BUTLER KNOWLES
The bassist leads the jazz jam sets into the night with a groove by some of the area’s best players. the best part of the jam session is that one never knows who will show up. Surprises abound.
The vibe is cocktail lounge with a plush couches or candlelit tables with an eight chandelier and two baby grand atmosphere coupled with late night bites for fingering.
Cover: $20.00 reservation deposit |Appliedtowards minimum, no refunds if not spent.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Hank Johnson was born Stuart H. Tresser on July 14, 1949 in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn, New York. He began piano study early in life at age three with Mrs. Henryetta Klein as his first piano teacher. Graduating from George W. Wingate High School in 1967, he continued his education and in 1970 was awarded an AAS Degree in Graphic Arts and Advertising Technology, from New York City Community College. In 1973 a BFA degree was awarded from New York Institute of Technology, with a major in Communication Arts.
He continued his private piano instruction with classical pianist Ms. Malady, who taught piano at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music. He also received lessons fromMorty Kessler, and Morty Reed, a showband pianist in Las Vegas, Nevada, as well as from Horace Parlan and Teddy Wilson..
Hank learned to write music, and developed the friendship and guidance of Ray Cox, who worked for Machito, as a copyist and arranger. In 1977 Johnson had replaced Jimmy Nottingham’s trio at the Village Door Restaurant and Supper Club in Jamaica, Queens, New York. It was at the Village Door that he got the hands-on experience that ignited his passion to be the best piano player.
He founded the independent record label Jazzbone Records. Presently pianist Hank Johnson is the Director of Tresser Printing Office, a security printer, and a division of Tresser Music, music publishers.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Bill Carrothers was born July 13, 1964 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He began playing piano at age five, studying with his church organist before learning jazz from pianist Bobby Peterson. By age 15 he was performing in jazz clubs, and in 1982 he briefly attended North Texas State University.
After a year at North Texas, Carrothers was a member of Irv Williams’ band before a move to New York City in 1988. He performed at the Knitting Factory, The Village Gate, and Birdland as well as Blues Alley in Washington, D.C. He has worked with Buddy DeFranco, Curtis Fuller, Billy Higgins, Freddie Hubbard, Lee Konitz, James Moody, Gary Peacock, Dewey Redman, Charlie Rouse, James Spaulding, Terell Stafford, Toots Thielemans, and Prince.
He has performed in France, Belgium, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. In 2009 Bill played a week-long stand at the Village Vanguard with his European trio Nicolas Thys and Dre Pallemaerts, which resulted in a 2011.
He performs solo piano concerts, made his Monterey Jazz Festival debut and is a regular on the Chicago scene. He is an adjunct professor at Lawrence University in Wisconsin. Carrothers was awarded the Grand Prix du Disque for Jazz in 2004 and was nominated for the Les Victoires du Jazz, twice.
Pianist and composer Bill Carrothers, who has cited Clifford Brown, Shirley Horn, and Oscar Peterson as influences on his development as a musician, continues to perform without shoes to better feel the piano pedals, sitting in a chair to achieve his preferred seating height.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Toni Ballard was born in Chicago, Illinois on July 12, 1946 and sang in the school choir during her primary years. She learned to play the guitar in college, then formed a band with her husband.
From 1981 to 1984 Ballard hosted Tasteful Blend on WICN Radio and recorded a children’s jazz album the following year. During the Nineties she collaborated with Larry Coryell and recorded I’m Your Pal, and produced and hosted CAble Ace nominated Studio 3 Jazz for seven years.
As the publicist for Berklee School of Music from 1998 to 2004 she was responsible for forming the relationship between the school and Black Entertainment Television, and worked on Jazz Scenes and Impressions.
Toni has performed with the Silvefr Bullet Orchestra, the Nelson Riddle Orchestra, the Boston Big Band, the White Heat Swing Orchestra, Ryles Jaz Orchestra, Worcester Jazz Orchestra, and the Benny Goodman Tribute Band.
Vocalist Toni Ballard is currently a freelance publicist and is involved with benefit concerts for Pancreatic Cancer Alliance.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Akua Allrich was born on July 11th in Washington, D.C., the child of a musical family with a home that held such a wealth of jazz recordings that she did not buy any albums until her second year in college. One of the first jazz albums she bought was John Coltrane’s Live at the Village Vanguard: The Master Takes.
Educated at Howard University, she obtained her BM in jazz vocals and a master’s degree in social work. She was taught, coached and mentored by talented musicians such as world-renowned singer Kehembe V. Eichelberger, singer/drummer Grady Tate, and pianist Charles Covington.
Her musical roots run deeply into blues, soul and rhythm and blues, with a clear grounding in jazz and pan-African music. She launched her independently produced album A Peace of Mine in 2010, which created a significant buzz with critics and music-lovers alike. She sings in many languages including Portuguese, French, Spanish, English, Xhosa, and Twi.
Vocalist, composer and teacher, Akua Allrich continues to electrify audiences and is likened to such legendary artists as Oscar Brown, Jr., Miriam Makeba and Nina Simone.
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