AfroSolo Presents: Lady Bianca & the West Coast Caravan of Allstars

When it comes to the Bay Area’s R&B aristocracy no one outranks Lady Bianca. A pianist and vocalist with boundless soul, she spent the first half of her career providing luminous wattage to formidable stars like Frank Zappa, Van Morrison and Sly Stone as a backup vocalist and keyboardist. Also well versed in jazz, she portrayed Billie Holiday in vocalese pioneer Jon Hendricks’ storied production Evolution of the Blues, and seems to have absorbed Lady Day’s relaxed, behind-the-beat phrasing. Since the release of her aptly named 1995 Joe Louis Walker-produced debut album Best Kept Secret she’s recorded a series of excellent albums while honing her songwriting and bandleading skills. Since founding her own label, Magic-O Records, she’s honed her songwriting skills working with her partner Stanley Lippitt on a series of authoritative albums, most recently 2014’s Real People Music. Regal and welcoming, she’s a striking presence on the bandstand, delivering bolts of soul cut to her own musical contours. She’s joined by the powerhouse West Coast Caravan of Allstars, a revue that is designed to showcase some of the region’s unsung heroes of West Coast blues.

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