
TARIQ GARDNER & EVENING STAR
Evening Star is a group of long time peers and friends from the Detroit Music Community. The group merges the roots traditions of jazz with the modern sounds of neo-soul, hip-hop, and R&B. Group Leader Tariq Gardner channels rhythms from the vast African Diaspora including Gospel, Rhumba, Samba, Swing, and many many more to make the band’s textures go from smooth to rough to velvety. This group has played many venues within the state as well as out of state including Jazzin’ at the Vanity, Third Place Music Festival, Cliff Bells, Blue Llama Jazz Club, and Detroit Jazz Festival. The band has an afro-futuristic aesthetic with the mission that simply makes music the forefront of positive outlets with original compositions as well as arrangements on popular songs from the Black American Canon. Most Recently they have released their freshman album “GATEWAY DRUG” as well as performed at the international Detroit Jazz Festival 2023.
THE BAND:
Tariq Gardner – Drums
Caelin Amin – Bass
LeRoy Mickens – Piano and Keyboards
Jeffrey Trent – Saxophone
Coleman Ward – Vocals
Tickets: $40.00 Cocktail Table (Pre-Pay $20.00 Cover/$20.00 Bar or Menu) | $75.00 Diner & Show (Pre-Pay $20.00 Cover | $55.00 Dinner)
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The Jazz Voyager
From the nation’s capital to the Big Apple is the next stop for this Jazz Voyager who will be in the venerated Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall. Gorgeous both sonically and visually, this venue utilizes ambitious elements such as a retractable concert shell ceiling and a sophisticated acoustical curtain and banner systems that make the sound quality of the hall spectacular.
To be in the audience for the celebration of the life and music of Lenny White. The iconic Grammy-winning drummer is among jazz music’s most prolific and honored artists, producers, composers and sidemen. All will be fêted at a one-night-only celebration filled with music and memories
This event will feature performances by Return to Forever w/ Stanley Clarke, Al DiMeola and orchestra conducted by Maestro Steve Mecurio, Miles Davis Bitches Brew, Red Clay, Echoes of an Era, as well as exploring material from his illustrious five + decade career. Laurence Fishburne will serve as emcee with appearances from fellow artists Buster Williams, Omar Hakim, Patrice Rushen, Al Foster, Mike Clark, Billy Hart, and Billy Drummond.
Tickets: $175.00~$250.00
Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall address is 10 Columbus Circle, New York City, NY 10019. For more information visit https://jazz.org.
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DIVA JAZZ ORCHESTRA
Led by renowned drummer and composer Sherrie Maricle, the DIVA Jazz Orchestra is a powerhouse 15-piece ensemble celebrated for blending classic big band traditions with fresh, original flair. Joined by Grammy-nominated vocalist Clint Holmes, they’ll take you on a vibrant musical journey through jazz standards, Broadway hits, movie masterpieces, and more, showcasing their unique renditions and dynamic energy. Don’t miss this unforgettable celebration of music over three swinging nights.
The Players: Sherrie Maricle, music director/drums | Kellin Hanas, trumpet | Summer Camargo, trumpet | Jami Dauber, trumpet | Barbara Laronga, trumpet | Leslie Havens, bass trombone | Sara Jacovino, trombone | Jen Krupa, trombone | Stephanie Tateiwa, alto saxophone | Erena Terakubo, alto saxophone | Jade Elliott, tenor saxophone | Laura Dreyer, tenor saxophone | Leigh Pilzer/Lauren Sevian, baritone saxophone | Tomoko Ohno, piano | Noriko Ueda, bass
Tickets: $20.00 ~ 60.00
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Clarence Lacquese Penn born on March 2, 1968 in Detroit, Michigan and started playing the drums at around eigh years old. In 1986, while still at high school, he attended the Interlochen Arts Academy. He started studying at the University of Miami in Florida that same year, but transferred to Virginia Commonwealth University.
At Virginia Commonwealth he studied with Ellis Marsalis, and played in the pianist’s trio from 1987 to 1991, including for a tour of Japan in 1990. Penn graduated in classical percussion in 1991 and was part of vocalist Betty Carter’s trio from until 1993.
Penn later went on to work with David Sanchez, Jimmy Smith, Slide Hampton, Jimmy Scott, Greg Hatza, Stanley Clarke, Tim Warfield, Bob Berg, Diana Krall, Cyrus Chestnut, and Stephen Scott.
He recorded his debut album, Penn’s Landing, for Criss Cross Jazz in 1997 with some of the tracks he composed. His sophomore album as leader, Play-Penn, was recorded four years later, followed by a third the following year. He took a nine year hiatus from recording then recorded three more albums.
Drummer Clarence Penn, who also plays organ and rhodes, continues to perform and record.
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50 SHADES OF O: ORRIN EVANS
50 SHADES OF O: Orrin Evans’ 50th Birthday Celebration with the Orrin Evans Trio and special guest vocalist Ms. Lisa Fischer! Orrin Evans and his 2x Grammy-nominated Captain Black Big Band released and will be performing music from their new studio album, Walk A Mile In My Shoe!
For more than two decades, Yamaha pianist Orrin Evans has made an art form of the unexpected. With more than 25 albums to his credit without ever relying on the support of a major label, Evans has become the model of a fiercely independent artist who’s made a habit of rattling the jazz world’s confining cages. That determination has paid off in accolades like topping the “Rising Star Pianist” category in the 2018 DownBeat Critics Poll and two Grammy nominations. As an adventurous composer he traverses stylistic boundaries with abandon, drawing on full-throttle swing, deep rooted blues, expressive soul or bracing excursions into the avant-garde.
After four decades of featured background singing with icons like Luther Vandross, The Rolling Stones, Chaka Khan, Tina Turner, and Nine Inch Nails, Ms. Lisa Fischer set out to take center stage with her own humble, heartfelt song. The 2013 Best Documentary Oscar winning film “Twenty Feet from Stardom” altered the course of Lisa’s musical journey, telling her story, with clips of her legendary duets with Sting or with Mick Jagger on “Gimme Shelter”, left audiences eager to see and hear more.
The Lineup:
Ms. Lisa Fischer ~ vocals
Orrin Evans ~ piano
Robert Hurst ~ bass
Jeff “Tain” Watts ~ drums
Tickets: $45.00 ~ $55.00 + fee | Streaming: 6:00pm Only ~ $15.00 + fee
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