The Jazz Voyager

Leaving the Bay for a flight to the Midwest where this Jazz Voyager will be touching down in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan on the shore of Lake St. Clair. Nestled on The Hill in this upscale affluent community, the Dirty Dog Jazz Cafe offers incredible live jazz performances and a sumptuous menu.

At age 14 drummer Dr. Professor Leonard King became a band leader. Today he is a doctor, a professor and professional musician. He takes the stage for a three day residency with his group.

The club is located at 97 Kercheval Avenue, 48236. For more information on dinner seating go to https://dirtydogjazz.com.

Cover: $20.00

CALIFORNIA JAZZ FOUNDATION

More Posts: ,,,,,,,,,

Daily Dose OF Jazz…

Quinten H. “Rocky” White Jr. was born in 1952 in Hays, Texas near San Marcos. When he was a child, the family moved to Houston. Graduating from San Jacinto High School, where he began playing drums, he attended Texas Southern University and played in the school jazz band. In 1970 he married his high school sweetheart, Erma Green.

While at TSU he met Barrie Hall, who in 1973 joined the Ellington orchestra. It was about a month later that Ellington told Hall he needed another drummer and asked if he knew of one and he recommended Rocky. Joining the orchestra in the summer of 1973, he was one of the last musicians that Ellington hired before he died in 1974.

Drummer Quinten “Rocky” White Jr., whose last appearance with the orchestra was a performance of sacred music in 2007 at Williams Trace Baptist Church,  died from cancer on June 4, 2008 in Houston. He was 56.

More Posts: ,,,,

The Jazz Voyager

Leaving the magic of Manhattan for the West Coast in preparation, this Jazz Voyager is heading to San Francisco, California to be in the audience at the renowned jazz venue, the Black Cat. Located in the Tenderloin, the supper club will be put to the test to see if their Maryland Crab Cakes asre as good as the Eastern Shore of Maryland.

This week I will witness a once in a lifetime music collaboration between three time Grammy nominated composer De’Sean Jones and Urban Art Orchestra with the drumming of Blaque Dynamite. The Detroit saxophonist is bringing lush textures of music to the stage.

A cover charge including fees range between $20.00 and $50.00. Dinner has its own cost.

CALIFORNIA JAZZ FOUNDATION

More Posts: ,,,,,,,,,

STRAIGHT AHEAD

Out of Detroit’s lively jazz scene, comes the ground breaking, Grammy-nominated jazz group Straight Ahead. A group of strong, inventive instrumentalists and vocalists, they have shown themselves to be powerful and imaginative composers and arrangers. Straight Ahead was the first all-woman group signed to Atlantic Jazz.

Widely recognized for their eclectic and soulful approach to creating music, Straight Ahead is in the Detroit Music Awards Hall of Fame. with a sound that ranges comfortably from mainstream jazz to Latin jazz and jazzy hip-hop.  Their live performances are a dynamic celebration of power and joy!

The Group:
Alina Morr- Piano
Marion Hayden – Bass
Gayelynn McKinney- Drums
Kymberli Wright – Vocals
Ingrid Racine – Trumpet

Cover: $20.00

More Posts: ,,,,,,,,,,,,

DR. PROFESSOR LEONARD KING

In late 1962, at age 14, he decided it was time to be a band leader and, with his two brothers and a few neighborhood youngsters, started The Jazz Sextet which later became known as Leonard King and the Soul Messengers (1963-73). The group became very popular providing accompaniment for a variety of single artists and groups who did not have their own bands. Additionally the group provided music for fashion shows, industrial presentations, and many social events.

These experiences served as a basis for other ensembles: Strata Nova (1976-88), Visger Road Drum Band (1991-2006) Proportioned Orchestra (1989-present), Oopapada (1995-present), Dr. Prof. Leonard King “Drum Fun & Vocals, Too” in 1990, and the Dr. Prof. Leonard King Orchestra in 2010 and leads both to the present.

Cover: $20.00

More Posts: ,,,,,,,,,

« Older Posts       Newer Posts »
© Notorious Jazz 2026