“Rubber City Jazz & Blues Festival”: Ghost-Note, Nathan-Paul & The Admirables, Sammy DeLeon y Su Orquesta Bring the whole family to enjoy jazz & blues musical performances throughout the day from some of the very best local & national artists to benefit youth jazz education! Presented by Open Tone Music & BLU Jazz+.

Join us as the 4th Annual Rubber City Jazz & Blues Festival continues with high-energy musical performances on several stages throughout Downtown Akron (BLU Jazz+, Musica, Akron-Summit County Public Library & the Akron Civic Theatre) to benefit youth music education programming for the children of the future!
 
Featuring Ghost-Note w/ members of Snarky Puppy, Nathan-Paul & The Admirables, Sammy DeLeon y Su Orquesta, Pete Mills Quartet, Pulse, Nat Reeves Experience, Curtis Taylor Quartet, Carolyn Perteete & James Johnson III!
 

BLU Jazz+ Stage

• 12:30PM – 1:15PM
  Pete Mills Quartet
• 1:30PM – 2:15PM
  Pulse
• 2:30PM – 3:15PM
  Nat Reeves Experience
• 3:30PM – 4:15PM
  Curtis Taylor Quartet
• 5:00PM – 5:45PM
  Carolyn Perteete & James Johnson III

* Events are FREE before 7PM – tickets required for shows after 7PM.

• 7:00PM – 8:30PM
  

  Nathan-Paul & The Admirables

  Hailing from the funky rust belt town of Cleveland, they have created a live experience that is all about good vibes! Going to an Admirable’s show is a party. Bold and funky earth tones from the saxes at the front lines lead the band through many twists and turns. Hypnotic grooves from the rhythm section get heads bobbing and bodies moving. An Admirable’s show is a healing and exciting experience!

   
  
   

  Whether The Admirables are jamming on a trap groove or laying down the funk, their #1 goal is to get you moving. The band calls upon many of the feel good muses of groove music such as Kool & The Gang, J-Dilla, James Brown, Erykah Badu, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, and many more. As the old adage goes “music is food for the soul.” The Admirables will get you fed!

   

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• 9:00PM – 10:00PM
  

  Ghost-Note (featuring members of Snarky Puppy)

  Headed by Snarky Puppy’s multi Grammy–winning percussion duo of Robert Sput Searight and Nate Werth, Ghost-Note is an explosion of sound. With an expansive roster of next-level musicians—representing members of Prince, Snoop Dogg, Erykah Badu, Herbie Hancock, Kendrick Lamar, Marcus Miller, Toto, Justin Timberlake, and more—the band is pushing funk music into the future, building on the uplifting, pioneering foundations laid out by the likes of James Brown and Sly & The Family Stone and infusing their fresh take with tastes of afrobeat, hip-hop, psychedelia, world folklore, and more.

   
  
   

  With the release of 2018’s Swagism, Ghost-Note has made their mission clear. The album puts rhythm at the forefront, with irresistible, heavy-hitting beats underlying the group’s wild, rich music. Featuring numerous guest collaborators, including Kamasi Washington, Karl Denson, Bobby Sparks, Nigel Hall, Taz, and others, Swagism showcases the band’s stunning ability to meld and amplify sounds, ultimately adding to Ghost-Note’s sharp, complex collaborations.

   

  Fearless, both in Swagism’s sonic depth and conscious social commentary, the band easily translates this adventurousness in a live setting. Ghost-Note’s live performances are bold and in your face, with the group offering up none of the tight-laced pretenses frequently associated with the band’s jazz roots. Focused on creating seductive dance-able grooves and a contagious feel-good energy, each show is an opportunity to let loose and connect, for both fans and the musicians alike.

   
  
   

  After forming in 2015, Ghost-Note has already begun to take the world by storm. The group’s two studio albums—2018’s Swagism and 2015’s Fortified—have earned critical acclaim and popular success around the globe, with both albums hitting the #1 spot on the iTunes Jazz Charts. Furthermore, the ever-growing family of musicians has mounted successful headlining tours in the United States, Canada, and Japan and performed at high-profile international music festivals and events.
   

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• 10:30PM – 12:00AM
  

  Sammy DeLeon y Su Orquesta

  

  Sammy DeLeon is a well-recognized fixture in the Ohio Latin jazz scene whom has gained popularity for his danceable groove-oriented music in the styles of Latin jazz, salsa, and merengue.

   

  DeLeon’s performance credits include performances with El Gran Combo, Tito Rojas, and Tony Vega. DeLeon has performed in New York, Chicago, Miami, and San Juan, Puerto Rico, as well as locally, and has opened for Tito Puente, whose praise he earned. He also fronts his own orchestra which features four vocalists, a trumpeter, saxophonist, pianist, bassist, and three percussion players.
   

About Open Tone Music

In 2010, Open Tone Music began with the goal to:
 

• Make music accessible to the community
• Provide music education both inside and outside the classroom for youth and adults
• Offer music performance which are accessible to the public of all ages
• Offer opportunity for musicians in training to rehearse and perform with professionals
• Provide education and access in the business of making music

 
Since its creation, Open Tone Music has been able to serve thousands of youth in the Northern Ohio area with the help of fiscal agents, community partners and individual donors.
 

$25 (FREE before 7PM)