KEVIN COLE
KEVIN COLE: THE FAVORITE PIANIST OF SONGWRITERS MARVIN HAMLISCH AND IRVING BERLIN… AND HE HAS STORIES TO TELL!
“America’s Pianist,” Kevin Cole, has received accolades from some of the foremost critics in America: “A piano genius…he reveals an understanding of harmony, rhythmic complexity and pure show-biz virtuosity that would have had Horowitz Vladimir smiling with envy,” wrote arts critic Andrew Patner.
When Cole sits down at the piano, you would swear Gershwin himself was at work… Cole stands as the best Gershwin pianist in America today,” Howard Reich, Chicago Tribune.
Cole has performed with over 100 orchestras worldwide including: sold-out performances with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl; BBC Concert Orchestra at Royal Albert Hall; National Symphony at the Kennedy Center; Hong Kong Philharmonic; San Francisco Symphony, Chicago Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra and many others.
He made his Carnegie Hall debut with the Albany Symphony in May 2013.
Kevin Cole is an award-winning musical director, arranger, composer, vocalist, archivist and producer who garnered the praises of Irving Berlin, Harold Arlen, E.Y. Harburg, Hugh Martin, BurtonLane, Marvin Hamlisch, Stephen Sondheim and members of the Jerome Kern and Gershwin families.
He was the only pianist Hamlisch used for his Gershwin concerts from 2004 to his untimely death in 2012 and Kevin was featured soloist for the PBS special, Gershwin at One Symphony Place with the Nashville Symphony.
More Posts: adventure,album,club,festival,genius,jazz,museum,music,piano,preserving,restaurant,travel
MARIA HOWELL & NOEL FRIEDLINE
Middle C Jazz 3rd Anniversary | Noel & Maria: The Very Best of Billy, Stevie, Elton and Ray with a twist of…
Noel & Maria: The Very Best of Billy, Stevie, Elton and Ray with a twist of Motown, Chicago, Sam Cooke, Luther Vandross, Donny Hathaway, Peter Cetera, Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, The Supremes, Martha Reeves & the Vandellas, The Four Tops, the Jackson 5, Gladys Knight, and more!
Friday ~ November 4 | 7:00pm & 9:15PM
Saturday ~ November 5 | 7:00pm & 9:15PM
More Posts: adventure,album,club,festival,genius,jazz,museum,music,piano,preserving,restaurant,travel,vocal
CONNIE HAN
Pianist and provocateur Connie Han has created an edgy blend of modern and traditional jazz with her incendiary Mack Avenue Records debut CRIME ZONE. At 26, this young lioness is on a fast-climbing trajectory to jazz stardom with rave reviews from The New York Times, Jazziz Magazine, Downbeat Magazine, and more. According to Downbeat Magazine, Han has “already absorbed the post-bop piano masters” with “all the technical mastery she’ll ever need.” The New York Times describes her as “the rare musician with fearsome technical chops, a breadth of historical knowledge and enough originality to write tunes that absorb your ear easily.” Weaving in and out of the tradition, Han pays tribute to McCoy Tyner, Mulgrew Miller, and Kenny Kirkland with her own unique edge and fire at the piano.
Her connection to jazz began at the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts. After graduation, Han accepted a full-tuition scholarship to UCLA but chose to leave school after three weeks to pursue her professional career. It was at this time she sought out drummer/producer Bill Wysaske to begin work on what would eventually culminate her signing with Mack Avenue Records.
“This record is meant to be a statement about being rebellious… but within the tradition,” Han explains. “It’s provocative and fresh in its own way while still honoring the rich legacy of jazz.” The title, CRIME ZONE, reinforces how I brand myself as an artist: a provocateur of creative music.” “With this album she’s booking a place as a star in the jazz firmament of tomorrow,” says All About Jazz.” Watch out for Connie Han, the face (and shape) of jazz to come.”
Doors at 6:00 PM, Show at 7:00 PM | Doors at 8:45 PM, Show at 9:15 PM
More Posts: adventure,album,club,festival,genius,jazz,museum,music,piano,preserving,restaurant,travel
JOEY ALEXANDER
It’s no coincidence two of the titles on pianist, bandleader and composer Joey Alexander’s inspirational debut on Mack Avenue Records, Origin, contain the words “rise” and “rising.”
“The Latin root of the word ‘origin’ is orire, which means to rise,” explains the restlessly searching musician, who has performed everywhere from the Obama White House to the Grand Ole Opry and has been nominated for three GRAMMY® awards. “During this pandemic, I think the first thing we should do is to start with being hopeful, which is the main theme of Origin. Instead of making it a source of frustration, I made it the source of inspiration to express myself in music.”
Good plan. On his sixth album as a leader, his first featuring all his own material, Alexander has stretched his imagination into new territory, challenging himself to write rich melodic and harmonic interplay without ever abandoning the emotional candor and transparency that have captivated crowds and catapulted his albums to the top of the jazz charts.
Showtimes: December 2 & 3
Doors at 6:00 PM, Show at 7:00 PM | Doors at 8:45 PM, Show at 9:15 PM
More Posts: adventure,album,club,festival,genius,jazz,museum,music,piano,preserving,restaurant,travel
TAWANDA
With John DiMartino, Marco Panascia & Tim Horner
An official Resonance Records CD Release performance! The first 30 ticket buyers will receive a FREE copy of Tawanda Suessbrich-Joaquim’s newest release, “SMILE!”
Since she grew up in the Deep South to a mother from Germany and a father from Mozambique, her unique cultural DNA opened up her heart and mind to many worlds of music that are still an integral part of everything she sings.
Jazz is one form of music that transcends most other genres and has done so throughout the ages. Its complexity, off beat rhythms, sophistication and constant desire to improvise and evolve itself courses through its precious origins. Those traditions run deep within the soul of award-winning vocalist Tawanda Suessbrich-Joaquim and there is no greater gift than seeing her sing her story in full flight.
A vibrant mix of cultural heritages that underpin her every move, Tawanda was raised in the deep south of New Mexico on the border with Texas. She is proudly a first generation American with a mother from Germany and a father from Mozambique. That fusion of intoxicating backgrounds gave her access to music that many do not experience and which will forever stay in her heart.
Always looking forward, Tawanda delves deep into the worldwide Jazz scene and explores the multi-genre fusion that can be found in its paradise of riches. That desire to respect not only her peers but the origins of her name which translates as ‘we are more’ in a Bantu dialect called Shona, has embedded a deep-rooted desire within her to give back to those around her.
There is no better affirmation of her talent than winning the prestigious 2020 Sarah Vaughan Vocal Jazz competition. Now based in Los Angeles and with a whole host of performances that have enthralled audiences everywhere, Tawanda Suessbrich-Joaquim is set to soar on the wings of success.
More Posts: adventure,album,bass,club,drums,festival,genius,jazz,museum,music,piano,preserving,restaurant,travel,vocal