Jazzmatics to Debut April 22 at The Canyon Club

The JAZZMATICS™, a new contemporary jazz and R&B band, will perform in public for the first time on April 22 at The Canyon Club in Agoura Hills, California. Individually, the group's members have accompanied such stars as Stevie Wonder, Madonna, Tower of Power, Santana, George Benson, Elton John, Kelly Clarkson, Bette Midler, Michael Jackson, and many more. Now they are coming together as The JAZZMATICS to create a blend of jazz, pop and funk. 

"These are some of the best musicians on the planet," said promoter JoAnn Kepler of Los Angeles-based SJN Concerts, who formed The JAZZMATICS with her husband and partner, Allen Kepler. "It is a musicians' and fans' paradise of convergence."

"The idea morphed into creating a 'super band' that could tour across the U.S., perform at festivals, and we even plan to record an album in the near future," added Allen Kepler, a nationally syndicated radio host and owner of The Smooth Jazz Network^®. "There is no contemporary jazz/R&B band like The JAZZMATICS. Seldom do you go to a concert and hear such musicianship from everyone on the stage, in every song they perform." 

The Keplers, who have been booking acts at The Canyon Club for about a year, had long dreamed of putting a house band together, using some of the performers they had gotten to know. After enlisting veteran producer, composer, and musician Terry Wollman to help, the pieces began falling into place.

The debut performance of the band at The Canyon Club in Agoura Hills, CA will feature a 10-member configuration: Terry Wollman on guitar, Melanie Taylor on vocals, Leslie Smith on vocals, Luis Conte on percussion, Greg Manning on keyboards, Lee Thornburg on trumpet, JV Collier on bass, Nick Lane on trombone, Tom Evans on sax and Ricky Lawson on drums. 

Opening for The JAZZMATICS will be the Ben Babylon Band. Singer and songwriter Ben Babylon's father, the late Guy Babylon, spent 21 years as Elton John's Grammy-winning keyboardist and arranger. The younger Babylon is now recording his first album in collaboration with members of the Elton John Band. He recently released the single "Contradiction" on iTunes and Amazon.

Although known primarily as a rock artist, Ben Babylon is also a jazz musician and winner of the Maestro Award for Outstanding Soloist at the National Heritage Music Festival in San Diego, in 2011. He believes that his music will appeal to jazz fans at The JAZZMATICS' show. 

"Jazz and blues are my favorite musical genres, and I always incorporate those styles into my music," Babylon said. "I like to say that instead of being classically trained, I'm 'jazzically' trained."

The JAZZMATICS and the Ben Babylon Band will perform on Sunday, April 22, 2012, at The Canyon Club, 28912 Roadside Drive, Agoura Hills, CA 91301-3304. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., concert at 6:45 p.m. Tickets are $19.50. Anyone under 18 must be accompanied by a paying adult. For information, call The Canyon Club at 818-879-5016 or visit www.CanyonClub.net. 

Information about The JAZZMATICS is available at www.jazzmatics.com. Information about the Ben Babylon Band is available at www.BenBabylonMusic.com.

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