Bellson Music Fest ready to ‘rock’ Rock Falls this weekend

ROCK FALLS – The third annual Bellson Music Fest on Saturday, June 8, will commemorate the life of a Rock Falls native who went on to become a nationally known jazz drummer.

From 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., several bands, as well as former Journey drummer Steve Smith, will perform in RB&W District Park in Rock Falls during a centennial celebration in honor of Rock Falls native Louie Bellson’s 100th birthday. The event is free to attend.

According to a news release, Smith, who served as drummer for the iconic band Journey, will be the special featured musical guest. He was named best all-round drummer numerous times by Modern Drummer magazine, as well as selected as one of Modern Drummer’s top 25 drummers of all time and Rolling Stone’s 100 top drummers.

The event will begin with a drum clinic hosted by Smith from 11 a.m. to noon at the McCormick Event Center in Rock Falls.

Several bands are scheduled to perform live at the RB&W District Park from noon to 9:30 p.m. The schedule includes:

• Noon to 1:30 p.m., The Jerry Criss Band, led by R&B soul singer and percussionist Jerry Criss of Elgin. The band specializes in a wide array of genres, including smooth jazz and Latin soul.
• 2 to 3:30 p.m., Yorkville Big Band. The band consists of 19 players, including two vocalists, and covers a wide genre of staple sounds from the 1940s and 1950s.
• 4 to 5:30 p.m., Rock River Jazz Band. The band will play big band, swing and more, as well as music composed by Louie Bellson.
• 6 to 7:30 p.m., Josh Duffee & His Orchestra. The band has specialized in music from the 1920s, ’30s and ’40s for the past 20 years in the Quad-City area. As returning performers, the ensemble will play music from the 1940s and compositions written by Bellson in the 1950s and ’60s. Duffee will perform on the Bellson drum set given to him by Francine Bellson, the late star’s widow.
• 8 to 9:30 p.m., Steve Smith and Vital Information. Headlining the festival, the band is an American jazz fusion group led by drummer Smith, and includes Manuel Valera and Janek Gwizdala.

Bellson, born in 1924 in Rock Falls, was not only a jazz drummer. He also was a composer, arranger, bandleader and jazz educator. He is credited with pioneering the use of two bass drums, and is a six-time Grammy nominee.

He died in Los Angeles in February 2009 from complications of Parkinson’s disease. He was 84. Survived by his wife and manager, Francine Bellson, he was buried in Moline, Illinois. In 2010, a memorial headstone, designed by Francine, was unveiled and dedicated at his gravesite.

Bellson never forgot about Rock Falls and came back to visit quite often, according to a news release from Rock Falls Tourism. Francine, now residing in Silicon Valley, California, is scheduled to attend the celebration.

According to louiebellson.com, Bellson was deemed “the world’s greatest musician” by Duke Ellington, “the epitome of musical talent and a very gifted composer and arranger” by Oscar Peterson, and “the best person I ever met” by Tony Bennett.

Bellson performed on more than 200 albums with a range of artists, including Ellington, Peterson, Bennett, Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Harry James, Woody Herman, “Dizzy” Gillespie, Louie Armstrong, Lionel Hampton, Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, James Brown, Sammy Davis Jr., Mel Torme, Joe Williams, Wayne Newton and Bellson’s first wife, Pearl Bailey.

He composed more than 1,000 pieces, and wrote a dozen books on drums and percussion. He received the prestigious American Jazz Masters Award from the National Endowment for the Arts in 1994. He also was the recipient of awards from ASCAP and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and held four honorary doctorates.

The event is hosted by Rock Falls Tourism in collaboration with Francine Bellson and Duffee.

For information, visit the event page online.