Jazz and Blues Festival in full swing

The P.E.I. Jazz and Blues Festival enters day two today with a full schedule of events that commences with a workshop in Confederation Centres Studio Theatre at 4:30 with bass player Paul Vienneau. Vienneau will touch on several areas, from proper technique and groove making to time internalization and solos. While the session is geared towards bass players it should of interest to any musician or serious music fan. Following that session the focus will shift to St. Pauls Church for a performance by sax player Chris Mitchell featuring the music of the late great Doug Riley. Riley, one of Canadas true national treasures, played an integral part in the development of the festival during its first three years. The gifted musician, composer, arranger and conductor died last August but left behind a huge musical legacy which continues to inspire Mitchell and countless other musicians. Mitchell, who is also a respected music educator, performed with Riley in the ECMA-nominated quartet Tonic, with drummer Dave Burton and bassist Jamie Gatti, Legendary Canadian blues rocker Matt Minglewood, Jackie Richardson, Canadas first lady of gospel, jazz and blues, bluesman Danny B. and well-known East Coast keyboard player Doris Mason will share the stage under the big tent on Queen Street starting at 7:30. Minglewood, a Canadian blues institution, is the recipient of four East Coast Music Awards and has twice been nominated for a Juno Award. He has three gold records to his credit, a Maple Blues Award and has been honoured with Queen's Jubilee Medal for his contribution to Canadian music. Richardson is renowned for her powerful voice, her amazing range and diversity and for her vibrant stage presence. She has been honoured for her work on stage and on the screen with Gemini, Juno, Dora and Maple Blues Awards. Richardson, who thrilled audiences here with her performance at the Doug Riley Tribute Concert, is an inspiration to all around her. Danny B, a veteran bluesman and a favourite band-mate of the late, Doug Riley, combines a smooth, gravelly baritone with a wild, wailing harmonica style. His humour, relaxed stage presence and amazing range of repertoire, from ballads and standards to barrelhouse and boogie, allow him to instantly establish a warm rapport with an audience. He will be performing with Richardson. Doris Mason is one of the Maritimes most accomplished keyboard players. She has been featured on national television and radio and on countless stages, and her CD, Photograph, garnered her an ECMA nomination. Mason performed with Denny Doherty in New York in the off-Broadway production, Dream a Little Dream: The Nearly True Story of the Mamas and the Papas. She also serves as the music director of DRUM! Todays schedule comes to a close with the Kwik Kopy Late Night sessions in the Studio Theatre at 11:30 p.m. Popular P.E.I. singer Joey Kitson, sax player Chris Mitchell and the Alan Dowling Quartet will be featured tonight. Kitson, who achieved a national profile as the lead singer for Rawlins Cross, was a featured singer at the 2006 and 2007 Charlottetown Festivals, appearing in Canada Rocks: The Hits Musical Revue and The British Invasion. Known for his diversity he has sung pop, rock, blues, jazz and RB. Dowling, a highly respected drummer, has played virtually every kind of popular music at one point or another and with every conceivable musical configuration. For more information on the festival go to www.jazzandblues.ca