Sponsored by Payne Pest Management We at Payne Pest Management are so proud and honored to share the news of the release of a very special single by Latin Grammy Award-winning flautist Nestor Torres dedicated to our Co-Founder and former CEO Willie Payne Jr., called “Thank You Willie.” Payne Pest Management has supported live music […]
By Melanie Maxwell We are sad to report that guitarist Nick Colionne passed away on Jan. 1, 2022. The Chicago native died unexpectedly at a local hospital. His cause of death has not yet been disclosed. As a teen, Colionne honed his guitar skills playing with The Staples Singers, The Impressions, Curtis Mayfield and Natalie […]
Willie was a positive person, and rather than mourn his loss with sadness, he’d probably prefer that we celebrate the fun times we had with him.
Partying down in Elliot town on Halloween! Spooky and spectacular is the type of Halloween bash Camella and Richard Elliot threw last Saturday night. Nearly every inch of their North San Diego County ranch was decorated in spirited, scary and sometimes shocking flair: From the entrance of their home filled with skulls, angry pumpkins, a […]
Saxophonist Richard Elliot and his wife, Camella, hosted their annual Halloween Bash on Saturday, Oct. 28, in the North San Diego community of Escondido. As usual, it was equal parts spooky and uber cool, and 100 percent fun! Those lucky enough to receive an invitation to this concert/costume party were treated to music by DW3 […]
With a stellar lineup of fan favorites and popular emerging artists, The San Diego Smooth Jazz Festival returned to the Embarcadero Marina Park South to record crowds! Presented by Payne Pest Management (Kathy & Willie Payne, along with their son, Jason) and Rainbow Promotions, this classy and scenic event featured Brian Culbertson (as host and […]
Like an orchestra with many different musicians and instruments, publishing Smooth Jazz News requires a lot of people playing a variety of roles. One of the key components of nearly every artistic endeavor is funding. And, for magazines, advertising sales keep the presses rolling. So, each year, we host the Smooth Jazz News Anniversary Brunch […]
Al Jarreau, one of the world’s great singers and a song stylist who defied categorization for decades, died today, the same date as the 59th Annual GRAMMY Awards, in Los Angeles at the age of 76. The seven-time GRAMMY winner had recently announced his retirement from the entertainment business after being hospitalized for exhaustion. Jarreau had […]
Alphonse Mouzon (Nov. 21, 1948-Dec. 26, 2016) It is with great sadness we report that legendary jazz drummer Alphonse Mouzon passed away today after a recent battle with neuroendocrine carcinoma, a rare form of cancer. He was 68 years old. Mouzon, who was born in Charleston, South Carolina, was a charter member of the group […]
One of my favorite aspects of this year’s Smooth Jazz News anniversary brunch and jam session was our first-time guests. The people who sit in our reserved section at Spaghettini in Seal Beach are those who advertised with us the prior year. Many of them I had previously communicated with only by phone and through […]