JJ Roth Design

Noah Jackson & Full Circle: Residency & Session
2023-01-11 19:30 - 23:00, 2022-12-21 19:30 - 23:00, 2022-12-14 19:30 - 23:00, 2022-12-07 19:30 - 23:00, 2022-11-23 19:30 - 23:00, 2022-11-02 19:30 - 23:00, 2022-10-26 19:30 - 23:00, 2022-10-19 19:30 - 23:00 (America/Detroit) and 2 more dates
Showtimes are at 7:30p & 9:30p for this performance.
(Doors open at 5pm for dinner/Seating begins at 6:15p for the first show & 9:00p for the second show)
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Musicians pay no cover when they bring their instrument.
A Detroit original, Noah Jackson is a bassist, cellist, and composer specializing in black american music and classical music. Aimed with a curiosity to where sound could touch audiences from within, he has both written and performed music for large international audiences since 2010. A graduate of Michigan State University (B.M.), and Manhattan School of Music (M.M.), Noah has performed with world renowned artists such as NEA Jazz Master Abdullah Ibrahim, Branford Marsails, Jason Marsalis, The Marsalis Family, Hugh Masekela, Nnenna Freelon, Kenny Garrett, Wizard Harper, George Burton, Jazzmeia Horn, and Christian Sands. Additionally, he’s performed in many prominent venues and jazz festivals including Radio City Music Hall, Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, Jazz @ Lincoln Center, Blue Note Jazz Club (New York City and Milan), Royal Albert Hall, Victoria Hall (Geneva), Jazz in Marciac (Marciac, France), The Library of Congress, The Kennedy Center, SFJAZZ, The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, London Jazz Festival, Montreal Jazz Festival, and North Sea Jazz Festival. Noah Jackson also performed as part of the ceremony for the NEA Jazz Masters Award in 2019. He also recorded bass and cello on The Balance with Abdullah Ibrahim which reached #3 on the Billboard Jazz Charts (June 2019).
As a band leader, Noah had put on performances of original creative work with his band Full Circle. In 2011, he made his self-produced debut album, Contemplations- A Suite to critical acclaim and led Full Circle in the Detroit Jazz Festival in 2012. Since then, Noah has collaborated with a wide variety of artists across the jazz spectrum. In 2017, he has worked in collaboration with the American Ballet Theater with his string quartet Asè at Grace Farms in New Canaan, CT. Noah, along with vocalist and co-producer Candice Hoyes, were named recipients of grants for a double jazz and string quartet project: Ellington to the World: Generational Power in Black Culture and Spaces from the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council and the New York Council of the Arts. The work premiered at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in September 2019 and was performed to a sold out audience in The CUBE @ DSO in February 2020. As of March 2021, Noah has joined Cliff Bell’s in Detroit as Curator and Artist-in-Residence where he will perform with his group Full Circle and host sessions as well as bring in world-class talent to perform on it’s stage.
Noah is endorsed by Aguilar Amps, David Gage REAList LifeLine pickups, and NOAH Guitars of Italy. Noah currently resides in Detroit, Michigan.
Find out more about Noah here!

Brandon Williams Quintet
2023-01-08 19:30 - 23:00, 2023-01-07 19:30 - 23:00
Showtimes are at 7:30p & 9:30p for this performance.
(Doors open at 5pm for dinner/Seating begins at 6:15p for the first show & 9:00p for the second show)
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Fri: Straight ahead jazz- Dwight Adams/trumpet, Wesley Reynoso/piano, Jeremiah Edwards/bass, Brandon Williams/drums

Sat: Contemporary jazz quartet- Jeff Ponders/sax, Derrick Benford/piano, Damon Warmack/bass, Brandon Williams/drums

Sun: Organ Trio- Gerrard Gibbs/organ, Larry Barris/Guitar, Brandon Williams/drums

Detroit-bred Brandon Williams’ life has always included music in some capacity. First as a listener, then as a musician, and ultimately, as a producer. He is a musical architect that is quickly making his name and stake as a front-runner in the music industry with the release of his 2014 debut album entitled XII featuring Robert Glasper, Jean Baylor (formerly of Zhane’), Frank McComb, Nicholas Payton, Choklate, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and more. The album has received high praises from musical luminaries such as Jean-Paul “Bluey” Maunick (Incognito), Chuckii Booker, Maysa Leak, Ledisi, Rahsaan Patterson, Marion Meadows, Dianne Reeves, Sinbad, Will Downing, Jill Scott and many others. He has also been personally endorsed as a great producer by the legendary Quincy Jones.

He is a tastemaker with an undeniable track record. As an musician, he has performed with Musiq Soulchild, Chantae Cann (Snarky Puppy), Talib Kweli, Dionne Ferris, Eric Roberson, Najee, Angie Stone, Wyclef Jean of The Fugees, Raheem DeVaughn, Keyon Harrold (Miles Ahead), Gordon Chambers, Rance Allen, Ronnie McNair (The Four Tops) Kevin Toney, Kim Burrell, Carvin Winans, Jaguar Wright, Derrick Hodge, Gene Dunlap, Johnny O’Neal, Geno Young, Talib Kweli, Earnest Pugh, Millie Scott, Martha Reeves, The Last Poets, Sy Smith, Zo!, Carmen Rodgers, Conya Doss, Mike Phillips, and Sherry Scott, formerly of Earth, Wind & Fire. He’s also opened for some of the industry’s finest including; Faith Evans, Morris Day and The Time, Jose James, The Isley Brothers, Angela Winbush, Janelle Monae, George Duke, Liv Warfield, Regina Belle, P.J. Morton (Maroon 5), Joe Sample, Norman Brown, and Jonathan Butler, just to name a few. He’s even performed for Earvin “Magic” Johnson, MC Lyte, Holly Robinson-Peete, The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, Curtis Armstrong (Revenge of the Nerds, Ray), Vondie Curtis-Hall, and Spike Lee.

Find more about Brandon Williams HERE!

The Colton Weatherston Quartet
2022-12-30 19:30 - 23:30
Showtimes are at 7:30p & 9:30p for this performance.
(Seatings begin at 5p & 8:45p respectively)
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“Colton is known for his interpretations of standards, swing, and bebop, with unique presentations of rare gems from the early jazz canon to French chanson with hints of blues and R&B. Below the surface of his subtle guitar stylings, an explosive technical mastery transports his ensembles to heights of flowing groove and harmonic exploration. Here, his pared down vocal phrasing acts as a foil, centering the repertoire on his relaxed delivery of well known lyrics. A satisfying recipe for jazz in the 21st Century.”
– Mortimer Cliftoner, Philadelphia Exporter

Jason Janas: Monk's Fruit feat. The Marion Hayden Trio
2022-12-28 19:30 - 23:00
Showtimes are at 7:30p & 9:30p for this performance.
(Seatings begin at 5p & 8:45p respectively)
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Jason Janas is originally from New Jersey. He began his tap dance instruction under Ms. Deborah Mitchell and was the first charter member of the New Jersey Tap Ensemble. He then found a love for the dance and continued to learn and study the art form. He also trained and was a member of the North Carolina Youth Tap Ensemble under the direction of Gene Medler.
Jason’s first professional company after high school was Tapestry Dance Company in Austin TX, under the direction of Acia Gray. He was a principal dancer there for 5 years. His hard work ethic began to take notice and Derick Grant invited Jason to be in his show Imagine Tap! which ran for 6 weeks in Chicago, and changed his life. His other show credits include Souls of our Feet with Tapestry Dance Company, Wonderland with Sara Savelli and Ayodele Casel, and most recently co-choreographed and was featured in Tap Stars with Rasta Thomas. He currently teaches for Wild Dance Convention and West Coast Dance Explosion, and has taught at tap festivals in New Jersey, Chicago, New York, L.A., Charlotte, Austin, San Antonio, Vancouver, Zürich, Curitiba (Brazil), Moscow, and Barcelona!

James Carter Holiday Show
2022-12-18 19:30 - 23:30, 2022-12-17 19:30 - 23:30
Showtimes are at 7:30p & 9:30p for this performance.
(Doors open at 5pm for dinner/Seating begins at 6:15p for the first show & 9:00p for the second show)
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James Carter brings his energetic musical experience to Cliff Bell’s to bring the spirit of the holidays and jazz with this special show. Mr. Carter will bring a special guest artist to perform with his esteemed trio to present a show you will want to be here for.
“You have to be totally comfortable wherever,” Carter says. “I feel that music equals life, that’s the way my teacher always taught me. You just can’t go through life and experience it fully with a set of blinders on. I think there’s tremendous beauty in cross-pollinations of music and influences.”
In many ways, weaving together divergent impulses is at the heart of Carter’s music. Like the late tenor sax titan Ben Webster, he’s given to furious, high-velocity solos, but is just as likely to wax sentimental, using his big, bruising tone to tenderly caress a comely melody. In 2000, he released two albums simultaneously that amounted to an anti-manifesto, a proclamation that everything is fair game.
The organ combo reigned for several decades as jazz’s meat-and-potatoes mainstay, a populist vehicle for blues-drenched blowing. In the hands of James Carter, one of jazz’s most sophisticated improvisers, the organ trio is no less meaty and satisfying. But his virtuosic saxophone chops elevate the organ combo to a rarefied realm defined by delectable soul, a gourmet repertoire, and consistently inspired group interplay.
Featuring the lithe and muscular keyboard work of Detroit’s rising B3 star Gerard Gibbs and the propulsive drum support of Motor City trap master Alex White, the multigenerational James Carter Organ Trio is now in its seventeenth year.

More information HERE!

Album Release Show: Rodney Whitaker Quartet
2022-12-01 19:30 - 23:00
Showtimes are at 7:30p & 9:30p for this performance.
(Doors open at 5pm for dinner/Seating begins at 6:15p for the first show & 9:00p for the second show)
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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.

Please join us for phenomenal experiences and copacetic encounters during their Mid-West performances at Cliff Bell’s.
http://www.rodneywhitaker.com/

Ben Sharkey
2022-11-26 19:30 - 23:30
Showtimes are at 7:30p & 9:30p for this performance.
(Doors open at 5pm for dinner/Seating begins at 6:15p for the first show & 9:00p for the second show)
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One of Detroit’s premiere live entertainers over the past ten years plus, Ben Sharkey infuses his live performances with a hip and sultry fire, bringing his artful swagger to the stage with a
colorful fusion of old school cool, contemporary jazz, soul and pop. Since the charismatic
vocalist posted his first raw home videos of himself singing Michael Buble and Frank Sinatra
classics to YouTube in 2007, he has amassed over 5 million views worldwide for over 70 clips.
By increasingly popular demand, the Michigan native has amassed hundreds of performances at jazz hotspots like Cliff Bell’s and a five year and counting residency at the Axis Lounge at the MGM Grand Detroit. He’s been compared to everyone from Frank and Buble to Dean Martin, Mel Torme and Harry Connick, Jr. – yet he’s evolved from being a stellar vocal interpreter to master storyteller and songwriter.
Collaborating with his pianist Chris Codish, Ben has written clever, crafty tunes expressing every aspect of love, deep heartfelt connections and the sheer joy of living life to the fullest in the sexiest, naughtiest, most sensual and playful way possible. Stylistically, he lets his muse lead the way to booming percussion driven landscapes infused with jazz, pop, swing, R&B, Latin and crisp, edgy house-dance beats that make him the ultimate contemporary hipster as well as a masterful throwback artist.

Spare Parts
2022-11-19 19:30 - 23:30
Showtimes are at 7:30p & 9:30p for this performance.
(Doors open at 5pm for dinner/Seating begins at 6:15p for the first show & 9:00p for the second show)
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Spare Parts is an instrumental trio that pushes well beyond the jazz funk spectrum in
which it thrives. Driven by vintage keyboards (Kevin Kozol), electric bass (Colin Scott)
and drums (Mike Bruno), Spare Parts recalls the aesthetics of the analog era through a
fresh and modern approach. Known for their hard hitting grooves, dynamic
improvisation and collaborations with Chicago’s finest musicians, Spare Parts has won
a loyal following over the years. The band has several releases on Ropeadope Records
and has received accolades from across the industry including Ukvibe.org,
Notreble.com, and Modern Jazz (MOJA) Radio.
Spare Parts has toured extensively throughout the U.S. and beyond, while becoming a mainstay on the Chicago scene. From dive bars to prominent jazz clubs, theaters and festivals, Spare Parts has played countless shows and held several successful residencies. Members of the band have performed with Grammy winning artists Victor Wooten, Paul Wertico, and Michael Bolton, as well as Fareed Haque, Stephen Perkins, Lenny Pickett, Bill Dickens, Javon Jackson, George Brooks, Vikku Vinayakram, V. Selvaganesh and Garaj Mahal. Spare Parts has shared the stage with George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic, Snoop Dogg, Vulfpeck, George Porter Jr., The Wailers, Forq, Kneebody, The New Mastersounds, Wayne Krantz, Chester Thompson, Alan Evans, Stanton Moore, and many more.
Visit spareapartsmusic.com for more!

Leslie DeShazor
2022-11-13 19:30 - 23:00, 2022-11-12 19:30 - 23:30
Showtimes are at 7:30p & 9:30p for this performance.
(Doors open at 5pm for dinner/Seating begins at 6:15p for the first show & 9:00p for the second show)
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2021 MPower Grant Recipient and 2021TedX speaker Leslie DeShazor was named one of thirty Professional Movers and Shakers in the Performing Arts by Musical America in 2019. Violist, violinist, composer and arranger Leslie DeShazor is in demand as a soloist, teacher and recording artist. Though classically trained, Mrs. DeShazor is a talented and diverse musician. As a soloist, she has performed with the Toledo Symphony. She is a freelance artists who performs and has performed with The Sphinx Symphony Orchestra, Michigan Opera Theatre Orchestra, Michigan Sinfonietta, CutTime Simfonica, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Flint Symphony, The River Raisin Ragtime Revue and Ann Arbor Symphony as well as jazz ensembles, Leigh Daniels Ensemble the Detroit-based, Musique Noire and Straight Ahead.
She has performed and recorded with international, Grammy award winning R&B stars, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, and Aretha Franklin and Grammy award winning gospel artists Fred Hammond, Michael W. Smith and Donnie McClurkin. She has also had the pleasure of performing with jazz greats such as Roy Hargrove, Steve Wilson, Pat Metheny, Sheila Jordan, Diane Schuur, Regina Carter, Xavier Davis and Marcus Belgrave. She has recently expanded her versatility musically playing both viola and violin as a part of award winning hit musicals Hamilton and Hello Dolly.
An experienced instructor, she currently teaches students of Detroit with instructional music programs offered through the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Sphinx Organization and her own private studio.. A native of Michigan, Mrs. DeShazor holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan.

Marcus Elliot Quartet
2022-10-30 19:30 - 23:00, 2022-10-29 19:30 - 23:30
Showtimes are at 7:30p & 9:30p for this performance.
(Doors open at 5pm for dinner/Seating begins at 6:15p for the first show & 9:00p for the second show)
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Marcus Elliot (Marcus Elliot Miller) is a saxophonist, composer, improviser, and educator based in Detroit, Michigan. Marcus is a 2020 Kresge Artist Fellow, awarded by Kresge Arts in Detroit. His compositions and improvisations have been described by the New York Times as “convincing and confident, evolved in touch and tone…”, and the Detroit Free Press has said, “Marcus Elliot represents next generation of jazz”. Elliot leads and co-leads many different Detroit based bands including the Marcus Elliot Quartet, Clockwork, Balance, Beyond Rebellious, and Lanula. Elliot performs in the Shigeto Live Ensemble. He is a Fellow of the Geri Allen Gathering Orchestra. He co-founded the nonprofit Polyfold Musical Arts Collective. Elliot is the director of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra’s Civic Jazz Ensembles. Elliot received his master’s degree in improvisation from the University of Michigan.
Elliot is a disciple of the Detroit music scene. His mentors include Rodney Whitaker, Marcus Belgrave, Robert Hurst, Donald Walden, Bennie Maupin, Marion Hayden, and Karriem Riggins. After graduating with a bachelors degree in Jazz Studies from Michigan State University, Marcus began to curate weekly performances in Detroit, showcasing some of Detroit’s young jazz musicians. Marcus self-released three albums with his ensemble, the Marcus Elliot Quartet and co-released an album with his duo project with Michael Malis, Balance.
As a Sideman, Marcus has performed with Bob Hurst, Karriem Riggins, James Carter, Jimmy Cobb, Marcus Belgrave, Johnny O’Neal, Jimmy Heath, Shigeto, Thaddeus Dixon, Ettiene Charles, Mulgrew Miller, Rodney Whitaker, Talib Kweli, and many others.
Marcus was a co-founder of Polyfold; a collective of musical artists who have joined together to develop, and present creative works. Founded in Detroit, Polyfold produces concerts and recordings, hosts outreach events and educational workshops, and fosters creative community in Detroit and beyond.
Marcus has received his Masters of Music degree at the University of Michigan, where he was awarded a graduate assistantship. He is active in the Detroit music community, collaborating with musicians in jazz, free-improvised music, techno, hip-hop, r&b, and classical music.
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Esthesis Quartet
2022-10-23 19:30 - 23:00
Showtimes are at 7:30p & 9:30p for this performance.
(Doors open at 5pm for dinner/Seating begins at 6:15p for the first show & 9:00p for the second show) *******************************************************************************************
Esthesis Quartet was formed in the Spring of 2021 with pianist Dawn Clement, flutist
Elsa Nilsson, drummer Tina Raymond, and bassist Emma Dayhuff. What started as a
composition support group to keep the creative juices flowing on zoom, became a
dedicated writing and recording project. They played their first show together in LA at
Sam First in August of 2021 and plan to release their first album on May 27th 2022.
Esthesis Quartet plays original jazz with a reckless abandon that shakes the
preconceptions of traditional instrumentation roles. They treat each other’s
compositions with understanding, respect and a treacherous amount of freedom,
leading to musical explorations that resolve in unexpected directions. Esthesis Quartet
was formed during a time when we couldn’t touch each other, and the name of the
band reflects this. Esthesis means elementary sensations of touch, a reference to the
missed human contact and how much music represented and strengthened these
connections in lockdown.
Each member of the Esthesis Quartet are dedicated performers, composers and
educators, and they each live in one of the four time zones of the US. Pianist Dawn
Clement has established herself as one of the most sought-after musicians working
today. With her joyful presence, consummate technique and distinctive sound,
Clement has gained the attention and respect of musicians, critics, and fans through
the US and abroad. Dawn is based in Denver, Colorado where she holds the role of
Assistant Professor and Area Coordinator of the Jazz and American Music
Department at Metropolitan State University of Denver. Flutist Elsa Nilsson is
originally from Gothenburg, Sweden but now based in New York City where she
plays regularly at the many jazz clubs and is an adjunct professor at The New School.
Paul Rauch of All About Jazz has said about her: “She is the logical choice to provide
a next step for her instrument in the world of jazz and improvised music”. Bassist
Emma Dayhuff is the most recent bassist to graduate from the Herbie Hancock
Institute of Jazz Performance and is the fifth woman to ever participate in the
prestigious program. She is currently based in Chicago where she is pursuing a DMA
at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. Drummer Tina Raymond is based in Los
Angeles, CA, where she is the director of Jazz Studies at California State University,
Northridge. A unique voice in the Los Angeles contemporary improvised music
scene, Raymond blends traditional jazz vocabulary with African polyrhythm and
classical percussion technique. She performs, adjudicates, and presents workshops
worldwide.

Fareed Haque & His Funk Brothers
2022-10-21 19:30 - 23:30
Showtimes are at 7:30p & 9:30p for this performance. (Doors open at 5pm for dinner/Seating begins at 6:15p for the first show & 9:00p for the second show) *******************************************************************************************
Fareed Haque is a modern guitar virtuoso. Steeped in classical and jazz traditions, his unique command of the guitar and different musical styles inspire his musical ventures with tradition and fearless innovation.
Since 2011 Haque has returned to his first loves, jazz guitar and classical guitar. He’s been busy performing and recording with his trio featuring legendary B3 virtuoso Tony Monaco, his own trio and jazz quartet, as well as his larger world music group the Flat Earth Ensemble.
Recent releases include the critically acclaimed Out of Nowhere featuring drummer Billy Hart and bassist George Mraz, The Flat Earth Ensemble’s latest release Trance Hypothesis, and The Tony Monaco/Fareed Haque release Furry Slippers, reached the top 10 in Jazz Radio Airplay.
In addition, Fareed has performed at the Chicago, Detroit and Java Jazz festivals and was featured as part of the Made in Chicago Series performing with his numerous groups at Millennium Park’s Pritzker Pavilion in Chicago. He also performed and arranged numerous classical programs as 2013 artist-in-residence for The Chicago Latin Music Festival, was featured on WBEZ as well as WFMT’s Fiesta! radio programs, and has recorded his arrangement of Piazzolla’s 5 Tango Sensations, El Alevin by Eduardo Angulo Leo Brouwer’s Quintet for Guitar and String Quartet with the critically acclaimed Kaia String Quartet. Haque continues to tour and record extensively along with documenting his unique teaching methods in a series of best selling interactive video courses through TrueFire.

Zen Zadravec Quartet
2022-10-16 19:30 - 23:30, 2022-10-15 19:30 - 23:30
Showtimes are at 7:30p & 9:30p for this performance.
(Doors open at 5pm for dinner/Seating begins at 6:15p for the first show & 9:00p for the second show)
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Zen Zadravec, jazz pianist, saxophonist, and composer views all music as a form of creative communication. The goal is to create music based on human experience. It is also to absorb as much music as possible to develop through the lens of Humanism based on the philosophies of Nichiren Buddhism. Ultimately, Zadravec strives to create music that inspires, encourages, and touches people’s hearts.
Zadravec is a musical chameleon. Whether it is jazz, R&B, funk, rock, or pop, he plays each with a freshness and confidence rarely found in someone so young. Born in Winnipeg, Canada, in 1974, Zadravec studied classical piano from the age of five. At eleven, he began studying the saxophone and the flute. Hearing Miles Davis transformed his life and influenced his decision to become a jazz musician. In 1992, Zadravec attended York University’s Jazz Program, and in 1997 he graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. During his time at York, Zadravec was also the recipient of two Oscar Peterson Awards for excellence as a jazz pianist. In 2000, he earned a Graduate’s Degree in Jazz Performance at Rutgers University.
Zadravec also has studied with some of the biggest names in jazz, such as Kenny Barron, Don Thompson, John Gittens, Vic Juris, Ted Dunbar, and Ralph Bowen. A natural innovator and leader, he runs two of his own bands: the Zen Zadravec Quartet and his fusion group Human Revolution. Zadravec has also performed or recorded with: Ron Carter, Louis Hayes, Karriem Riggins, Ali Jackson, Mike Pope, Mark Whitfield Jr., Bijon Watson, Mark Gross, Derrick Gardner, Vincent Gardner, Todd Bashore, Kenny Davis, Steve Turre, Ralph Bowen, Sean Jones, Conrad Herwig, Freddie Hendrix, Don Thompson, Lorne Lofsky, Charles Fambrough, Valery Ponomarev, Dave Watson, Darryl Dixon, Gloria Gaynor, Joan Rivers, Bob Newhart, Sally Kellerman, among others.
Versatile, creative, energetic, and dynamic, Zadravec is continuously experimenting and refining his sound and musical conception through concerts, recordings, and education. His music is always exploring beautiful melodies, interesting chord progressions, and rhythmic diversity. Zadravec’s latest CD release titled Human Revolution is a musical work supported by the Canadian Grant Organization called Factor or (The Foundation Assisting Canadian Talent on Recordings).

Straight Ahead
2022-10-09 19:30 - 23:00, 2022-10-08 19:30 - 23:30
Showtimes are at 7:30p & 9:30p for this performance.
(Doors open at 5pm for dinner/Seating begins at 6:15p for the first show & 9:00p for the second show)
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Born in Detroit, MI, a crucible of jazz, Marion Hayden is one of the nation’s finest proponents of the acoustic bass. Mentored by master trumpeter Marcus Belgrave, Hayden began performing jazz at the age of 15. She has performed with such diverse luminaries as Bobby McFerrin, Nancy Wilson, Geri Allen, Regina Carter, Steve Turre, Lester Bowie, David Allen Grier, James Carter, Dorothy Donegan, Joe Williams, Lionel Hampton, Frank Morgan, Jon Hendricks, Hank Jones, Bobby Hutcherson, Larry Willis, Vanessa Rubin, Sheila Jordan, Mulgrew Miller, Annie Ross and many others. She is a co-founder of the touring jazz ensemble Straight Ahead- the first all woman jazz ensemble signed to Atlantic Records. She is a member of the Detroit International Jazz Festival All-Star Ambassadors touring ensemble.
Widely recognized as a standard bearer of culture and artistic history, Hayden received a 2019 Art X Grant and a Creators of Culture Grant for original musical works. She was Artistic Director for a 2018 Knight Arts Foundation Grant encouraging young women in jazz. In 2016 Hayden was honored for her work as a performer and educator with the prestigious Kresge Artist Fellowship- a 1 year fellowship and grant award given an elite group of creative artists. She was the recipient of a 2016 Jazz Hero Award.- a national award given by the Jazz Journalists Association- recognizing people who have made a significant contribution through their artistry and community engagement.
Find out more here!

The Vincent Chandler Experience
2022-10-02 19:30 - 23:00
Showtimes are at 7:30p & 9:30p for this performance.
(Doors open at 5pm for dinner/Seating begins at 6:15p for the first show & 9:00p for the second show)
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Vincent Chandler is a trombonist, educator, composer, scat singer, band leader and mentor from Detroit, MI. While in High School, Vincent worked with a local Blues and Salsa Band of which flourished into work with Detroit’s local and international heroes, including Kenn Cox, Donald Walden, Harold McKinney, Wendell Harrison, Marcus Belgrave, Rodney Whitaker, Regina Carter, Marion Hayden, Robert Hurst and James Carter. Vincent has performed nationally with Roy Hargrove, Joe Henderson, Stefon Harris, J@LC feat.Wynton Marsalis, Geri Allen, JD Allen, The Oliver Lake Big Band and The Ambrose Akinmusire Big Band. He was a featured artist on the 2009 Playboy Jazz Festival, where he performed with Marcus Miller, Herbie Hancock and Keb’ Mo. He was a featured soloist on Roy Hargrove’s only Big Band CD, called “Emergence.”
He earned his Undergraduate and Graduate degree from the University of Michigan. Vincent held teaching positions at the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, Claflin University, South Carolina State University and he is currently a Lecturer of Jazz Studies at Wayne State University and the Director of the DSO Civic Jazz Orchestra.
