7/20/24--
Tony Saunders, Son of Legendary Merl Saunders follows his Dad's footsteps to the legendary Little Bear Stage...playing the music of Jerry Garcia and Merl Saunders from the Live at Keystone Album and in the groups Reconstruction and Legion Of Mary...an electric evening not to be missed!
In recent years, Tony Saunders was in the
house band at the Blue Note in Napa, where he
has also played with his own group, featuring
guitarist Vernon Black (Mariah Carey, Maze,
Herbie Hancock, Booker T.) and a young
drummer named Austin White. Saunders has
also played jazz at Yoshi’s in Oakland,
Humphrey’s Concerts by the Bay in San Diego
and has opened for Jeffrey Osborne. For many
years, he headed back East to perform at an allstar concert celebration of Jerry Garcia’s
birthday at such venues as the Strand Theatre in
Lakewood, N.J. Playfully hinting at the romantic
nature of his music, Saunders says, “We play
music that when you get home, you’ll thank God
you came to the concert.”
“I play the bass like B.B. King played Lucille, with
a passion that is all about conveying a warmth
and making people feel the music,” he adds. “I’m
not a virtuoso and don’t feel the need to play fast
to impress anyone. My music’s got punch and
pizzazz, but it also takes you to a cool place
where you can chill for a while and walk away
humming the melody. Completely in line with the
theme of All About Love, I truly love people –
and creating and sharing music is the way I let
them know,” Saunders explains.