GEORGE V. JOHNSON JR.

Tribute To Charlie Parker | AH~LEU~CHA

Native Washingtonian, jazz vocalist-songwriter, and recording artist George V. Johnson Jr. will perform (alongside his bandmates) excerpts from the “jazzical” Jazz Iz Really Classical Music, a.k.a. Ah-Leu-Cha, a spirited tribute to Charlie Parker featuring Johnson’s original lyrics.

Deemed “Next in Line” by Eddie Jefferson, the father of the art of jazz vocalese, Johnson continues the legacy of writing lyrics to improvised solos and telling stories we love and appreciate. The performance will be an unforgettable evening celebrating the music of Charlie Parker.

Imagine listening to a seasoned jazz musician rip into a bebop solo so sizzling and smooth it makes your senses tingle. Close your eyes and play along. Try and picture the sweat bouncing off the performer like the notes that leap through the air. See if you can hear the mesmerizing melodies go up and down, bringing you through joy and sadness, taking your emotions on a sensory experience unlike any other. Now picture that musician and his beloved instrument: his voice.

Band members Donvonte McCoy (trumpet), Elijah Easton (tenor saxophone), Allyn Johnson (piano), Herman Burney (bass), and Dana-j Hawkins (drums) are seasoned visionaries who’ve performed across the globe. Join us for a memorable performance.

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CHARLIE PARKER JAZZ FESTIVAL

Featuring: The Cookers | Ndudzo Makhathini Trio | Endea Owens & The Cookout | Akua Allrich & The Tribe | DJ Sets by Uptown Vinyl Supreme

As part of the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival, the Cookers headline a group of innovative artists that embody a sense of community. Most of this super septet—comprising Billy Harper, Cecil McBee, George Cables, Eddie Henderson, Billy Hart, David Weiss, and Donald Harrison—are veterans of the heady mid-’60s when hard bops gave way to the next wave of jazz, and have been pushing the limits of the sound ever since. Endea Owens and the Cookout is led by the titular house bassist for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Hailing from Detroit, Juilliard graduate Owens has found a home in Harlem, where she hosted community cookouts during the COVID-19 pandemic, playing music with her band of fellow virtuosos and handing out hundreds of free meals. Nduduzo Makhathini has become a rising star of South African jazz in both art and academia; the award-winning pianist, improviser, healer, and scholar brings his latest trio to perform selections from The Spirit Of Ntu, his 2022 album for Blue Note Africa. Rounding out the bill is Akua Allrich and The Tribe, led by the jazz and pan-African vocalist with deep musical roots in the blues, soul, and R&B. Allrich and her group the Tribe have drawn accolades for their annual events honoring the defining female voices of Black music, but are also known to craft soul-stirring originals.

Plus, see “We’re Outside”, an exhibition of 10 local artists, curated by Fable Jones Studio, August, 26th, 3-7pm on the west lawn of Marcus Garvey Park (123rd & Mt Morris Park West side) hosted by Heath Gallery and MMPCIA.

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AKUA ALLRICH

Charlie Parker Jazz Festival 2023

Jazz vocalist and DC-native Akua Allrich has proven herself to be a musician of extraordinary talent and crowd-moving passion. With finesse and charisma, this vocalist, composer and teacher, has successfully etched out a place for her unique musical expression, electrifying audiences in and around the nation’s capital with sold-out performances.

With the launch of her independently produced albums, A Peace of Mine in 2010, Uniquely Standard, Akua Allrich Live! in 2012, and her latest release Soul Singer, the young artist’s music and concerts created a significant buzz with critics and music-lovers alike. Said Franz Matzner of All About Jazz, “Akua Allrich’s music flows with a free, natural energy as engaging as her equally ingenuous personality.” Her appeal soon reached across US borders and attained international attention. In early 2011, Allrich signed a distribution deal with Japanese record label AGATE/Inpartmaint Inc. Her debut CD, A Peace of Mine, was released in Japan during their “Golden Week” of May 2011. Music lovers and tastemakers from around the world expressed their appreciation and excitement for this new music.

Allrich’s style is fluid and ever evolving. Her musical roots run deeply into blues, soul and rhythm and blues, with a clear grounding in jazz and pan-African music. She sings in many languages including Portuguese, French, Spanish, English, Xhosa, and Twi. Given her ability to capture the essence of a broad range of musical genres, Allrich is often likened to legendary artists such as Oscar Brown, Jr., Miriam Makeba and Nina Simone. She has developed popular tribute programs involving the latter two women and other great African American women of jazz.

Akua Allrich was educated at Howard University, where 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.

Joining her is The Tribe: Kris Funn ~ bass, Samuel Prather ~ keys, Tyler Leak ~ drums

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The Jazz Voyager

From the West Coast to middle America the jazz Voyager is off to Ann Arbor, Michigan to seize the opportunity to witness the ambience of Blue Llama, a jazz club where it is said they present live jazz and world music paired with New Orleans-inspired cuisine. A destination music venue and restaurant located at 314 S. Main Street 48104,  this week they are offering up for our musical pleasure the guitar talents of Randy Napoleon.

The jazz guitarist, composer, and arranger has toured both nationally and internationally leading his own groups as well as with the Freddy Cole Quartet, pianist Benny Green, the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra led by John Clayton, Jeff Clayton, and Jeff Hamilton, Rene Marie, and Michael Bublé.

He is an associate professor in the College of Music at Michigan State University^[5] and has done master classes at universities and music schools throughout the United States, Canada and Japan.

More information can be had by calling  734-372-3200 or go to bluellamaclub.com.

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DUETS: DIANNE REEVES, CHUCHO VALDÉS, JOE LOVANO

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