Rockford, Ill. – Where can you see the 2009 Female Blues Artist of the Year and over 10 Blues Music Award winners combined in one weekend, all on one stage? The On the Waterfront Festival presented by Associated Bank and FatWallet.com announced today the unique, original jazz and blues performers for the Verizon Wireless Left Bank Stage on Friday, September 4 – Sunday, September 6, 2009.

Friday, September 4, look out for regional jazz band Frank Calvagna and Opan Jii. The 1994 Best Contemporary Album of the Year Grammy nominee Hamilton Loomis will also be performing, as well as Curtis Salgado, who had four nominations at the 2009 30th Annual Blues Music Awards, formerly known as the W.C. Handy Blues Awards.

Saturday, September 5, experience the eclectic sounds of Ernie Hendrickson, 18-piece big band Moonlight Jazz Orchestra, 8-piece funk band 3 Beers ‘Til Dubuque and Nick Moss & the Flip Tops, who have had nine Blues Music Award Nominations. Nick Moss & the Flip Tops will perform with Lurrie Bell, nominee for the 2007 Blues Music Award for Best Guitarist.

Sunday, September 6, enjoy the masterful solos of Mark Colby, who will be playing with the Rock Valley College Jazz Ensembles. Also, be entertained by the 2005 John Lennon Songwriting Competition finalist, Eastern Blok, and world-renowned Grammy winners BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet. Known for their astounding vocals, both Janiva Magness, who received the B.B. King Award for Musical Excellence and 2009 Female Blues Artist of the Year, and John Pizzarelli, who was given the 2009 Ella Fitzgerald Award, will perform.

The Verizon Wireless Left Bank Stage is also home to the 8th Annual Bright Stars Celebration, which acknowledges 8th grade honor-roll students from surrounding communities, as well as the annual Taste of Waterfront. This festival favorite is where Celebrity judges and audience participants taste and judge the food served on the Festival grounds.

Order your pass at any Festival outlet starting August 1 or online today at www.onthewaterfront.com.

A renown blues vocalist, Janiva Magness holds numerous awards such as the B.B. King Award for Musical Excellence, the Jim Croce Award for Outstanding Achievement in Rhythm and Blues, and Blues Band of the Year in the New York Time’s Critics

Choice Awards. She is known for her dreamy and bittersweet Billboard Top Blues

Albums “Do I Move You?” and “What Love Will Do,” as well as her performances around the world in prestigious productions such as the International Blues Festival.