The Bruce Katz Band at Crawford Brew Works -- March 15.
Tuesday, March 15, 7 p.m.
Crawford Brew Works, 3659 Devils Glen Road, Bettendorf IA
Described by Jazz Times as an artist who “cooks up a brilliant marriage of blues, jazz, gospel, and soul,” New York Blues Hall of Fame inductee Bruce Katz and his Bruce Katz Band play a March 15 set at Bettendorf's Crawford Brew Works as the debut performers in the Brews ’n’ Blues Concert Series, a new part of the Mississippi Valley Blues Society's fundraising efforts for its education-outreach program Blues in the Schools.
A Boston native and world-class Hammond B-3 organ and piano player, Katz studied composition and performance at the Berklee College of Music in the mid-1970s, and for the next 15 years, played with many of the leading musicians in New England, enjoying a particularly long stint with Barrence Whitfield & the Savages. In 1992, he was invited by Ronnie Earl to join his band The Broadcasters, and during his nearly five-year tenure with the group, Katz toured the world and performed on six albums, writing or co-writing many of the tunes on Grateful Heart, which won the Downbeat Critics Poll for Best Blues Album of 1996. Katz also recorded his solo debut Crescent Crawl in 1992, and after the 1997 release of his third album Mississippi Moan, the artist began concentrating on his career as a solo artist and frontman for the Bruce Katz Band, an ensemble that has spent more than 20 years touring extensively throughout the U.S., Canada, and Europe.
A five-time nominee for the Blues Music Award for “Pinetop Perkins Piano Player of the Year,” Katz also performs regularly with John Hammond, the Delbert McClinton Band, and Jaimoe's Jasssz Band, and was a member of the Gregg Allman Band from 2007 to 2013. His 2008 CD Live! At the Firefly, meanwhile, rose to number-11 on the National Living Blues Radio Chart, with 2014's Homecoming spending four months on that chart and peaking at number-three on the Contemporary Blues Chart. In addition to performing, Katz teaches piano, Hammond organ, and theory privately at his studio in West Shokan, New York, and conducts master classes in Hammond B3 and blues history at schools and music festivals worldwide.
During the March 15 event, the Mississippi Valley Blues Society will have representatives on site to answer questions and take direct donations, while Crawford Brew Works will donate a portion of its sales during the performances. Bob Clevenstine, fundraising Chairman for the MVBS, stated, "We are excited to explore a new approach to fundraising that creates a positive relationship with the local business community and ultimately supports our local music educators and students." And Tom Taylor, Crawford Brew Works' general manager, said, "“We plan for our 'Crawford Culture of Care' initiative to be a core part of our culture at the brewery, and to have a business model that goes above and beyond in our efforts to support local organizations that put intentional care toward our community and the people who are a part of it."
The Bruce Katz Band plays their Brews 'n' Blues Concert Series event at 7 p.m. on March 15, and more information on the night's events is available by visiting CrawfordBrewWorks.com and MVBS.org.
