JON VENTRE WELL ON HIS WAY

We had a call from our dear friend Jon Ventre, who is performing aboard a Carnival Cruise Line ship sailing out of Baltimore. Jon, at last contact, was sailing in Chesapeake Bay, on his way to Nassau, the Bahamas, as part of his weekly gig. Tough job, sailing from Baltimore to Nassau, every week, and having the chance to sun himself on deck, or on the beach at Ft. Lauderdale, or on the sandy beaches of Nassau. Poor guy is really having a "tough" life.

To make it short, Jon is a bass man, (hometown Scranton, Pa.) who has been playing with the Jafar Curry Band (Atlanta based), and is living the good life. He has been with Jafar for some time now and, since leaving Scranton, he has been playing, recording, writing, and enjoying his hobby (photography) while doing "his thing".

Jon's first love, jazz, is still his forte, but with Jafar he has been instrumental in promoting the careers of many upcoming young stars, including Chimere, a super talented young vocalist from Atlanta. She has been a back-up singer with such notables as Ludicrus, and is well on her way to future stardom as a solo artist.

In the meantime, Jon's career is taking a major upturn, and he is beginning to realize the dreams which go along with his ambitions and talents. He is tentatively set to perform (with Jafar's group), in Las Vegas as part of the Stevie Wonder show, slated for a February opening. This opportunity will be a giant step into the really "big time" for the talented young bass player. From being a "garage band" musician in Scranton, he has made rapid progress, playing the best jazz clubs in Atlanta, moving on into the cruise ship circuit, and soon slated to become a performer in the big time music scene of Las Vegas. Another potential, which may soon come to fruition, is a tour of Australia and New Zealand, but this gig is on hold pending the outcome of the Stevie Wonder gig.

We have to offer our congratulations to Jon and our best wishes for his career and his future. We still have hopes that he will get together with our dear friend, Jack Gregg, contrebassist of international fame. Jack, whose credits are too many to mention, is based in his adopted home in Paris and recently completed a three week long jazz school for international musicians and plays regularly with his jazz trio, "Jazz in the Moment" in Paris and around Europe and the Middle East. Not bad for a kid from Memphis. Tenn. who found his niche while in the Army and has been a member of numerous internationally famous musical groups.

I guess our point is, and it is a valuable one, if you've got the talent, and the burning desire to "make it" in the big time, the opportunity is there, but it takes a lot of hard work and luck. NEPA has a lot of talented musicians, but only a few who have the guts to give themselves a real chance. Sitting on your laurels just doesn't cut the mustard. If you're sitting around waiting to be "discovered", those days went out with the 50's and don't look for them to come back. The future of music is not in the recording industry, not when people can download anything free from the internet. It is in live performances, and it means you need to get off your duff and make it happen. Good luck to all, and especially to the Jon Ventres of the world!