STRETCH’S RUBBERBAND PRESENTS “OVERJOYED” A STEVIE WONDER TRIBUTE

This show is a tribute to Stevie Wonder, an American singer, composer, instrumentalist, performer and humanitarian. Stevie has had a unique career, spanning six decades, and has influenced musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, pop, soul, gospel, funk and jazz. Stevie, one of those rare musical geniuses of our time, has released a striking array of innovative music.

The lyrics to the song “Wonderful” by Indie Arie tell a story of his influence on all of us. “You are the sunshine of my life, another Shakespeare of your time. You’re like a ribbon in the sky, you are a poet’s endless rhyme. You take me to a higher ground and then you knock me off my feet. Lately I been thinking ’bout ya, ’cause you been creeping in my dreams. You inspire me, the way you make me feel inside is amazing.”

 (Art by Philippe Callant for NPR)

• STretch Bruyn – piano & keyboards. Richard “STretch” Bruyn has been active in the St Pete/Tampa Bay music scene since arriving from NY state in 2003. A native Floridian from Miami, STretch studied with Vince Maggio at the University of Miami and later with David Baker while attending Indiana University. He has shared the stage with many local jazz greats and national acts. STretch’s Rubberband started performing together in October 2019 for the St. Pete Jazz Walk and we continue to spread the “gospel according to Jazz!” His work with the Al Downing Tampa Bay Jazz Association and the regular Monday night jazz jam family allows him to play with and mentor up and coming musicians and singers. The first encounter of hearing Stevie Wonder was the song “You Are the Sunshine of My Life” on the radio. This tune was the first pop tune that he heard using jazz harmony and a whole-tone scale…He was hooked.
• Kirsten Joyer – vocals. “Kirstie” has been singing professionally for 41 years. She has been performing in the Tampa Bay Area for 30 years. Kirstie has been the lead and background vocalist with local bands such as The Pocket, The Jazz Cellar Underground Orchestra, Main Stream, Loose Change and Show Biz Kids. However, the band she currently performs with on a weekly basis is Off the Cuff. She has a background in Theatre, Music and Dance, but music is her first love. Her love of music comes from both parents, especially, her mother. Kirsten’s maternal grandparents managed one of the only African American hotels in Tucson, Arizona in the 1930s,1940s and 1950s. Since there were very few places African American musicians could stay, when in town for a gig, they stayed at the hotel her grandparents and her mother ran. Kirsten’s mother grew up around musicians like Duke Ellington, Count Basie and host of other world class musicians. Her mother passed her love of music on to Kirsten and her siblings and that is how it all started. Although Kirsten enjoys playing small intimate gigs in clubs and restaurants, she has also played at large events such as the Clearwater Jazz Holiday, Ribfest and the Gasparilla Music Festival. After retiring from being a school principal, she started singing full time and has not looked back. Sharing the gift of music with others is all she has ever wanted to do.

• Al Hurley – electric bass. Al Hurley played for 18 years in shows at Busch Gardens and taught at Players School for 5 years with Jeff Berlin. He is a New Jersey native who is heavily influenced by Stevie Wonder’s music after hearing “You Are the Sunshine of My Life” on a jukebox in Atlantic City NJ . That sent him on a lifelong musical journey recapturing that magic moment playing Stevie’s music with STretch’s Rubber Band.

• Joe Renda – drums.