4:30 – 6:00 pm – Gaetano Letizia

Guitarist / Song Writer / Vocalist

Gaetano Letizia

Gaetano, also known as Tom, was born in Cleveland where he began performing his own shows at the age of 16. One of his first stage appearances was with the James Gang, sitting in for Joe Walsh in 1970. Since then, he’s performed all over the U.S. along with Europe and Asia. Producer of ten blues and jazz guitar CD’s, Gaetano has received stellar reviews in Downbeat, Guitar Player, 20th Century Guitar, Cleveland Plain Dealer, The Cleveland Scene and many national/international publications.  His music has been played on radio stations in every state as well as most foreign countries.

Discography:  The Tom Letizia Album, Digital Dance,Chuckhole Blues, Gaetano’s Groove, Dreamclipse , All My Brothers, Christmas Jazz Jam,Voodoo Doll, Froggy & The Toads are available through CDBaby, Amazon, ITunes and all digital music services.

Musical Background:  Guitar studies With Pat Martino, George Benson, Joe Pass, Richie Hart, Wolf Marshall, Bert Henry, John Stebal, Paul Weeden and Dan Wall. Graduate of Schillinger System of Music Composition. Berklee College PULSE Certification,

Performances & Recordings with: Mike Clark, Joe Beck, Mundell Lowe, Dan Wall, Greg Bandy, Kenny Davis. Former member of KSU Lab Band.

Gaetano Letizia will play with:

• Lenny Gray on electric bass
• John Stebal III on drums
• Tom First on saxophone

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6:20 – 7:50 pm – Snaps For Sinners

Sassy Swing Ensemble

Snaps for Sinners

Snaps for Sinners is a sassy swing ensemble hellbent on making people dance and have a good time, while also delivering a powerful progressive message that inspires empathy and altruism. With influences ranging from traditional Jazz to Folk-Punk to Country, Snaps for Sinners is dedicated to creating an all-inclusive experience through the blending of multicultural arts.

Since the release of their first album, “How the Apple Falls” and the success of their debut tour from Northern California to North Carolina and back, Snaps for Sinners have been igniting audiences nationally. They are now touring the release of their second album, “The Cat’s Medicine,” which is only available in it’s entirety at their live shows this Summer.

snapsforsinners.com/

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8:10 – 9:40 pm – Barbra Lica

Vocalist / Song Writer

Juno-nominated artist Barbra Lica is a fast rising Canadian vocalist and songwriter and has been receiving accolades for a unique approach that stresses subtlety, grace and storytelling. Based in Toronto, Barbra’s live show captivates audiences all over North America with her genuine warmth and confident stage presence. A seasoned act on the Canadian and American club and festival circuits, Barbra Lica has performed everywhere from New York City’s legendary Birdland to Toronto’s prestigious Koerner Hall. She has also headlined at festivals across the continent including Festival International de Jazz de Montréal, Vancouver International Jazz Festival and Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival, and opened for the likes of Christian McBride, Pat Metheny, Bob Dorough, and Terence Blanchard.

Barbra’s debut album That’s What I Do (Triplet / Universal Jazz Japan) was released to widespread acclaim in 2012, ranking her in Canada’s Top 5 Jazz singers on the CBC, as well Top 5 up-and-coming Toronto jazz artists on blogTO. Her band made their Japanese debut live at the Tokyo International Jazz Festival in 2015 for over 1000 audience members. Her first album with Justin Time Records, I’m Still Learning, was released September 2016 and subsequently nominated for a 2017 Juno Award in the category of “Best Vocal Jazz Album”. Barbra is currently promoting her newest project entitled, You’re Fine (Justin Time Records, November 2018). This album is a collaborative effort between Toronto and Nashville-based musicians, seamlessly blending jazz, country and folk influences. It includes Barbra’s touring band of up-and-coming musicians from across Canada with special guests and country music legends, Paul Franklin (Vince Gill, Shania Twain, Toby Keith) on pedal steel guitar and mutli-instrumentalist Wanda Vick Burchfield (Taylor Swift, Trisha Yearwood, Jason Aldean). “You’re Fine” was recorded at Addiction Sound Studios in the heart of Nashville with award-winning Canadian engineer David Kalmusky (John Oates, Journey) and highly-respected Canadian producer/bassist Marc Rogers (The Philosopher Kings, Nikki Yanofsky). This is Barbra’s most ambitious and personal offering to date – it promises to break all the rules while searching for commonalities between musical genres, human experiences and two sides of one border.

http://barbralicamusic.com

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Beginning at 4:00 p.m. Host Performer – The Defiance Dixieland Jazz Band

Talented Local Musicians Led by Scott Rogers

 

The Fort Defiance Dixieland Jazz Band was created approximately 40 years ago from the necessity for entertainment in the Northwest Ohio and Downtown Defiance area. Musicians from the Defiance area, inspired by Wild Bill Davison, and his historic link to Defiance, started assembling, rehearsing and performing for area schools, and community events in the early 1980’s.  The FDDJB has performed for rally’s, jazz festivals, concert series, area school events and downtown noontime concert venues.  The spirit of the early days of Defiance and the memory of “Wild Bill” live on with music from the “Roaring 20’s” and “30’s”.  The FDDJB seeks to add the authentic spark to any event while bringing the 1920’s history to life through the transformative power of music.

Julie Bok – drums
Tim Booth  – trumpet/ cornet
Kari Rosania – metal bass horn
Scott Rogers – trombone or sliphorn
Ned Clark – keyboards
Frank Di Ambrosia – clarinet or licorice stick

The group members combined represent at least 120 years of educational service to our community. The professions represented within the group include educators, band directors, choral directors, music professionals, bus drivers, bankers, higher education advisors, worship and music coordinators, and orchestra directors to name a few.