PIECES OF A DREAM

The group was formed in Philadelphia during 1976 by bassist Cedric Napoleon, drummer Curtis Harmon, and keyboardist James Lloyd who were all teenagers at the time. The group based their name on “Pieces of Dreams”, a Michel Legrand tune recorded by Stanley Turrentine that they regularly performed. In 1981 Pieces of a Dream had a minor soul hit with “Warm Weather” with vocals by singer Barbara Walker and synthesizer by Dexter Wansel, which was recorded on Elektra Records and co-produced by Dexter Wansel. In late 1983, the group had their most successful single, “Fo-Fi-Fo”, which peaked at No. 13 on the US soul chart. During their time with Elektra Records from 1981 to 1983, the group’s first three albums were produced by saxophonist Grover Washington, Jr.

Over the course of their nearly 50 year career they have released twenty albums, the last of which was Fired Up in 2021 and the final recording session for bassist Cedric A. Napoleon who died in June 2024. They have never lost their heat!

Cover: $70.25

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The Jazz Voyager

Back in the States this Jazz Voyager has landed at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport. Getting in early gives me time to visit friends in Slidell and get beignets in the French Quarter. Then I’ll be on my way to the 7th Ward’s three-block entertainment district of Frenchmen Street in the Faubourg Marigny. The final destination is the intimate 86 seat jazz venue called Snug Harbor.

This Thursday I will have the pleasure of experiencing longtime New Orleans jazz vocalist, visual artist and educator Betty Shirley who has come full circle in her life and is now reaping the benefits of her hard-earned endeavors. The Big Easy Award winner has released several acclaimed albums including Unveiled, Close Your Eyes, and With The Red Organ Trio, solidifying her legacy as a vital force in the city’s jazz scene.

The Band:

Betty Shirley – vocals

Will Thompson – piano

Quinn Sternberg – bass

Simon Lott – drums

Snug Harbor is located at 626 Frenchmen Street, New Orleans, Louisiana 70116. For more information contact the venue at https://snugjazz.com.

Showtimes ~ 7:30pm & 9:30pm

Cover: $41.30

CALIFORNIA JAZZ FOUNDATION

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CARMEN BRADFORD

Grammy Award-winner Carmen Bradford with master Pianist Reginald “Reggie” Thomas brings an incredible musical experience entitled “Come Swing With Us” to Catalina Jazz Club in Hollywood!

This special duo performance will transport you back to the golden age of Jazz which Ms. Bradford promises “will stir your soul and swing your spirit!”

Together, the duo will be performing selections from Carmen Bradford’s recordings which have been re-imagined into an intimate and electrifying format, calling to mind the magic of Ella Fitzgerald and Oscar Peterson.

Audiences can expect deep grooves, velvet vocals, dazzling piano lines, and the kind of musical chemistry that only happens when artists truly connect! This isn’t just a concert — it’s an invitation into the heart of Jazz.

Cover: $51.85 ~ $77.60

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MAUSIKI SCALES

Mausiki Scales and the Common Ground Collective, an Atlanta-based ensemble, is a dynamic eight-piece+ band that delves into musical styles from West Africa, including Afrobeat and Funk. Mausiki Scales and the Common Ground Collective explore the musical threads connecting the African Diaspora, celebrating shared roots and influences. Afrobeat, a genre pioneered by Nigerian multi-instrumentalist Fela Kuti, is known for its energetic, hypnotic grooves anchored by a rhythm section with roots in traditional African music, Highlife, and James Brown-inspired Funk. This style features a powerful horn section delivering tight, percussive lines and improvisational Jazz solos, call-and-response vocals from lead and background singers, and the vibrant movements of African dancers.

Musical Director and keyboardist Mausiki Scales released his latest album, Long Memory, in the summer of 2024. Scales’ recordings include collaborations with legends like Roy Ayers, Les Nubians, Speech and Kirk Whalum.

Cover: $15.00 ~ $30.00

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CHIEF XIAN ADJUAH

Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah [formerly Christian Scott] is a two-time Edison Award-winning, six-time Grammy Award-nominated, Doris Duke Award in the Arts awardee. He is a sonic architect, trumpeter, multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer, designer of innovative technologies and musical instruments including The Stretch Music app, Adjuah Trumpet, Siren, Sirenette, Chief Adjuah’s Bow and Chief Adjuah’s N’Goni.

He is the founder and CEO of the Stretch Music App and Recording Company. Adjuah is Chieftain and Oba of the Xodokan Nation as well as the current Grand Griot of New Orleans. He is the grandson of Louisiana luminary and legend, the late Big Chief Donald Harrison Sr., Guardians Institute founder and Grand Griot, Herreast Harrison. And is the nephew of Jazz innovator and NEA Jazz Master saxophonist-composer, Big Chief Donald Harrison Jr. Adjuah and his twin brother Kiel joined his grandfather’s Guardians of the Flame banner in 1989 at the age 5.

Since 2001, Adjuah has released thirteen critically acclaimed studio recordings, four live albums, and one greatest hits collection. He is widely recognized as the progenitor of the “Stretch Music,” style. A 21st-century approach that asserts genre blindness and an ethnomusicological approach to limitless fusion that heralded NPR to hail him as “Ushering in a new era of Jazz” and JazzTimes Magazine to mark him as “Jazz’s young style God.” and “the architect of a commercially viable fusion”.

He has collaborated with a number of notable artists, including Prince, Thom Yorke, McCoy Tyner, Marcus Miller, Flea, Eddie Palmieri, Robert Glasper, rappers Mos Def (Yasin Bey), Talib Kweli, as well as heralded poet and musician Saul Williams. Adjuah scores music for his identical twin brother’s, writer/director and visual artist Kiel Adrian Scott, filmic works. Scott is a Directors Guild of America Award recipient whose works have been honored with The Peabody Award and an NAACP Image Award.

Cover: $36.00 ~ $84.00

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