For the third year, Uptown Charlotte Jazz Festival brings more smooth R&B- and pop-based acts than actual jazz to Time Warner Cable Uptown Amphitheatre. But at least one of the acts stands out. Fronted by guitarist and producer Jean-Paul “Bluey” Maunick, the U.K.-based acid jazz ensemble Incognito has released a string of compelling, jazz-based dance albums since its beginnings in the early ’80s, when smooth jazz first began colliding with hip-hop and funk.
The group’s most recent CD is Surreal, released earlier this year. Other performers on the festival roster include Boney James, Pieces of a Dream, Joey Sommerville, Soul of Summer (featuring Warren Hill, Maysa, and Jonathan Butler), and Innertwyned. $45.35 and up. 7 p.m. Time Warner Cable Uptown Amphitheatre, 1000 N.C. Music Factory Blvd. 704-549-5555. www.livenation.com.
This article appears in Jun 20-26, 2012.
