BOB JAMES
The career of Bob James is long, varied and continues to evolve at every turn. From his first days in Marshall, Missouri, the music of Bob James has captivated audiences throughout the world.
Discovered by Quincy Jones at the Notre Dame Jazz Festival in 1963, James recorded his first solo album, Bold Conceptions, that year for Mercury Records. 58 albums and innumerable awards would follow through five decades. He honed his skills working with Creed Taylor, working on albums for artists like Hank Crawford, Grover Washington, Jr, among others. While with CTI, James found great popular success overseeing significant hits for Paul Simon, Neil Diamond, Maynard Ferguson, and Kenny Loggins.
In 1974, James finally recorded his own album, One, which launched a lifelong career of recording and performing live. After three more albums, James began his own label, Tappan Zee Records. This allowed James to spend more time in the studio, focusing on his own creative works. It was during this time that he recorded his own gold seller, Touchdown, which included his composition, “Angela”, the instrumental theme from the sitcom Taxi, and possibly James’ best know work. Bob composed all the original music used in that television series for its entire run. One On One, the first in three collaborations with Earl Klugh, was awarded a Grammy in 1980 for Best Pop Instrumental Performance, and has sold over a million copies. During this time, James set the standard for the smooth jazz sound in the late 1970s.
Cover: $56 ~ $80
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KEYON HARROLD
Keyon Harrold Present “Foreverland”
An inventive, multidisciplinary, genre-fluid artist; trumpeter and vocalist; a composer, arranger, and platinum music producer; bandleader and major recording artist,Keyon Harrold’s career is a spectrum of greatness. From touring and recording with Jay-z and Cirque Du Soleil to being signed by legendary Rapper Nas (Mass Appeal) and writing the theme song for The Queen Latifah’s Show. Harrold is a first-call artist with feature credits with Keith Richards, Black Pumas, Mac Miller (Stay), and Nas (The Jarreau of Rap) and Harrold’s latest collaboration with UK crooner Samm Henshaw (Still Broke). Keyon is a frequent collaborator with YEBBA, Robert Glasper, Maxwell, Common, PJ Morton, and Gregory Porter. He is an activist for social justice and equality.
$35 ~ $45 | $15 Streaming Pass (plus fees)
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ALLYN JOHNSON
CD Release Celebration
The native Washingtonian is a multi-talented musician, composer, arranger and producer whose trademark sound gives brilliance and fortitude to the art of jazz improvisation. While a student at the University of the District of Columbia, Allyn was mentored by the late great jazz legend Calvin Jones. Allyn hopes to continue Jones’ rich legacy of service, musicianship and academic excellence. He is revered by musical giants as well as the “young lions” of his generation. In 2024, Allyn recorded a new trio album entitled “The Big Comeback” featuring Eric Kennedy on drums and Romeir Mendez on bass.
Allyn Johnson ~ piano
Tim Green ~ alto saxophone
Herman Burney ~ bass
Eric Kennedy ~ drums
Cover: $30~35 | $15 Streaming Pass (plus fees)
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The Jazz Voyager
This Jazz Voyager is jumping a plane for the streets of The Big Apple famous for Broadway, Harlem, Wall Street and Greenwich Village. It is the latter destination that I am ultimately spending the evening within the walls of the Zinc Bar. Live jazz headlines this subterranean club known for its African, Latin & Brazilian rhythms.Within this beautiful, small jazz club lies everything you want in a classic New York jazz experience. Dress up or dress down, it kind of doesn’t matter. But you know I’ll honor the music.
This Thursday I will be in the company of pianist Axel Tosca and his mother, international vocalist Xiomara Laugart. This will be a rousing jam session of Cuban rhythms that will keep the crowd enthused well into the morning hours. I trust there will be some afro rhythms included also but I look forward to the surprise of what I will hear.
The Zinc Bar is located at 82 W 3rd St, New York, NY 10012. For more information visit https://www.zincbar.com.
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AXEL TOSCA
Three time Grammy-nominated Axel Tosca is a highly talented Cuban jazz pianist and composer who has gained recognition for his virtuosic performances and innovative compositions that blend elements of jazz, classical music, Hip-Hop and Afro-Cuban rhythms. Born in Cuba in 1983, Tosca grew up in a prestigious musical family. His mother is the renowned Cuban Trova singer Xiomara Laugart and his father is Cuban folk singer-guitarist Alberto Tosca. Introduced to guitar at age four, Tosca was also playing piano by age seven and soon joined his parents on stage playing his first show at Casa de las Americas.
Along with performing with his parents, he attended music school. One of his beloved teachers was Miriam Valdez, the daughter of Cuban piano legend Bebo Valdez and sister of Chucho Valdez. This first-class education enabled him to gain a wide range of experiences. Tosca has since become a sought-after performer, collaborator, and session musician, working with a diverse range of musicians and groups including jazz greats like Roy Hargrove and Steve Turre, Dennis & Swing, the Afro-Cuban All-Stars, Bobby Carcases, Teresa Garcia Caturla, Jose Miguel Crego, and more. Along with classical music, jazz, and Latin traditions, he also discovered hip-hop and played with The Roots when they toured Cuba. There is no limit for this visionary pianist, composer, producer, arranger and musical director.
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