As they grew older, brothers Michael, Jermaine, Marlon and Jackie continued performing pop and soul music, while Tito went on to become a blues guitarist and singer. Although Tito Jackson loved performing their “bubblegum soul” sound that captivated millions, Tito’s desire to play the blues never went away. Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997, the Jackson 5’s unique sound took the world by storm. Growing up in a musical family, he sang and played guitar with his family’s group which we all know as the Jackson 5. He’s been playing blues guitar since he was a child. Tito Jackson really needs no introduction. Also featured will be a very special performance by Bill Grisolia and the New Blues Festival All-Stars. This year, there is an awesome lineup of top blues artists playing, including Sugaray Rayford Redd House Laurie Morvan Lester Lands perennial Festival favorite the New Blues Revolution Corday East LA blues band The Disciplez She Wears Black Dano Forte and international blues star TJ & The Suitcase. The event will be held at a new location, the beautiful Shoreline Aquatic Park, on the water in Long Beach. Tito Jackson and his band are coming to Long Beach, to headline the Long Beach New Blues Festival on Saturday, November 13. Tickets start at $10 and can be purchased at Pacific Opera Project online. Gates open at 4:00pm and patrons are encouraged to bri.ng a picnic. Performances will be held at Forest Lawn Glendale on Saturday, November 13, Sunday, November 14, Saturday, November 20, and Sunday, November 21, 2021, all at 5:00pm. Brian Holman conducts the orchestra, while POP Founder and Artistic Director Josh Shaw directs the English language production. Erin Theodorakis and Daniel Scofield are the Mother and Father, Anastasia Malliaras is the Sandman, and Brooke Iva Lohmann is the Dew Fairy. Soprano Emily Rosenberg and mezzo-soprano Kara Morgan perform as the titular siblings, Melanie Ashkar is the Witch. Like the Grimm’s fairy tale on which it is based, the work appeals to and can be appreciated on different levels by listeners of all ages, making it a near-perfect introductory opera. The opera tells the famous story of two siblings getting lost in the woods and encountering a witch with a grand, luminous score by the German composer Engelbert Humperdinck (1854-1921), combining traditional folk melodies with Wagnerian flourishes.

Pacific Opera Project is back this weekend and next with a production of Hansel and Gretel at Forest Lawn in Glendale.

Production shot from Pacific Opera Project’s Hansel and Gretel

Beat it piano shirt