TESSA SOUTER
The vocalist celebrates the release of her album Release Party of Shadows and Silence: The Eric Satie Project. She brings with her pianist Luis Perdomo, drummer Billy Drummond, bassist Boris Kozlov, plus special guest saxophonist Steve Wilson.
New York-based, London-born of Afro-Trinidadian and English parents, New York Times critics pick Tessa Souter grew up surrounded by music. Her mother, a talented amateur singer, taught her to sing when she was three, and she took piano lessons from aged eight to 12, before switching to the guitar, learning by ear to accompany herself singing songs by, among others, Sandy Denny and Jacquie McPhee of the jazz-folk bands Fairport Convention and Pentangle.
“My piano teacher had advised me to take up singing when she heard my voice so, when around that age, my mother told me that my birth father had been a singer, it felt like a connection to this person I had never known,” says Tessa. When she finally met him in her late 20s, the first thing he did was sing to her in the street. “Just the sound of his beautiful tenor, vibrated every bone in my body.”
Tickets: $30.00
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JOHN YARLING
John Yarling studied classical percussion at Florida State University and jazz performance at the University of Miami. He has taught music and percussion at North Broward Preparatory Schools and founded the percussion program at the Florida Youth Conservatory.
A versatile and sought-after drummer, John has performed with top South Florida acts including Ira Sullivan, the Inter-Outer Continental Quintet, South Florida Jazz Orchestra, Brian Murphy Trio, Nicole Yarling 4-Tet, and more. Comfortable in jazz, blues, funk, and rock, his past collaborations include legends such as Mose Allison, Sonny Stitt, Nat Adderley, Mike Stern, Larry Coryell, and Mick Taylor. His recording credits feature artists like Ira Sullivan, Curtis Fuller, Joe Williams, and Pink.
Cover: Member ~ $33.85 | General Admission ~ $44.52
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KENNY BANKS JR.
Pianist Kenny Banks Jr., a resident of Atlanta, GA has earned a reputation as one of the most dynamic jazz artists in the Southeast. Kenny was a finalist in the 2019 American Pianists Awards jazz competition and performed to great acclaim in solo and trio formats.
He has traveled abroad performing and recording around the world with a wide variety of artists in the jazz, gospel, Afro-Cuban and hip-hop scenes. These artists include Kurt Elling, Keyon Harrold, Jazzmeia Horn, Theo Croker, Jeff Tain Watts, Stefan Harris, Russell Malone, Gerald Albright, Charlie Hunter, Jennifer Holliday, David Sanchez, Kim Burrell, Dottie Peoples, Phiife from “A Tribe Called Quest”, Eight Ball & MJG and Queen Latifah.
Banks is noted for his blended technique in mixing jazz and gospel styles. Downbeat Magazine describes his playing as “gospel and blues-infused” and calls his arrangements “thrilling, modern and surprising.” Jazziz Magazine notes his “deeply embodied gospel and soul roots” with “supple phrasing and effortless command of late 20th century harmony.”
Kenny Banks Jr expresses himself compositionally from a broad range of music. KJO’s Live at Lucille’s states, “His music is at once sophisticated, spirited, spontaneous and brilliantly executed.” “Embrace the sound” says Kenny. “This way of thinking aids me in my approach, helping me to view situations from a state of optimism, on and off the bandstand.”
Cover: $32.26
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HIDDEN NOMINATION
Hidden Nomination is a genre-defying ensemble that emerged from the lustrous Blue Llama Jazz Club after a particularly electrifying set. The band has quickly become a force to be reckoned with in the Midwest music scene and brings together four exceptionally talented musicians with a shared passion for exploration and innovation.
Their sound is a thrilling fusion of jazz, funk, R&B, gospel, and neo-soul, creating a sonic tapestry that is as soulful as it is dynamic. With high-energy performances and delicate, melodic interplay, Hidden Nomination captivates audiences, taking them on a journey that transcends traditional genre boundaries. The band’s philosophy is rooted in the pursuit of the unseen and the unheard—always searching for what lies hidden beneath the surface of music and emotion.
Recently completing a celebrated residency at Cliff Bell’s, one of Detroit’s most iconic jazz clubs, Hidden Nomination has solidified its reputation as a must-see live act. Their ability to blend technical mastery with raw, heartfelt expression has earned them a dedicated following and critical acclaim. As they prepare to record their debut album in summer of 2025, the band is poised to share their unique sound with an even wider audience.
The Band:
Houston Patton ~ saxophone
Andre Crawford ~ piano
Dylan Sherman ~ bass
Brian Allen ~ drums
Cover: $25.00
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CYRUS CHESTNUT
Chestnut’s playing, deeply rooted in gospel and blues, infuses each performance with profound emotional depth. As The New York Times notes, his “crisp articulation and blues-inflected harmony evoke another era… multifaceted and dynamic,” seamlessly blending tradition with fresh innovation to captivate audiences. Chestnut’s artistry has earned him widespread acclaim as one of the most distinctive and compelling jazz pianists of his generation. As The New York Daily News aptly describes him, he is “the rightful heir to Bud Powell, Art Tatum, and Erroll Garner.”
At age nine Chestnut was enrolled in the prep program at the Peabody Institute in Baltimore. He later headed to Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he received the Eubie Blake fellowship, the Oscar Peterson scholarship, and the Quincy Jones scholarship.
After graduating from Berklee in 1985, Chestnut went on to work with vocalist Jon Hendricks and trumpeter Terrence Blanchard before joining jazz legend Wynton Marsalis. He toured for two years as the pianist for the Betty Carter Trio and has often said that playing with Carter was a form of graduate school.
By 1994, Chestnut had graduated from being an accompanist and band member by forming and leading his own trio, then releasing his major label debut album Revelations. The album, voted Best Jazz Album by the Village Voice, soared on the charts.
Chestnut has worked with such leading artists as saxophonists Donald Harrison and Joe Lovano; trumpeters Roy Hargrove and Freddie Hubbard; pianist Chick Corea, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Pops, and opera singer Kathleen Battle, as well as vocalists Vanessa Williams, Anita Baker, Bette Midler and Isaac Hayes.
Today he tours continually, playing at jazz festivals, clubs and concert halls around the world. He is a first call for the piano chair in such groups as the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra and the Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Big Band. The NY Daily News has hailed Cyrus Chestnut as the rightful heir to Bud Powell, Art Tatum and Erroll Garner.
Cover: $35.00 ~ $50.00 +$7.00 fee | $15 food/beverage minimum per person not included in ticket price
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