Highmark Blues & Heritage Festival kicks off on Friday
The Highmark Blues & Heritage Festival will light up downtown Pittsburgh this Friday and Saturday, showcasing the extensions and connections of the blues – from Africa to the Americas – with two generations of blues stars.
Bobby Rush and Eric Gales perform Friday, And Latin percussionist Pete Escovedo, featuring Nestor Torres and singer and original member of the Buena Vista Social Club, Omara Portuondo, perform Saturday. Both evenings take place at The August Wilson African American Cultural Center, 980 Liberty Ave. at 8 p.m.
“What an honor to present trailblazers in blues and Afro Latino music,” said Janis Burley Wilson, President and CEO of the August Wilson African American Cultural Center. “Bobby Rush and Eric Gales are the leading authentic blues artists on the scene. Afro Cuban singer and dancer, Omara Portuondo has been performing since the late 1940s, and soon will celebrate her 93rd birthday. Pete Escovedo and Nestor Torres, from Mexico and Puerto Rico respectively, are Latin music royalty.”
Born in Louisiana, raised in Arkansas and based in Jackson, Mississippi after many years in Chicago, two-time Grammy winning guitarist-vocalist-songwriter Rush – who celebrates his 90th birthday on Nov 10 – exploded on the blues scene in 1951 with his swinging style of blues he coined “folk-funk.” Rush released his first hit, “Chicken Heads,” in 1971, and re-recorded it with his contemporary, Buddy Guy and young phenom, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram. Known for his spirited, acrobatic live shows, Rush has recorded over 25 albums, and will release his latest recording, “Sitting on Top of the Blues” in August.
With his left-handed guitar, Memphis-born guitarist-singer-composer Gales has been a driving force on the blues circuit since the early 90’s. Blessed with what Guitar World described as “an amazing [musical] vocabulary with jazz chord changes when playing clean,” Gales’ guitar sound is an eclectic assemblage of styles from blues pioneer Albert King to jazz fusionist Frank Gambale.
At the age of 88, Escovedo is the patriarch of a musical family (his daughter is Sheila E). He played in Santana’s band in the 70s, co-founded Latin-rock-fusion Azteca with his brother Coke and worked with a wide variety of musical stars including Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Barry White and Prince. Torres, celebrated Puerto Rican flutist, will join him in concert.
Portuondo, 90, co-founded the D’Aida Quartet in the 50s. A master of singing jazz and Cuban Nueva Trova, bolero, filin, danzon and son genres, Portuondo was rediscovered when she recorded on the groundbreaking, Ry Cooder-produced blockbuster album, “The Buena Vista Club.” It sold 8 million copies worldwide and won the 1998 Grammy award for Best Traditional Tropical Album and she was awarded a Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
Tickets are $60 per night and can be purchased at www.awaacc.org or blues.awaacc.org.