****SPECIAL JAZZ FEST PRE-PARTY****
Doors 4:00pm • Music 8:00pm

Tribute to the music of Weather Report, Return to Forever and Herbie Hancock's Headhunters as played by Donny Frauenhofer Trio!

It's gonna be a full night of electric jazz fusion music! Two sets featuring music from the kings of fusion: #HerbieHancock's #Headhunters, #ChickCorea's #ReturntoForeber, and #WeatherReport!

The Donny Frauenhofer Trio is a musical chameleon that focuses on modern jazz, funk, and fusion taking inspiration from the thick history of American music while looking forward.

Donny Frauenhofer - keyboards/compositions/arrangements
James Benders - electric bass
Joe Goretti- drum set

Donny Frauenhofer is a virtuosic multi-instrumentalist, bandleader, singer-songwriter, composer, arranger, and educator from Buffalo, NY that has been making big waves both regionally as well as nationally in several genres since the start of his professional career. Dipping his toes into multiple scenes, Frauenhofer has become a recognizable name in the jam scene circuit as keyboardist/vocalist with nationally touring act Intrepid Travelers (dubbed “Improvisation Kings” by The Buffalo News Gusto) and their performances at festivals such as Summer Camp Music Festival, Night Lights Music Festival, Some Kind of Jam, Woodhenge Sustainability Festival, among others. Largely known as Buffalo’s best kept secret, the secret may be starting to spread with nominations for “Best Jazz Pianist” in JazzBuffalo’s Reader’s Poll 3 years running, and an award for “Best Jazz Fusion Act” with THE TRUTH, a group he helps compose and arrange for. Constantly rejecting and reinventing narrow labels to expand his craft, Frauenhofer truly best represents an incoming generation of musicians that embrace and access an infinite amount of influences

James Benders studied double bass with Paul Zapalowski of the BPO and Henry Preyerbrune of the TCO, and got his jazz start with Rodney Appleby and Phil Aguglia. He's played with the likes of Greg Banaszak, Mingus Band member Lauren Sevian, and Grammy winning artist and composer Gordon Goodwin, and premiered a musical at Playhouse Square of Cleveland while studying double bass performance at Baldwin Wallace Conservatory of music. In Buffalo he's a regular member of the Truth, Kristen Smigielski Combo, DF3, Nickel City Jazz, and was with Gruvology on their European tour.

Joe Goretti also joins DF3 on drums, whose impressive resume includes performing and touring around the world with Moby, Ne-Yo, Robyn, AJR, Ingrid Michaelson, Sam Moore, and the Temptations; and has also performed on hit television programs such as Saturday Night Live, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Late Show with Dave Letterman, The Today Show, LIVE with Kelly & Michael, VH1 Big Morning Buzz, PBS Front Row Center, MTV Online Awards, and the iTunes Festival. Together, the three musicians, each considered top of their class in WNY, combine to form a sound that is dynamic, aggressive, confident, and above all else - grooves hard."

https://www.facebook.com/events/373615916696717

Cover: $10