The Jazz Voyager
Houston is the next stop for this Jazz Voyager who will be in the audience for an evening of music, poetry and visuals this coming Friday, May 12th at the Cullen Theater. The venue, which opened in 1987, sits inside the Wortham Center Complex, seats 1100 and offers concessions, merchandise, bar and disabled access.
Native son Kendrick Scott returns home to wow those who have the temerity to attend this star-studded amalgamation of artists honoring what is now known as Sugar Land 95. Unearthed pays tribute to the tragic history behind the recent discovery of the remains of 95 Black people (94 men, 1 woman) in unmarked graves in Sugar Land, Texas. They were convict laborers, swept back into “slavery by another name” in the post-Civil War era, arrested for petty crimes like vagrancy and forced into back-breaking and often fatal labor in the sugar fields of Texas.
Joining composer and drummer Kendrick Scott are Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton, poet, Poet Laureate Emeritus of Houston, visual artist Robert Hodge, the Harlem String Quartet featuring violinists Ilmar Gavilán, Melissa White, violist Jaime Amador, and cellist Felix Umansky, pianist Gerald Clayton, saxophonist Walter Smith III, and bassist Joe Sanders.
Located in the city’s theater district in the heart of downtown at 501 Texas Avenue, Texas 77002 and can reach the venue by phone at 713-524-5050. You can always get ticket information at boxoffice@dacamera.com.
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EUGENIE JONES
A warm, engaging entertainer, she’s described by critics as an artist that “can make you feel jazz,” and she and her recordings have received favorable coverage in every major jazz publication, including DownBeat, JazzTimes, JazzIz, The Gazette/NY, and many others. Described as a “deft vocalist,” Jones has also proven to be a skillful songwriter,
releasing 29 originals on her recordings.
Joined by David Joyner on piano, Lamar Lofton ~ bass and drummer Brian Smith, you will hear an evening performance of Silk & Soul featuring the music of Nina Simone, Anita Baker, Dionne Warwick along with your favorite jazz classics and Eugenie’s original chart-toppers.
Doors at 7:00pm
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PAULA WEST
Vocal Legend Paula West is celebrating the 25th Anniversary of her 1998 Temptation album at the Herbst Theatre. For this quarter-century celebration of Temptation, she revisits the album’s eclectic song list, from Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed’s 1933 title tune to Billie Holiday’s “Don’t Explain,” delivered in her singular style.
The San Francisco jazz treasure is not the kind of singer who uses her voice like an instrument, improvising long scat solos. She prefers to work around the edges of a melody, stretching a word here or clipping a phrase there so that each piece sounds as if it was written with her voice in mind. When not enthralling Bay Area audiences, Paula has become a Manhattan fixture, earning New York Nightlife Awards for Outstanding Female Jazz Vocalist. In 2013, trumpet luminary Wynton Marsalis recruited her to sing the lead role in the reprise of his Pulitzer Prize-winning opus Blood On the Fields.
This performance is part of the 40th San Francisco Jazz Festival running June 7~18, 2023
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NICOLE HENRY
The veteran vocalist returns to Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club for her “I Wanna Dance With Somebody: The Songs of Whitney Houston” concert . The evening offers a full dinner, cash bar, the opportunity to mingle with some of the Seacoasts? dedicated jazz aficionados, and an evening of magical music.
The evening is in support of Seacoast Family Promise, a local New Hampshire 501(c)3. Proceeds from the event will go to support the expansion of the Joshua House, an overnight shelter for local families with children who are experiencing homelessness. Seacoast Family Promise turns 20 years in 2023 and has proven to be a leader in the fight to end homelessness in the state.
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The Jazz Voyager
This Jazz Voyager is on his way to NOLA to investigate for you a new spot for jazz that I’ve never been to called Chickie Wah Wah. This intimate club is a revered local place for live jazz, roots and funk music while serving up creative sandwiches.
This week I’ll be listening to native trumpeter, pianist and composer Terence Blanchard featuring the E~Collective and the Turtle Island Quartet. They will be performing two shows at 8:00 and 10:00pm. He started his career in 1982 as a member of the Lionel Hampton Orchestra, then The Jazz Messengers. He has composed more than forty film scores and performed on more than fifty. So we’ll be celebrating Cinco de Mayo and Jazz Fest on the same night.
Located in Mid~City, it’s just a short ride from the French Quarter to 2828 Canal Street, New Orleans, Louisiana 70119. One can always get more information at https://chickiewahwah.com/.
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