An ongoing tradition featuring some of the
region's top blues, rhythm and blues and country musicians including The Texas
All-Star Big Band
Make plans for the
The 12th Annual
Johnny Nicholas Texas
All-Star Big Band Bash
Reserve This Date:
November 14th, 2009
Lady Bird Johnson Park, Pioneer Pavillion Hall
Hwy 16 South, Fredericksburg, Texas

Proceeds benefit
Fredericksburg
Youth Music Mentoring and Performing Arts Foundation
For more information about previous events click HERE
PRESS COVERAGE:
"BASH" BRINGING OUT STARS
Fredericksburg Standard-Radio Post Article Oct 15, 2008
'Bash'
Packs 'Em in At The Park
Show Pairs Nationally-Known Performers, Benefits For Local Schools
Fredericksburg Standard-Radio Post 2008
FEATURING
JOHNNY NICHOLAS | JOEL GUZMAN &
SARAH FOX
JIMMY VAUGHAN | FLOYD
DOMINO
AL GOMEZ | KAZ KAZANOFF
& Texas All-Star
Big Band
READ A
REVIEW OF THE 2001 CONCERT

JOHNNY NICHOLAS - GUITAR, VOCALS
In 1980, after twenty years of the blues scenes of Providence, Detroit-Ann Arbor, Chicago
and Texas - performing with Duke Robillard, Steve Nardella, Big Walter Horton, Johnny
Shines and Asleep at the Wheel - Johnny Nicholas felt increasingly estranged from the
modern blues movement and got out of music. He and his new wife Brenda Schlaudt moved from
Austin into the central Texas Hill Country to start their family; they also bought an
abandoned gas station/beer joint, and built it up, seemingly one brick and one dish at a
time, into the Hill Top Cafe. After about 6 months, Johnny started taking to the battered
upright in the corner of Hill Top to play some blues again. And, until 1991, when he
produced and played on the late Johnny Shines last album (with Snooky Pryor), that
was the only way you could hear Nicholas.
Since 1991, Johnny has started to perform solo, and
with old friends in band settings, at festivals from coast to coast and in Europe,
although most of the time you can catch him at Hill Top Cafe doing what he loves best -
serving up great food and music at the old gas station on the hill. [For more about Johnny
Nicholas click HERE.]
MARCIA BALL - KEYBOARDS,
VOCALS
Marcia honed her powerful singing and deft, rollicking keyboard chops while growing up in
the small town of Vinton, Louisiana, just across the Texas border. This musical and
cultural frontier was and is a hotbed of country, blues, gospel, Cajun, Zydeco, rockabilly
and Gulf Coast "swamp pop", and young Marcia absorbed it all, even as she was
receiving her formal piano training. After attending LSU, Marcia hit Austin in the late
1970s, started the beloved band "Freda and the Firedogs" and soon after signed
with Capitol Records.
Marcia has since recorded five critically acclaimed Rounder albums - Soulful Dress, Hot
Tamale Baby, Gatorhythms, Blue House, and her current album, Let Me Play With Your Poodle,
bursts with passion, excitement and sly humor. Marcias prolific studio work is
sandwiched between live appearances that keep her constantly in touch with her legion of
fans throughout the U.S. and Europe. She has appeared at virtually every festival on both
continents and has been featured on leading radio and television programs around the
globe. She received the 1998 Handy Award for Contemporary Female Vocalist of the Year and
is nominated again in 1999. Marcia has also been nominated for a Grammy and Handy award
for her work with Irma Thomas and Tracy Nelson on the album, Sing It
THE RESENTMENTS: Stephen Bruton is
the movie star of the band. Singer, songwriter and guitarist Stephen Bruton is one of
Austin's most successful "sidemen" who is now coming into his own as a solo
artist. The list of heavy-hitters Bruton has worked with: Kris Kristofferson, Rita
Coolidge, Delbert McClinton, Bonnie Raitt, Booker T. Jones, Don Was, Double Trouble, Lou
Ann Barton, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Tish Hinojosa, T-Bone Burnett, B.W. Stevenson, Carly Simon,
Lowell George, and Jimmie Dale Gilmore. Bruton's songs have been recorded by Marcia Ball,
Alejandro Escovedo, Patty Loveless, and the Highwaymen, (Kristofferson, Willie Nelson,
Waylon Jennings, and Johnny Cash)
GREG PICCOLO - Greg Piccolo, after thirty six years of recording
and and touring, continues to present his unique style and sound all over the US, building
an impressive following and turning on new fans every step of the way. Piccolos credentials include 25 years with
the Grammy nominated, world renowned, Roomful of Blues. He served as bandleader, lead
singer, and tenor sax man from 1978 until his departure in 1994. His impressive recording
history includes over 50 albums including sessions with Pat Benetar, Colin James, Big Joe
Turner, the Fabulous Thunderbirds and Stevie Ray Vaughan to mention a few. Rhode Island based, Piccolo has never once wavered
in his desire to perform and write his own music.
There is simply nothing I would rather
do.
Piccolo's
unique writing refuses to be defined. He cleverly fuses the simplicity of blues, the
freedom of jazz, and the rhythm of reggae, all on a solid traditional R&B foundation
always keeping the music fresh, exciting and designed for commercial appeal. Watching Piccolo on stage is like experiencing a
gentle, but exhilarating roller coaster ride. Fans easily float from the swinging style of
Buddy Johnson, the emotion packed slow sax instrumentals of Lester Young and Jimmy Forest. The groove never stops as Piccolo moves from the
rollicking honkers of Red Prysock, to the steamy guitar licks referencing the Kings, Earl
and BB; and to the acclaimed clever lyrics and uncategorized "gotta-move"
rhythmic arrangements of his own compositions.
As Piccolo says, I just
try to play good music that will move your soul
TOMMY MC LAIN - Internationally known recording artist best
known for his "SWAMP POP" version of "SWEET DREAMS" selling over 10
million copies with a deserving GOLD RECORD, and received another GOLD RECORD for writing
"IF YOU DON'T LOVE ME(LEAVE ME ALONE)" for FREDDY FENDER. Tommy's discography
includes over 150 songs penned and recorded from the beginning of his career through
today. Tommy has accomplished a lifetime of achievements and awards.
TOMMY McLAIN started playing the guitar that his
mother and father bought for him when he was 5 years old and has advanced through the
years to play several instruments including: piano, keyboards, drums, guitar, bass,
fiddle, even can make the ole bagpipes sizzle!
TOMMY
McLAIN has toured the world over with numerous musical acts: The Rolling Stones, The
Yardbirds, Tommy James & The Shondells, Steffenwolf, ZZ Top, Paul Revere & the
Raiders, Percy Sledge, plus many more and has performed with just about every band,
musicians in Louisiana.ba
JOEL GUZMAN, SARAH FOX & ANDREW HARDIN - Grammy winners Joel Guzman and Sarah Fox return to the Big Band Bash with
guitarist Andrew Hardin. Fusing their traditional and urban sensibilities, the trio
reached deep into the ocean of Texas folk and Mexican Roots music.creating a sound as seamless as water. Flawlessly blending Fox's
vocal power and Andrew's heavenly guitar with Guzman's innovative accordion playing, which
has been called brilliant and genius, their music crosses the borders of cumbia, blues and
rock.
JIMMIE VAUGHAN -- Jimmie Vaughan is far more than just one of
the greatest and most respected guitarists in the world of popular music. As Guitar Player
Magazine notes, "He is a virtual deity--a living legend." After all, Vaughan
provides a vital link between contemporary music and its proud heritage, as well as being
a longtime avatar of retro cool.
Since releasing his first solo album in 1994, he has
set the standard for quality modern roots music. Throughout his career, Vaughan has earned
the esteem of his legendary guitar-playing heroes and superstar peers along with
successive generations of young players. His musical ethos and personal style have had an
impact on contemporary culture, from spearheading the current blues revival with The
Fabulous Thunderbirds to his longtime, innate fashion sense of slicked-back hair and sharp
vintage threads (now seen throughout the pages of contemporary fashion journals) to
becoming a premier designer of classic custom cars. But for Jimmie Vaughan, none of it is
part of a crusade or a career plan. It's just his natural way of living his life and
pursuing the interests that have captivated Vaughan since his youth.
.FLOYD DOMINO - PIANO
Grammy-winner Floyd Dominos stellar boogie-woogie and swing has been heard on dozens
of #1 radio hits. With a recording resume from George Strait to Herb Ellis to Waylon
Jennings to Asleep at the Wheel to Merle Haggard to Willie Nelson to Townes Van Zandt and
beyond, Floyds piano has been heard all over the world and even beamed up to the
space shuttle. NASA beamed George Straits Ace in the Hole to the space shuttle
Columbia in a wake-up call that featured Floyds sparkling boogie-woogie piano solo.
Currently, Floyds piano is heard every weekday on over 100 radio stations on the Jim
Hightower talk radio show, broadcast live from Austin. Floyd also plays or records with
Texas favorites Don Walser, Monte Warden, the Texas Playboys, Asleep at the Wheel and many
others. Floyd, a dedicated father and family man, has released 5 childrens
albums on his own label, Golliber, that have gotten rave reviews from the
national press.
AL GOMEZ - TRUMPET
1995 Grammy Nomination (R&B), "The Last Real Texas Blues Band" Current
Magazine (San Antonio), Ninth Annual Music Awards Best Latin Salsa Group: Henry Brun &
The Latin Playerz Notre Dame Jazz Festival, Outstanding Musician Award 1994-95 Texas
Minority Graduate Fellowship 1991-94 Music Scholarship, SWTSU, Jazz & Orchestra
Ensembles 1992 Music Achievement Award; Wichita, Kansas Jazz Festival (IAJE) 1985 Music
Achievement Award; UT Austin Jazz Festival
Performance Experience: Current, Dicks
Last Resort, San Antonio, Texas 1996
European Tour with Doug Sahm and the Last Real Texas Blues Band; including the Moulin
Blues Festival (Ospel, Holland) 1995-96
Corpus Christi Jazz Festival 1996
JAZZ Alive (San Antonio Jazz Festival) with The Jazz Vatos 1996 Eureka Springs, Arkansas, Jazz Festival with The
Jazz Vatos 1995 March-August: U.S.
Tour with The Last Real Blues Band and the Texas Tornadoes
1994 European tour with SWTSU Mysterium (composer ensemble) 1994 World Premier, "Rio Bravo Ballet," by
Alice Gomez 1993-96 Pura Vida Awards
Orchestra
TERRY HALE - ACOUSTIC, ELECTRIC
BASS: Terry has performed everywhere from New Yorks Madison Square Garden to the
Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles, on television shows from Austin City Limits to the
BBC. As an original founding member of the
Ace in the Hole Band, Terry has been supplying the bottom end for
MCA recording artist George Strait for the last thirty years and as such has appeared on
numerous gold and multi-platinum selling albums, two major motion pictures, Pure
Country 1992 (Warner Bros.) and The Soldier 1980 (James Glickenhous
Films). He has also performed on many
television and radio commercials, videos and countless syndicated radio broadcasts. He has performed live on The Tonight
Show with Johnny Carson as well as with Jay Leno, multiple music awards shows,
pay-per-view telecasts and two HBO specials.
KAZ KAZANOFF - TENOR SAXOPHONE
Saxophonist Mark Kaz Kazanoff is well-known to Rhythm and Blues and Jazz fans
around the world. He has produced and contributed horn arrangements, saxophone and
harmonica solos, and original songs to more than 80 record albums over the last fifteen
years, but still thinks of himself as a live musician. Albums he has played on or
produced, have won, or been nominated for, Grammy and W.C. Handy Awards. Kaz performs
often at major international music festivals such as the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage and
Monterrey Jazz Festivals. He received his D.M.A. Doctoral Degree in Music Composition in
1998 from the University of Texas at Austin, lives and teaches in the Austin area.
DANNY LEVIN - FIDDLE
Danny grew up in the suburbs of Philly and studied cello with Philadelphia Orchestra
cellist Francis de Pasquale from 1959-1967, and by the age of 15, was an accomplished
chamber musician. He joined up with the swing band Asleep at the Wheel in 1971. By 1972,
he had picked up the fiddle and was listening to and playing country music and string
jazz, and by 1978, he had won his first Grammy. Danny is now producing and writing
advertising commercials with such artists as Johnny Nicholas, Ethel & Methel, Don
Walser, Sean Colvin, Leon Raush of the Texas Playboys, Charlie Sexton, Johnny Cash, Sara
Hickman and the Leann Rimes "Dont Mess with Texas" TV commercial.
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