JJ Roth Design

Closed
2016-03-28, 2016-03-14, 2016-03-07, 2016-02-29, 2016-02-22, 2016-02-08, 2016-02-05, 2016-01-25

Easter Brunch
2016-03-27 11:00 - 16:00 (America/Detroit)
Make a reservation today for a delicious brunch this Easter Sunday! Our chef will be serving up a special brunch menu and we will have live entertainment to keep things jumping.
For reservations please call (313) 961-2543

The Taylor Pierson Trio
2016-03-26 18:00 - 20:30 UTC
Join us for dinner music each and every Saturday with this homegrown piano trio.

The Heavyweights Brass Band
2016-03-19 21:30 (America/Detroit)
Inspired by the New Orleans brass band tradition, the Heavyweights’original stance keeps one foot firmly rooted in the rich legacy of jazz, while one foot steps forward into the future. Like the music’s originators, the Heavyweights are unafraid to incorporate influences from disparate areas of the musical spectrum, from pop hits of the day to original compositions, from R&B and funk throwbacks to the infectious rhythms of Latin America, all woven together with the thread of adventuresome sophistication.
http://www.heavyweightsbrassband.com/

Vanessa Rubin
2016-03-18 21:00 (America/Detroit)
Endowed with the kind of liquid phrasing and sheer wisdom that comes from depth of experience on the jazz performance campaign trail, Vanessa Rubin is an ever-evolving classic singer. The development of a true jazz singer is a long-range prospect, laden with learning experiences that forge the voice into a true instrument, rich with passion, deeply invested in living through life’s joys and perils; such is the journey of Vanessa Rubin, jazz singer extraordinaire. Capable of employing the gamut of emotions, the mature Ms. Rubin can range from whisper to shout in the blink of an eye; from honey-laden ballads purring like a kitten, to up tempo swinging and scatting like a fluent saxophone, she delivers the goods.
http://www.vanessarubin.com/

Soul Cycle
2016-03-16 20:00 (America/Detroit)
Soul Cycle plays American Jazz/Soul Organ music styled after the masters. The set contents include contemporary renditions as wells as a litany of classic songs performed by the greats [Dr. Lonnie Smith, Joey DeFrancesco, Soulive, Tony Monaco etc.]
Formed in early 2013, Soul Cycle is comprised of studio musicians from various groups rooted in New England & the Mid-West. The group has roots in funk, jazz & R&B but Soul Cycle excels in the true emulation of gritty Hammond oldies.
http://www.soulcyclemusic.net/

Malena Quartet
2016-03-10 20:00 (America/Detroit)
CD Release party of “Behind the Eyes” Malena Quartet’s debut album
Tonight the Malena Quartet plays selections from its new album “Behind the Eyes.” Worldly and groove-based songs steeped in the jazz tradition with an introspective feel will get their time in the sun.
María Elena was born in New York City but grew up in Massachusetts. She started playing the alto saxophone the summer after third grade when her older brother put aside his for a tenor. In high school she studied both saxophone and clarinet with metro-Boston legends Ken Reid and Mark Miller, respectively. She graduated from Foxborough High School where she had the honor of performing at President Obama’s first Inauguration with the Kennedy Center’s “Let Celebration Swing” concert in 2008 and receiving an Essentially Ellington outstanding soloist award in 2009. María Elena continued her studies at Michigan State University where she studied from the great Wess Anderson and Diego Rivera and performed with MSU at the Detroit Jazz Festival in 2012. Currently, María Elena leads the Malena Quartet which features original compositions and arrangements in gigs across the Midwest. She free-lances across a variety of genres while growing her studio of students in the Ann Arbor Music Center and MSU’s Community Music School in Detroit.
http://malenaexperience.weebly.com

The Guy Mintus Trio
2016-03-09 20:00 (America/Detroit)
“talented young musical emissary who expertly blends the folkloric sound of his homeland with the improvising aesthetic of jazz” (Peter Hum, Ottawa Citizen)
Israeli born New York based jazz pianist and composer Guy Mintus creates performances that have “the entire hall listening with held breath” (Barka Fabiánová, Full Moon Zine). At 24, Guy has won awards from ASCAP, Downbeat Magazine, BMI, the American Composers Orchestra, and the America-Israel Cultural Foundation. His performance credits include the Kennedy Center, Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Apollo Theater, Symphony Space, Red Sea Jazz Festival, and the Israel Festival. With a focus on music as a gateway to cross-cultural understanding, Guy has collaborated with master musicians from Turkey, Greece, Iran, Morocco, Azerbaijan, India, Cuba, and Mali and has participated in multi-disciplinary works with artists in the visual, dance, spoken word, and theater worlds.
Guy’s intimate, boundary-crossing music weaves textures and colors from across cultures. With influences ranging from Stride piano and the Greek Rebetiko blues, to the Turkish Makam, Indian Ragas and Bach-styled counterpoint, a Mintus performance pairs his originals alongside works based on traditional music from the Mediterranean, along with select pearls from the American Songbook.
His recordings include a debut album with the “Offlines Project,” a duo Guy co-leads with Israeli-Turkish percussionist/oudist Yinon Muallem as well as the live solo album “The Mediterranean Piano.”
www.guymintus.com/

The Kandinski Effect
2016-03-03 21:00 UTC
“Synesthesia is one hell of a ride that shows the strength and innovations left in jazz music and all the new styles of music created in the 21st century. A must hear experience…
– Sound Colour Vibration
Conceived on Paris’s cosmopolitan jazz scene, forged on the road in America, and informed by international currents in electronic music, The Kandinsky Effect is a jazz power trio for the 21st century. Now based in New York City and Paris, the band makes its Cuneiform debut with Synesthesia, a roller-coaster ride of an album marked by fierce grooves, subtle electronic textures, intricate metrical shifts, and a commitment to empathic group interplay.
Featuring Warren Walker on saxophone and electronics, bassist Gael Petrina, and drummer Caleb Dolister, The Kandinsky Effectexplores a distinctive swath of sonic territory, inspired by similarly electronica-laced ensembles like Kneebody and Jaga Jazzist. With a long history as a cutting edge format, the saxophone, bass and drums trio is usually employed by horn players looking to explore harmonically unfettered improvisation. The Kandinsky Effect finds a different kind of freedom in the lack of a chordal instrument.
www.thekandinskyeffect.com

Closed due to bad weather
2016-03-01

Miles Brown's Middle Game
2016-02-28 21:00 (America/Detroit)
Miles Brown‘s Middle Game, consists of Andrew Bishop on saxophone, Kris Johnson on trumpet, Mike Jellick on piano, Jesse Kramer on drums and myself on bass. The name refers to my other passion besides music, chess. The middle game is the part of a chess game that invokes the spirit of improvisation, creativity within a given set of parameters, shifts in energy and momentum, and aesthetic beauty. I’m hoping that these values will inspire the music this bands creates. All the music will be original and/or freely improvised. We’ll play mainly my own compositions, but also tunes from the other band members.

https://milesbrown.wordpress.com/gigs/

Dan Bennett's Legendary Wings
2016-02-19 21:00 (America/Detroit)
Featuring:
Dan Bennett~Saxophones
Tim Haldeman~Saxophones
Jordan Schug~Bass
Nick Collins~Drums
https://www.facebook.com/Legendary-Wings-162974330479842/

Harmonica Shah and Howard Glazer
2016-02-17 20:00 (America/Detroit)
“Born in California, Shah also spent time in Somerville, Texas, with his blues harmonica and guitar playing grandfather, Sam Dawson. Dawson had recorded for both Alan Lomax and Duke Records. His mother, a beautician, encouraged him to be a salesman for Jet magazine in the latter part of the 1950s. This allowed Shah access to Oakland’s bars and clubs, where he heard musicians such as Lowell Fulson, Jimmy McCracklin, Juke Boy Bonner and Big Mama Thornton.
Shah told Living Blues magazine that his grandfather’s passion for the blues inspired him. “Well see I picked it up from him, he’d be out in the fields singin’ all that (sings in a slow moan) ‘Tell me how long, whoa, tell me how long it’s been since you’ve been away from home’ Well, that’s raw! That’s a big damn difference from ‘Good Golly Miss Molly'”.
He moved to Detroit in 1967, and worked for Ford Motors for fifteen years. Shah bought himself a cheap harmonica in 1976 and, while operating as a taxicab driver, Shah was introduced to local blues jam sessions. “Hell, that was it, no turning back then”, Shah recalled.” -Wikipedia

The Clif Wallace QuintetFeaturing Meagan McNeal
2016-02-14 20:30 - 22:00 (America/Detroit)
“Wallace, carving his own beat in the jazz world”. – South Bend Tribune
Born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Clif Wallace began serious studies in Jazz at North Carolina Central University where he received both a Bachelor of Arts in Music and a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Performance.
In College, Clif gained broad experience in playing in many different musical settings. Ultimately earning the drum seat in the African American Jazz Caucus’s Historically Black College and University (HBCU) All-Star Big Band for three years. With the HBCU Band, he had the opportunity to perform with Jimmy Heath, Joe Chambers, Gerald Wilson, and Jimmy Cobb.
Just after college, He Joined the judging panel for the 2008 Notre Dame Collegiate Jazz Festival along the likes of Marvin Stamm, Gene Bertoncini, Jim McNeely, Larry Ridley, and Jamey Aabersold.
In 2008, Clif played drums on John Brown’s “Merry Christmas, Baby”, that broke top 40 in the Billboard charts in 2008. Having since recorded with many other up and coming artists of many music genres. He has also recently recorded and toured with Polish tenor saxophonist Marcin Zupanski, as well as Origin Label artists, Aaron Wright and Dudley Owens.
In 2009, Clif Wallace took the opportunity to participate in Betty Carter’s Jazz Ahead artist Residency Program in Washington, DC, as well as the Ravinia/Steans Institute Artist Residency Program led by Dr. David Baker, James Moody, Dr. Nathan Davis, and Rufus Reid in Chicago, Illinois.
Currently, Clif Wallace can be seen and heard in Chicago, Illinois, and other surrounding cities in the mid-west as well as venues around the country.
www.clifwallace.wordpress.com

The Clif Wallace Quintet Featuring Meagan McNeal
2016-02-14 17:30 - 19:00, 2016-02-13 21:30 - 23:30, 2016-02-13 18:30 - 20:00 (America/Detroit)

The Feast of Saint Valentine
2016-02-13 - 2016-02-14
Celebrate Valentines Day Weekend by joining us at Cliff Bell’s for a special and unique evening in Downtown Detroit. Experience our historic venue with entertainment by the Clif Wallace Quintet (featuring Meagan McNeal!) and a very special dinner prepared by our own Executive Chef Joe Susko. Showtimes are Saturday at 6:30 and 9:30 and Sunday at 5:30 and 8:30. In order to secure a reservation please pre-order your seats at (313) 961-2543.

Dinner Menu – $60.00 per-person

First:
Diver Scallop – Spicy tomato broth, watercress and onion purée
or
Foie Gras – Brioche, strawberries, basil and balsamic glâce
or
Pork Cheeks – Braised in Faygo root beer & fennel, crispy polenta cake and tonkotsu glace
Next:
Champagne Salad – Butter lettuce, champagne grapes, blue cheese and strawberry-champagne vinaigrette
Intermezzo:
Lemon Ice
Then:
Chateaubriand (for Two) – 14oz. Beef tenderloin, herbed new potatoes, glazed carrots and cipollini onions
or
Smoked Portobello Steak – Tomatoes provençal, red skin potatoes and French beans
or
Pollo Toscana – Artichokes, capers, garlic, heirloom tomatoes and French beans
or
Tuna – Coriander & orange dusted, Thai-basil rice, rainbow stir-fry and onion purée
Finally:
Black Forest Brownie – Morello cherries, brownies and white chocolate mousse
***A’LA Carte pricing available upon request, Absolutely no substitutions

About the band, Clif:
“Wallace, carving his own beat in the jazz world”. – South Bend Tribune
Born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Clif Wallace began serious studies in Jazz at North Carolina Central University where he received both a Bachelor of Arts in Music and a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Performance. In 2009, Clif Wallace took the opportunity to participate in Betty Carter’s Jazz Ahead artist Residency Program in Washington, DC, as well as the Ravinia/Steans Institute Artist Residency Program led by Dr. David Baker, James Moody, Dr. Nathan Davis, and Rufus Reid in Chicago, Illinois. Currently, Clif Wallace can be seen and heard in Chicago, Illinois, and other surrounding cities in the mid-west as well as venues around the country.
About the band, Meagan:
Meagan, an up and coming artist who sings songs of love, peace and self discovery. She believes that music is her gift but motivating people to pursue their dreams is her passion. An eclectic mix of genres including Neo Soul, Jazz, and R&B, The album “MINDSET” is available on iTunes, Amazon and Cd Baby . According to McNeal, portrays life in all its splendor, from its roadblocks to its successes and also has surprise collaborations with a few of the many artists she has networked with over her highly productive and growing career.

Closing after Brunch for the Superbowl. Go Lions!
2016-02-07 15:00 - 22:00 (America/Detroit)

Bob, Iz and Jim
2016-02-06 21:30 (America/Detroit)
Bob Mervak has been an active member of the Detroit music community since 1997, and has worked with many of the musicians who embody its collective talent. He has worked with pianists Matt Michaels and Gary Schunk, bluesman Johnnie Bassett, Colton Weatherston, Chuck Brodsky, Grammy award-winner Tim Marks, Beth Stalker, Ben Sharkey, Liz Larin, and a host of others. He performs in various settings, has toured extensively, and is equally capable on stage and in the studio.
http://bobmervak.brassjarmusic.com/

Dwight Adams Quartet
2016-01-29 21:00 (America/Detroit)
Dwight Adams is a soul-inspired, R’n’B trumpeter. He has played and recorded with Marcus Belgrave, Rodney Whitaker, James Carter, Shawn Wallace and Donald Walden, and tours with Stevie Wonder. He has served as a jazz trumpet instructor at both Ohio State University and Michigan State University. Basically, he’s the man!

Terence Blanchard Featuring The E-Collective
2016-01-24
Please note we will have two seating’s for this event at 5pm and 8pm. Reservations will not be taken, only advance tickets will be sold for this event. Purchase Tickets!
Trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard breaks the mold with his new quintet, The E-Collective. This project journeys to an exciting realm of grooved fusion teeming with funk, R&B, and blues colors. The May 2015 Blue Note release Breathless is a first foray into straight-up grooveland for Blanchard, and he’s thrilled with the range of this band — from dance-steeped party to pensive, ambient sounds: “Breathless is the album I’ve been wanting to do for quite awhile.” Joined by guitarist Charles Altura, Fabian Almazan on piano and synths, bassistDonald Ramsey, and Oscar Seaton on drums, Blanchard’s Breathless is a master class in storytelling, written in response to social tensions and inspired by Eric Garner’s resounding words: “I Can’t Breathe.”

http://www.terenceblanchard.com/

Rodney Whitaker
2016-01-22 21:00 (America/Detroit)
Internationally renowned bassist and Mack Avenue recording artist, Rodney Whitaker, currently holds the titles of Professor of Jazz Bass and Director of Jazz Studies at Michigan State University where he has built one of the leading jazz degree programs and performing faculty in the United States of America. He is considered one of the leading performers and teachers of the jazz double bass in the United States. Whitaker has performed and toured with over 100+ legendary performing jazz artists over the past 25+ years. Featured on more than 100+ recordings – from film to compact discs – Whitaker’s film scores, China, directed by Jeff Wray, was released on PBS Fall 2002 and Malaria and Malawi, released on PBS Fall 2010. Also, Whitaker has a DVD release featuring Michigan State University’s Jazz Department entitled, “Inside Jazz” and three new compact discs entitled, “Get Ready” & “Work To Do”—both on Mack Avenue Records and “Better Than Alright” by Michigan State University College of Music.
http://rodneywhitaker.com/
