Your Guide: Blues and Jazz at Chan's all Weekend

Top name Blues and Jazz acts fill up the weekend at Chan's with Johnny Rawls Friday, Frank Potenza Saturday and Rick Estrin Sunday.

Johnny Rawls' smooth blues vocals and classic blues guitar put him in high demand at blues festivals throughout the world. On Friday, 8 p.m., $12 gets you in the door for Rawls' performance. 

Rawls has performed at the Chicago Blues Festival twice, The Russian River Blues Festival, The King Biscuit Blues Festival, The Portland Waterfront Blues Festival, Poconos, as well as festivals in Sweden and Poland.  He tours constantly, playing well over 200 dates a year.  He can also be heard on XM radio's Bluesville.

Rawl's latest CD, Memphis Still Got Soul, was released in April 2011.

Jazz guitarist Frank Potenza toured and recorded as a member of the Gene Harris Quartet from 1996 through 1999 and is a featured soloist on Alley Cats, Gene's last recording for Concord Records. He leads his own groups and tours in support of his latest Capri Records Ltd. release entitled Old New Borrowed & Blue. On Saturday at 8 p.m., $15 gets you a table while for Potenza's performance. 

Potenza is also a full Professor and Chair of the Studio/Jazz Guitar Program at the Flora L. Thornton School of Music, University of Southern California.

Rick Estrin's harmonica and vocals come highly rated. Estrin was awarded the Blues Foundation’s prestigious Blues Music Award for Best Harmonica Player at the 34th annual BMA event in Memphis, TN. 

If that's not high enough praise, The San Francisco Chronicle called Estrin "an amazing harmonica player, a soulful lead vocalist and a brilliant songwriter.” The award-winning musician, another critic said, “sounds like Little Walter playing and singing Leiber and Stoller.”  

On Sunday at 7 p.m., $18 wins a seat at the table for Estrin's highly lauded performance. 

Tickets can be purchased at Chan's website via paypal link. Chan's is located at 267 Main St. in Woonsocket. For more information, call 401-765-1900.