SEAN MASON
Anthony Hervey – trumpet
Sean Mason – piano
Felix Moseholm – bass
Domo Branch – drums
Pianist Sean Mason, an incredible new talent, leads his quartet with trumpeter Anthony Hervey, bassist Felix Moseholm, and drummer Domo Branch. Mason states, “My purpose is to play dance music.” And his music has been described as highly melodic, swinging, gospel jazz. Combining folk, stride piano, and the style of his early hero Ray Charles, Mason creates music that is greater than the sum of its parts. Don’t miss this exciting, rising star musician.
Showtimes: 7:00pm & 9:00pm
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GEORGE COLEMAN
George Coleman – tenor saxophone
Peter Bernstein – guitar
Tadataka Unno – piano
John Webber – bass
George Coleman Jr. – drums
Legendary tenor saxophonist George Coleman—a renowned performer and living legend—is no stranger to SMOKE Jazz Club. The NEA Jazz Master opened the club in 1999 and returned to christen its reopening in July 2022. This upcoming visit has Coleman at the helm of a special quintet that includes guitarist Peter Bernstein, bassist John Webber, and his drummer son George Coleman Jr. He is still making some of the most inspired music of his celebrated career, which has included work with B.B. King, Miles Davis, and Herbie Hancock, among many others. Originally from Memphis, Tennessee, the blues remains at the heart of Coleman’s harmonically advanced music. Downbeat reports, “When you hear the tenor sax of George Coleman, you know it’s him within a few notes. That deep park of a tone evokes a time and place—be it his historic work with Max Roach, Chet Baker, and Miles Davis, or as a leader in his own right.”
Showtimes: 7:00pm | 9:00pm | 10:30pm
Streaming: $15.oo ~ Friday & Saturday Shows
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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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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Kenny Dennis was born May 27, 1930 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and began his musical career in the United States Army Band, playing drums in three bands from 1948-1952. After being discharged, he connected with junior high school mate, pianist Ray Bryant and became part of The Ray Bryant Trio along with Jimmy Rowser on bass. They became the house trio at the North Philadelphia Jazz Club, Blue Note where they played with Kai Winding, Chris Connor and Sonny Stitt among others.
Moving to New York City he worked with Miles Davis, Phineas Newborn, Jr., Billy Taylor, Erroll Garner, Charles Mingus, Johnny Griffin, Slide Hampton and Sonny Rollins. In 1957, Dennis performed in Sonny Rollins’s Trio with bassist Wendell Marshall at Carnegie Hall, a historic performance that was commemorated in 2007 with a 50th anniversary concert.
Dennis migrated to California, when Miles Davis recommended him to Lena Horne. There he recorded with Davis, Michel Legrand, Charlie Mingus, Gerald Wilson, poet Langston Hughes and Nancy Wilson, the latter he married and they had a son. He would also record with Oscar Brown Jr., Langston Hughes, Dodo Greene, Roy Ayers, Mal Waldron and Burt Bacharach.
Since 1997 drummer Kenny Dennis, who never recorded as a leader, has been an assistant director of the Lab Band at the award winning Los Angeles County High School for the Arts.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Gene DiNovi was born Eugene Salvatore DiNovi on May 26, 1928 in New York City. While in his teens he worked with Joe Marsala and Chuck Wayne and by the late Forties was very active live and on record. During this period he worked with Buddy DeFranco, Benny Goodman, Chubby Jackson, Brew Moore, Boyd Raeburn, Buddy Rich, Artie Shaw, Lester Young.
At the end of the decade and into the 1950s Gene worked extensively as an accompanist for vocalists, starting with Peggy Lee, Tony Bennett and Anita O’Day. He recorded with Lena Horne multiple times in the late 1950s and early 1960s and accompanied her on European tours. He also led his own small combos with sidemen including Danny Bank, Johnny Carisi, Bill Crow, Tony Fruscella, and Dave Schildkraut.
He began working more as a studio musician and film score composer in the 1960s. Toward the end of the decade he played with Carmen McRae, then moved to Canada to take a position as a house pianist with the CBC in Toronto. In the 1980s he worked with Ruby Braff and toured and recorded in Japan, and continued to be active as a performer into the 1990s, working with James Campbell, Don Thompson, Memo Acevedo, Dave Young, and Terry Clarke.
Pianist and composer Gene DiNovi, now 95, lives a quiet life.
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