BILLY HARPER QUINTET
Billy Harper – tenor saxophone | Freddie Hendrix – trumpet | Francesca Tanksley – piano | Ben Young – bass | Aaron Scott – drums
“His improvisations are torrential, dance-like and swinging, spiraling upward to mountaintop pronouncements that can leave listeners in a sweat.” – The New York Times Tenor saxophonist Billy Harper leads his celebrated quintet with trumpeter Freddie Hendrix, pianist Francesca Tanksley, bassist Ben Young, and drummer Aaron Scott. One of the indispensable saxophonists of the past 50 years stylistically indebted to Trane, Harper has a distinctive sound and approach that is purely his own. Over the years, he’s worked with Art Blakey, Max Roach, Gil Evans, Elvin Jones, Lee Morgan, and, most recently, the Cookers. The San Francisco Chronicle says, “He is a soul of sensitivity and intelligence, as well as of explosive, majestic passion.” “His viscous, chocolaty tone and depth-charge bursts from the bottom of his range [are] a stark contrast to the current trend for a post-bop homogeneity of tone in the newer generation of saxophone sounds,” reports JazzWise.
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LEZLIE HARRISON QUINTET
Lezlie Harrison – vocals Antoine Drye – trumpet John DiMartino – piano Yoshi Waki – bass Russell Carter – drums
Vocalist Lezlie Harrison, whose burnished, soulful alto strikingly illuminates a distinctive blend of standards, classic ’70s soul,and her original music, leads a quintet with trumpeter Antoine Drye, pianist John DiMartino, bassist Yoshi Waki, and drummer Russell Carter. Drawing her diverse repertoire from foundational sources like the soul music of her childhood, the gospel she sang in her grandfather’s church, and the omnipresent traditional jazz standards throughout her life, Harrison creates captivating and personal music that listeners love. The New York Amsterdam News says, “Lezlie Harrison has a smoky sensuous voice that keeps you on the edge of your chair.”
Showtimes: 7:00pm | 9:00pm
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RUSSELL MALONE QUINTET
Russell Malone – guitar George Coleman – tenor saxophone Michael Weiss – piano Vincent Dupont – bass Willie Jones III – drums “Russell Malone has the storytelling skills of a great, perhaps a legacy of his many years with Harry Connick, Jr. and Diana Krall.” – The Times of London Guitar master Russell Malone features very special guest George Coleman with his exceptional quartet of pianist Michael Weiss, bassist Vincent Dupont, and drummer Willie Jones III. Malone is a musician deeply rooted in the blues and bebop, and his soulfully swinging approach is just one of many reasons why he is so popular. Chicago Tribune states, “Though he spikes his solos with occasional running lines, it’s gently rolled chords and lush sequences of harmonies that ultimately define his work,” and JazzTimes describes him as “an uncommonly sensitive interpreter of ballads.”
Showtimes: Friday & Saturday ~ 7:00pm | 9:00pm | 10:30pm
Showtimes: Sunday ~ 7:00pm | 9:00pm
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JOHN SCOFIELD
With Bill Charlap, Scott Colley and Bill Stewart
Guitar legend John Scofield has been a force in jazz for 50 years, playing with artists from Miles Davis to Charlie Haden, Charles Mingus to Herbie Hancock.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Barbara Montgomery ws born in San Francisco, California on June 30, 1948 and during her teen years lived in Vietnam in the early to mid Sixties because her father’s work as an electrical engineer took them there. In the late 1960s she moved to her adopted home of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and during this period is when she started singing.
In the early to mid-’70s, Montgomery’s day gig was The Mike Douglas Show, for which she performed a variety of duties including makeup artist, camera person, and stage manager. When the popular television program moved from Philadelphia to Los Angeles, California she chose to stay and ultimately went on tour with pop/folk singer Harry Chapin later in the decade, helping with lighting and doing some background vocals. Becoming a full time mother in 1979, she took a break from music for several years.
Since 1986, she has served as musical director for fitness expert Richard Simmons. Between the demands of working for Simmons and raising a child, Barbara had little time for jazz singing in the 1980s. But she returned to club gigs in 1992 and acquired a small following playing the Philadelphia jazz circuit, where she has been joined by such notables as guitarist Jimmy Bruno and pianists Sid Simmons, Barry Sames, and Dennis Fortune.
Montgomery recruited former Chick Corea drummer Dave Weckl and co-producer/guitarist Michael Sembello for her self-titled debut album in 1996. Two years later she released her sophomore LP, Ask Me Now and her third Dakini Land followed after three more years, in tribute to the work of Chick Corea. This release won her much praise and put her on the scene as a vocalist to follow. That reputation was helped by Little Sunflower, the following year’s record of standards.
Vocalist Barbara Montgomery, who was influenced by Chris Connor, Julie London, and June Christy, continues to perform and record.
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