Mauldin Blues & Jazz Festival – Mauldin Cultural Center

The Scoop

Join us for a weekend of Blues & Jazz! This annual event features a variety of your favorite restaurants and food trucks, complete with live blues and jazz music. Sink your teeth into the tastiest food around, wash it down with cold beer and wine, and groove to some live blues and jazz bands!

WHEN:
Saturday, April 26, 2025 | 2 p.m. – 9 p.m.

WHERE:
Mauldin Outdoor Amphitheater
101 East Butler Road
Mauldin, SC 29662

THE LINEUP:

MAIN STAGE:

2:00 – 2:55 | Mac Arnold & Plate Full O’ Blues
3:45 – 4:40 | Greenville Jazz Collective Big Band
5:30 – 6:45 | Soda City Brass Band
7:30 – 9:00 | Nikki Hill

2ND STAGE:

3:05 – 3:40 | SC Governor’s School for the Arts Jazz Combo AND Greenville Jazz Youth Ensemble
4:50 – 5:20 | Furman University Jazz Combos
6:50 – 7:15 | Furman University Jazz Combos

Volunteer with Us!

We are looking for volunteers to fill multiple roles in different time slots! Volunteer positions include Set Up, ID Check, and Tear Down. Volunteers will get a free event t-shirt and meal.

Interested in volunteering at other events and shows at the Mauldin Cultural Center? Sign up for our volunteer e-blast!

The Lineup

BLUES & JAZZFOOD & TREATSACTIVITIESPUBLIC ART TRAIL UNVEILINGSPONSORS

BLUES & JAZZ

Nikki Hill | 7:30 – 9:00 p.m.

Nikki Hill is sweet seduction, sweeter threat, and smoldering energy. An original force in American music, she is tender and tough, flamboyant, witty and dangerous. To put it plainly, Hill brings daggers back to the stage and studio. Overlapping soulful, sensual and bold vocal tones with powerful chrome-plated riffs and swagger, her voice finds a home in it – a soul singing, bar rocking, roots revivalist, that writes with frank self-reflection at a dancing tempo.

Hailing from Durham, North Carolina, Nikki Hill enjoyed R&B, soul, pop and hip hop at home. In addition, she sang gospel in the church choir from childhood through her early teenage years. Gradually, she developed her ears for garage rock, rock n’ roll, blues and roots, while also picking up influence from living along the legendary Mississippi River – in St. Louis, Missouri, New Orleans, Louisiana, and currently Memphis, Tennessee. In Nikki’s mind, a fertile mix of all the different types of music she had heard arose, and gradually these merged into something quite special, as she found her own voice, which the world was gradually introduced to on her many constant tours, where she took more and more audiences by storm with her distinctive vocals and energetic stage performance.

After self-releasing and producing her debut album, Here’s Nikki Hill, her musical contributions continued, with her song “Struttin’” released on Deke Dickerson and The Bo-Keys Soul Meets Country EP, produced by Scott Bomar in Memphis, TN. The momentum continued through the release of her second album, Heavy Hearts Hard Fists, recorded at Fort Horton Studios in Wyldwood, TX. The acclaimed album was accompanied by a worldwide tour in the US, Europe, Australia, India and Morocco, and over 30 festivals, including Montreux Jazz Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival, and Byron Bay Blues Festival, receiving praise for uplifting the new songs with an erupting live performance.

“Think Tina Turner fronting AC/DC and you’ll have half of the picture. She’s a machine…you’ve got no excuse if you miss seeing her… Nikki Hill is a revelation, her band masters of rocket-fueled bluesy swing, her voice the beacon which calls you home… a vocal powerhouse who don’t mess around.”
(Rolling Stone). Hill’s current touring band is Matt Hill (guitar), Laura Chavez (guitar), Nick Gaitan (bass), and Marty Dodson (drums). On Nikki Hill’s third self-produced and self-released album, Feline Roots, she lets her soul rip. Nikki and her band take a muscular groove — celebrating and wailing over love, transgressions, the hard times, and wild freedom — and inject it with timeless effect, giving Nikki a foundation on which to build.

It’s her version of rock n’ roll that can only come from her stories. Nikki Hill has never been afraid to take the road less traveled, and it’s clear with “Feline Roots” that she’s living every word.

Soda City Brass Band | 5:30 – 7:00 p.m.

Mark Rapp, a versatile musician and dedicated educator, is making significant strides in the jazz world. As a renowned trumpeter, composer, arranger, and bandleader, he has become a central figure in the Columbia, South Carolina jazz scene. His initiative, ColaJazz.com, serves as a platform for promoting jazz through events, educational programs, recordings, and advocacy. His passion for nurturing young talent is evident in his summer jazz camp, which has attracted acclaimed musicians like Delfeayo Marsalis and Dave Liebman. The annual ColaJazz Festival, curated by Rapp, showcases prominent artists such as Chris Potter and Wess “Warmddy” Anderson, contributing to the vibrant jazz landscape of the region.

Recognized as an Ambassador of Jazz for South Carolina, Rapp’s influence extends beyond performance. He is a dedicated educator, offering private lessons and leading workshops internationally. His commitment to sharing his knowledge and expertise is evident in his involvement with the United Nations World Music Project. Rapp’s musical journey has been marked by critical acclaim and collaborations with jazz luminaries. His debut album, “Token Tales,” earned him recognition as a “Top Emerging Trumpeter” in Downbeat Magazine. He has performed at prestigious venues worldwide, including the Blue Note in New York City and the Newport Jazz Festival. Collaborations with renowned musicians like Roy Hargrove, Dave Brubeck, and Wycliffe Gordon have further solidified his position in the jazz community.

Rapp’s dedication to performance, education, and advocacy ensures the continued growth and appreciation of jazz music. His innovative approach to music-making and his commitment to fostering the next generation of jazz musicians make him a valuable asset to the jazz world.

The Greenville Jazz Collective | 3:45 – 5:00 p.m.

The Greenville Jazz Collective (GJC) is a small non-profit dedicated to serving Greenville, SC and beyond through education outreach and regular performances in a variety of settings. Since 2012, the GJC has connected with many of the dedicated professional musicians, arts organizations, and music educators in Upstate South Carolina and Western North Carolina to reach tens of thousands of people with award winning jazz programs.
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Mac Arnold & Plate Full O’ Blues |2:00 – 3:15

“Mac Arnold’s first band included James Brown on piano. Mac moved to Chicago and Muddy Waters hired him on the spot. He toured and recorded with the Muddy Waters Band and recorded LPs with Otis Spann and John Lee Hooker. Mac moved to Los Angeles and produced Soul Train with his friend Don Cornelius. He even played bass on the Sanford & Son television show when he wasn’t playing bass for Otis Redding and B.B. King. He retired from show business to be an organic farmer. Mac is back with his own band and a “plate full” of CDs, building a new foundation in blues, soul and funk.

Mac Arnold must have known at an early age that his music career would read like a “Who’s who” of Blues/R&B Legends. His high school band “J Floyd & The Shamrocks” were often joined by none other than Macon, Georgia native, James Brown on piano. After deciding to pursue a professional music career, he joined the Charles Miller group until 1965 when he made the move to Chicago to work with recording artist/saxophonist A. C. Reed.

In late 1966, at age 24, came the opportunity of a lifetime to join the Muddy Waters Band and help shape the electric blues sound that inspired the rock and roll movement of the late 60’s and early 70’s. Regular guests of the band included Eric Clapton, Paul Butterfield, Mike Bloomfield, and Elvin Bishop. The Muddy Waters Band (as a unit) shared the stage with the likes of Howlin’ Wolfe, Elmore James, Jimmy Reed, Junior Wells, Big Joe Williams, and Big Mama Thornton just to name a few. During this time, Mac played on John Lee Hooker’s “live “album, Live at the Café Au Go-Go, as well as Otis Spann’s classic recording “The Blues is Where It’s At”.

After more than a year with Muddy Waters, Mac formed the Soul Invaders which backed up many artists, including The Temptations and B. B. King. In the early 70’s, he moved Los Angeles to work at ABC Television and LAFF RECORDS (Redd Foxx). This led to working on the set of Soul Train from 1971 to 1975 and then working with Bill Withers (“Lean On Me”) before moving back to South Carolina in the 80”s.

Mac now resides in Pelzer, SC, where at the age of ten he got his first taste of the blues when he learned to play his brother Leroy’s home-made guitar. Going back to his roots. Mac is serving up a mess of Blues with his own band, “Mac Arnold & Plate Full O’ Blues”. The band consists Austin Brashier on guitar and vocals, Max Hightower on harmonica and vocals, Rick Latham on drums, Mike Frost on bass, and Mac Arnold on vocals and Gas Can Guitars.”