Oakland.
Guitarist George Cole, flutist Viviana Guzman, vocalist Holly Moore, and winners of the Orinda Idol 2011 contest are among the other veteran and beginning artists who will round out the slate.
Jazz fans are invited to enjoy light refreshments at a reception with the performers at 6:30 p.m. The concert will begin at 7:00.
Like Henri Matisse who once said that "Jazz is rhythm and meaning," Behan knows that it's possible to combine soulful music with an important cause to produce a great night out. He and Alban plan for this to be the first of many future festivals, and hope the concerts will become Orinda's must-hear events of the season.
Tickets are $20 for general admission and $15 for students, and may be purchased at the Orinda Theatre's box office or online through its web site: www.TheOrindaTheatre.com. For more information, call: 925-254-9065, or e-mail:
info@LamorindaTheatres.com.
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 | | George Cole Photo provided
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA