Eastbound & Down

Eastbound Jesus don’t fit well under any one genre, and choose to call what they do “Northern rock”. They shred on the banjo, they have sweet sounding vocal harmonies, they play ballads, they play fast paced rocking tunes, and it all comes from a real, genuine place that makes for a sound all their own. These six guys from upstate Greenwich NY have recently put out an incredibly well-crafted album entitled Full Moon Over Salem and have been packing venues with an infectious energy that gets people dancing, hollering, smiling and finding a new appreciation for a sound that is both traditional and refreshing.

Dire Straits were a British rock band formed in London in 1977 by Mark Knopfler (lead vocals and lead guitar), David Knopfler (rhythm guitar and backing vocals), John Illsley (bass guitar and backing vocals) and Pick Withers (drums and percussion). They were active from 1977 to 1988 and again from 1990 to 1995.

Hailing from Indianapolis, Caesar Frazier (spelled ‘Ceasar’ from time to time) was a funky soul-jazz organist who recorded several albums for the Eastbound/Westbound label family during the ‘70s. In addition to recording on his own, Frazier also played keyboards in Marvin Gaye’s backing band. Collaborations with contemporaries were numerous and to this day Frazier’s legacy is still alive through samples & remixes from outfits such as ‘Gang Starr’ and ‘Arrested Development’. In 1972 Frazier cut his first album ‘Hail Ceasar’, which featured musicians commonly associated with the Prestige label’s jazz-funk outings — Melvin Sparks (guitar), Houston Person (tenor), and Idris Muhammad (drums).

The Communiqué Tour was a 1979 concert tour of Europe and North American by the British rock band Dire Straits, supporting their second album, Communiqué, released in June 1979. The tour started on 11 February 1979 in Rotterdam and consisted of 116 concerts in Europe and North America, ending on 21 December 1979 in London. In the United States, 51 concerts were sold out during 38 days. All of the concerts in Europe were sold out as well. The tour lineup included Mark Knopfler (guitar, vocals), David Knopfler (guitar), John Illsley (bass), and Pick Withers (drums).

The world's top contemporary jazz ensemble performs live in South Africa, blending their smooth jazz signature sound with large doses of pop, R&B and African beats!