Bobby Militello Quartet with special guest Alex MacArthur

Jazzing it up, or stuck in the blues?  Ellicottville’s Jazz & Blues Weekend is Here! This weekend headliners! Saturday July 30th at 1:00pm- Mick Hayes (Monroe St. Main Stage Winery of Ellicottville)  *Rain location – Balloons A published songwriter, accomplished singer, and guitarist who’s been on the Grammy ballot more than once and in a number of different categories throughout the course of his career. His interest in music started in the blue-collar town of Lackawanna NY, a suburb of Buffalo which was once the center of steel manufacturing throughout most of the 20th century. A seven-year-old Mick Hayes was given a guitar, some hand-me-down records, and learned the meaning of the Blues very quickly when his parents were divorced that same year. Sunday, July 31st at 12:30pm- Bobby Militello Quartet with special guest Alex MacArthur. (Monroe St. Main Stage Winery of Ellicottville) *Rain location – Villaggio Throughout his career (spanning some 50 years), Bobby has formed various groups of his own ranging from Fusion/Funk to Bebop. His first national recording, ‘Primal Scream’, was with Maynard Ferguson in 1975, and his first solo album was recorded in 1982 on Motown Records, entitled ‘BobbyM Blow’. Enjoying a large range of musical styles, Bobby has merged his love for many types of music into his present style of bop. This, combined with his obvious ability to express emotion in his playing, makes for a unique sound and approach to playing the alto sax, tenor sax, flute, and soprano.  Alex McArthur is a dynamic and versatile singer who has become known as one of the region’s top talents. She has a great love for Blues music which she’ll be showcasing in this performance. Her musical theatre and voice studies at the University at Buffalo opened up a variety of performance opportunities that brought her association with some of the most highly esteemed musicians that have helped her career flourish. Having been awarded the Jazz Buffalo Rising Star Award and Best Female Jazz Vocalist 2018, you can count on her performance with the Bobby Militello to be one you won’t forget!