Grassella Oliphant
September 1, 7.30pm & 9.30pm
Mr. Oliphant is in charge of opening this year’s festival. The concert’s date also coincides with the celebration of the drummer’s 88th birthday. Oliphant’s successful career has produced two soul jazz albums featuring genre icons such as Harold Ousley and Bobby Hutcherson. He’s also played with the likes of Ahmad Jamal and Sarah Vaughn. The drummer retired from music for 40 years and made his long-awaited return in 2010. Since then, he’s received a wonderful reception from the jazz community. He also led week worth of Late Night Sessions at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola earlier this year to a starstruck crowd.
