Will Donato and Slim Man to jazz up at Sound Bites Grill this weekend – Verde Independent

Jazz legend Will Donato will be performing with jazz master Slim Man at Sound Bites Grill on Saturday, July 22, from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Sound Bites Grill Celebrity Showroom Stage.

A high energy audience-engaging show is what these two jazz musicians inspire, and they are ready to put on a performance of a lifetime for those who love jazz with all its trimmings.

Donato is considered one of music’s most dynamic performers, gifted with the ability to bond and connect with his audience.

A saxophonist, composer, and producer, Donato has performed with some of the best-known musicians of the groove and smooth jazz genre.

He has played with Al McKay of Earth Wind and Fire, Richard Elliot, Bruce Conte of Tower of Power, Steve Reid of The Rippingtons, and other jazz notables like Brian Simpson, Steve Oliver, Gregg Karukas and Nick Colionne.

He has worked in the pop music genre as well – most notably with Gerald Levert, Wynonna Judd, Toni Childs, and superstar Richard Marx.

He was nominated by Coachella Valley Weekly for their annual CV Music Awards in the categories of ‘Best Jazz Instrumentalist’ & ‘Best Instrumental Performance’ and has recorded numerous albums and chart-topping hits.

When Slim man was ‘Slim Boy’ he saw Louis Armstrong play the trumpet and sing, he told his Dad, “That’s, what I want to do.”

Slim Man studied trumpet for the next nine years and taught himself how to play piano and guitar.

After studying piano, composition, and harmony at Peabody Institute in Baltimore, MD, Slim Man got signed as a songwriter to Motown Records.

He’s had songs recorded by the Temptations, Angela Bofill, Carl Anderson, and others.

Slim Man recorded a CD for Motown, which gave birth to his signature style–a unique blend of jazz, soul, and pop.

Slim Man went on to form the band BootCamp, who had two of the first 100 videos ever played on MTV. Those videos catapulted BootCamp into a successful concert career, performing with The B-52s, Squeeze, Split Enz, Johnny Winter, and others.

After BootCamp broke up, Slim Man organized and hosted a nationwide country music talent contest. It was during this contest that he got the nickname Slim Man. Slim’s big discovery during the contest was in Tulsa, Oklahoma, at a honkytonk called Tulsa City Limits.

The guy who won the contest that night was Ronnie Dunn, who went on to win the national finals in Nashville, and later hooked up with Kix Brooks to form the multiple Grammy award-winning country music duo, Brooks and Dunn.

After the Marlboro contest, Slim Man released his debut CD End of the Rainbow. This CD made many Top Ten lists for the year, and inspired JD Considine (Rolling Stone) to write…

Other Sedona musical luminaries that will be featured during the week include: Patrick Ki on Winewaux Wednesday, Wednesday, July 19 from 5 to 8 p.m.; Chill on the Hill with the Millers Thursday, July 20, from 6 to 9 p.m.; and the Dave Len Scott Quartet, Friday, July 21, , from 6 to 9 p.m.

Sound Bites Grill is located at the Shops at Piñon Point adjacent to the Hyatt in Sedona. For more information please visit SoundBitesGrill.com or call 928-282-2713. Tickets can be purchased via their Website. Some shows are ticketed events.