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From Woodstock to Summerfest: The Family Stone brings the funk to Albuquerque
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Jerry Martini has seen his share of music festivals during his career.
In fact, he played one of the most famous and memorable festivals of all time. He performed as part of the band Sly and the Family Stone at the Woodstock Music and Art Fair on Aug. 17, 1969. The band also played the Harlem Cultural Festival, which was the focus of a documentary film by artist Ahmir 鈥淨uestlove鈥� Thompson. The documentary, 鈥淪ummer of Soul,鈥� was released in 2021 and tells the story of the Harlem Cultural Festival. Questlove won his first Oscar, for Best Documentary Feature, and a Grammy Award for Best Music Film.
Martini continues to keep the Sly and the Family Stone鈥檚 music alive through The Family Stone. The band will headline this year鈥檚 Route 66 Summerfest in Nob Hill that runs from 5 to 10 p.m. Saturday, July 20, on Central Avenue between Girard Boulevard and Washington Street. The Family Stone will take the Main Stage at 8:30 p.m.
From Woodstock to Summerfest: The Family Stone brings the funk to Albuquerque
As an original founding member of Sly and the Family Stone, Martini is a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee and R&B Pioneer Award winner. Martini said he had been playing music with Sly Stone since they were 18 years old. He said Sly Stone decided to become a radio DJ after he no longer wanted to pursue being in a band. Martini said Stone was a good DJ but saw his genius as a performer and was able to nudge him to start Sly and the Family Stone in December 1966.
Martin鈥檚 current band, The Family Stone, features Phunne Stone, the multi-talented daughter of Sly Stone and the late Cynthia Robinson, on vocals. The band continues to bring the funk and spread a message of peace, love and social consciousness through musical harmony.
鈥淚 have some wonderful memories of (Sly and the Family Stone) and the people I have chosen now, they鈥檙e really down with the product,鈥� Martini said. 鈥淚 mean, everybody is picked individually, and it is female led, of course, it鈥檚 Sly and Cynthia Robinson鈥檚 daughter. When I retire, she鈥檚 going to take everything over, but I鈥檓 not ready to retire and I鈥檓 still jumping around the stage.鈥�
Martini said he gets his steps in each day to stay fit for the stage.
鈥淚 try to get my 10,000 steps a day,鈥� he said. 鈥淭his heat, it鈥檚 100 degrees (where I live), so I鈥檓 walking all around the house, and I go to four different markets to walk all around them and try to get my steps in. That keeps an elderly person like me alive for another year. I鈥檓 at this point of fitness and I just go in and do certain exercises that will keep me limber, because I鈥檝e got to play my tambourine and jump around with my saxophone and keep up with all these young people in our band.鈥�
The band is made up of Martini, Phunne Stone, Swang Stewart on lead vocals, music director Blaise Sison on bass, Nate Wingfield on lead guitar, Frank Klepacki on drums, and Jimi McKinney on keyboard and vocals.
Martini said there will not be another trumpet player in the band other than Robinson, who has since passed.
鈥�(Cynthia Robinson) was with my music partner for over 50 years,鈥� Martini said. 鈥淭here is no trumpet in the band anymore because I have two keyboard players and one of them is Jimi McKinney. He used to be a trumpet player, but he only has one runs, but he鈥檚 a great keyboard player and we have a full horn section with just the two of us. After Cynthia passed away, there鈥檒l never be another trumpet up there because nobody can take her place. But we have a big bad horn section sound. And all the musicians, they just did their homework, and I just love playing with them.鈥�
Before The Family Stone takes the stage, there is plenty to see and do during the Summerfest in Nob Hill event. There will be four stages filled with entertainment: the Main Stage at Central Avenue and Girard Boulevard, the Wellesley Stage at Central Avenue and Wellesley Drive, the East Stage at Central Avenue and Graceland Drive, and the NM Jazz Festival Stage at Central Avenue and Carlisle Boulevard.
Children鈥檚 activities include free face painting, inflatable obstacle courses, and a 25-foot climbing wall presented by the city鈥檚 park and recreation department.
Several food trucks will offer a variety of foods during the event. Local businesses with handmade products will be featured in The Shops at Albuquerque Summerfest. Vendors will be selling their wares including art, home goods, clothing and jewelry. Nob Hill businesses and restaurants will also be open for eventgoers to visit.
Paid parking lots and street parking will be available in the surrounding area.
A free Park & Ride service will be offered to and from the lot in the southwest corner of Lomas and University boulevards.
Shuttle buses will run from the lot to the University of New Mexico鈥檚 Johnson Field next to Girard Boulevard throughout the event.
The last shuttle will be at 10:30 p.m. For more information, visit .
