SY SMITH

Sy Smith has proven throughout her career that an R&B artist can be progressive while remaining firmly rooted in tradition. Foremost a singer with a vocal range spanning five octaves, Smith began an unending succession of background gigs with Whitney Houston in the late ’90s, and has since worked closely with Grammy-winning trumpeter Chris Botti and Grammy-nominated group the Foreign Exchange, among dozens of other artists. After a brief period signed to a major, Smith established an independent label of her own, an outlet for compositionally solid and sonically adventurous albums including The Syberspace Social (2005), Conflict (2008), Fast and Curious (2012), and the entirely self-produced Sometimes a Rose Will Grow in Concrete (2018).

Sy raises her own bar and then leaps over it with her latest offering “Until We Meet Again” – her critically-acclaimed album produced by Zo! & Tall Black Guy, executive produced by Phonte Coleman and released on +FE Music in January 2024. This mellifluously soulful LP is drawing comparisons to Minnie Riperton and Deniece Williams and is already being called “the album of the year” by a few critics. Music journalist Mark Chappelle says “Smith evokes multiple traditions at once. With the sincerity of Diana Ross dedicating “Missing You” to Marvin Gaye, Smith lets her voice levitate until it breaks—as if just the right frequency could resurrect a loved one.”

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ALLAN HARRIS

Aptly described by the Miami Herald as an artist blessed with “the warmth of Tony Bennett, the bite and rhythmic sense of Sinatra, and the sly elegance of Nat ‘King’ Cole,” Allan Harris is a Brooklyn-born, Harlem-based vocalist, guitarist, songwriter, and band leader. With an impressive discography boasting fourteen recordings as a leader, Harris has established himself as one of the jazz world’s most acclaimed vocalists, possessing a potent combination of dynamic vocal abilities, impeccable phrasing, and powerful emotional resonance.
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Harris has garnered a loyal following of ardent fans who are captivated not only by his remarkable talents but also by his unassuming personality and inquisitive, creative mind. Recognized for his outstanding contributions to jazz, he is a three-time winner of the New York Nightlife Award for “Outstanding Jazz Vocalist,” a DownBeat “Rising Star Jazz Vocalist,” and a winner of the prestigious 2022 “Sarah Vaughan International Vocal Competition.” He has also been honored twice as the “Best Male Jazz Vocalist” by Hot House Jazz Magazine, received a Back Stage award for “Ongoing Achievement in Jazz,” and was recognized with France’s Palmares Award for the 3rd Best Jazz Vocal Album. In addition, he has received notable grants, including the Chamber Music America Residency Grant, the “Pathways to Jazz” grant, and the South Arts “Jazz Roads Tour” grant.

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Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Wallace Leon Jones was born on November 16, 1906 in Baltimore, Maryland. He began playing trumpet in local Maryland bands such as Ike Dixon’s Harmony Birds and Percy Glascoe’s Kit Kat Orchestra early in his career.

He moved to New York City around 1935 and went to work with his cousin Chick Webb. He then joined Willie Bryant’s ensemble and recorded with Putney Dandridge and Duke Ellington, the latter where he was credited on clarinet, trombone and trumpet from 1938 to 1944.

He appeared in several sound films with Ellington, including 1943’s Cabin in the Sky. After this association, Wallace recorded with Ellington again in 1947, and also worked with Benny Carter, Snub Mosley, and John Kirby, but left music by the end of the Forties.

Trumpeter Wallace Jones died on March 23, 1983 in New York City.

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Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Ali Haurand was born Alfred Josef Antonius Haurand on November 15, 1943 in Viersen, Germany. After an apprenticeship as a confectioner and a business manager, he studied from 1966 to 1973 at the Folkwang School and the Rhineland Music Academy. He initially played with his own trio and from 1967 in the trio and quintet of pianist George Maycock. In 1968 he also toured with Philly Joe Jones, Jacques Pelzer, René Thomas and Jan Huydts.

He performed with Ben Webster, Don Byas, John Handy, Bobby Jones and Wilton Gaynair. This was followed by his own groups, Third Eye, the European Jazz Quintet with Leszek Zadlo, Gerd Dudek, Alan Skidmore and Pierre Courbois. Together with Alan Skidmore and Tony Oxley, they formed the trio SOH. Haurand played with his long-time companions, the saxophonist Gerd Dudek and the pianist Rob van den Broeck, in the formation The Trio.

Since 1982, the European Jazz Ensemble, which he formed out of the European Jazz Quintet with varying lineups that included Allan Botschinsky, Stan Sulzmann, Joachim Kühn and Daniel Humair. In the 2000s, he took part in several jazz and poetry projects.

For decades he was a presenter and consultant to the WDR television jazz editorial team, and for twelve years he was artistic director of the Düsseldorf Jazz Rally. From 1987 he was the founder, director and organizer of the Viersen Jazz Festival until 2014. For over 20 years he organized the jazz concerts in the Süchtelner Weberhaus.

Double bassist and bandleader Ali Haurand, who was also a television presenter, music producer and festival manager, died on May 28, 2018.

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The Jazz Voyager

Heading west and coming in early to Ann Arbor, Michigan to investigate the African American Culture and History Museum, the Flight Museum and given time the Chelsea Area Historical Society Museum to see what the city and surrounding areas offer. The next leg of our tour stop of jazz clubs for a visit this week is the stylish lounge restaurant, Blue Llama. With Afro-Caribbean cuisine, designed by James Beard Award-winning Chef JJ Johnson paired with jazz, it creates a destination music venue.

On tap for entertainment is South African pianist Nduduzo Makhathini bringing the African warrior code that is deeply reliant on music for motivation and healing to the bandstand. With a deep influence of McCoy Tyner and Coltran’s quartet he allows his vision to be heard.

The Blue Llama is located at 314 S Main Street, 48104. For more information visit https://bluellamaclub.com.

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