- The "Magic" is building - August 16th

The "buzz" is still circling about the powerhouse performance of a certain keyboardist in Sacramento last month at the MixDowntown,....Cecil Ramirez was hip, sophisticated and groovin' and he left a lasting impression on his fans, new and old after this performance. As one jazz reviewer has said, "Cecil is truly smooth jazz… lyrical, emotional, with danceable grooves and with the influences of contemporary jazz, R&B and Latin America."
After this stellar performance at the MIXDowtown last month, Cecil Ramirez will be featured on keys with Utopian Dreams on August 16th at Jazz in the MIX – MIXDowntown –Sacramento. It is sure to bring the house down!

More about Cecil:

Cecil Ramirez is an independent smooth jazz artist, jazz pianist and composer from Sacramento, California, USA. His piano playing style has been compared to Brian Culbertson, Brian Simpson, Jeff Lorber, and Gregg Karukas. His current CD Talk To The Hand is available for purchase on CD Baby; album and single downloads are available on iTunes (USA, Australia/New Zealand, Canada, UK/European Union, Japan and Mexico), on AmazonMP3.com, and Rhapsody

In the jazz tradition of "sittin in", Utopian Dreams decided to go all out with this show. As a result we have invited several "friends" to this show, also featured will be NY recording artist, Keyan Williams on sax with our own Susan Copperman, LA recording artist Jon Barnes on flugel and just announced, legacy drummer and producer, Paul Tillman Smith on drums…yes, we are looking for… MAGIC!

Here's a little bit about the "additions" to this August 16th show!

About Keyan:

Keyan’s debut CD, “The Art of Living” was released in 2006. His highly anticipated follow-up, “Blazing” will be hitting the contemporary Jazz scene in mid 2011. Keyan’s music is a groove filled production that is reminiscent of the kind of music Grover made. Keyan says, “Grover Washington Jr. is one of my favorite musicians. He would give you a great show with three hours of non-stop playing. I wanted to keep that kind of drive alive. It’s music with really strong grooves, to get back to what I call the original smooth jazz sound. I think I’ve done that with my albums”.

When it comes to live performances, Keyan plays from the heart and you’ll never hear him play a solo the same way twice. He has been gracing the stage since his very early years, playing at various venues like Carnegie Hall and Avery Fisher Hall. Keyan feels incredibly excited to be sharing the stage with Utopian Dreams this August and beyond.

About Jon:

Jon is a world class musician, writer, composer, and producer who has worked with George Benson, Gerald Albright, Tom Scott, Rick Braun, Chris Botti, Jonathan Butler, Mindi Abair, Gail Jhonson, Eric Darius, Phillip Ingram, Ricky Lawson, Alex Al, Gerald McCauley, Reggie Young, Eric Marienthal, Bobby Lyle, Billy Preston...to name a few.

Professionally, Jon has also toured and produced many projects that includes the incredible West Coast Allstars. Jon, like Miles Davis, enjoys sharing the stage with talented people who are inspiring, honest, and hard working. "This is why I am joined at the hip with Utopian Dreams...fabulous musicians and fabulous people".

About Paul:

Paul Tillman Smith’s first professional drumming gig was with Blues legend Lightnin’ Hopkins at the Continental Club in West Oakland. He was fifteen years old. At the age of eighteen he joined the rock group "The second Coming", which included Steve Miller and musicians who later split up and became two historical groups, “The Steve Miller Band and “Country Joe and the Fish”. Both groups sought Paul’s services, but he chose instead to go to New York playing and recording with Avante Garde Jazz musicians Sonny Simmons and Albert Ayler...Ayler is considered to be a founding father of the Avante Garde Jazz Era, along with John Coltrane. While in New York he also performed with Jackie MacLean, Archie Schepp, Kenny Dorham and Pharaoh Sanders. On his return to the Bay Area, Paul performed and recorded with award winning Jazz Violinist Michael White on the Warner Brothers Label. That band featured the legendary pianist Ed Kelly.

Paul has had the honor of performing or recording with many music legends including the Bobby Hutcherson and John Handy Quartets, Alice Coltrane, Joe Henderson, Jimmy Mc Cracklin, Richard Pryor, Etta James, Jon Hendricks, Marlena Shaw, Abbey Lincoln, Dewey Redman, Faye Carol, D. J. Rogers, Harold Land, Lorez Alexander, Odia Coates, Erma Thomas, Cold Blood, Jon Faddis, Bobby Lyle, Gary Bartz, Reggie Lucas, Azteca, Rodney Franklin, Carlos Santana, Michael Henderson, The Brecker Brothers, Sylvestor, Jeannie Tracy, Mtume, Big Momma Thornton, Eddie Henderson, Rashan Roland Kirk, Buddy Connor, Angela Bofill, Dewey Redman, Woody Shaw, Pete Escovedo, Ray Obiedo and Merl Saunders just to name a few.
Utopian Dreams bassist, GMichael is very excited to be playing with Paul at the Mix. Their connection goes way back to to the 70's, when Paul was recording his first CD, produced by Norman Connors.

This will be quite a show...you don't want to miss this one!