LAURENCE HOBGOOD
Laurence Hobgood: pianist, Matt Clohesy: bass, Jared Schonig: drums.
Laurence Hobgood, a multifaceted artist with a career spanning over three decades, brings his exceptional talents to the stage. From a young age, he immersed himself in the world of music, ultimately transitioning to jazz during his time at the University of Illinois. It was there that he developed his skills and artistic philosophy in a thriving musical environment.
In 1988, Hobgood made his mark in Chicago, collaborating with legendary musicians, including Kurt Elling. Their partnership resulted in Grammy-nominated albums, with Hobgood recognized as a producer when they clinched the 2010 Grammy for “Dedicated To You: Kurt Elling Sings The Music Of Coltrane and Hartman.” Hobgood’s achievements also include receiving ASCAP’s Deems Taylor Award and earning critical acclaim for his own albums, such as “When The Heart Dances” and “PoemJazz,” featuring poet Robert Pinsky.
In 2013, he introduced the Laurence Hobgood Quintet, a project celebrated by Downbeat magazine. Hobgood’s musical journey continues to captivate audiences worldwide, making his performance on November 21st an event not to be missed. See you there!
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RODNEY JONES
Jazz guitarist Rodney Jones and his quartet perform.
With a musical journey that began at age 6, Rodney has recorded for Blue Note, toured globally, and collaborated with icons like Dizzy Gillespie and Stevie Wonder. He’s also been a prolific composer, a musical director, and a respected educator at Juilliard and Manhattan School of Music.
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MICHAEL WOLFF
Michael Wolff ~ piano, Ben Allison ~ bass, Allison Miller ~ drums.
In the summer of 2015, the renowned pianist-composer battled a rare cancer, defying the odds to make a remarkable recovery. His sons Nat and Alex, known from The Naked Brothers Band, played by his side during his darkest moments. Today, he is completely cancer-free, and his outlook on life and music has transformed profoundly.
His latest album, “Swirl,” is a radiant piano trio masterpiece featuring bassist Ben Allison and drummer Allan Mednard. This new work reflects Wolff’s newfound appreciation for life’s joys, focusing on creating beautiful music that resonates deeply.
Michael Wolff’s storied career spans decades, with collaborations with jazz legends like Cannonball Adderley and Tom Harrell. He’s also known for his role as the musical director of Arsenio Hall’s late-night talk show. Additionally, Wolff is an avid fan of blackjack and has shared his insights into the game.
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The Jazz Voyager
Departing the Midwest for the nation’s capital is the next hop for this week. The Jazz Voyager is landing at Reagan National and hopping over to Wisconsin and M Streets in Georgetown to the Blues Alley. Situated in an actual alley, this intimate venue has long established themselves as one of the premiere jazz clubs on the East Coast. Opening in 1965 it has hosted the biggest names in jazz and blues along with emerging young stars.
This week I will see the incomparable Grammy nominated guitar Stanley Jordan. Be it bold reinventions of classical masterpieces or soulful explorations through pop-rock hits, to blazing straight ahead jazz forays and ultramodern improvisational works, whether solo or in a group, Jordan can always be depended upon to take listeners on a journey into the unexpected. If you’ve never heard him perform, this is an opportunity to witness his solo virtuosity.
The venue is located at 1073 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC 20007 and for more information you can visit https://notoriousjazz.com/event/stanley-jordan-3
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STANLEY JORDAN
In a career that took flight in 1985 with commercial and critical acclaim, guitar virtuoso Stanley Jordan has consistently displayed a chameleonic musical persona of openness, imagination, versatility and maverick daring. Be it bold reinventions of classical masterpieces or soulful explorations through pop-rock hits, to blazing straight ahead jazz forays and ultramodern improvisational works-solo or with a group-Jordan can always be counted on to take listeners on breathless journeys into the unexpected.
Key to Jordan’s fast-track acclaim was his mastery of a special technique on the guitar’s fretboard. Instead of conventional strumming and picking, Jordan’s innovative “touch technique” is an advanced form of two-handed tapping. While a handful of other players were using similar techniques, Stanley’s fluid, multi-layered textures and sheer virtuosity raised the bar for excellence. But his technique, though impressive, is always a means to a musical end. His music is imbued with a warmth and sensitivity that has captured the imagination of listeners worldwide. A classically trained pianist before playing guitar, Jordan wanted greater freedom in voicing chords on his guitar, so he applied piano principles to do so. Jordan’s touch technique allows the guitarist to play melody and chords simultaneously with an unprecedented level of independence. It also allows Jordan to play simultaneously on two different guitars, or even on guitar and piano. He says that “I think of it as a single instrument, but one with a wide range of tonal colors-that’s why I do it.”
To date Jordan has performed in over 60 countries on 6 continents. He has performed at many festivals, including the Kool Jazz Festival, the Concord Jazz Festival, and the Montreaux International Jazz Festival. During the 1980s he collaborated with a diverse array of artists, including performances with Art Blakey and Richie Cole and recordings with Stanley Clarke and Kenny Rogers. The track with Rogers, “Morning Desire”, became America’s #1 country song in 1986. Later Jordan became a frequent guest with Les Paul during Paul’s legendary Monday nights at Iridium in New York. Today Jordan performs frequently as a soloist and with his band, as well as collaborating with other guitarists such as Kevin Eubanks, Sharon Isbin and Muriel Anderson. He’s also a frequent guest with jam bands such as the Dave Matthews Band, the String Cheese Incident, Phil Lesh, Moe and Umphrey’s McGee.
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