Wine and Jazz Fest is Saturday

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

For the ninth year, the Summer Festival of the Arts will include a jazz concert downtown.

Youngstown Wine and Jazz Fest featuring Norman Brown will take place Saturday at the new Youngstown Foundation Amphitheatre. Doors open at 6 p.m., and music starts at 7 p.m. with opening act Arielle Green.

Tickets are $10 each ($25 for VIP seating) and available at the Covelli Centre box office, ticketmaster.com and at the gate.

Wine is a big part of the event, and several wineries and breweries will offer their products adjacent to the stage.

Brown, a Grammy Award-winning contemporary jazz/R&B artist, has sold close to two million albums in his career.

Born in Shreveport, La., and raised in Kansas City, Mo., Brown learned to play guitar as a young boy. Although inspired by Jimi Hendrix, it was his father’s preference for the sound of Wes Montgomery that set Brown on his stylistic journey.

After high school, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue his musical career, attending the Musician’s Institute, where he also taught for a short time.

While playing with his own group in local clubs, Brown was discovered and signed to the fledgling MoJazz label, a division of Motown. He released his debut album, “Just Between Us,” and followed it with the gold-certified “After The Storm” and “Better Days Ahead.”

Brown then went to Warner Bros. and released “Celebration.” The follow-up, “Just Chillin’,” earned Brown a Grammy Award in the best pop instrumental category. That project was followed by “West Coast Coolin’,” where Brown tested out his skills as a vocalist.

In 2002, Brown debuted his smooth jazz super group with saxophonist Kirk Whalum and trumpeter Rick Braun. Brown then signed with longtime jazz label Concord and released 2010’s “Sending My Love.” Two years later, he paired with saxophonist Gerald Albright for the Concord release “24/7.”

In February, he released “The Highest Act of Love,” a fusion of R&B and jazz.