Rod Piazza & The Mighty Flyers and John Hammond
New Jersey Blues & Jazz Festival

Saturday, September 27, 2008 at 8:00 PM
Saturday, September 27, 2008 at 10:30 PM
Location: State Theatre
Tickets: P $45.00; A $30.00

Rod Piazza
From his first recordings as a leader in 1967 fronting The Dirty Blues Band, through his multiple W.C. Handy award-winning releases with his current band The Mighty Flyers, to his countless appearances both live and on record with the most revered names in the blues, Rod Piazza has established himself as one of the most influential living blues harp players.

Piazza and the Mighty Flyers have played literally thousands of gigs in every corner of the globe, recorded over a dozen highly acclaimed releases, won or been nominated for almost every major award and honor that can be bestowed upon a blues band, and along the way virtually created a new style of blues—a combination of low-down Chicago grit, suave West Coast swing and jazz, and the rhythmic drive of the best early R&B and rock & roll.

John Hammond
With a career that now spans in excess of three decades, John Hammond is one of handful of White blues musicians who was on the scene at the beginning of the first blues renaissance of the mid-'60s. He does justice to classic blues by combining powerful guitar and harmonica playing with expressive vocals and a dignified stage presence. Although he's a multi-dimensional artist, one thing Hammond has never professed to be is a songwriter. In the early years of his career, it was more important to him that he bring the art form to a wider audience by performing classic—in some cases forgotten—songs. Now, more than 30 years later, Hammond continues to do this, touring all over the U.S., Canada, and Europe from his base in northern New Jersey.