Jazz Quartet Livens Up 9th & State

Contributed Photo

Saturday, June 16

Atruly formidable quartet of musicians will be dropping into one of Erie's newest venues for live music. The 9th and State Beer Cafe will welcome Bruce Johnstone, with Vinny Stefanelli, Chris Von, and Lydia Marks. Johnstone is one of the world's foremost baritone saxophone players, holding the #3 spot on the Downbeat readers' poll for over a decade. Always a lively  standout soloist, his work with the Maynard Ferguson band in the 1970s helped put him on the radar for jazz lovers everywhere. Stefanelli is a multifaceted talent on guitar, blending inventive jazz playing with a slightly classical distinction, and helps to run "Music for Veterans." Bassist Chris Von Volkenburg is an instructor at both Asbury Elementary and Mercyhurst University and plays with the Misery Bay Big Band, the Presque Isle Jazz Orchestra, and Delaware Gap. Lydia Marks' captivating voice will front the band, having opened up for the likes of Jerry Seinfeld and Tom Jones in Las Vegas venues. The band will go through standard and much-loved tunes, as the new venue tries something welcomingly different. — Nick Warren

7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. // 832 State Street // Free Show // 21+