For a Musical ‘Family,’ a Fest Is a Reunion

The Long Beach Jazz Festival, now in its ninth year, always has carried the feel of a family gathering. And with good reason.

Many acts have made repeat appearances--among this year’s performers, that includes Ramsey Lewis, Lou Rawls, Kirk Whalum and Stanley Turrentine. Furthermore, the festival management, Rainbow Promotions, is a family-run business. The president is drummer Al Williams and his daughter, Kimberly Benoit, is vice president.

“It is a family affair,” Williams said of the event that takes place Friday through Sunday at Long Beach’s Rainbow Lagoon Park. “We get a lot of repeat business. We know of a few people who have met during the festival and gotten married.”

Williams has long been a figure on the Long Beach jazz scene. He ran the Jazz Safari club near the Queen Mary beginning in the late ‘70s and the upstairs room at Birdland West, which closed in 1994. Williams also was the moving force behind the short-lived Queen Mary Jazz Festival that began on board the ocean liner in 1978. The Long Beach fest grew out of the Queen Mary event.

Williams himself is a home-grown product, born in Pasadena. He picked up the drums as a student at Centennial High School in Compton and began to gain notice after his band won a jazz 1961 competition at Howard Rumsey’s fabled Hermosa Beach club, the Lighthouse.

He appeared frequently with the bands of Teddy Edwards and Hampton Hawes in the ‘60s and bassist Leroy Vinnegar in the ‘70s. He also led his own band, the Jazz Society.

Those experiences spawned long-standing ties to many of the performers who play the Long Beach festival.

“[Vibraphonist] Roy Ayers and I go back almost to high school,” Williams said. “We used to play together at a little club down on Western Avenue in the ‘60s. [Singer] Ernestine Anderson used to appear a lot--a lot--at the Safari.

“I met Lou Rawls back in the late ‘60s when we did a film-score date for a movie that was never released. We hung out together after the session, and he’s just a nice guy, a lot of fun to hang out with and funny, very funny. He keeps you laughing.”

This year’s lineup features an especially soulful bent on Saturday with keyboardists Lewis and McCann, vocalist Anderson, saxophonist Turrentine and vibraphonist Ayers sharing the stage with contemporary band Special EFX and pianist Bob James.

* What: Ninth Annual Long Beach Jazz Festival.

* When: 7-10:30 p.m. Friday, 1-10:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

* Where: Rainbow Lagoon Park, Shoreline Drive at Linden Avenue, Long Beach.

* Whereabouts: Exit the southbound Long Beach (710) Freeway at Shoreline Drive. Head south to Linden Avenue and parking. Rainbow Lagoon Park is adjacent to the convention center.

* Wherewithal: $25 (advance), $35 (at the gate) per day for lawn seating. Boxes and VIP seating from $35-$135 per day.

* Where to call: (310) 436-7794, or Ticketmaster, (714) 740-2000.

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THE LONG BEACH JAZZ FESTIVAL

Friday:

* 7 p.m.: Strunz & Farah.

* 8:15 p.m.: Kirk Whalum.

* 9:30 p.m.: The Rippingtons with Russ Freeman.

*

Saturday:

* 1 p.m.: Orange County Youth Jazz Competition Winner.

* 2 p.m.: Les McCann.

* 3:15 p.m.: Roy Ayers.

* 4:30 p.m.: Special EFX.

* 5:45 p.m.: Stanley Turrentine.

* 7 p.m.: Ramsey Lewis.

* 8:15 p.m.: Ernestine Anderson.

* 9:30 p.m.: Bob James.

*

Sunday:

* 1 p.m.: Long Beach High School Jazz Honor Band.

* 2 p.m.: Jennifer York.

* 3:15 p.m.: Al Williams Jazz Society with Barbara Morrison.

* 4:30 p.m.: Art Porter.

* 5:45 p.m.: Randy Crawford.

* 7 p.m.: Richard Elliot.

* 8:15 p.m.: Lou Rawls.

* 9:30 p.m.: Poncho Sanchez.