The Bob Kames Foundation hosts a jazz extravaganza Saturday at the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center, 901 15th Ave., starring Grammy-winning flugelhornist Chuck Mangione and his band.
The third annual, day-long High School and Middle School Jazz Band Competition and Jazz Festival includes a competition with more than 300 young musicians and seminars starting at 8:15 a.m., followed by a performance by Streetlife at 6 p.m. A presentation of awards and scholarships totaling $8,850 is at 7 p.m. and the Mangione concert follows at 8. Michael Drake performs at 1 p.m. and Mangione leads a seminar at 2 p.m.
Admission to the day's events -- Mangione gig excluded -- is $6, $4 for seniors and students. Tickets for the Mangione concert range from $35 to $75 and proceeds benefit the foundation, which offers scholarships to young musicians.
For tickets, call the South Milwaukee PAC at (414) 766-5049.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
