Story by Chris Cowperthwaite that aired on NBC17 in Raleigh

On Monday, June 28th at 10 PM Will Scruggs and Pierre Anckaert have been invited to perform LIVE on WRFG Radio.   The program is called “Jazz on the Left Side of the Dial” and is hosted by Captain Mellow and Brother Ralph Rice.  The broadcast can be heard in Merto Atlanta at 89.3 FM or streamed online at www.wrfg.org.  Joining Pierre and Will in the studio will be drummer Marlon Patton from ATL and three other players from Europe:  Hendrik Vanattenhoven (bass), Stefan Bracaval (flute), and Guy Nikkel (guitar).  Capt. Mellow and Brother Rice have been hosting this show for years and it’s one of the best jazz shows around with great music and in-depth conversations about all things JAZZ.  Tune in for a special sneak preview of the Scruggs/Anckaert at Eddie’s Attic and the Cross Currents Music Festival.

On Thursday, July 1^st, Eddie’s Attic presents a very special performance featuring some of the finest jazz musicians in Europe in collaboration with two of Atlanta’s most popular performers.  Celebrated pianist/composer Pierre Anckaert brings his critically acclaimed quartet from Brussels to the USA to support their PROVA RECORDS release, Strings Attached, a jazz suite featuring the Belgium Chamber Orchestra.  But before they hit the Chamber Music Festival Circuit they will perform an intimate concert at Atlanta’s finest acoustic music venue, Eddie’s Attic. 

 Anckaert has studied jazz at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels and Afro-Cuban music in Havana, Cuba. In 2007 he won first prize at the Jazz Hoeilaart International Contest and received the SABAM Artistic Promotion Prize.  His band features internationally celebrated Dutch guitarist Guy Nikkels, as well as Belgian jazz greats Stefan Bracaval (flute) and Hendrik Vanattenhoven, (double bass).  They will be joined at Eddie’s Attic by Atlanta jazz veterans Will Scruggs (sax) and Marlon Patton (drums).

This summer Will Scruggs is a second-year faculty member at Chicago Joe’s Rock and Blues Camp.  Chicago Joe Jones is an esteemed blues-man and educator in Atlanta.  He was the 2006 winner of the Atlanta Blues Challenge, and in 2009 when the Blues Challenge opened a youth division his students won first place and performed in Memphis for the National Blues Challenge.  At the summer camp, students ages 8-16 form bands and learn a set of rock, jazz, blues, and/or reggae to be performed in a Friday Night Showcase concert.  The camp is held at the Spring 4th Center in Midtown, Atlanta, and eligible instruments include bass, guitar, drums, keys, vocals, and horns.  Spaces are still available for the following one-week sessions:

Session 2 June 21 – 25
Session 3 June 28 – July 2
Session 4 July 12 – 16
Session 5 (overflow session) July 19 – 23

More info can be found at http://www.rockandbluescamp.com/

The FUNDERHORNS were created by …….

Wes Funderburk – trombone
Wes Funderburk is one of the most sought-after trombonists, composers and arrangers in the southeast and is the author of Funderbone.com. He has performed, recorded and written music for Natalie Cole, Cee Lo, Dallas Austin, The Boston Brass, Ben van Dijk, Joe Gransden, the Georgia Brass Band and numerous other national and international artists. He is the cofounder of the Funderhorns, a commercial horn section that has recorded in the finest recording studios with artists such as Natalie Cole, Dallas Austin, Jermaine Dupri, Dondria, Cee Lo, SoShy, Kelis and many more. Currently Wes teaches at Kennesaw State University and the Atlanta International School.

Ken Watters – trumpet
Born & raised in Huntsville, Alabama, trumpeter Ken Watters is a Bach Performing Artist/Clinician, a Summit Records Recording Artist & a SESAC affiliated jazz composer. Ken left Huntsville at 17 years of age to attend Interlochen Arts Academy for his final year of high school, immediately after which he began attending the University of North Texas.
Ken regularly performs all over North, Central & South America, Italy, France, Holland, Spain, Morocco, Japan & all throughout the Caribbean. He has performed, toured with, or recorded with Frank Sinatra, Marc Anthony, Natalie Cole, Wyclef Jean, John Abercrombie, Terry Gibbs, Ravi Coltrane, TLC, Mingus Big Band, Kelis, Gregg Allman, Bonnie Bramlett, Bobby “Blue” Bland, Fred Wesley, Roland Vazquez, Richie Cole, Jack Daniel’s Silver Cornet Band, Dave Valentin, Mike Stern, Bill Goodwin, Anthony Jackson, Chris Potter, Little Milton, Dan Penn, Steve Coleman, Gene Perla, David Liebman, Harry Connick Jr., Eartha Kitt, Peter Bernstein, The Fifth Dimension, Philip Harper, Petula Clarke, Russell Malone, Herbie Mann, Frederick Fennell, Gregory Hutchinson, Tabou Combo, Marvin “Smitty” Smith, Steel Pulse, Walt Disney World, The Manhattans, The Platters, Marilyn McCoo, Phyllis Diller, Kassav’, David Holland, Larry Goldings & many other icons of the music world. Ken can also be heard throughout the soundtrack to David Byrne’s acclaimed film “True Stories.”
Ken co-leads a newly-formed Haitian / “Roots Music” flavored jazz ensemble called RIYEL (pronounced ree-YELL & meaning “alleyway” or “backstreet” in Haitian Creole) along with  trombonist/vocalist Andre Atkins & bassist Yves Abel (“The Fridge”). The band’s self-titled debut CD was released internationally on Summit Records in April.

The Funderhorns (Will Scruggs on sax, Wes Funderburk on trombone, Ken Watters on trumpet) playing Criminal with Natalie Cole at Chastain Park in Atlanta, GA on 6/27/07.