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Tickets still available for Jazz Plus

 

Sonoma is preparing itself for the most musical weekend of the year. The enormous performance tent was erected last week, and Sonoma is ready for John Fogerty, Sheryl Crow and the Gipsy Kings to grace the stage at the seventh annual Sonoma Jazz Plus festival, this weekend, from May 20 to 22.

"Sonoma Jazz Festival ... we're coming to see you Friday night ... see you soon!," Fogerty posted on his Twitter page Sunday.

The former Creedence Clearwater Revival front man ushers in the weekend of musical decadence on Friday at 9 p.m. with a performance that promises to bring many standards from the CCR catalogue while also showcasing some of Fogerty's newer solo material.

Opening for Fogerty is the Tedeschi Trucks Band, fronted by Allman Brothers Band guitarist Derek Trucks, one of Rolling Stone's "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Times;" and Susan Tedeschi, 1998 Grammy award winner for Best New Artist. That band takes the stage at 6:30 p.m.

Saturday brings crooner Crow to the stage. The nine-time Grammy award-winning artist is the voice behind favorites such as "Strong Enough," "Everyday is a Winding Road" and "All I Wanna Do." In addition to her old favorites, Crow will share the songs off her latest album, "100 Miles to Memphis" during her 9 p.m. concert. 

Japanese jazz sensation Hiromi warms up the crowd at 6:30 p.m. before Crow on Saturday. Earning accolades ranging from the Recording Industry Association of Japan's Jazz Album of the Year award to Guinness Jazz Festival's Rising Star award, Hiromi brings the purest form of jazz to the weekend's musical lineup.

Wrapping up the fundraising concert on Sunday at 4 p.m. is the Gipsy Kings. These actual gypsies grew up together in France after fleeing Spain during the Spanish Civil War. They began working the grape harvest in Southern France while also performing music on the streets. Their multi-cultural background offers a unique sound that has earned them the respect of critics across the globe.

"You can still get tickets to everything," said Jazz Plus spokesman Michael Coats. "The weather is supposed to be fantastic by the end of the week."

During both Saturday and Sunday, the popular Wine and Song series brings some of the Bay Area's biggest jazz acts to the back patios of Plaza businesses for afternoon concerts. Wineries are paired with each performance to offer a taste of Sonoma Valley while the music plays.

Tickets range in price, from general admission to Patrons Passes, which also include access to the festival tent where there's an open bar and gourmet food is served. For tickets and more information, visit www.sonomajazz.org.

 

Wine and Song, Saturday and Sunday

 

The musical line-up for Wine and Song, which takes place around the Plaza on Saturday May 21, from 1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. and on Sunday, May 22, from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Saturday, May 21

• "Rhythm & Reds" at The Plaza Bistro & Wine Bar. Stone Edge Farm and Audelssa Estate Winery will pour. The five-time Grammy nominated Wayne Wallace Latin Jazz Group will perform.

• "Blues & Blends" at Roessler Cellars, which will pour. The Rick Vandivier Quintet performs musical crossovers that stretch from Andres Segovia to Jimi Hendrix.

• "Sax & Syrah" at Hopmonk Tavern. Valley of the Moon and Little Vineyards Family Winery will pour. Evan Francis Group, nominated for Best Jazz Band by the SF Weekly, performs.

• "Party with Pinot" at Sonoma Meritage Restaurant. Nicholson Ranch and Gofessel Vineyards will pour. Times 4 will perform a blend of contemporary jazz and urban grooves.

• "Rockin' 'Ritas" at Sonoma Valley Museum of Art. Patron Tequila will pour. Delta Wires, voted 'Best Band' by the 2008 Oakland Magazine Reader's Poll, performs.

• "Salsa and Sauvignon" at Roche Winery, who will also pour. Santos Perdidos plays an eclectic mix of Son Cubano, Rumba Española, Bolero,and Afro-Peruvian Lando.

• "Swing Away with Chardonnay" at Swiss Hotel. Benziger Family Winery and Buena Vista Winery will pour. Horace-Scope will pay homage to the sounds of jazz on the West Coast during the same era.

• "Brewery Beat" at Murphy's Irish Pub. Lagunitas Brewery will pour. Murphy's will present jazz, rock, and blues for 17 hours over the course of the weekend, accompanied by 3000 barbecued oysters.

• "Freestyle FIJI" at Union Bank. Fiji Water will pour. The musicians of the Sonoma Jazz Plus In-Schools Student Band perform.

Sunday, May 22

 • "Playing with Pinot" at Roessler Cellars, who will also pour. Rue Manouche, an ensemble that performs 1930s-era hot-club jazz, performs.

• "Drinks in Dixieland" at Sonoma Meritage Restaurant. Haywood Estate and Muscardini Cellars will pour. Fog City Stompers performs the classics from Bix Beiderbecke, Louis Armstrong, Preservation Hall and more. 

• "Brass and Bubbly" at Roche Winery, who will also pour. Mo'Fone performs its multi-textured, hard-swinging sound.

• "Sparkling Swing" at Swiss Hotel. Beltane Ranch and Gloria Ferrer will pour.

Du Gris offers a ragtime, swing and classic New Orleans style rhythms. 

• "Brewery Beat" at Murphy's Irish Pub. Lagunitas Brewery will pour.

• Murphy's 17 hours of music and 3000 barbecued oysters continues from Saturday.