JESSE JONES JR.
The Miami native is a virtuoso saxophonist who started his first band, the Melt-Jess Jazz Quintet, in high school with trumpeter brother Melton Mustafa, who later left to play with Count Basie. Jones formed his own quartet and remains a longtime fixture in Miami’s jazz scene.
He continues to be at the forefront of a burgeoning jazz renaissance in South Florida. He is renowned for his mastery of the saxophone and captivating vocals, has left an indelible mark on the genre over decades.
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MICHAEL MAYO
Coming from a family steeped in musical history, with ties to Earth Wind & Fire and renowned session work with artists like Diana Ross and Stevie Wonder, Michael Mayo has music in his veins. Signed to Mack Avenue Records, he’s already shared the stage with the likes of Herbie Hancock and Jon Batiste.
His career highlights include mesmerizing performances at the White House, the Kennedy Center, and major jazz festivals around the world. Mayo’s innovative approach to jazz vocals, combined with his dynamic stage presence, sets him apart as a true modern-day jazz icon!
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QUIANA PARLER & THE LAVON STEVENS TRIO
As lead vocalist, lyricist, and composer for internationally and critically acclaimed two-time Grammy Award-winning roots music group, Ranky Tanky, Quiana Parler spent weeks at #1 on several Billboard Jazz charts. Quiana has spent over 20 years as the most sought-after vocalist in the Lowcountry. Known locally for years prior, she rose to national prominence after her success on the 2003 season of American Idol. Quiana has worked and collaborated with diverse artists and producers such as Clay Aiken, Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Bobby McFerrin, Miranda Lambert, David Foster, Walter Afanasieff and many more.
Her performances have been featured on national broadcasts like The View, NBC’s TODAY, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Tonight Show, The Tyra Banks Show, and Saturday Night Live, as well as the Academy of Country Music Awards and the American Music Awards. Lavon Stevens has traveled and performed all over the country including Aspen, Colorado, Atlanta, Georgia and Orlando, Florida. The resort vacation destination of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina has been his home since 1981. He is one of the premier entertainers on Hilton Head Island. He is producing a variety of shows and recording projects including other R&B, Jazz and Gospel artists.
Cover: $10.00 ~ $15.00
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ANAT COHEN & MARCELLO GONÇALVES
The perennial winner of “Clarinetist of the Year” titles from DownBeat, JazzTimes, and the Jazz Journalists Association, Fresh Air’s Terry Gross credits Cohen with “bringing the clarinet to the world” and The New York Times hails her a “Master.”
Acclaimed clarinetist Anat Cohen and 7-string guitarist Marcello Gonçalves team together in a series of intimate, lyrical duets. Breathtaking melodies, Brazilian grooves, and elements of jazz highlight the intricate talents of both Cohen and Gonçalves. In their second duo album, Reconvexo, Brazilian 7-string guitar player Gonçalves and New York-based clarinetist Cohen turn their attention to music from the Música Popular Brasileira (MPB) songbook. Against the backdrop of a country and world turning inward, the duo set out to record an album inspired by the beauty of Brazil and the spirit of its people. The result is at once intimate and virtuosic, mournful and hopeful, soaked with the feeling expressed uniquely in the Portuguese language as saudade – bittersweet, at once deeply happy and sad, and full of emotion.
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WABERI JORDAN
Waberi Jordan is a vocalist and songwriter whose signature is rooted in the Leimert Park Jazz Community of Los Angeles. Raised on a steady diet of straight-ahead jazz, at a time when R&B dominated the airwaves, Waberi’s sound bridges two pivotal eras of artistic expression.
She studied and played with Horace Tapscott along with The Pan Afrikan People’s Arkestra and The Great Voice of UGMAA (Union of God’s Musicians and Artists’ Ascension), many notable performers and scholars like Dr. Art Hillary, McCoy Tyner, Azar Lawrence, Nate Morgan, Pharoah Sanders and many more.
Waberi has also performed around the world with various bands and ensembles, from SoulBop (an L.A. based collective of jazz musicians), R&B to West African Drum and Dance bands; 50-piece Jazz arkestras in L.A. and Europe to solo acapella sets. She has also been featured on numerous recordings, including the Jazz CD “Living Water” by extraordinary vocalist DWIGHT TRIBLE, and classic Reggae CD “Good’s Gonna Happen” Sahra Indio.
In 2009 Waberi released her debut album, The Trajectory of Starah. The accompanying video, Sunflowers in my Garden premiered the same year, to critical acclaim. The song has become beloved worldwide. Her second video release, Put it Right There was released in 2014, and as an added bonus, was co-directed and shot by Tim Russ, noted for his role as Tuvok in Star Trek: Voyager.
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