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Mark Allen Felton
LONG BEACH, CA- The Pepperdine University Black Alumni Council (BAC) will host the 3rd annual “BAC SOUND INVESTMENT BENEFIT CONCERT” scholarship concert on Saturday, October 3. The event will take place at the Hotel Maya in Long Beach (700 Queensway Drive, Long Beach, CA) from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. The goal of the event is to raise scholarship funds for African American students at the five schools of Pepperdine University.
The benefit concert will be headlined by the multi-faceted and award-winning saxophonist Mark Allen Felton. A Chicago native, Felton began paving his musical pathway at the tender age of 11. He was inspired by such great artists as Grover Washington, Jr. and Earth, Wind and Fire, and continued honing his talent throughout high school and college. Felton has written several hundreds of songs including the theme song for the nationally syndicated radio show Radioscope. His musical career has spanned more than 20 years – playing around the country and throughout the world, including Japan, France, Italy, and the United Kingdom. Felton has shared the stage with many accomplished artists including: Al Jarreau, Oleta Adams, Patti LaBelle, Chaka Khan, Kenny G., Kirk Whalum, Dave Koz, Billy Preston, Marcus Miller, Lalah Hathaway, and Jeffrey Osbourne, to name a few.
Groove Theory
Entertainment will also include performances by jazz band The Groove Alliance (TGA), featuring Sheri Whitten (lead vocals); Fleming Robinson (lead vocals and guitar); Robert “B-Bow” Abraham (drums and vocals); Reginald Varnado (keyboard and vocals); Martineau “Mott” Perkins (saxophone and vocals); and Ollie Elder, Jr. (bass). TGA was formed in 2001 by bassist Ollie Elder, Jr., as “Base Six.” His vision for the band was to perform instrumental smooth jazz using the saxophone, piano, and bass as lead voices. Responding to demands of Rhythm and Blues (R&B) dance tunes, the band recruited songbird Sheri Whitten and became known as TGA. To date the band delivers high quality R&B music. Their sound is a combination of jazz, pop, and reggae.
In addition to enjoying the awesome sounds of Felton and TGA, attendees will have the opportunity to dance, mix and mingle, while supporting a great cause. Hors d’oeuvres and refreshments will be served. For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit the event website at http://bit.ly/2015soundinvestment
