The 12th Annual True Blue Jazz Festival

TRUE BLUE JAZZ Inc. (TBJAZZ), is an Independent Jazz Festival. We are a recognized 501(c)(3). Conceived and produced by Eddie Sherman and Peggy Raley, 2024 celebrates our 12TH YEAR honoring America’s most original Art Form….Jazz!

TRUE BLUE JAZZ is focused on “Straight Ahead” or “Mainstream” Jazz, largely featuring songs of the Great American Standards Songbook from 1900 to present day. From the birth of the Blues and Dixieland Jazz to the popular tunes that became the soundtrack of America, TBJAZZ features innovative interpretation and musical improvisation of these songs arising from American stage plays, radio, television, recording artists and feature films from across this time period.

The 11th Annual True Blue Jazz Festival returns to Downtown Rehoboth Beach Delaware….& you don’t want to miss a single show! From October 16th – 20th…to catch the best Live & Streaming Live Straight Ahead Jazz Acts…True Blue Jazz is THE only place to catch the best LIVE Straight Ahead Jazz Acts in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware! We’ve got ’em!!!

From Local & Regional Jazz Musicians with legendary talent….to National & Internationally recognized Jazz Artists, Masters & Icons….True Blue Jazz delivers the real deal, in the best Jazz Show Venues in the area.

Schedule of Events:

Thursday, October 17, 2024

7:00 pm - 8:30 pm: Mary Stallings

The career of Vocalist Mary Stallings is like a shining celestial body that has flashed on again / off again in the jazz constellation of brilliantly gifted Artists & Performers. She is recognized among the greats…the treasured & the tenured musicians of American Jazz that are still out there on the circuit, performing a songbook that is ingrained in their soul because they have lived through that time period in jazz when this great wealth of music that we call Jazz Standards was conceived, and performed fresh before audiences…often for the very first time.

It’s that kind of musical depth that enables a singer to embrace, & truly inhabit a lyric. Invested with immense talent & sensibility as a young vocalist, her pathway unfolded before her paved with a galaxy of Jazz Greats spanning the decades like; Count Basie, Billy Eckstine, Cal Tjader, “Sweets” Edison, Gene Harris, Monty Alexander & Clark Terry…on through to todays’ fiery new generation musicians that are following their own road towards the bright light of true, real American Jazz such as Emmet Cohen, Joe Farnsworth, & Wycliffe Gordon.

Born in San Francisco, she resides there today, & still performs there & other West Coast area venues. Her time spent on the East Coast is select & precious among Fans of Real Jazz! Upcoming show dates will swing her through Denver & down into the Southwest…& before Mary Stallings makes her return Dizzy’s Club in NYC come mid-December…she will, to your good fortune, make a stop Rehoboth Beach Delaware to perform at the True Blue Jazz Festival….for One Show Only on Thursday October 17th.

Backed by a trio of the top tier in Philly Jazz Musicians, Mary Stallings will come to True Blue Jazz accompanied by the masterful piano artistry of Aaron Graves, who had cradled to incomparable vocal stylings of “Little” Jimmy Scott in his final years of performing. Aaron will be supported by Grammy Winning Bassist, Lee Smith…along with the soild steadiness of Drummer, Byron”Wookie” Landham.

Don’t let this moment in Jazz History pass you by!
Be among the ardent followers of REAL JAZZ…& catch one of the finest voices among those all-time Great Ladies of Jazz…Ms.Mary Stallings!

Location: The Boardwalk Plaza Hotel 2 Olive Avenue, Rehoboth Beach, DE

Cost: $50

Friday, October 18, 2024

6:00 pm - 7:15 pm: The Bill Charlap Trio

The 2024 True Blue Jazz Festival takes great pride in presenting Mr. Bill Charlap…the unsurpassable Piano Master in Jazz today. After a 5 year absence, Grammy Winning pianist Bill Charlap makes his second appearance with our True Blue Jazz Festival.

Once again, he arrives in a Trio configuration with nothing less than “Top Tier” jazz artists on Bass and Drums to accompany him. Featured on Drums is a Charlap veteran and staple, Mr. Kenny Washington on Drums. Plus, another fixture on the Charlap jazz landscape (and 2 time True Blue Jazz Festival performer)…Bassist, Mr. David Wong.

Charlap has performed with many of the leading artists of our time including Phil Woods, Tony Bennett, Gerry Mulligan, Wynton Marsalis, Freddy Cole and Houston Person.

Born in New York City, Charlap began playing the piano at age three. He is the undeniable product of a home-life dominated by the music industry with his father, Moose Charlap, accomplished Broadway composer whose credits include Peter Pan….and his mother is singer Sandy Stewart, who toured with Benny Goodman and appeared on numerous television Variety Shows.

Bill Charlap is known for his interpretations of American popular song…Time magazine wrote, “Bill Charlap approaches a song the way a lover approaches his beloved…no matter how imaginative or surprising his take on a song is, he invariably zeroes in on its essence.”  In 2016, Tony Bennett & Bill Charlap: The Silver Lining, The Songs of Jerome Kern, was awarded a Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Album.

Mr. Charlap is regarded by True Blue Jazz as THE iconic Jazz Artist and interpreter of the American Standards Songbook. The quintessential Jazz Pianist, Artist & Jazz Educator. Along with a vigorous calendar of Club & Concert appearances, Mr. Charlap also currently serves as the Director of Jazz Studies at William Paterson University in Wayne, New Jersey.

Location: The Boardwalk Plaza Hotel 2 Olive Avenue, Rehoboth Beach, DE

Cost: $55

8:00 pm - 9:15 pm: The Bill Charlap Trio

The 2024 True Blue Jazz Festival takes great pride in presenting Mr. Bill Charlap…the unsurpassable Piano Master in Jazz today. After a 5 year absence, Grammy Winning pianist Bill Charlap makes his second appearance with our True Blue Jazz Festival.

Once again, he arrives in a Trio configuration with nothing less than “Top Tier” jazz artists on Bass and Drums to accompany him. Featured on Drums is a Charlap veteran and staple, Mr. Kenny Washington on Drums. Plus, another fixture on the Charlap jazz landscape (and 2 time True Blue Jazz Festival performer)…Bassist, Mr. David Wong.

Charlap has performed with many of the leading artists of our time including Phil Woods, Tony Bennett, Gerry Mulligan, Wynton Marsalis, Freddy Cole and Houston Person.

Born in New York City, Charlap began playing the piano at age three. He is the undeniable product of a home-life dominated by the music industry with his father, Moose Charlap, accomplished Broadway composer whose credits include Peter Pan….and his mother is singer Sandy Stewart, who toured with Benny Goodman and appeared on numerous television Variety Shows.

Bill Charlap is known for his interpretations of American popular song…Time magazine wrote, “Bill Charlap approaches a song the way a lover approaches his beloved…no matter how imaginative or surprising his take on a song is, he invariably zeroes in on its essence.”  In 2016, Tony Bennett & Bill Charlap: The Silver Lining, The Songs of Jerome Kern, was awarded a Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Album.

Mr. Charlap is regarded by True Blue Jazz as THE iconic Jazz Artist and interpreter of the American Standards Songbook. The quintessential Jazz Pianist, Artist & Jazz Educator. Along with a vigorous calendar of Club & Concert appearances, Mr. Charlap also currently serves as the Director of Jazz Studies at William Paterson University in Wayne, New Jersey.

Location: The Boardwalk Plaza Hotel 2 Olive Avenue, Rehoboth Beach, DE

Cost: $55

Saturday, October 19, 2024

12:00 pm - 6:00 pm: True Blue Smokin’ Hot Firehouse Big Band Jazz Marathon

Once again for 2024…It’s The Big Band Marathon & Jazz Organ Trio Party!!! Saturday October 19th from 12N-6P Tickets $35.00 / Online or At the Door at Rehoboth Volunteer Firehouse….located at 219 Rehoboth Avenue in Downtown Rehoboth Beach!

Swingin’ into its 8th BLOCKBUSTER YEAR & still Smokin’ RED HOT!!!! This Firehouse Jazz Event keeps turning’ & burnin’… with Delaware’s ALL STAR Jazz Organist…Bill “Mr. B3” Dilks & his Trio…keepin’ the Jazz embers Red Hot between the Big Band Sets!

It’s Year #8 with our FANTASTIC Crew at the Rehoboth Beach All Volunteer Fire Company…& as always…ALL PROCEEDS from our Ticket Sales for Saturday October 19th donated back to the incredible work of our RBVF Company!!!

…with 4 Big Bands swingin’ it hard All Afternoon!!!

Cape Henlopen High School Jazz Band • Lewes DE
Delmarva Big Band • Delmarva Peninsula
Columbia Jazz Orchestra • Columbia MD
St. Marks Spartan Alumni Jazz Big Band • Wilmington DE

Location: Rehoboth Beach Fire House 219 Rehoboth Avenue, Rehoboth Beach, DE

Cost: $35

6:00 pm - 7:15 pm: Buster Williams and Something More Quartet

Legendary bassist Buster Williams leads his Something More quartet that includes Steve Wilson on Saxophones, George Colligan at the piano, and Drummer Lenny White. The Guardian calls Williams one of the great acoustic bassists, and JazzTimes states Williams resumé ranks with that of any bassist in the modern era. It s a resumé that includes working with Gene Ammons and Sonny Stitt when he was 17; backing singing legends Betty Carter, Sarah Vaughn and Nancy Wilson in the 60s; anchoring Herbie Hancocks’ Mwandishi Sextet into the 70s; and co-founding the Timeless All-Stars and Sphere after that. As important as he is as a bassist with his virtuosic technique and an unmistakable sound, he is equally known for his compositions and bands, which The New Yorker hails as modern, mainstream Jazz at its best.

“Buster decided it was time to take the plunge, step up to the front, play his music, and express his concept of a cohesive musical unit. Since the inception of his own band, Something More has toured the globe many times.” • All About Jazz

“Bassist Buster Williams is one of the key players in modern jazz with a rock-solid grounding in harmony, counterpoint and orchestration. Buster’s musicianship is impeccable and his rhythmic sense unfailing. Williams work as a leader is a blueprint for bassists on how to assume a more proactive, forward position in an ensemble without throwing it out of balance.” • The New Yorker

“In Williams hands, the bass is a fully articulate solo voice. His big, deep, resilient and inventive playing has made him the bassist of choice throughout the jazz world. He has worked with just about everyone of import on the jazz scene, including long stints with Herbie Hancock and Nancy Wilson.” • JazzIs

Location: The Boardwalk Plaza Hotel 2 Olive Avenue, Rehoboth Beach, DE

Cost: $55

8:00 pm - 9:15 pm: Buster Williams and Something More Quartet

Legendary bassist Buster Williams leads his Something More quartet that includes Steve Wilson on Saxophones, George Colligan at the piano, and Drummer Lenny White. The Guardian calls Williams one of the great acoustic bassists, and JazzTimes states Williams resumé ranks with that of any bassist in the modern era. It s a resumé that includes working with Gene Ammons and Sonny Stitt when he was 17; backing singing legends Betty Carter, Sarah Vaughn and Nancy Wilson in the 60s; anchoring Herbie Hancocks’ Mwandishi Sextet into the 70s; and co-founding the Timeless All-Stars and Sphere after that. As important as he is as a bassist with his virtuosic technique and an unmistakable sound, he is equally known for his compositions and bands, which The New Yorker hails as modern, mainstream Jazz at its best.

“Buster decided it was time to take the plunge, step up to the front, play his music, and express his concept of a cohesive musical unit. Since the inception of his own band, Something More has toured the globe many times.” • All About Jazz

“Bassist Buster Williams is one of the key players in modern jazz with a rock-solid grounding in harmony, counterpoint and orchestration. Buster’s musicianship is impeccable and his rhythmic sense unfailing. Williams work as a leader is a blueprint for bassists on how to assume a more proactive, forward position in an ensemble without throwing it out of balance.” • The New Yorker

“In Williams hands, the bass is a fully articulate solo voice. His big, deep, resilient and inventive playing has made him the bassist of choice throughout the jazz world. He has worked with just about everyone of import on the jazz scene, including long stints with Herbie Hancock and Nancy Wilson.” • JazzIs

Location: The Boardwalk Plaza Hotel 2 Olive Avenue, Rehoboth Beach, DE

Cost: $55

8:00 pm - 10:30 pm: The Roy Hargrove Big Band

A two-time Grammy winner, Roy Hargrove posthumously topped the 2019 DownBeat Readers’ Poll for his instrument.  Roy is widely acclaimed as one of the premier trumpet players of his generation.  He was a musician of wide tastes with a special gift for composition and melody. While always keeping one foot firmly planted in jazz, Hargrove’s career was one of exciting genre-crossing exploration, including collaborations with Herbie Hancock, Branford Marsalis, Christian McBride, Chucho Valdes, D’Angelo, Erykah Badu, Common and many others. He toured worldwide throughout his 30-year career with the Roy Hargrove Quintet, the Roy Hargrove Big Band, Roy Hargrove’s Crisol, the Jazz Networks, the Jazz Futures and his funk/jazz outfit, the RH Factor™, until his death in 2018 at age 49. He entered the DownBeat “Jazz Hall of Fame” in 2021.

Roy Hargrove is survived by his wife, Aida Brandes-Hargrove, and daughter, Kamala Hargrove, who in 2020 launched the company, Roy Hargrove Legacy LLC, to preserve and extend his legacy. The Roy Hargrove Big Band, which gives live performances featuring original band members and other musicians who supported Hargrove in his various ensembles was re-launched in 2022 by the Roy Hargrove Legacy. The RH Big Band continues to in concert performances and tours today across the USA and Internationally.

Over his 30-year career, Hargrove composed and recorded several original compositions, one of which, “Strasbourg-St. Denis”, has been characterized as reaching the status and recognition as a Jazz Standard.

Location: Nassau Valley Vineyards 32165 Winery Way, Lewes, DE

Cost: $60

Sunday, October 20, 2024

12:30 pm - 3:30 pm: Eddie Sherman & Peggy Raley with Terell Stafford & Jerry Weldon

Doors: 1230pm – Brunch: 1pm – Show: 2pm-330pm
“One of the great players of our time…a fabulous Trumpet Player.”
• McCoy Tyner on Terell Stafford

“Jerry Weldon is one of today’s leading proponents of Soul Jazz who represents the ‘bar-walkin’, hard-blowing, tenor legends in our contemporary American Jazz scene.”
• Gary Walker, WBGO Radio

When opportunity knocks…say “YES”…& then open the door!!! Peggy & I were blessed to be invited to attend Joey D’s ‘Celebration of Life’ at Phillys’ Clef Club this Spring. The music & the spirit in that room was incredible. We had the good fortune to hear & meet a couple of the Greats working out there on the REAL JAZZ Scene today…both World Class & Internationally acclaimed…I’m talkin’ about Tenor Sax Showman, Jerry Weldon & Renowned Trumpeter, Terell Stafford. Hearing them both perform in a Classic Organ Trio Set honoring their fellow Jazz Artist, Joey DeFrancesco…& then, with them both together performing with Terell’s Temple University Jazz Big Band…Peggy & I were blown outta our shoes! And of course, once introduced & losing all restraint, we invited them to join us for our 2023 True Blue Jazz Festival. And….it turned out their as crazy as we are!!! They accepted!!! We all had so much fun sharing our love of playing Jazz for YOU…we made the invite to these two Gentlemen of Jazz to return & join us for 2024’s True Blue Festival Closing Brunch Bash…

Revered among the community of Jazz Artists & Musicians…Tenor Saxman, Jerry Weldon…along with Trumpeter, Terell Stafford are Special Guest Performers with Eddie Sherman & Peggy Raley; backed by an All-Star “Off The Hook” roster of premier Philadelphia area & beyond Jazz Players. Each one respected for their skills & artistry as Jazz Musicians & Educators….this Group will be featuring…. on Piano, Tim Brey…with Bassist, Mike Boone…& Drummer, Vince Ector.

It’s LIVE JAZZ!!! One Show Only!…& Only at
THE BOARDWALK PLAZA HOTEL • Rehoboth Beach DE

Doors Open at 1pm • Reserved Seating for Brunch & Show Required
…Available Online or thru Special Hotel Pkg Direct with The Boardwalk Plaza Hotel

It’s a Blockbuster Show Event that you don’t want to miss! 2024’s 12th Annual True Blue Jazz Festival Closing Brunch Bash…the biggest “Closer” EVER!!!

Location: The Boardwalk Plaza Hotel 2 Olive Avenue, Rehoboth Beach, DE

Cost: $80

Date: October 16-20, 2024

Click Here For More Information